Friday, June 24, 2011

Review: Life's a Beach

Summary: The Law of Attraction and Karma hit the beach in Malena Lott's humorous first novella about two unlikely friends and their chance - or is it fated? - vacation in Mexico. Avery Stone, a shy, twenty-five year old receptionist believes her vision board is finally manifesting into the life of her dreams. Her handsome older boyfriend has taken her on a luxury beach vacation (pasted in the bottom right hand corner of her vision board) and she's hoping that huge diamond ring will come next. When an older woman, Georgia, returns the sunhat that blew off Avery's head at the airport, the women find they'll be at the same resort and share a cab and an adventure neither of them expected. Georgia, a forty-year old mother of three girls, is on her second honeymoon, trying to bring back the romance that fizzled out of her stale marriage. Georgia doesn't believe in the Law of Attraction, but she does believe in karma and that good things result from action. With her full Marital Bucket, a shared bucket list between a couple, she's determined to get her life on the right tracks again. The women's paths cross in madcap ways as they discover that what brought them together could change the course of their lives together.

From the author: I hope this literal beach read leaves you pondering your desires, how to turn your dreams into reality and that what we get may be even better than what we wished for. -- Buzz Books

If you are looking for a cute summer beach read, then look no further than the new chick-lit novella LIFE'S A BEACH by Malena Lott. LIFE'S A BEACH is a quick, fun read that you can read in one sitting; and since it takes place at a beach resort, it just screams "summer" reading. This story is pretty darn entertaining and even has a surprise ending that's guaranteed to catch more than a few readers off-guard.

Unfortunately, I didn't read LIFE'S A BEACH by the ocean (or even the pool for that matter), but I liked how much this story allowed me to escape from my everyday life. LIFE'S A BEACH tells the story of two women who meet by chance while they are away on vacation at a beautiful resort. Avery is a shy 25 year old woman who is hoping that this vacation with her boyfriend results in a marriage proposal, while Georgia is 40 year old mother of three who is hoping that this vacation will save her marriage. Both women are banking a lot on this vacation for their future, and they certainly can use a friend to help them sort out their feelings.

At it's heart, LIFE'S A BEACH is a story about love, friendship, and self-discovery. That's not to say that all things are feel-good and sweet in this novel because that's certainly not the case. However, this story is very funny and even a little sexy; and I do think fans of chick lit will enjoy the twist. I especially enjoyed the life affirming messages about the value of female relationships and the strength of women. In addition, the story did cause me to think about my hopes and dreams and even assess what's important in my life. And I don't think I can ask much more than that from a couple of hours of reading!

Contest Alert: Malena Lott is offering a fantastic giveaway -- June's Life's a Beach Getaway. If you purchase the $2.99 ebook on Amazon, you could be eligible to win this cute set worth $130:
  • insulated beach tote ($10 value)
  • Liz & Co sunglasses ($20 value)
  • striped beach towel ($7 value)
  • signed copy of Dating da Vinci by Malena Lott ($12.95)
  • Promises to Keep by Jane Green ($15 value)
  • My Fair Lazy a memoir by Jen Lancaster ($15)
  • The Storm Chasers by Jenna Blum ($15)
  • Pie Town by Lynn Hinton ($13.99)
  • Graveminder by Melissa Marr (ARC, no retail  value)
  • Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz (ARC, no retail value)
To be eligible to enter, just forward Malena your receipt of the purchase of Life’s a Beach on Amazon to:
malenalott (at) me (dot) com by June 30th. The winner will be selected randomly from all qualified entries. (Sorry, U.S. only.)

The winner will be announced via Malena's Twitter and Facebook accounts and by e-mail to the winner on June 30th.

Thanks to the author for providing me with an e-copy of her novella.

7 comments:

Sandy Nawrot said...

Really, this is what summer is all about. Nothing too heavy, but enough to make you think and re-evaluate. That prize pack is so generous too!

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Sounds like a fun summer book!

Karlie said...

This sounds like a perfect book to read by the pool. If only I got to read when I go to the pool :)

Malena Lott said...

Thanks for the lovely review, Julie. Happy Summer!

Beth Hoffman said...

I really enjoyed Malena's novella too!

Happy weekend, Julie!

Anonymous said...

I like to pick one "heavy" read over the summer and then fill in around it lots of light reads. This one sounds perfect.

bermudaonion said...

This sounds perfect for a day at the beach!