This one was a hard one to finish…. I just felt like nothing was happening!!!! It dragged on and the characters were underdeveloped and immature. Their relationships felt childish and just silly. I couldn’t get myself to really care for the characters or wanting them to survive

Well, I'm not sure if I'm not the proper audience for this book, but this one really didn't work with me.
The plot was interesting since I usually enjoy reading about more grown-up characters discussing their lives and struggles or traumas, and I di think this book started out decent enough.
But after only a few chapters these characters annoyed me. They were clearly not acting their age and their 'struggles' sounded futile and petty, sometimes.
This author's writing was OK, I'd say. But I got bored and annoyed with the characters, which was unfortunate.

I thought this would be a light summer read but was mistaken. The story was a bit choppy switching from one of the three "sisters'" pov but the writing was done well. I found it to be a little dated or too old for the millennial I am, themes of eating disorders, cheating husbands, not a trace of any poc, I would likely recommend this to someone who is already a grandmother. The end left me questioning things. I wanted more of Mary Fran and Travis's story and a bit more details between when the women were young and right at the moment.

Thank you @netgalley and Rebelle Press for the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC.

This book started out super choppy and I had an incredibly hard time getting into it. I actually thought about doing my first DNF in the first 2% because nothing was grabbing my attention. The writing simply seemed to not flow.

Though this book wasn’t for me, I’m interested to see how the final copies were produced. If it had a better flow and the interviews were written in a different way (not thrown in where halfway through reading them you FINALLY realized what the blurbs were), I could see that it could have potential. There was definitely a twist or two about 75% in that definitely helped pick up the enjoyment of the book.

Didn't finish this book. Wasn't thrilled with the style of the run on, too long sentences.
Wasn't able to get up the caring of each of the characters even after being half way through. The cover of the book gave the impression of younger women, lolling near a beach, but the descriptions gave me a picture of much older women - so had trouble reconciling all the pieces.

This was a beautiful exploration of sisterhood. The thrilling element was perfectly executed, and the writing flowed so well. I really enjoyed the gripping plot. You uncover so much as you go. I found myself relating to something from each one of the sisters.

“The Sisters of Blue Mountain Beach” by Kalan Chapman Lloyd is a heartfelt tale of friendship and resilience. Set in Florida, it follows three women as they face personal challenges and an approaching hurricane. Lloyd’s writing vividly captures the Gulf’s beauty and the characters’ emotional journeys. The story celebrates the strength of bonds formed by choice, offering a moving reflection on hope and togetherness.

I loved the unbreakable bonds between chosen family. This book is a testament to the idea that family isn't always defined by blood. Must read!!

I wanted to love this book. The summary, the title, the cover all had me engaged. The story itself was so hard for me. I wanted to learn more so I kept reading . But the writing just confused me. Especially the lack of chapters. I’m not sure if that was because it’s an ARC or done purposefully. So much potential with the book but it was such a hard read for me.

I would love to give honest feedback but it was a DNF for me. I couldn’t get past the writing to finish. It was more wordy than a Stephen King novel.

Found this book hard to get into. The 3 main characters had a very long and tangled history. They all had huge issues to deal with and personal.problems they didn't share or delayed sharing despite their close relationships with each other.

EXCERPT: There were three sisters. One tall and thin like a nervous flamingo bird, and one round and plump and brown, a horned thrush. The last was exotic, colorful and uncommon, she had things in common with the second, the nose for one. The first one, the oldest, was not the ringleader, she followed and fretted and fretted some more. The middle one was bossy and brassy, her hair, her smell, her attitude. She ate and rolled her eyes when the other ones didn't. The youngest was in charge, not by personality but by default, by the sheer fact that she controlled the purse strings. Strings that they did not discuss out loud or with each other, but about which they were all silently resentful.

ABOUT 'THE SISTERS OF BLUE MOUNTAIN BEACH': The Sisters of Blue Mountain Beach is a gripping tale revolving around the lives of three remarkable women who suddenly go missing in the devastating aftermath of a ferocious hurricane on Florida's renowned 30A. Arden, the youngest, finds herself at a crossroads in her life, grappling with difficult decisions and a sense of longing for something more. Cilla, newly retired and ready to start anew, has recently received a devastating diagnosis of cancer, causing her to confront her mortality and the urgency to live each day to its fullest. Mary Fran, the oldest, is mourning the loss of her beloved husband and the secrets he left behind, wondering if there is more life for her in a world that feels tilted on its axis. As they navigate their individual struggles, they find solace in each other's company, sharing memories, heated arguments, and countless meals together amidst the serene backdrop of Blue Mountain Beach. The emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico serve as a poignant reminder of the beauty and fragility of life. As the search for the missing women intensifies, the bonds between Arden, Cilla, and Mary Fran become stronger than ever. With each passing day, they find hope, in and with each other. But as secrets are uncovered and hidden truths emerge, the sisters' lives are forever altered.

MY THOUGHTS: I gave up on The Sisters at Blue Mountain Beach at 51%.

I found the opening pages - I can't say chapter/s because there aren't any - quite intriguing. The author certainly has a distinctive writing style but one which becomes quite wearing after a short time.

At 51% I was worn out by the whole charade. These women are in their 50s. They have grandchildren. But they act like they are much younger. I know 50 is meant to be the new 30 but probably not quite like this. I don't think that they even really like each other. While I started out quite liking their characters, by 51% I didn't like them at all.

I did like the way each person's POV began, with an important thing to know about that person; e.g. The important thing to know about Arden is that she is a liar. But other than these 'teasers' everything else is very vague and mundane.

At 51% there is still no sign of the hurricane, and I am bored by the drinking, the shopping, the subtle bitchiness, the vague references. There is nothing of substance into which I can sink my teeth.

Adieu Arden, Cilla, and Mary Fran. Sorry, but I don't much care if you ladies survive the hurricane or not, should it ever arrive.

⭐

#30Abookclub #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Kalan Chapman Lloyd is an attorney and author currently residing in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She enjoys big hair, Supreme Court Decisions on Intellectual Property, hats, the sound of construction and the feel of brand new sweatshirts. Kalan grew up in the small town Tahlequah, OK.
She and her husband enjoy parenting their left-handed, strong-willed children.
Kalan writes about The South and its caricatures.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Rebelle Press via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Sisters of Blue Mountain Beach written by Kalan Chapman Lloyd for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Add this book to your next reading list! This was fantastic! I so cherished this book. The characters were so fun, and the storyline was precious. Highly suggest!

a story of three women who think of themselves as sisters. It tells the story of how they go through life together. I enjoyed it very much.

Enjoy this read the atmosphere the characters the sisters the storyline kept me imagining summer at a beach just listening to this story from start to end page turning for unfolded at a great pace. Enjoy this read and I love the cover.

The Sisters of Blue Mountain Beach take place at the beach as we can expect from the title of the book. In this book we meet three different women dealing with life issues, although they aren't sisters they claim each other as one. For me this was a different sort of read, with all the differences of the story lines converging into one story line. I would say its wasn't one of my favorite reads but still was a good read. I would still recommend to others because I know not everyone enjoys the same type of books.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

The Sisters of Blue Mountain Beach is a lyrical, literary work that makes you think about life and things not always being as they appear. It is a story of three women, who remain faithful friends even though husbands and children and jobs fail them. They even go through a hurricane together because they know they can count on each other. The written descriptions of the beach, the sunsets, sand and the water is poetic and alluring - might have to go to this part of Florida to experience the natural beauty in person.

The plot of this book was not a straight line and you have to stick with it to find out the nuggets of the story. The chapters are named for each sister, Mary Fran, Arden and Cilla (short for Priscilla) and we see the story unfold from their points of view. The three ladies usually do a girls vacation in Destin, Florida during August in a house named The Personal Injury, by Arden's crazy lawyer husband Alec. It is a grand nouveau mansion that is filled with luxury items, exuding an enormous wealth. This year they are summoned by ringleader Arden for a second trip in October because their lives have gotten off track and they need another trip.

But this trip is not a fun trip and each point of view hints at something being tragically off for all three. The pending hurricane is a great literary metaphor for the traumatic changes occurring in the lives of Mary Fran, Arden and Cilla. Breaking up the changers, the novel has quotations which serve as signposts and written like testimonials. All of the the townspeople who waited on them or delivered goods to the house, chime in with their impressions of what's going on, which create other points of view of what's happening in the story. There are many plot twists and the reader can't really tell which way the story was going to end.

This was a well-written , but sad book with plot structure problems and strange add-ins that kind of distracted from the great characters in the book. The sisters' stories were told through memories of the past and yet it was lyrical enough and a good enough story to hold my interest. Thanks to NetGalley and Rebelle Press for the opportunity to read this novel.

I found this book to be very confusing. I initially really enjoyed the book, but about 30% of the way in, I really lost interest but did finish reading because I wanted/needed to see how it ended. I felt the end of the book went out of order writing the obituaries before the last couple of chapters because honestly the last 25% of the book I thought they would die together in solidarity, which I think might have been a preferable ending for me. While the stories were connected, it just felt like I was often reading three separate stories and I thought there was a lot of backstory that was just unnecessary. I apologize for the poor review, but unfortunately, this book just was not for me. On a positive note, I do appreciate the author minimizing the amount of sexual content. I would be willing to read other works published by the author, because again, there was enough of a hook I did finish the book. Content warnings: heavy use of alcohol, prescription meds, moderate language, overarching theme of death/dying

The Sisters of Blue Mountain Beach by Kalan Chapman was a really good story.
I found myself pulled into this remarkable story with intriguing characters and unable to pull away.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

“Her Cilla may die, and this was worse than her husband, her Alec, going to jail. This is worse than losing all her money. This is worse.”
A good story about how the high can fall too but also about sisterhood and how life changes over the years. I like how we learned little details about each character all throughout the book.

This book is about three ‘sisters’, all at different stages in their lives.
The cover promotes a beach read but the storyline doesn’t follow through on that idea. There wasn’t a lot of flow, the story seemed muddled and the set out of the book wasn’t appealing.
I didn’t connect with the characters and was disappointed with the book overall.

Thanks to Rebelle Press, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.