A Beach Wish

by Shelley Noble

New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble returns to the beach in her latest summer read about the family we create and the wishes we make that can shape us.

Zoe Bascombe has never said no to her family. When she blew her Juilliard audition, she caved to their wishes and went to business school. But when her mother dies and leaves instructions for Zoe to spread her ashes at a place called Wind Chime Beach, she defies her brothers and starts out for a New England town none of them has ever heard of and discovers a side of her garden club mother that her wildest dreams hadn’t imagined.

Zoe has another family.

Her first instinct is to run home. Instead she is caught in the middle of her feuding new relatives. With one family fighting among themselves and the other not speaking to her, Zoe must somehow find a way to bridge her new life with her old.

For the first time in her life, Zoe must make a stand for her family—both of them. If only she can only figure out how.

Her answer lies at Wind Chime Beach where for generations people have come to add their chimes to the ones already left among the trees. And when the wind blows and the air fills with music, their secrets, dreams, and hopes are sent into the world. There’s a message for Zoe here—if she has the courage to open her heart.

Genres: Fiction, Womens Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Summer

371 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2019

About the author

Shelley Noble is a multi published fiction author whose books have been translated into seven languages. She writes women’s fiction as Shelley Noble and is also the author of several amateur sleuth mystery series, written as Shelley Freydont.

A former professional dancer and choreographer, she most recently worked on the films, Mona Lisa Smile and The Game Plan. She also consults on various dance and theatre projects, most recently the world premiere of a full length Tom Sawyer ballet commissioned by Kansas City Ballet.

Shelley is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and Liberty States Fiction Writers.

She lives near the New Jersey shore. In her spare time she loves to discover new beaches and indulge her passion for lighthouses and boardwalks with vintage carousels.

Reviews

[Berit☀️✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ. sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ. ʀᴇᴀᴅ.

Shelley Noble has crafted the PERFECT summer read. Intriguing well developed characters. A beautiful beach setting. Plenty of family drama. And even a dash of romance. I love stories like this that completely whisk you away into the lives of the characters in the book. Zoe finds herself in a small New England town. She is there to spread her mothers ashes, but why would her mom want her ashes in a place that the family has never heard of? We all know our parents had a life before we were born, but what happens when that life includes an entire different family?

Zoe was such a great character and I truly enjoyed spending time with her. She was so relatable and I really appreciated her quiet strength. The rest of the cast of characters were a true delight. The family drama was very reminiscent of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Two families with an age old dispute, and two kids in love. There was also a little magical element to the story, a beach called Wind Chime with an intriguing story of its own. This really is the perfect book to spend a lazy summer afternoon with.

🎧🎧🎧Vanessa Johannsson has a crisp youthful voice that really blended well to the story.

*** Big thanks to William Morrow and Harper Audio for my copy of this book ***

[DJ Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Rating:

4.5

Favorite Quotes:

Zoe took a quick last look in her rearview mirror, where her family appeared as a perfectly framed photo for a bare second before dispersing out of frame. Like an Etch A Sketch drawing turned upside down.

Actually I’m, uh, working remotely.” Just a little white lie. Just reshuffle the words and you had “I’m not remotely working.”

A feud, star-crossed lovers, an angry old rock star, and a missing hotel proprietor—it’s just like Shakespeare in the Park without the mosquitoes…

He whipped off his hat. His hair sprang out like a ballerina’s tutu from a totally bald head.

Stupid, really, that even though she was currently unemployed, she was still herding relative strangers. Ha. Relative strangers. Strange relatives. Yep. She had plenty of both.

My Review:

This multi-textured tale was filled with long-held secrets, small-town corruption, a forty-year-old feud, adorable elderly hippies, a greedy and menacingly villainous ninety-year-old matriarch, and loads of complicated and turbulent family dynamics and drama; it was a tasty summer treat that didn’t require a cooler and supplied its own sand. Upon her mother’s death, Zoe was tasked with the errand of spreading the ashes on an unfamiliar beach, which lead to a multitude of challenges and earth-shattering revelations about her mother as well as herself. The storylines and writing were observantly insightful and engaging while laced with uncertainty and emotional tension as well as shrewdly placed snippets of wit and levity. My curiosity and interest were well engaged and I enjoyed the unusual premise as much as the peculiarity and vagaries of the diverse and large cast of compelling characters. This was my first time sampling the clever wordplay of the divine Shelly Noble yet Goodreads lists twenty books and novellas to her credit, where have I been?

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Novel full of surprises in a lovely beach setting. Humor. The wind chimes are magical. Loved it!

[Karen Wahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Round up to 3.5. I received this book from Goodreads Giveaways. I did enjoy the book and loved most of the characters. I especially loved Floret and Henry! It was a unique storyline which was enjoyable to read. Loved the location and the descriptions of the wind chimes which made you hear them clearly in your head! I love reading stories about families and what childhood/teen years events that travel into adulthood.

[Shannon Rochester · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my kind of book...Zoe's mother dies and leaves specific wishes about where she wants her ashes to be spread...leading to a place called Wind Chime Beach and trouble with her family who believes they should not follow her mother's last wish...Zoe goes anyway and she finds out all sorts of family secrets along the way...I loved the characters (most of them), I loved the setting, and I loved the storyline...

[Karen ReadsALot · Rating 4 out of 5]

People should not wait until they die to share family secrets.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading books about the beach during the summer. This was much more than a beach read - it was the story about family and love and a fun book to read. There were a lot of characters and I think some of them could have been left out with no problem but I was able to keep up with all of the main characters. My favorite had to be Zoe. She was on a quest to fulfill her mother's final wish and even though it made absolutely no sense to her why her mother wanted her ashes scattered on a beach that no one in the family had ever heard of, she was going to do it and then she was going to find out WHY Wind Chime Beach and WHAT her mother's connection was to the people who lived there.

Zoe always wanted to be involved in the music business. After she failed her audition at Julliard, she went to business school as her family wanted and was thrilled to get a job in the music industry. When her job got downsized, she was left wondering what she wanted to do with her life. When her mother's final wish was for Zoe to scatter her ashes, she decided to do it despite the disapproval of her three brothers. When she gets to town, she runs into a lot of interesting people including an old hippie couple who still live life in a commune. She wonders what the connection is between her straight laced and proper mother with this place and with the older couple. What she finds out will totally change her opinion of her mother as well as change her future plans for her life.

This was an easy read about family and love. Most important it was a reminder of the fact that our parents had lives before we were born and they were often very different than what we imagine.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

[Shelly Spiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, but not something that would take you away. The book really didn't get around to adequately explaining why Jenny let Eve go with Hannah or much about Lee's and Jenny's relationship. I did like the setting, you can't go wrong with a day at the beach.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off strong for me then fizzled a bit. This is about a woman named Zoe who is tasked with taking her mother's ashes to some unknown place called Wind Chime beach to spread them. She and her brothers have no idea where it is or why its significant, but she goes anyway. When she gets there, she gets thrown in to a generation long family feud and lo and behold, its part of her family that she never knew. There is a lot of family drama and when it all resolves in the end and we find out WHY, it seemed kind of lackluster. My biggest complaint with this book is the amount of characters. The entire community is named and referenced multiple times, even if they don't have a significant role in the story. There are a lot of loose ends and things that get started but aren't significant so it made it feel just like noise. Overall, a women's fiction is always a win for me and this one would DEFINITELY be better if read physically, but this wasnt my favorite.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't what I hoped it would be. I liked the beach and the house and the wind chimes. Those were delightful. The characters were okay. Some were over the top. I didn't like the story. It was not what I was expecting. I knew it was about family, but I didn't think it would go down that road.

[Mary Marsan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I good quick summer read!

[Anita Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much more than a light beach read. Zoe has always done what her family thought she should do but her mother's last request of her changes everything she and her brothers always believed. Excellent story!

[Nancy Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I received this novel in an e-book edition through a First Reads Goodreads giveaway, but that in no way affected this review.

All families have their own dysfunction, and this family is no different; however, the protagonist doesn't know it's dysfunctional when the novel opens.

After her very proper mother dies, Zoe Bascombe is specifically tasked with dealing with her ashes. Not her brothers, but her. She is to scatter them on Wind Chime Beach, a place she has neither visited nor knows anything about, but despite her brothers being against her going, she plans to honor her mother's last wish.

Her trip to this secluded New England town brings huge surprises, and shows Zoe a new side to her mother's life. Actually, after talking to (and getting to know) some of the locals who have lived there for years, Zoe realizes that she has just stepped into a new reality...a reality that finds her straddling two worlds, that is, a whole other side of her family. With this realization, she finds out that she is not who she thinks she is, and that she has more family than she knew. What's more they are feuding with each other, and with a new sister, nieces, and more, she is pulled into the middle of it.

This is women's fiction, which explores what it means to be family. It further explores redemption, love, and acceptance. Will the past repeat itself, or will there be a new recognition of family connections? Will there be closure for this new family, or just more dysfunction?

The story is complete as is, but the ending almost felt like a sequel could be coming sometime in the future. Loved the wind chimes, and there were few if any WTT trends.

[Bruna (bruandthebooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I devoured this book over the course of two days. It is such a pleasant story and the whole time I was reading it, I wished I could transport myself to Wind Chime Beach. Shelley Noble did an amazing job describing the city and the lovely hippie commune around it.

Zoe’s mom, Jenny, passed away and left a letter with her last wishes: she wants Zoe to spread her ashes at Wind Chime Beach. Zoe has no idea where this place is and how her mom knows about it.
As soon as Zoe gets to this small city in New England, she meets Floret and Henry, a friendly couple who had met Jenny back in the days when she was an adventurous teenager living in the hippie commune. Zoe had no idea the woman she knew as her uptight mother was such a free-living teenager in her youth.

Jenny left Zoe a letter explaining part of the story. She had fallen in love when she was younger and became pregnant. Zoe’s sister that she never met before lives in this city, as does Zoe’s real father. The letter stuns her. She wants to meet her real father, her sister, and other family that she had never heard of.

But apparently her father is not very happy to meet his “new” daughter – the spitting image of the woman that once broke his heart and ran away from him, leaving him miserable. Her father’s mother is also not pleased about meeting Zoe. Her grandmother is the most powerful woman in the city; she despises the hippie commune and would do anything to get rid of it.

Despite the huge surprise that changes her life forever, Zoe finds herself bonding with her sister and nieces. She also becomes fond of the city and the people she meets there. But will she be able to make her dad forget about the past and accept her as his daughter? What happened in the past that makes Zoe’s grandma hate her so much?

The story has drama all over it: an old fight between families, Zoe’s new family, forbidden young love, and more. But at the same time, it’s a light story about forgiveness and letting things go.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this through a goodreads giveaway. The book was just okay. I really wanted to love it. Who doesn’t really love a beach read with some family drama added to the mix. I just couldn’t get attached to the characters. There were too many loose ends that just didn’t tie together.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting storyline - however, with this many characters involved, I wish it had been longer so we could have gotten more backstory on and perspective from everybody. Alternatively, fewer characters could have been written in - for instance, we never even saw the character Harmony, although she was mentioned several times. The big reveal about the feud and much of the dialogue fell flat for me; it was also a little hard to keep track of the timeline. I was not always a fan of the writing style, either.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an enjoyable summer read. The cast of characters was varied but I felt that some of them weren’t as well rounded as I would have liked. Perhaps having so many that were important to the story prohibited them all from being explored as deeply as I would have liked. (David comes to mind). Although I loved Chris; I want to tour NYC with him. *I won copies of this book for my book club *

[Sharlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. Shelley Noble always writes great books about family relationships. I always consider her when I need a good book for the beach, pool or easy chair. Appealing location with great characters.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story! Loved the plot. Quick read. Could not put it down.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read this beach read at the beach – it doesn’t get much better than that, does it? This is my second book by Ms. Noble; I had previously read her Stargazey Point. In A Beach Wish the reader is introduced to Zoe, a young woman who loves music but failed at her goal to get into Juilliard so is now just treading water through her life. Then her mother dies which rocks her world. Her mother leaves instructions for Zoe to scatter her ashes at a place called Wind Chime Beach. A place that Zoe nor anyone else in the family has ever heard of. Her stepbrothers want to forgo her last wishes but Zoe heads out to follow them. While there she finds not the end of her mother’s life but rather the beginning. She also finds herself.

A Beach Wish was a quick and easy read. I read it in an afternoon. It’s full of interesting and diverse characters who are at odds with one another. Zoe knows nothing of this place but soon comes to realize that her mother had a completely different life before her second marriage. The ending was pretty easy to figure out but it still made for a good story. The compulsory bad actor seemed a bit over the top but there does need to be conflict of some sort.

Overall a satisfying read with a solid plot and interesting characters.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

On April 6, 2019, I received the book A Beach Wish by Shelley Noble for free through Goodreads First Reads. This author is one I have never read before, so I wanted to try a new author and the book sounded very interesting. I guessed the premise of the book; however, it was very convenient that all the brothers (Errol, Robert, and Chris) were married or in relationships so the unmarried sister who is a dead ringer for the mother went on the quest by herself. I did enjoy when Chris showed up. Some of the other characters were good like the hippie characters Floret and Henry, and Dulcie the goat was funny. The grandmother Hannah and father Lee were interesting characters. I liked the on/off romance between Eve and Mike, although it would have been nice for a decision between the on/off part. I also would have liked for a romance between Zoe and David. I liked the ending of the book; however, it almost appears as if there should be a sequel so hopefully the author will write one. In the end this book covered all of the areas that make a good book, and it is such a great book if I can finish it in two days.

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What???

This Wonderfully Entertaining book needs more LOVE!

First off, nobody I am GR Friends with has read this book.

It really was wonderfully written and lots of twists and turns.

It is not my normal Clean Read / Christian Fiction. But with that being said – anything “bad” that happens was in the past. With a few indiscretions in real time. Sure they were not needed to enhance the book. But I didn’t let it take away from the book.

It’s a book mostly involving family drama. And last wishes. And speaking up for oneself. And tackling problems before they get out of hand. And truth telling.
And it did not end the way I expected. I cannot say much more as I don’t want to give anything away.

But I really loved “some” of these characters. My favorites were the elder married hippie couple: Floret and Henry. And their goat. Ha. I’d love a book with just those three. Adorable!!!!

[Grace Tolman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I needed a "beach" themed read for this summer and this one popped up during my book research.
I have to say that the book cover looks inviting. I didn't read the synopsis so I didn't know what I was getting myself into. At the end, it was OK. This is more of a chick lit than a romance novel. There's a lot, and I mean a LOT, of family drama.
After Zoe's mother passed away, the mom's final request is for Zoe to take her ashes to this sleepy beach town. Zoe goes over there only to unearth a secret that was hidden for many years. She meets people that would eventually help her fill in the gaps that was created when the secret was revealed.
There are a lot of characters in this book so listening to it was a bit hard, remember who's who. But over all it was OK. It made me thankful that I don't have that kind of family drama that these fictional characters had.

[Trixi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick summer read. Zoe is tasked to take her mother's ashes and spread them on a beach of a town the family has never heard of. Upon Zoe's arrival at a local inn, she eventually discovers that her mother had a life she never spoke about when she was a teenager. Zoe also learns that she has a bunch of relatives she was unaware of that may or may not be accepting of Zoe. As to not include spoilers, Zoe and other people go through a lot of turmoil before coming to terms with decisions that were made long before most of them were alive.

[Sonya Loyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this Kindle book through a Goodreads Giveaway. I love the cover! Looking at it, I would have guessed that it would be a romance. There is a smidge of romance, but I would say that this book is more about all the different relationships within a family and the major shocks that can reverberate when secrets come to light. The characters are compelling and the location is devine. The calm and loving elderly hippy couple next door help to offset the anger, bitterness and unforgiveness of the octogenarian matriarch. This was a great virtual trip to the beach and the small town beside it.

[Dundee Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I wish I could have been at the beach reading it.
Zoe's mom Jenny, has passed away and left very detailed instructions of what she wants. She wants Zoe to take her remains to a place that no one in her family has ever heard of, Wind Chime Beach. Confused, Zoe says good bye to her upset brothers and heads out. Once there, Zoe begins to realize that her mom had a life before marriage and kids.
This was an easy read that kept me interested with its drama, love and family.

[Shelana Ferris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Shelley Noble and was impressed by her writing. It was a great story about family and discovery. Zoe has been instructed by her dead mother via her will to spread her ashes at Wind Chime Beach. She has no clue what ties her Mom has to Wind Chime Beach but as the story progresses Zoe finds another part of her mother and another family. The ending had a closure and the promise of new beginnings for the characters.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe Bascombe has never said no to her family. When she blew her Juilliard audition, she caved to their wishes and went to business school. But when her mother dies and leaves instructions for Zoe to spread her ashes at a place called Wind Chime Beach, she defies her brothers and starts out for a New England town none of them has ever heard of and discovers a side of her garden club mother that her wildest dreams hadn’t imagined.

Zoe has another family.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just not my kind of book. I had to push myself to continue reading it. It was very long and drawn out. Halfway through I stopped reading and just skimmed the rest of the book and I don't think I missed a thing. If I hadn't won the book, I would have stopped reading it after the first couple of chapters.

[Nancy Pickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and the plot points drag on til the very end of the book, but it kept me entertained and I read it quickly. That usually indicates an enjoyable read for me. I appreciated that the extremely unlikable characters didn't have complete turnarounds in their behavior as that trope is unbelievable.