Lost Coast Literary

by Ellie Alexander

Book editor Emily Bryant finds herself unexpectedly in the charming town of Cascata on California’s Lost Coast, holding the keys to her grandmother’s rambling Victorian mansion. While sorting through her grandmother’s things, Emily learns that she must edit old manuscripts to inherit the estate. It’s a strange request from a family member who was basically a stranger.

Emily quickly realizes that there’s something different about these manuscripts. Any changes she makes come true. At first, she embraces the gift. She has a chance to help characters find true love or chart a new course for their future. But then things go terribly wrong. Her edits have the opposite effect. The sweet and funky seaside community of Cascata is reeling from the chaos Emily has created. Everything she thought she believed about her family and her past is in jeopardy, and no amount of editing can fix the damage she’s done.

Then she finds one last manuscript. If Emily can get this edit right, maybe she’ll have a chance to create a new narrative for herself and everyone around her.

Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery, Contemporary, Cozy Mystery, Summer, Books About Books

282 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2022

About the author

Ellie is a voracious storyteller and a lover of words and all things bookish. She believes that stories have the ability to transport and transform us. With over forty published novels and counting, her goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding.

She loves inhabiting someone else’s skin through the pages of a book and is passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As a writing teacher and coach, she guides writers in crafting the story they’ve always wanted to tell while navigating the path to publication that’s right for them.

Find out more about Ellie and her books by visiting her website at: http://www.elliealexander.co/ or following her on social media—
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Reviews

[Mary-Lisa Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Sweet Lemon Press LLC and Ellie Alexander for the opportunity to read and review an Advanced Reader Copy of "Lost Coast Literary" expected to be released on March 29, 2022.

This book is a perfect blend of reality and magic that captivates the reader with every turn of the page. The first question that entered my mind when I commenced reading the book was: "is it possible that another author's writing style from a different era can be reincarnated in a modern-day author's work?" I truly believe this is possible for after reading the carefully etched, deliberate descriptions in Ms. Alexander's book, I immediately compared her to another engaging author that had a rare gift in bringing a story to life in vivid detail: Elizabeth Von Arnim (1866-1941). Ironically, a few weeks ago I read Ms. Arnim's book, "The Enchanted April," written in the ripe old year of 1922... a book which still resonates today with countless readers across the globe because of the exquisite details she masterfully pens that paint moving pictures within the reader's mind.

And this is the exact writing gift that Ms. Alexander portrays in her own writing. Her every word is a brush stroke, shifting the story from a mere book to a cinematographic vision etched in ink. The reader does not have to strain to envision what the author is trying to convey; the author does the work for you and so it invokes a pleasant, effortless read.

Vivid descriptions contain the keys that open up the portal of the reader's mind that harbors imagination. We can witness this in this book. Emily's anguish in trying to carve her future, her love of all things literary which pulls her in every direction and is the epicenter driving her decisions, and her past and current family issues are palpable- the reader feels her dilemma through her countless self-analysis and never-ending questions. She feels abandoned by her extended family and is drowning in unanswered questions, carrying the weight of her uncertainty and lack of answers throughout her life. Her emotions are heightened. Strained. All these issues are now together, at the forefront of her thoughts and she must confront them. She is at a crossroads- somewhere she does not want to be and this is expertly illustrated through Ms. Alexander's sweeping, yet controlled, descriptions. We got inside Emily's head.

​We witness this gift of writing in vivid detail with the fantastic descriptions of "The Ballard" - the 'literary' mansion Ellie inherits from her grandmother and the paint-stroke, finely executed details of the village and it's community inhabitants. These details 'connect' the reader to the unfolding story. Without this, the reader loses interest in the characters and storyline and does not remain vested in the story to read it to the end. This does not happen here. Ms. Alexander masterfully keeps her reader connected.

The "magical" element was a pleasant, refreshing twist to the story. I was able to guess ahead of time what the outcome would be as the story unfolded but the author's writing kept me hooked. The plot was evenly paced and flowed in time to the tone which was pleasant and blended with the descriptions.

In summation, "Lost Coast Literary" was a cozy read and I stayed immersed in the story. I would be delighted to read Ms. Alexander's previous literary works and future ARCs. I do recommend this book be added to your TBR list. All opinions in this review are my own.

Grading: 5/5

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both the cover and the title drew me to this book. Lost Coast seemed a mystery, and Literary calls to the book lover in me. The story is charming and drew me in quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the characters, especially Emily Bryant, the main character. There's also a paranormal theme running through the book that kept my interest.

Emily is faced with a life-changing choice when her grandmother dies and leaves her the beautiful Victorian family home. The will has stipulations that draw Emily from her book editing career in New York, to the lost coast in Cascata, California to a family she doesn't really know and has felt all her life had abandoned her. There's also a paranormal theme running through the book that kept my interest.

This is a short but very satisfying read that kept me absorbed. I enjoyed it so much that I will look for other books by Ellie Alexander.

Thanks to Sweet Lemon Press, LLC through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on March 29, 2022.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost Coast Literary is a sweet-as-candy chick-lit stand-alone, set in a fictional small Far North California town in a region called the Lost Coast, which turns out to be real (thanks Google Maps). I don’t really read this kind of thing anymore, but requested it at a time when I needed a break from violent thrillers on the recommendation of new Book Friend, because I liked the sound of the premise and the bookish elements. The trope of an unfulfilled young woman inheriting a property in a quirky town, leading to new friendships and a career change, is ubiquitous in cosy crime and romantic fiction, but this throws in a fantasy twist that promised something more interesting than was actually delivered.

Emily Bryant has just moved to New York to start a new career in publishing, when she receives word that her paternal grandmother has died, leaving Emily The Ballad, her mansion in the quaint beachside town of Cascata, but with a strict condition - she must finish editing a pile of “Forsaken” manuscripts - and no one can tell her why. Emily hadn’t seen Gertrude since she was a young child, and never understood why her father’s family cut all ties when her mother died, so is confused by the bequest, and by her uncle and his family’s unexpected friendliness, but dutifully sets to work on the novels. When the “improvements” she’s made start magically playing out in front of her in the lives of Cascata’s residents, Emily just wants to help, but her well-meaning meddling just causes more problems. All she wants to do is sell The Ballad and get back to her job, but as her memories start to clear and she learns how beloved Gertrude was in the town, Emily begins to wonder if perhaps there’s another side to her family’s story… and whether everyone actually needs a Happy Ever After?

This was a cute story chock full of literary references, designed to appeal to bookworms of all ages - who doesn’t dream of being gifted a beautiful house full of books? Cascata sounds idyllic - apart from the weather - although the technicolour descriptions gave new meaning to the expression Purple Prose. I got bored with Emily’s self-absorbed angst about her perceived abandonment, and felt the “mysteries” of what had happened and why no one would talk about it was contrived and made little sense. Emily’s efforts to help her new friends were the most interesting part of this - because her family issues were frankly tedious - but were still pretty predictable. I was disappointed that the author felt the need to insert a late love interest into the plot - why can’t a heroine ever have a happy ending that doesn’t include meeting a man? I also am tired of books set in the present that are being released in 2022 still pretending Covid never happened. 3.5 rounded down from me, but please remember this really isn’t my genre, so I’m sure fans of cosy chick-lit will like it much more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sweet Lemon Press for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. Lost Coast Literary is published on March 29th.

[carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is now published.

I was enraptured by the first line: “Jane Eyre? Jane Austen? Eyre or Austen?” Yes, I screamed. My two favorite Janes together. What an opener. I went back and saw the dedication and screamed some more: “For every reader who has found themselves through the pages of a book and in the process discovered who they were always meant to be.” The story hadn’t even begun, yet I already saw myself in its pages.

Ellie Alexander understands bookish souls.

What’s Going On?

Emily Bryant finally landed her dream job as a book editor in New York and is on the cusp of acquiring her first project when she gets heaved to Cascata, California by her estranged paternal family. Gertrude, her grandmother, died and left her dreamy historic mansion to Emily – along with mysterious forsaken manuscripts she must edit to claim her inheritance. Unsure what to make of the strange remote town she’s found herself in or of her extended family’s equally strange friendliness, Emily goes against her reservations and looks at the manuscripts. Not much can get stranger in a strange situation, right?

Wrong. Emily’s edits don’t just play out on the page, they play out on the stage that is life. Of course, this terrifies her, because Emily Bryant doesn’t know that she’s in a magical realism novel. It’d be chilling to see that you’re writing the real-life stories of real-life people. (Although, it would have solved many of my anxieties growing up if The Real World followed what I scripted. Alas, I am neither a magical realism character nor a desired reality shifter.)

Emily finds that she can’t escape the manuscripts. But she also can’t escape the loving, steadfast pull of her family or Cascata. And she even starts to learn more about the people the manuscripts are about. All the while, she’s confronting blurry, lost memories of the past, her dad’s reticence about his family and the town, and her looming job back in New York. Her passion for literature, so inextricable from her life, remains the constant as she tries to make sense out of the contradictions and confusions.

What Works?

• Setting. Wow. The house. The town. I would love to have an intimate community like that, or even to just experience it. Plus it’s on the coast! In California! My home! If I could just move it here to SoCal it’d be perfect…the Pacific NW is too cold for me. But I absolutely fell in love with the setting, one of my faves ever. Beautiful descriptions throughout.
Moment of appreciation for THE GARDENS WOW. Every day my need to have a home with lavish gardens to traverse increases. Pemberley, you did this to me at the ripe age of 8.

• She edits different types of books that are ultimately revealed to be united with common threads. When she edits, we legitimately get transported to certain scenes of those books – the edits are like their own little short stories. I found this concept intriguing and effective. Furthermore, it wasn’t redundant when we saw the scenes play out in the story later because they developed Emily’s reactions and/or revealed additional details that weren’t shown in the original editing scene.

• Emily being a reader allowed rich perspectives. The way she sees the world is true to booklovers. It just made for explorations you don’t get to see often in books yet see daily in your life, and I really connected to it. For one, the editing element gave an interesting vantage point because she was involved in other lives – like a reader. She was a real person, though, not a passive character. Yes, the IRL-edits are what draws readers to the book, but Emily’s story is prominent in her story. And the forsaken stories advance her own story - – like a reader. I think that reflects our experiences well. It’s also different take on the whole “getting lost in your books” because although we’re lost and don’t know what we’re doing, we’re not lost and know exactly what we’re doing.
Another angle I picked up on was the idea of a safe distance. When we read, we get immersed in so many different worlds and storylines and people and conflict and love and happiness and grief and happenings. Readers feel it all, live it all, experience it all…while not actually going through it. It happens to us, but it doesn’t happen to us. We always engage in literature at a safe distance, even though it is far from inconsequential to and separate from us. Safe distance is just the inherent nature of it. I started thinking about this because of:
(a) “What if you took an adventure for yourself, Emily?” “I don’t need to. That’s what books are for.”
(b) How Emily’s edits basically helped write the story of other people’s lives; her changes came true, but not for her. (And yet, her writing their stories helped her write her story.)
This just makes me happy and stimulates much for future introspection sessions.

• I love the practice of rewriting book endings - literally rewriting them. In my lifetime of reading, I never thought I could do that. Life changer right here.

• This might be one of my favorite magical realism books. Alexander utilized the genre incredibly to interplay her themes of reality and fiction. She saw the opportunity of “writing other people’s lives” and ran with it, while still keeping the book in the bounds of the objective world. The story didn’t overuse or underuse the genre (though I expand on this with suggestions in the next subsection). It created a sense of magic and wonder yet preserved plausibility and relatability. (Unfortunately, it couldn’t answer to the harsh impediment of attainability; not all of us have wealthy grandmothers to bequeath to us a love letter to books in the form of a mansion and editing company).
PS- Ellie mentions in her acknowledgements that this story came to her in one night; how magical realistic. That fun fact makes this even cooler.

What Needs Work?

• The dad. I don’t hate him, I don’t blame him; I believe the whole angle could have been handled better. Throughout, Emily is stumped by the question of why she doesn’t know her paternal family. She’s operated on a narrative spun by her dad that they abandoned them and are evil and must be hated. But everything she sees opposes that. (SPOILER And then at the end, the dad resolves this great inner turmoil too easily. END SPOILER) So the whole feud between the dad and his family is the book’s big mystery – one that I was annoyed at rather than captivated by. Why? We don’t see that Emily’s operated on this narrative her whole life. The connection to the counternarrative she’s experiencing is there, but there’s nothing to compare it to besides the thought. It could’ve been developed better to generate more conflict and allow readers to experience Emily’s struggle with her.
Consider this line: “Had anything that Dad told me over the years been true? Was this why I struggled against my memories for so many years?” THIS is what we should’ve seen and felt more of. This is great. The memory blurring should have been capitalized on from the start so we can see the struggle. Which brings me to,

• The whole memory thing. Emily recalls her suppressed past through what she encounters in The Ballad and Cascata. But most of these memories are recalled too easily after learning new information (like when she remembers her grandma watching her at the playground). I can see her senses stimulating it, like the sight of a hidden compartment in the wall or the smell of cookies. I’m not well-versed in memory loss, and I know trauma presents differently in everyone, but some recollections felt like a reach.
Better integrating this and developing Emily’s trauma more (from the start) would have strengthened her connection with Gertrude and highlight its complexity. This next part is not a critique, but SPOILER it would have been cool if Emily caught whiffs of Gertrude’s letter during her stay at Cascata and in her life overall, introduced to readers while she’s still in NY. That would have showed that invisible connection playing out even when unaware of it. ENDSPOILER

• Hypocritical moment: she happily writes in books since “they’re hers/she owns them” yet believes people shouldn’t dog-ear pages. Extremely minor point, but it annoyed me. Consistencyyyyy. (For the record, I do both. Fight me all you want on that.)

• Being organized is not having OCD. This is only mentioned once, but the fact that it’s a casual one-off further casts light on how problematic this is – to treat something so loaded as a throw away.

• At times I felt like this was a bookish Hallmark film (I don’t like Hallmark). Or maybe not Hallmark actually, since the magical realism adds slightly more tension beyond the “wE hAvE tO sAvE tHe FaRm” typical of those movies. The book’s conflicts are far more important. Point is: sometimes certain aspects (i.e., dialogue, writing, stream-of-consciousness, relationships) bordered on tacky, too tacky, for my liking, but as a whole, the book sits well with me.

Who Should Read This?

Bookish people who love being bookish. Where the thought of books alone enthralls you, the sight seduces you. You’re just booksbooksbooks. Because this is a celebration of books and book lovers.

.

“An examined life is life lived through the pages of books.”

.

Bonus:Notes
I took a bunch of notes for this one, and not all made it to the review. so here you go. Raw from the source. This is just me getting excited.
• I WOULD READ I FIND YOU TOLERABLE.
• I completely agree with her rewrite of Little Women.
• “As if her essence were here, in the millions of words printed on these pages.” [paraphrase]
• Oh, to live in a historical cottagey mansion (with quirky homely features) (and extensive gardens) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and write all day.
• God can I have a house in Cascata to retreat to.
• God can I PLEASE stay at The Ballad???? Book lover’s paradise galore. Wait actually I’d love to run it too.
• Book therapist. That is all.
I’ve found my calling but I do not know if reality supports my calling and I do not know how to create it. Will I ever be able to meet this need?
• Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Pride & Prejudice supremacy.
• Literary party where you come dressed as a literary character………………….there’s now a massive void in my life that only this can fill.

[Rainz ❤️rainnbooks❤️(on a break) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad to be a part of this wonderful BLOG TOUR by DIGITAL READS PR. Thank you, @Shalini


A story that begins with a “Jane Eyre? Jane Austen?” sentence can never go wrong in my opinion and Lost Coast Literary is a book lover’s dream come true. Books, books and more books, book therapist, book editor, a literary mansion, book themed parties, the world just comes alive in all its myriad glorious colors in Ellie Alexander’s Lost Coast Literary.

If there’s a mansion like The Ballard anywhere in this world, I want to visit it, stay in it, and luxuriate in it. Ellie Alexander creates a kind of helpless craving for the place and the cozy setup is a writer’s retreat and a reader’s holy grail. Emily Bryant is forced to visit Cascata a small town along the California Coastline to deal with her grandmother’s last wishes. The Ballard has been gifted to her depending on certain conditions but Emily wants nothing to do with Cascata or her extended family and especially with editing the forsaken manuscripts. But, of course, life has a few lessons in store for her.

The writing by the author is magical just like the magical realism knitted thru the realistic story of a woman finding her true self. The words by Ellie Alexander transports the reader to Emily’s world discovering the small and warmth filled community and its residents, her confusion in realizing that her editing gives her the responsibility of playing GOD in people’s lives, her frustration in not understanding the reasons of her father’s estrangement from her family, the snippets of memory that pops in which she is unable to trust, the reader is made to walk in Emily’s shoes and discover the soothing balm that the reading world imparts.

I would like to thank the author, yes of course for the delightful rapture that she engulfed me in, but also for providing a purview of the job of an editor. We all might know what it entails but here, the reader is made to see the event two-fold. Whilst Emily is editing, the reader gets the scene as a short story but then when things unfold in front of her own eyes, Emily is both a reader and an observer and thus a different perspective is offered to ‘us, the readers”.

It is easy to fall in love with almost all the characters in the story except for the dad. There’s nothing wrong with his arc but I wished that he was more fleshed out and the family reunion happened faster than I did expect.

Ellie Alexander dedicates her book to “For every reader who has found themselves through the pages of a book and in the process discovered who they were always meant to be.” Truly a book that needs to be read by anyone and everyone who loves books, Lost Coast Literary is that cuddly teddy bear for all rainy days.

Many thanks to Digital Reads PR and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

This review is published in my blog Rain'n'Books, ##Goodreads, ##Amazon India, ##Book Bub, ##Medium.com, ##Facebook, ##Twitter.

[Jeffrey Caston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The power of the pen in its truest form!

This was my first Ellie Alexander book outside her Sloan Krause cozy mysteries. It was interesting, but not as good as the mysteries featuring my favorite fictional brewers and brewery.

I’ll start with a premise as to how I personally view stories. I found the MC, Emily, kind of unsympathetic and annoying, and—candidly—borderline insufferable at first. Especially at first. But that was okay. More than okay. Not every character can—or should be—a Sloan Krause. She grew on me. Not a lot, but a good amount. But Alexander nailed Emily’s voice and that’s gold. I want stories to tell me things I haven’t seen or experience, live the lives I never have or will live. That being said, for me, her tone and attitudes became a bit tiresome at times. But that’s just one reader’s opinion.

Lost Coast Literary was a unique blend of cozy, magic, and personal exploration. Emily has what she perceives as her dream job after having ditched a rat-race in Silicon Valley. It was her and her Dad as one branch of the family since her mum died when she was very young. The dad and young girl had moved away from the town of Cascada (which I assume is fictional in Northern California.) Emily lives her whole life up until about 30 thinking there is a rift between her and her dad and the rest of the family. On the other side of this family is the dad’s brother, who has his own happy family – plus the grandma who is beloved in the town. Emily has resentment for that other side of the family abandoning her. The story starts when Emily gets a call. Emily gets the tropey telephone call saying grandma has died and she needs to come right away because Emily inherits stuff and she needs to be personally present. So Emily travels back to Cascada from NYC despite misgivings and her dad’s admonishment not to go.

And the story goes on from there.

I found it engaging and interesting. And there were plenty of other characters if could found myself seeing. The good, the bad, and the ugly (personalities, that is). And the premise is quite cool: having an almost god-like power to alter people’s lives by “editing” changes to manuscripts in the house she inherits from her grandmother that feature the townspeople of Cascada, California. It was like she was controlling the Sims of this small college town. ) She never quite gets the hang of it and her efforts have an element of unpredictability. I ended the book realizing that was okay too because coming to grips with that power was the journey… not the journey of “mastering” the power she inherits.

I appreciated all the food and drink and beer incorporated into the story.

The audiobook narration was quite good too. To the extent the book has “bad guys,” she did a great job particularly of making the unsympathetic and REALLY grating so that you didn’t mind the comeuppance.

The reveal as to the schism between Emily/Emily’s dad and the rest of the family made sense and added a nice depth to the story.

Enjoyable. No idea if there will be more to this world, but if there is, I will probably check it out.

[Homes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where do I start? This book had such a fun premise and I was so looking forward to it - and I still think it could have been a good book with (ironically) some heavy editing.

The main character (Emily) is an aspiring editor and one of her favorite past-times is rewriting favorite books to end the way she wants them to. [Spoilers ahead for classic kid lit.] Think Leslie not dying in Bridge to Terabithia or Beth surviving and Jo marrying Laurie in Little Women. Emily has done this since she was a child and her cancer-stricken mother told her she didn't have to accept unhappy endings before she died. Now Emily's been drawn back to a cute hamlet on the northern CA coastline to deal with her estranged grandmother's estate and discovers that she might have the ability to alter reality by editing manuscripts that tell the stories of the folks in the town.

Cute premise, right? I was a bit worried at the beginning of the book, because the author was a little over-descriptive of all the quirky aspects of our protagonist and I was worried it was going to be too twee, but either the author dialed it back or I grew used to the language. By the time she makes it to Cascata (the little town) I was into the book and the little mystery behind her family estrangement. But it slowly unraveled from there.

First - as another review I saw pointed out, it seems like this book doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a cozy mystery (where the mystery isn't a murder but her family history)? Is it a meditation on grief and how to accept it and move on? Is it a romance? Is it diatribe on how small, predominately white towns treat both people of color and the less fortunately poorly? All this, in a book that took me less than 3 hours to read!

Second - on that last point above - my first glimmer of discontent came when the white main character edits a manuscript (that she discovers is about real-life people) to have a BIPOC stand up to nasty white person who was acting "woke" and call her out for her poor behavior to him and other people of color. One of the many side plots is this man's coming into his own and teaching the town that people of color should get to tell their own stories and not have white people speak over them. All well and good, but a little discomfiting when you realize that both the in-story editor (Emily) and the actual author (Ellie Alexander) that give him the courage to stand up are white. Not that I don't think white authors can't write BIPOC characters or vice versa, but it just seems a little - icky - to have that storyline serve the development of the white main character. (Plus - the man's name is Tamir and Emily is taken aback by this "unusual" name. Really? We are over seven years out from the shooting of Tamir Rice. If you haven't heard that name by now, should you really be educating people on letting people of color tell their story?!).

Third - what's with the shoehorned romance? Kindle told me I had 15 minutes left in the book when a romantic possibility was introduced for Emily. It's left as a just a hint of what could be, now that Emily has had her epiphany, but was it really necessary? It felt like the author was getting to the end of the book and thought "oh, shoot, a happy ending has to include a partner for the main character." No it doesn't!

Fourth - about that happy ending - throughout the book, Emily is confronted with how her edits to the lives of real-life people didn't always turn out the way she thought - and maybe even made their lives worse. I thought the book was going to end with her realizing that no matter how much we want to give happy endings to our favorite book characters, we can't do that in real life. And that would help through her grieving process of losing her mom and being estranged from her extended family for 20 years. But, nope! All the changes she made to real-life folk work out in the end, she has one good cry with her father, and everything ends hunky-dory. Look, I love a happy ending. And when I'm reading a book that is clearly designed for a happily ever after, bring it on! But it felt like the author was trying to reach for more with this book and wimped out at the end.

Sad endings are not bad, unsettled endings are not bad, open-ended endings are not bad. Who would still be talking about Charlotte's Web (another favorite book Emily edits) all these years later if Charlotte and Wilbur and Fern all ran off to live a bucolic life in the forest? Books, children's books in particular, provide a window into a world we may not yet (and may never) have experienced and practice in how we can respond to an unpredictable world. In the early part of this book, Emily wonders if her obsession with books, both reading and editing them to her preferred results, has led to her not fully engaging with the world around her. Sadly, it seems she hasn't learned anything by the time the book ends.

[Courtny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new adventure and endeavor for Ellie Alexander. Lost Coast Literary is a Women's Fiction meets Magical Realism and I am here for every single word of it. I related so much to Emily our main character. She is at a crossroads in her life. She thinks she has finally landed in her dream job in New York as an editor. Life, however, finds a way to throw her upside down. Her estranged grandmother passes away and leaves her something incredible. The only caveat, you ask? She has to come to the Lost Coast in California and edit manuscripts. No biggie, right? That is until her edits come to life.

This book had me laughing and loving Emily and her cousin Shay's relationship. I felt for the stories & people she had to change. I closed this book with tears in my eye. Happy & Sad. Happy that I was lucky enough to get an ARC for this book and sad that it had to end. This is truly a pleasure read. You will love every moment of it.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story completely captivated me. Reading about Cascada felt like coming home. The plot combined everything I loved,reading, writing and books. The protagonist,Emily with a lot of loss and pain and acceptance of her literary gift. I felt like I was in her shoes.

Thank you Sweet Lemon Press and Netgalley for the Advance Reader Copy of this book. This was a honest review.

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie Alexander has written an utterly charming book about family and loss and heartbreak, but finding a way back to healing through love and acceptance. And, of course, books.

Emily Bryant has landed her dream job at 29 as an editor at a publishing house in NYC and is about to pitch her first book at a sales meeting when she learns her paternal grandmother has passed away. A text from her uncle informs her that she has inherited her grandmother's grand old Victorian house on the Lost Coast of California but there are some stipulations in the will, and she needs to come there, to Cascata, CA, to discuss the details.

Emily and her father have been estranged from his family since the death of his beloved wife when Emily was a child so she has mixed feelings about seeing them all again. Why did none of them make an effort to contact her all these years when she so badly needed the love and comfort of family in her life? Even now her uncle won't reveal what caused the family rift, saying it's not his secret to reveal--she should ask her father. But he's a quiet and rather distant man who has tried to find solace in his work and avoids any uncomfortable conversations by putting up an impenetrable wall.

Emily learns her grandmother was a book editor with the office for Lost Coast Literary housed in the lovely old Victorian mansion Emily stands to inherit. But her will stipulates that Emily must first edit the Forsaken Manuscripts her grandmother has left behind. Emily just wants to sell this house as quickly as possible and get back to her dream job in NYC. She digs into the first manuscript which is about a young man working in his family's coffee shop, making some minor changes to the plot. The next morning when she goes out for coffee, she finds the scene she has rewritten playing out here in real life! Whoa! Is she going crazy? The same thing happens when she edits the next manuscript--this time she arranges a meet-cute scene between two people on the beach which unfolds again before her eyes in the days following. Is she unintentionally messing with real people's lives? How is that possible?

She decides to confide all this to her cousin, Shay, and the two decide to do an experiment with the next story. Her grandmother has left a note with the manuscripts, suggesting that only a little nudge is needed for most stories to be set on the right path so Emily takes that advice. Has Emily inherited a strange and special gift from her grandmother, along with this marvelous house filled with books?

I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely story with its touch of magical realism, interesting characters, beautiful setting with charming old house and the lively discussion of books in these pages. Alexander reveals in the acknowledgements that the plot for this novel came to her in a dream, her mind busy creating while she slept. Talk about nudges in the right direction!

I received an arc of this new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity. Love the cover art too!

[Katy O. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I desperately wanted to love this but just …… didn’t. 10 stars for the town and the house though.

[Margie Bunting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie Alexander's Sloan Krause mysteries are a favorite series of mine, and I was delighted to see that the author is moving in yet another direction with this non-series novel set in a small college town in coastal Humboldt County, CA. In addition, I am thrilled to note that Alexander's signature emotional depth is one of this book's great strengths.

Emily has moved from Silicon Valley to NYC for her first job in publishing. But when she learns her grandmother has died and left her a huge home in Cascata, she has to travel there to fulfill the stipulations of the will. She can't sell the house until she edits a stack of her fellow book editor/bibliophile grandmother's "forsaken" manuscripts. This is in Emily's wheelhouse, as she has always loved to write alternative happy endings to book classics with endings she disliked. Now, however, she is shocked to see her manuscript edits playing out in real life, sometimes with near-disastrous results. At the same time, Emily is grappling with her lifelong feeling of abandonment by her grandmother and other close relatives after she and her parents left Cascata when she was 8 years old. And yet the picture she is getting of her grandmother from her cousins and others she meets as kind, intuitive, and much beloved doesn't mesh with the dire picture her father has drawn for her.

The author's detailed, lush descriptions of Emily's grandmother's mansion, the colorful houses of Cascata, buildings such as her uncle's pub and the local paper goods store, and the nature surrounding them are to die for. Her struggle to help the townspeople who are the subjects of the forsaken manuscripts is palpable, and her dawning realization of what she wants her life to be is ultimately satisfying. If you like an engaging and uplifting plot tinged with magic realism, this book is for you.

My review is based on a complimentary pre-release copy of the book.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written example of magical realism. The characters are complex, realistic, relatable, and interesting. There are touches of magic in the storyline that almost seem believable. I was completely pulled in front the start, I felt for Emily. You want Emily to find happiness. I fell in love with the story. I hope the author Ellie Alexander writes more books in this style, maybe another book about Emily. Great book for fans of women’s fiction or magical realism.


All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was incredibly excited to read this book by Ellie Alexander. Lost Coast Literary grabbed my attention from the description and as I began to read the words written on the pages, I could feel myself drifting off to Cascata, a quaint town on the Lost Coast of California.
Emily Bryant is a book editor, trying to find her way in New York city. When she finds out she won't be able to make a pitch for a book she's editing, she wonders if it was all a mistake.
A sudden request from an estranged relative suddenly changes the course of Emily's life, and possibly those around her.

I found this book to be quite captivating and I didn't want it to end. I hope this grows into another wonderful series by this talented author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#LostCoastLiterary #NetGalley.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC! Super loved this book!

A book on books is always a favorite read. But on editing? Granted, that I am biased as Ellie Alexander is a favorite author, I found this stand-alone refreshingly different and engrossing. I didnt know editing can be... powerful. I felt connected at once and was rooting for Emily Bryant, our protagonist as she had to sift through her discoveries, choices, and decisions. This book had all of the usual plots - drama, magic, small town, mystery, family angles that I like but it was also not about those either. There was still an overall, laissez faire tell that made this novel distinct. For me, the best part was the ending chapter and epilogue. The conclusion was left up to me and as usual, I chose Happy :) Well written, well researched -I felt I was really in Cascata, engaging, and a light read. Thumbs, thumbs up :)

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel which combines a love of books and writing with a wonderful location on the northern coast of California, along with a theme of family. There’s also a bit of paranormal/magical realism thrown in for good measure. The town of Cascata (fictional) in the Lost Coast section of California comes alive through the author’s lovely descriptions. The location is virtually a character in the story. It probably helped that I visited the area a few years ago, spending a bit of time in Eureka, which also has some fabulous Victorian architecture and is right on the water, but I think her descriptions will spark anyone’s imagination.

The characters also came alive for me. Emily is the main character, who, due to stipulations in her newly deceased grandmother’s will, suddenly has to uproot her life in publishing in New York City to fly back to what was her hometown for her first decade or so. She is inheriting an amazing Victorian house, but she has to edit some “forsaken” manuscripts first, per the will. The whole thing greatly surprised and puzzled Emily, because she hadn’t seen or heard from this part of her family in twenty years. Once in Cascata, she gradually meets her estranged family as well as some interesting locals and gets drawn into the life of the town. Along with Emily, several of the characters are trying to figure out their future paths.

I’ve enjoyed other books by Ellie Alexander, all cozy mysteries. This book is very different, but no less enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Lemon Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Heidi Prockish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I LOVED this book. I am not even sure I can give this book justice in my review. Women's Fiction with some magical realism. If you love books you will love this one!

It is very easy to relate to Emily, even if your situation hasn't been the same. I loved how she grew through the book and it was really cool to see how Cascata enveloped her once she was there. It was very interesting (and again, relatable) how the story she told herself about her past was not the entire truth.

This book will have you craving a cozy fire & a warm drink while you read from cover to cover. I highly recommend you give it a try.

A huge thanks to Ellie Alexander, and Sweet Lemon Press, Inc for my advanced digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to read this early and my review & opinions are my own.

[Leith Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read so far this year. The concept of the plot took me completely by surprise, and I couldn’t put it down once I’d started. I’m a big fan of Ellie Alexander, and with this book she’s gone in a completely different and delightful direction from her previous books.

Synopsis:
“Book editor Emily Bryant finds herself unexpectedly in the charming town of Cascata on California’s Lost Coast, holding the keys to her grandmother’s rambling Victorian mansion. While sorting through her grandmother’s things, Emily learns that she must edit old manuscripts to inherit the estate. It’s a strange request from a family member who was basically a stranger.
Emily quickly realizes that there’s something different about these manuscripts. Any changes she makes come true. At first, she embraces the gift. She has a chance to help characters find true love or chart a new h

After Emily leaves her editor job in NYC and moves into the house, she goes all out in an effort to understand the grandmother that she only knew as a small child. Her father kept them apart from that side of the family and she’s shocked when her grandmother leaves her the house. She’s even more surprised when she finds out her grandmother was a book editor, like Emily herself. The will stipulates that she must edit a stack of manuscripts before she can inherit the house but that’s all.

Imagine how strange it would be to edit a book and find the changes coming true around you. It made me wonder if I’d edit the book like an editor or try to edit the town! I couldn’t put it down once I started reading, and I was sorry when it ended. I enjoyed the paranormal aspects of the story as well.

I can’t recommend this highly enough, 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Ranjini Shankar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was so sweet it made my teeth hurt. I enjoy a good dose of magical realism but this one just lacked depth and the main character’s victim mentality got old real fast. There are lots of fun book references and it’s a fast read but it didn’t hit the mark for me.

Lost Coast Literary follows Emily Bryant who has been asked to come back to her dad’s hometown to handle some complications with her grandmother’s will. In order to inherit the estate she must edit a stack of manuscripts however she quickly finds that whatever she edits comes true and if she’s not careful she could destroy the lives of the people around her.

It’s an interesting premise but it just didn’t feel properly explored or explained. Why some manuscripts and not all? How do these manuscripts show up and who writes them? Then there are even bigger questions - why would her dad let her handle this alone? Why did the will stipulate that no one could explain the past? None of it really made sense to me. Even messing around with people’s lives felt a bit half way done. I needed more and it didn’t deliver.

[Katie Scarlett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ironically this book could really use a better editor. This book was a huge disappointment. The real life edit sounded intriguing but it turned out to be the worst part of the book that sent Emily on awful tangents. Each edit seemed worse than the last, with a long spiel on race and privilege in one, and in another a meet cute she arranged that turned out to include a married man who is never taken to task for what he did. Unfortunately there was nothing fun or humorous to be found in this book. The writing and very thin plot were exceptionally juvenile. It was all set against Emily’s backstory of a family feud that played out in far too emotional yearning on her part. This book was boring and a chore to get through. The ending was not worth getting to and just feels like a waste. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Carlymor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a fan of this author's Bakeshop Mysteries so I thought I'd enjoy this also. The premise sounded so interesting. But, the main character is very annoying and self absorbed. I'm sorry to admit that a lot of repetition and long descriptions made me start skimming at around the halfway point, just so I could get to the end.

[Mystereity Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was unprepared for how good this book was going to be. You know what I mean? You know the author writes quality books, the blurb fascinates, the cover is perfection so you eagerly crack open the pages (figuratively of course, I would never crack my beloved iPad) and fall into a new world you never want to leave. This whimsical masterpiece is cozy mystery bliss.

What I liked most is the mystery in this book; cozy mysteries are usually about investigating a murder but this one was investigating the past – family, relationships, heartbreak and reconciliation and all the turmoil and pain that gives way to a new beginning. Poetic, no? So gratifying to see it all come together and the healing begin.

Now living in NYC, Emily gets a call that her grandmother died and she must return to the California coast to fulfil the tasks set out in the will. When she gets there, she’s presented with a mysterious job she must accomplish – edit the forsaken manuscripts. I’m sorry, what? Emily has no idea what that means (which is where the mystery comes in!) and so it begins, the slide into the heart of the mystery; untangling the events that kept Emily and her father estranged from the rest of the family. As the book progressed, more of the story came out and it was heartwarming, tragic and cathartic all in one. Truly, this was a great piece of writing.

I loved that the mystical elements were so well balanced and integrated within the reality of the story that it felt natural, I don’t know that my reactions would’ve been any different from Emily’s as she navigated and assimilated her new role as Book Therapist and when you add in all the beautiful scenery (I could almost smell the scent of salty sea air, piney forests and slug slime!) a diverse cast of characters, and a compelling narrative of healing the pain of lost loves, this book will keep you in its tight grip long after you finish. I don’t know if this book will become a series or not (fingers crossed) but I very much want to return to Cascata and the new community I desperately want to be a part of.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sweet Lemon Press and Ellie Alexander for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

[AnnaScott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Small talk had never been my forte, as the honorable Miss Austen would say. With one exception. Books. If anyone brought up the topic of books or asked me my favorite read, I gushed like a thirteen-year-old girl. It was a serious problem."

Let's just start with the most obvious amazing trait that this book possesses: relatability. If it wasn't apparent from the above quote, Emily Bryant is one of the most relatable MCs that I've read. She was so real and nerdy and delightful-yet-slightly-awkward. It felt like we would be great friends. I also have a strong impulse to go buy a historic Victorian mansion on the coast of Northern California, because the lifestyle that these characters lived out there sounds absolutely perfect (if a bit chillier then I would prefer).

On to the plot - this book felt like a Hallmark movie that I would intentionally watch. You know the rare ones that are still sweet and cozy, but also have an original plot line that isn't predictable and draws you in because you have to see how it ends? One of those. It was the perfect combination of coziness and unpredictability, and I had no idea how it was going to end. On the topic of endings, there was one element of the ending that reminded me so much of Caroline George and her books The Summer We Forgot and Dearest Josephine. The ending was left in that beautiful in-between, where we get a bit of an explanation for something, but a lot is still left to our imagination.

I really only have two complaints. The first is that it felt like there was too many details given at certain parts, especially in regards to what her outfits looked like or the flora and fauna around her. Having all of the specific flower species named really only distracted me, because I am barely familiar with the flowers we have in North Carolina, much less the ones in California. The level of details didn't really add anything to the plot or setting, and made it read almost like a fanfic at parts.

My second complaint is that the ending felt really rushed. With all of the tension with Emily's family, it felt like we were building to something big (especially since we were introduced to a potential love interest), but then it just ended rather abruptly. Personally, I would have preferred it to be drawn out a bit more, but I am also super committed to my happily-ever-afters and like to have time to fully soak them in. :)

Overall, this was a delightful read, and if anyone needs me, I'll just be over here planning a Great Gatsby party like Gertrude's.

Content Warning: There are a handful of words like s**t, a**, and b***h. Other than that (and a brief, slightly witty comment about a porn shop), the book is clean!

I received a copy of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own, and I am writing a voluntary review.

[Gayle · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. 24% in, I just can't.

First, "tippy IKEA bookshelves...assembled...twenty-four pages of instructions translated from Swedish." IKEA instructions are diagrams, not written instructions. And, as I have been informed by someone far more experienced than I, a single bottle of wine would have been opened and then set aside while focusing on the task at hand.

Second, referring to Silicon Valley, "aquamarine swimming pools that went unused." Not that many swimming pools in Silicon Valley; maybe she's thinking of SoCal. Completely different. In the sixteen years I lived there, I only knew two people with swimming pools. And this in a pretty upscale area.

Third, "soulless startup." There's no such thing. Startups are all hopes and dreams, and most crash and burn.

Fourth, "as a technical writer." No startup employs a technical writer. They get somebody on contract.

Fifth, "windowless conference room[s]" are not a Silicon Valley thing. To the frustration of those who are video recording or streaming a meeting, conference rooms have windows.

Sixth, "dream job of assistant editor" for someone in her late twenties who has heretofore been a tech writer in the Bay Area? How did that plum fall into her lap? After the first plum of a full-time writing position as an employee of a startup?

Seventh, "I would have been fine in the mail room...I still couldn't believe I was here...about to pitch my first book at a major publishing house." Already established that I don't believe it either. Now I don't believe she's twenty-nine years old. Nobody gushes like that if they're over nineteen and been in the work force long enough to look for the potholes on the yellow brick road.

That's only 3% of the book. I kept going, but now that I don't trust the author, the story isn't gripping me. Great concept though.

[Jonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost Coast Literary is a wonderful book. It captivated me from the beginning and keep me enchanted until the very satisfying conclusion.

The story was so many things that worked well together: mystery, family drama and a path to self discovery. I throughly enjoyed reading about all the ups and downs as Emily learned about herself and her family. The best part was learning about how her discoveries made both her past and her future more fulfilling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Lemon Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost Coast Literary Earns 5/5 Manuscript Manipulators…Clever & Entertaining!

Ellie Alexander is right, “Getting lost in a book means finding yourself.” Emily Bryant sure found herself. After a disappointing “Pass” to the first book she was to pitch at a major New York publishing house, she gets a double whammy reading a text from her estranged uncle about the death of her grandmother. She hadn’t seen her grandmother Gertrude or any of the Bryant family for twenty years. Why her father left taking her mother and her, and after the untimely death of her mother, never returning for the support of family, is unknown and a topic her father refuses to discuss. Her grandmother’s will has prominently mentioned Emily as a beneficiary of The Ballad, a Victorian house, and her grandmother’s business Lost Costa Literary. However, the codicil requires Emily come home and spend time editing her grandmother’s “forsaken” manuscripts…What?

Emily finds a trunk containing the “forsaken” manuscripts, but she is confused as to her purpose with no guidelines available. She is a professional and has edited her favorite books all her life, so she does what she does best: writes comments, a suggestion or two, or an insight for improvement. Simple, she’ll be done soon, sell the property, and back to life in New York…not so fast. She went to meet her uncle about the house and sees a woman on the street, recognizes a name tag of the barista, and witnesses a conversation that all seem eerily familiar to the notes she’d made on a couple of the “forsaken” pages. Coincidence. Mental breakdown. No, she is somehow effecting people’s lives with her words. Can she give a ‘nudge’ needed for someone to move forward? Or is this a curse when made to be responsible for someone’s happiness?

Ellie Alexander’s clever premise reminded me of the 2006 movie Stranger Than Fiction where the line between fiction and reality is blurred. For Emily, the dilemma is that any “power” she wields for good, of course, is equaled by bad. She needs to apply her edits cautiously since the manuscript’s themes are often complex and “freedom of choice” has to be considered. Brilliant! Add Emily’s desire to know more about her past and her estranged family, the discovery of similarities between herself and her grandmother, and her father’s resistance, you have one “helluva” an entertaining read! Nothing comes easy, but it’s Emily’s personality as being curious, compassionate, and determined that makes her a strong and admirable character. The drama had some surprising twists and fulfilling endings not only to the lives within the “forsaken” manuscripts, but also for her and her family. I enjoyed the fascinating rewrites to some popular classics along with alternate endings and clever rationales making me think about my favorite books and how I would have changed them. Ellie’s first-person narrative allows readers, like me, a vicarious personal involvement with the “I” perspective and to enjoy the descriptive language for this beautiful place. I also like the insights and ideas about the role books and reading books have in our lives…for me, it allows “readers to temporarily inhabit someone else’s soul.” Thank you. Great fun!

Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.

[Gemma Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Does every book need a happy ending? No, but every book needs resolution." - Gertrude

Emily walked away from her high-paying tech-job to become an editor, her ultimate dream job! Little did she know that her life will change with just one message from her Uncle Danny. Next thing she knew, she's on a plane going to Cascata where she enherited a multi-million dollar estate, the Ballad, and the Lost Coast Literary Agency. And she thought she can easily get rid of the estate because she has no attachment to her grandmother who abandoned her.

Upon arriving at Cascata, she found out that she also inherited her grandmother's forsaken manuscripts. She must edit them before she can finally do anything she wants with the Ballad. But these are no ordinary manuscripts. She can see her edits come to life! It is like playing God! She can rewrite endings and stories of real people! Now that she knows the real magic behind the Lost Coast Literary agency, will she takeover and continue editing the forsaken manuscripts? Can she finally reconcile with her past and with her grandmother's memories?

I enjoyed reading this book because I can relate to Emily as a die-hard booknerd as she is. It is like reading stories within the story tinged with magic realism. Behind the magical element of the story, the story has a lot of snippets of wisdom we can apply in real life.

It might be beyond our understanding to understand or prove the existence of parallel universes where we have different realities, we have the power to re-write our own stories. We just have to listen to the Universe as it gives us the nudge to 'edit' our stories.

If you are into magic realism or fantasy but not a fan of deep and heavy philosophical discussions in fiction narrative, give this book a try because you will enjoy it as a light read. On the other hand, if you are seeking mind boggling plot twists, this book might not meet your high expectations but still this book will be worth your reading time. This book is also good for read-alouds and book discussions for intermediate to middle school children.

This is the first book I've read written by Ellie Alexander but definitely won't be my last. The magic never stops here at Lost Coast Literary agency

[Debbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Alexander's Bakeshop series. I am sorry to say I was disappointed in this stand alone. The author states in her acknowledgements that the story came to her in a dream, maybe because of that the book seemed underdeveloped. The setting is perfect, but the story is thin. If this is the first in a series perhaps the characters will become more interesting, as it stands they have very little depth. I'm not sure where to place this book a cozy...? Not a romance, not a mystery. Even 2/3 through the book I found myself wishing for a murder to spice things up. 2.5 rounded up.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book blew me away a little. I’ve been reading Ellie Alexander’s various series for a long time now and always enjoy her stories, but this one just goes so much deeper than a cozy mystery. Emily was a good protagonist who worked through a lot of conflict in a way that inspired sympathy. The other characters were interesting, especially Shay. The location was fabulous and really made me want to go visit. But it was the concept of the story that really grabbed me. It’s such a fascinating idea to think of the possibility of rewriting events and what sort of butterfly effect that would have. I thought Ellie handled the implications and responsibilities really well. An interesting, thought-provoking read.

I read an ARC from netgalley because I was too impatient to wait for my purchased signed copy to come out.

[Hannah Monson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not usually one for magic in my books, but when I do, I like magical elements that occur otherwise in our world (as opposed to high fantasy), and this book delivered on that exactly. I already loved Ellie Alexander from her cozy mysteries, so when I saw this ARC, I had to read it. While I’m not an editor, I am a librarian, so I felt a deep kinship with Emily who is very like me (down to losing her mom at a young age). Unlike Emily, I have never rewritten the ends of books, but I love the idea and how that tendency played out in her story.

Starting this book, I expected a fun, sweet, light story, which in some ways it was. What I did not expect was the emotional depth from unearthing long buried and altered memories. I also love and appreciate that Emily’s story was about finding herself, not through romantic love, but through a connection to her family. While there were peripheral love interests, Emily was not involved in them, and, as she told Shay, none of them were really love stories— they were stories about finding something else.