Growing up, Elli Eversol spent nearly every summer in Sand Dollar Cove at her grandparents’ beach house, working at their shops on the old fishing pier. After a hurricane and a Nor’easter damage the pier and the shops nearly beyond repair, Elli returns to town to help rebuild. She even launches the Buy-A-Board campaign to raise funds for the plight. Holden Moore is back in Sand Dollar Cove, too. … too. He broke Elli’s heart years ago, but he’s pulling every Romeo trick in the book to win her back now. Yet there’s more to Holden’s agenda, and it doesn’t include saving the pier.
Brody Rankin is eager to scout the location for his company’s new mega-warehouse near a quaint North Carolina beach town. The online request for handyman assistance for the Buy-A-Board campaign in Sand Dollar Cove gives him the perfect reason to head to the east coast, check out the area, and contribute to a good cause. He’d only have to leave half of his playboy-surfer lifestyle behind for a little while—there are plenty of waves in the Atlantic. But when he meets Elli Eversol, she really gets the surf up, and he’s tempted to toss his playboy ways out with the tide.
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Terrific small-town story full of friends, family, and love. Elli spent her growing-up summers in Sand Dollar Cove with her grandparents and always saw herself eventually living there. But life intervened, and she has spent the last several years inland, building her real estate business. She returns to the cove to rebuild the shops and pier that were damaged in the latest hurricane, only to find that things have changed more than she expected. Her grandmother is feeling her age, the damage to the pier is worse than she realized, and an old boyfriend is back in town.
I liked the interplay of the various relationships. Elli and her grandmother were great. They have such a wonderful relationship. Nana may have slowed down some, but she is still full of life and enjoys taking care of people. I loved her practical outlook on life and how she uses it to help Elli over some rough patches. Elli’s friendship with Pam is longstanding, and it was fun to see their “girl times” together. Elli also knows she can count on Pam when she needs her, such as the prep for the town council meeting.
Holden’s appearance took Elli by surprise. She hadn’t seen him since the summer before college when he broke her heart. He makes it plain that he’d like to get together with her again, but she’s wary. There’s still some attraction, but she’s not sure about trusting him with her heart again. I admit that he bugged me, at times seeming almost stalkerish. But it was his actions at the town council meeting that showed his true colors.
I loved Brody. Elli found him when she looked for someone to help with the Buy-a-Board inscriptions. I really liked the way that he connected so quickly with Nana. They were so cute together, especially when he cooked for her. Brody is very laid-back and easy to get along with. He and Elli connect over their love of the beach and the woodworking he does for her. When things at the pier don’t go well, Brody is the one who talks her back from the edge of despair and helps her look at things a different way. Unfortunately, there was a crucial bit of information that he didn’t share with her that nearly ruined everything. I loved seeing him show a little bit of a vulnerable side as he made it right. His big moment at the end was great.
I liked the small-town setting. The hurricane’s damage affected everyone in some way, and all hoped for something that would fix things before tourist season started. The way that the town council tried to put one over on the townspeople was maddening, and I laughed at the looks on their faces when so many people showed up for it. Even better was the plan that Brody helped Elli develop. It was so heartwarming to see the community pull together to make it happen. I also loved how welcoming they are to newcomers like Brody and Ed. Ed turned out to be an unexpected surprise who provided an interesting twist. I’d love to see him get a story of his own.
Ah. This is such a perfect read.
This is a wonderful read. Elli came home to her grandmothers home to help restore the pier that she had set up a online board pledge and people donated and were going to having the names engraved on the boards. The gentleman who would be doing the work was able to come earlier and was going to be staying at her grandmothers home. Elli’s best friend runs a day spa in the town and she find out that an old boyfriend is back in town also. Her grandmother is finding it harder to climb the stairs at the home and they decide to sell and find a place a little easier. A gentleman wants to buy the house, and Brody the guy who is doing the work is wonderful. They find out the pier is not going to be opened which will hurts local business and they work on reopening the old stores by the house and cove. She find love in the most interesting of ways and also find out that the simple man doing work for her is actually a millionaire, Wonderful story
Perfect beach romance,great characters,small town gathering to save a iconic piece of the heart and soul of Sand Dollar cove. Felt like I was in the beach ,loved this story.
Lovely read about family, community, and unexpected love.
This was a charming read with a sweet little twist as an added bonus.
Loved this escape into a charming beach town and a woman who’s rebuilding more than her grandparent’s hurricane destroyed store. I always fall in love with Nancy’s characters!
3.5, actually. This is a fun summer read set in the Outer Banks, the small town of Sand Dollar Cove to be exact. Elli Eversol spent her entire summers during childhood in Sand Dollar Cove with her grandparents, Pops and Nana. It’s a special place for her. At one time, she thought she would move there, but her father made her promise to live in the big city for at least two years before she decided. One year led into another and before she knew it, it’s been almost five years since she’d even thought about living in Sand Dollar Cove. Now she’s back and she finds the town isn’t quite like she left it. It’s fallen on some hard times. She’s got to help fix it.
Elli started a GoFundMe page after the most recent tropical storm hit Sand Dollar Cove. She’s gotten a phenomenal response. Brody Rankin is the guy she hired to bring her GoFundMe project to fruition. But, who is Brody? She knows very little about him. And then, there’s her “ex,” Holden Moore who seems to want to start things up again.
This is a quick, fun, and entirely clean summer read.