If you've read other books by Karen White, you'll recognize her damaged-woman-finds-healing/redemption-in-revealing-long-buried-family-secrets formula. I'm usually more than down with that, but the familiar plot got a little tedious for me in White's newest, The Beach Trees. The novel kept my attention, even though it ran long, it was just the little things that bugged me - the characters never really came alive for me, some of the plot twists seemed illogical, and the book's Julie-can-survive-her-trials-because-Katrina-victims-didn't-give-up-in-the-face-of-theirs seemed a bit heavy-handed. I also puzzled over things like Julie's decision to up and move to Mississippi without even seeing the house she inherits and the way the Guidrys welcome a complete stranger into their home, not blinking an eye when she questions them about sensitive issues from their pasts. Then, there's Julie's complete devotion to Monica, a character who might as well be a paper doll for all we know about her. So, yeah, I had some issues. All in all, though, I enjoyed the read, just not as much as I wanted to.

(Readalikes: The Lost Hours by Karen White; The Memory of Water by Karen White; Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen)

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs) and a small amount of sexual content

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of The Beach Trees from the lovely ladies over at TLC Book Tours, for whom this review was written.