As so often happens, I started reading The Endless Beach on a grey, rainy, Saturday morning, snuggled up in bed between a husband and a cat. I had only gotten a little into the book when I had to wrench myself away in order to find some breakfast.
Seriously, the only thing that could have made me stop reading this book at that moment was hunger. I was only about 15 pages in, and I was already lost in another world from which I didn’t want to emerge. As I have yet to master the art of reading a book with one hand and eating with the other, I reluctantly put down the novel, knowing that I most likely wouldn’t be able to it until the next day.
The Endless Beach is the follow-up to Colgan’s previous novel, The Café by the Sea. Although I read Café by the Sea first, I don’t think you need to in order to enjoy the second book in the series – though, I highly recommend doing so. I fell head over heels for the Colgan’s first novel about Flora, Joel, and the quirky, endearing inhabitants of the remote island community of Mure, which is situated somewhere off the northern tip of Scotland.
For those of you who want to jump straight into The Endless Beach, I don’t blame you. Here’s a little summary of Café by the Sea to bring you up to speed: A harried, professional young woman in London (Flora) re-discovers herself and the joys of the simple life when a work trip sends her back to her hometown of Mure. She decides to stay on the island and open her own small business – the Café by the Sea – while also enjoying a bit of romance with her workaholic boss, Joel, who never took notice of her in London but can’t keep his eyes (and hands) off her as she seemingly blossoms in Mure.
Okay, so slight spoiler coming up here. Since I’ve already told you that the book I’m reviewing is a sequel, you’ve probably figured out that reviewing book #2 will give away a bit of what happened in book #1.
The Endless Beach picks up a little after where the first book left off, with Flora and Joel taking their first steps in a fledgling relationship. While The Café by the Sea gave us the fairy tale ending we craved, it’s hardly happily ever after for these two. The lovebirds admit that they really don’t know much about each other, despite how intensely they’re attracted to one another, and that they’re incredibly different people. Miscommunications and problems abound, and a good portion of the novel is devoted to sorting out the relationship between Flora and Joel.
I ordinarily don’t love reading about other people’s relationship problems, but I didn’t mind it here. I think it’s because Colgan gave us real problems – these two don’t know each other, and they are trying to make a long-distance relationship work. And it’s hard. It shows realistically that no matter how attracted people may be to each other at the onset, some personalities just may not be compatible in the long run – at least, not without really working at it. Colgan delivers Flora and Joel’s difficult story with just the right amount of sweetness and empathy to keep you rooting for these two.
Given the content of the previous novel, I had expected to learn more about Flora and Joel in The Endless Beach. What I didn’t expect to find was the new character of Saif, the Syrian refugee doctor on Mure who is eagerly awaiting word of his missing wife and two young sons, whom he was forced to leave back in his home country.
I was not a fan of this storyline at first; it’s very sad, and I felt myself choking up numerous times while reading what this poor man and his family have endured to find freedom. However, something joyous soon happens, and I found myself getting choked up for entirely different reasons. I ended up absolutely loving the story of Saif. It’s heartwarming, moving, and, yes, at times still sad. But, above all other things, it’s beautifully hopeful. It gave me all the feels, and pretty soon I wanted to skim past whatever Flora was up to and find the next chapter about Saif. His story was not what I expected to find on a remote Scottish island, but it brought a welcome and surprising amount of sentiment to the story.
Although some people say sequels are never as good as their predecessors, I have to say that this does not hold true with The Endless Beach. I was thoroughly enchanted with this novel, and I appreciated the gravity that certain plotlines (Joel, Saif, and one other that shall remain nameless) brought to the story. For newcomers, this is a delightful window into the wonderful world of Mure; and, for those of us who have been with Flora from the beginning, this was a great way to expand the story of her and her loved ones, whom — let’s face it — we all pretty much fall in love with.
Except Jan. Jan’s gonna take some work.
(If you’ve read the books, ya get it.)
Any other Jenny Colgan fans in the house? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
And, stay tuned for my book-inspired recipe: Cheese Scones!
I love Jenny Colgan and I’m so excited to dive into this book! Enjoyed reading your review and looking forward to 🧀 scones.
I agree!!! Jenny’s books are always such a fun read! 😊 the post for the cheese scones went live today, so I hope you have a chance to check it out!
Hi C.J, Thanks for your reviews. I have read both of these books by Jenny Colgan and I’m now on the third one about Flora and the gang. I read the first one in a few hours, couldn’t put it down. This series is such a delight to read, I’ll going to check out her other books!
Hi, Tawny! So glad to meet another Jenny Colgan fan! All of her books are so much fun to read. I especially love the Little Beach Street series, largely because of Neil the Puffin. 😀 Hope you get a chance to check out that series from her!
My daughter & I love Colgan’s books. Marvelous stories captured in such great settings. Can’t read enough of them.
I agree, Mary! I just got her newest in from the library– The Bookshop on the Shore. Can’t wait to start reading it!