Cottage by the Sea: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A seaside town helps one young woman reclaim the light after darkness in an uplifting novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.
“Romantic, warm, and a breeze to read—one of Macomber’s best.”—Kirkus Reviews
Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager.
Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart—and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.
Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven—and the man—she’s come to call home.
In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above their pain and find a way to heal.
Praise for Cottage by the Sea
“Macomber never disappoints. Tears and laughter abound in this story of loss and healing that will wrap you up and pull you in; readers will finish it in one sitting.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Macomber’s story of tragedy and triumph is emotionally engaging from the outset and ends with a satisfying conclusion. Readers will be most taken by the characters, particularly Annie, a heartwarming lead who bolsters the novel.”—Publishers Weekly
“Romantic, warm, and a breeze to read—one of Macomber’s best.”—Kirkus Reviews
Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager.
Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart—and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.
Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven—and the man—she’s come to call home.
In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above their pain and find a way to heal.
Praise for Cottage by the Sea
“Macomber never disappoints. Tears and laughter abound in this story of loss and healing that will wrap you up and pull you in; readers will finish it in one sitting.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Macomber’s story of tragedy and triumph is emotionally engaging from the outset and ends with a satisfying conclusion. Readers will be most taken by the characters, particularly Annie, a heartwarming lead who bolsters the novel.”—Publishers Weekly
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Community Reviews
Debbie Macomber had a beautiful idea for a cosy romance, but her execution leaves much to be desired.
Macomber demonstrates no understanding of trauma, despite writing characters steeped in it. The FMC demonstrates deeper and more passionate emotions for abused animals than she ever does for her patients, despite her actions to help them. The MMC, is meant to speak very little but rapidly begins verbally speaking at length with the FMC within weeks. The same character is told by his best friend that he should reconcile with his physically abusive father, despite that friend knowing how the MMC feels about his abuser. If that alone isn’t enough, the treatment of a character suffering from hoarding is horrifying enough.
It highlights her lack of skill in creating characters, which from reading this novel I can only assume stems from a lack of understanding people as dimensional. Her characters make the plot fall flat when better character writing would have brought the plot to life. The MCs have no chemistry whatsoever and their coming together feels jarring and uncomfortable. Romance doesn’t work with non-characters, written without edges, unless it was in a screenplay.
The author seems to want to write a Christian romance novel, but for some reason it’s afraid to commit to it. Any mention or implication of Christianity is sporadic at best. Leaning in to the Christian, bent of this book would have at least served in defining the characters in giving them life to the reader.
What is this book meant to be an enjoyable romance? Was it meant to be romance intended for Christians or was it meant to be a romance intended for a wide audience that was intended to be supplemental Christianity in the readers life? At the end, I felt as though I had read a book that was trying to be sneaky about being a Christian book, like putting spinach in a child’s pasta sauce. Being more intentional and straightforward in its purpose would have made for a more compelling book for readers of any persuasion. Anything less, like this novel, quickly becomes like severely diluted wine.
All of these criticisms lead to this: “ cottage by the Sea” is nothing more than a wannabe Nicholas Sparks novel. The overdramatic plot and the underdeveloped traumatized characters cement this, but more than anything it can be seen from the way the author writes the male romantic heroes. The men are all pseudo-selfless, pining all their life sweethearts that have been nothing but good to the women and when they demand their affection, they deserve it. I don’t feel that I need to defend this statement is being a bad thing. I do feel the need to point out that this book was published in 2018, giving the author more than enough time to learn better—even if it’s just for her characters.
I’d bet my savings the author is pushing 80. If I’m right, it might be time to write for an older demographic since she’s outgrown her characters. Being able to relate to characters closer to her age might allow her to write realistic characters and meet the expectations of her audience.
Aside from the concept of the story and its characters, the only thing I deeply enjoyed about this book is its respect for HIPPA.
Macomber demonstrates no understanding of trauma, despite writing characters steeped in it. The FMC demonstrates deeper and more passionate emotions for abused animals than she ever does for her patients, despite her actions to help them. The MMC, is meant to speak very little but rapidly begins verbally speaking at length with the FMC within weeks. The same character is told by his best friend that he should reconcile with his physically abusive father, despite that friend knowing how the MMC feels about his abuser. If that alone isn’t enough, the treatment of a character suffering from hoarding is horrifying enough.
It highlights her lack of skill in creating characters, which from reading this novel I can only assume stems from a lack of understanding people as dimensional. Her characters make the plot fall flat when better character writing would have brought the plot to life. The MCs have no chemistry whatsoever and their coming together feels jarring and uncomfortable. Romance doesn’t work with non-characters, written without edges, unless it was in a screenplay.
The author seems to want to write a Christian romance novel, but for some reason it’s afraid to commit to it. Any mention or implication of Christianity is sporadic at best. Leaning in to the Christian, bent of this book would have at least served in defining the characters in giving them life to the reader.
What is this book meant to be an enjoyable romance? Was it meant to be romance intended for Christians or was it meant to be a romance intended for a wide audience that was intended to be supplemental Christianity in the readers life? At the end, I felt as though I had read a book that was trying to be sneaky about being a Christian book, like putting spinach in a child’s pasta sauce. Being more intentional and straightforward in its purpose would have made for a more compelling book for readers of any persuasion. Anything less, like this novel, quickly becomes like severely diluted wine.
All of these criticisms lead to this: “ cottage by the Sea” is nothing more than a wannabe Nicholas Sparks novel. The overdramatic plot and the underdeveloped traumatized characters cement this, but more than anything it can be seen from the way the author writes the male romantic heroes. The men are all pseudo-selfless, pining all their life sweethearts that have been nothing but good to the women and when they demand their affection, they deserve it. I don’t feel that I need to defend this statement is being a bad thing. I do feel the need to point out that this book was published in 2018, giving the author more than enough time to learn better—even if it’s just for her characters.
I’d bet my savings the author is pushing 80. If I’m right, it might be time to write for an older demographic since she’s outgrown her characters. Being able to relate to characters closer to her age might allow her to write realistic characters and meet the expectations of her audience.
Aside from the concept of the story and its characters, the only thing I deeply enjoyed about this book is its respect for HIPPA.
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