New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to her magical Lowcountry of South Carolina in this bewitching story of marriage, love, family, and friendship that is infused with her warm and engaging earthy humor and generous heart.One enchanted summer, two couples begin a friendship that will last more than twenty years and transform their lives. A chance meeting on the Isle of … chance meeting on the Isle of Palms, one of Charleston’s most stunning barrier islands, brings former sweethearts, Adam Stanley and Eve Landers together again. Their respective spouses, Eliza and Carl, fight sparks of jealousy flaring from their imagined rekindling of old flames. As Adam and Eve get caught up on their lives, their partners strike up a deep friendship—and flirt with an unexpected attraction—of their own.
Year after year, Adam, Eliza, Eve, and Carl eagerly await their reunion at Wild Dunes, a condominium complex at the island’s tip end, where they grow closer with each passing day, building a friendship that will withstand financial catastrophe, family tragedy, and devastating heartbreak. The devotion and love they share will help them weather the vagaries of time and enrich their lives as circumstances change, their children grow up and leave home, and their twilight years approach.
Bursting with the intoxicating richness of Dorothea Benton Frank’s beloved Lowcountry—the sultry sunshine, cool ocean breezes, icy cocktails, and starry velvet skies—Same Beach, Next Year is a dazzling celebration of the infrangible power of friendship, the enduring promise of summer, and the indelible bonds of love.
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Dorothea Benton Frank is among my favorite fiction authors. Because of their imperfections, her characters are always believable, and of course, the descriptions of her low country setting are spot on. A delightful twist in this storyline was to find myself whisked away to Corfu, Greece. The conflicts were compelling and she leveraged them beautifully to highlight the importance of family.
This is my second DBF book. I didn’t enjoy it as much as my first DBF read. It certainly was not a humorous as that first one (By Invitation Only). This book required a great deal of suspension of belief for me. If my husband had given the google eyes to any woman in my presence for 16 years—well, there ya go—it wouldn’t have gone on with my knowledge for 16 years. There are a number of other suspension of belief issues for me, but I’ll skip to the epilogue for the only other one I’ll list. Two sets of parents have no idea whatsoever who their children are dating for eight years? Those have got to be some pretty self-absorbed parents right there. That didn’t jive with how the characters were written.
This book explores certain aspects of unfaithfulness to a spouse. I don’t agree with how the author alluded to the conclusions in the story, but it was thought provoking. Most of the characters in this story were pretty shallow people, in my opinion. Something about DBF’s writing kept me interested in the outcome of the story. I think if it had been a different author, I might have put this book in the DNF pile and moved on. I even pressed on after one character bashed beef. (Beef cattle rancher here. This book lost a star just for that erroneous comment). It’s a summer beach read, so the author walked a fine line of handling a serious subject while keeping it light enough to be enjoyable. Even though it’s a beach read, it would make an interesting book club discussion, as well.
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LOVED all of her books! I looked forward to her new release every year! I own all her books!
I read this book years ago and loved it. A wonderful author
Love the twists and turns in this wonderful story of old friends and renewed love by one of my favorite authors.
It was a good book, but I only gave it 4 stars because I thought the book was way too long because the “alleged” affair was dragged out! It is really good though when an author can write a character that you are just going to loath (meet Cookie!). But overall its a book worth reading as are all of Dorothea Benton Frank’s books.
Great beach read!
Love Dot Frank’s books! Can’t wait to read Queen Bee.
This was the first book I read by this author, and I LOVED it!!! The author’s writing style is wonderful. She packs this book with some heavy hitting topics along with a heavy sprinkling of humor. The characters and plot were well defined and developed throughout the book.
Same Beach, Next Year is a page turner that pulled me out of my reading slump!
Really enjoyed this read. I have read 3 or 4 books by this author and enjoy them all. Her perspective from both the male and female characters is always very interesting, and she adds great humor allowing the characters to laugh at themselves, but you learn something as well from the other points of view she portrays. Just really enjoy her combination of characters and styles in her writing.
Dorothea Benton Frank does it again! What a roller coaster ride of emotions. This one has you falling into the lives of two families as they meet for the first time (or is it?!) at their condo in Isle of Palms. You will experience life with them as their children grow older, lives of their family members change, how their emotional connection is challenged.
The story is also one that will bring out definite opinions on the behavior of some of the characters. Do you understand what’s happening, what might have happened, would could have happened? One thing is for certain, you will be invested in their relationship and will truly have strong feelings about how they each respond to their partner’s behavior.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to another Lowcountry saga by Dorothea Benton Frank. I love her style of writing and how she draws you into the story she weaves together with her words.
Very realistic characters in life’s ever turning adventure! Great story!
I love every book she has ever written. Loved it! Loved it!!
Favorite Quotes:
He was with a woman, a very large woman, who had to be at least ten years older than him, if not twenty. She was towering over a grinning Ted, wearing a black mink coat to the ground, high heels that could produce altitude sickness, and enough makeup to scare the hell out of Estee Lauder… “Merry Christmas, y’all!” she said in a smoky voice that suggested a lifetime of dedication to tobacco products.
Let’s be honest. Who could please Cookie? She’d find fault with the pope himself! He’d come to dinner and bring baked ziti and she’d hate it! She’d hate the pope’s baked ziti! She’d tell him it tasted like dog shit. Believe me! I’ve given this a lot of thought!
The air was thick with contentment, something you might run through your fingers if you held your hand outside the window. I wished I could grab some, put it in a jar, and keep it with me.
My Review:
I always eagerly anticipate reading a Dorothea Benton Frank book as I admire and relish her easy pace, bright wit, observant insightfulness, relatable plots, and twists of clever irony. She is a skilled illusionist and uses colorful distractions and crafty sleight of hand to keep us guessing; things are seldom what they seem. I adore her quirky and vibrant characters who aren’t always likable or admirable but take Southern eccentricity to a new level of entertainment. Reading her books is like going on a fun yet relaxing vacation with a seldom seen but trusted friend.
She never disappoints. Love this author.
Not her best effort. I couldn’t come to terms with the obsession with Greece and just didn’t like the acceptance of the “ other woman” even though they all seemed to join in singing kumbaya!
Always enjoy her books.
This was one of the worst books that I have ever read. Vapid, foolish characters, grade school sentence complexity and organization. Absolutely laughable. I can’t believe I finished it.
DBF has changed her style from entertainer to crusader for whatever cause she is interested in at the moment. Slipping a little awareness into the story is wonderful and helpful. Being slapped in the face continuously with it like a cold wet fish is a turnoff. I miss Frank’s former style I was buying books of hers, just on her name alone. Now, I avoid them for the same reaso.