4🔆
This was a perfect sapphic summer read. When I saw the cover I immediately requested an arc and it didn’t disappoint.
I was completely invested in the story between Breezy and Juliette. It has feelings, all the feelings and a bit of spice. The characters were relatable which is a must for me.
It was a light read but with depth so I couldn’t stop reading.

I got an arc via Netgalley. This is my honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and rate this novel. It was one that is outside of my usual reads and I’m so glad I took the chance. The characters are relatable, they felt real in doing everyday things down to the teenage nonsense that most of us have experienced in one way or another. Their growing connection and then loss is something I think everyone can connect with and the second chance was done beautifully. I can’t wait to see this on the shelves!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

coral bay a small coastal town
a gentle way of life for teenagers to enjoy before work overtakes them.

tanya breeze never really had that luxury being abandoned by her mom but she was taken in by her aunt and uncle and had a good life... she worked part time in a bar

it was where she first met Juliette Peralta aka jules with her very rich parents.... they came every year after that always some business and when they were there jules joined in with tanya and her mates

but as they grew up life got in the way .....

16 years later jules is back but is it a good sign or not....or will jules betray them all again ....

wow what a read.... enjoyed every minute of it...cant wait for the next book by this author

A love story of the townie and the tourist. Tanya Brees is a townie in the small coastal town of Coral Bay, Florida. She is only 13 when she first meets Juliette Peralta. Jules suggests they become pen pals and then they catch up every summer. Jules' family are wealthy real estate developers who live in Atlanta. Told from Brees POV, the first half covers their meeting and time together until they are seniors in high school. The second half contains a time jump of fifteen years when Jules returns to Coral Bay to oversee development of her family's latest building.

Harnett is great at getting to the emotions of the characters. Brees is connected to her town as they are her family. Jules represents change. But the pair are always drawn together. Side characters add some depth but the women are the stars. There are some time jumps that I wished were more explicit. The big one is evident but others of weeks, months or years were unclear. I felt a few things were left out like did Brees ever attend college so she could better run her business? Did she have past relationships or only Jules. They never talk about their fluidity. And it is a small thing but I didn’t feel that Jules was really free yet to start up again with Brees.

I think I wanted more information because I really liked the characters and wanted to know more about them. The story is easy to read and I zipped through it almost in one sitting. I enjoyed this book and the author's Alder series and will look for what she writes next.

This story captures the joy and difficulties associated with small towns and childhood love. Told from the point of view of Breezy as she recounts her experiences overcoming grief, betrayal, and her ultimate journey towards love and happiness. When Juliette Peralta visits Coral Bay with her family for the first time, she and Breezy immediately hit it off and agree to be pen pals. Juliette lives in Atlanta but her family comes to Coral Bay every year during the summer to check on their investment. Every time Juliette visits, Breezy’s feelings for her get stronger and stronger, until one summer they finally share a heated kiss and everything seems to shift. When Juliette is 17 she visits one last time before vowing never to return.

Breezy was such a great character because I could feel everything she was feeling in the moment, whether that was excitement, nervousness, betrayal, sadness, pure bliss, etc. She is in love with her town and the people who live in it so she is determined to keep things from changing. Unfortunately when Juliette arrives 10 years later with plans to add new infrastructure to the town, Breezy is left hurt and confused all over again. Unable to truly banish her feelings for Juliette they basically pick up right where they left off as kids. Even though I think Breezy was a bit passive at times, especially when it came to Juliette, her passion and perseverance made up for it in the end. Breezy’s relationship with her Aunt and Uncle was so precious, and even her friendship with “the buys” was fun and cute. I loved the whole group dynamic actually, they all seemed to compliment each other in a special found family kind of way.

As for Juliette, I felt very hot and cold for her. One minute I loved her and adored her banter and loving nature towards Breezy, and the next I hated her because she totally broke Breezy’s heart multiple times. Once you learned her full story and had a better reasoning as to why she did the things that she did, you start to develop more of an understanding of her character and complexity. Her chemistry and relationship with Breezy was hot and emotional and had a good amount of spice. Even with all the back and forth, I couldn’t help but root for them in the end. All the characters to me were well written and distinguished and developed enough that you remember them, which I think many novels these days have trouble accomplishing.

Something also refreshing that I appreciated was that the story took place over a long period of time rather than the typical year or two and trying to believe a romance that happens within a month. I thought the book was well balanced between childhood and adulthood and helped me understand the characters better. The only problem was that the amount of time elapsed was not indicated at the start of the chapters so several times I had to guess how old the characters were or how many years had gone by. This also made for some chapters to feel incredibly rushed as opposed to others, especially the ending.

As opposed to other novels, I felt the conflict was well done and purposeful that it felt real. It wasn’t just something that could be solved with a conversation, there actually needed to be work done and compromises to be made. I know this is a very real issue for small towns, especially beach communities, with big businesses and corporations taking over, so I appreciated that the author portrayed it from both perspectives. Yes there was some conflict/conversation avoidance covered up by rushed intimacy, but I think overall the characters did a good job of working through it.

Ultimately I really enjoyed the fun yet emotional storyline and characters, small town summer vibes, the aspect of friendship and found family, and felt the chemistry and romance between Breezy and Juliette to be well developed and believable.

Funny side note: based on the title, I just knew the author was going to reference one of the characters “coming” like waves lol.

Well I clearly need to go back and read this authors previous work. I liked their writing style a lot. I was really a fan of not only the characters, but they way we moved through time with Breezy and Jules.

I did think Breezy was a bit more forgiving than I would have been about the eventual conflict, but it was also nice to see a character not avoid confrontation and instead talk to people when they asked to hear their side of the story. The book was still angsty, even with better communication, when that real turmoil happens (not the obvious teenage turmoil).

Will totally read another book by this author and would recommend this one to people.

Second chance novels that start at teenage/childhood years are even better than regular ones. The first part of the book really built the foundation of Breezy/Tanya and Jules relationship. I really like that because most of second chance novels, the first relationship happens behind the scene. We could really understand how strong the bond was and how deep the pain was in consequence.
Hartnett's writing is really immersive : I really felt in a summer vacation bubble. We got to follow the MC's on a handful of days during dfferent summers of their teenage years. As a result, you really seem them grox and the relationship evolve. Characters really act and talk like teenagers. I loved the first part. Second part was the second chance part. The initial tension when they meet again is delightful. The book is written in Breezy's POV so I carried with her the anger and the hurt and I dont know how much time really pass but the grudge and tension part was a bit short for my taste, I wanted to suffer more and make Juliette suffers more 😝 (yes I am cruel..though I think it's more time in the characters' life but the timeline wasn't clear to me). Same for the third act break up : even if Breezy had to open her eyes on some things, this woman is a saint for being so forgiving when I wanted more groveling!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It has good secondary characters, a good pace and as you can see is quit immersive, as I felt really passionate about it

Tanya Brees enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the small coastal tourist town of Coral Bay, skimboarding, racing ATVs through sandy trails, and getting into mischief with her small band of friends. Things are clear: stick with the locals and hope the high-rises don’t take over their small fishing community.

When Tanya is thirteen, Juliette Peralta walks into the restaurant at the Coral Bay Inn with her parents and catches the eye of all the teens in town, especially Tanya. Every summer Juliette spends in Coral Bay brings them closer until first love blooms. But Juliette always leaves, her parents keep acquiring property to develop in town, and Tanya can’t take it anymore. No matter how much she loves Juliette, their family values are too different, and they lose touch as adults. That is, until a hurricane forces Juliette to return to Coral Bay indefinitely.

This is such a sweet, beautiful story. I love Hartnett's writing style. This was a summer read with all the feels. The characters were super relatable and I really enjoyed this! Great way to spend a summer afternoon! Sun, waves, and a heartwarming story to warm your soul!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this story! It's got everything I want in a book, and I really liked the two main characters.

As teenagers, they forged a bond that transcended the societal divides that would later seem so stark. At first, they weren't aware of why they were attracted to each other; they were too young. That's why their initial actions were so sweet and innocent. "As they grew older, the realities of society forced them apart, despite their belief that they could overcome family expectations and achieve their dreams. But it wasn't to be. They drifted apart irrevocably.

Fate would bring them together again, years later, as mature women with defined sexualities and a clear understanding of their feelings for each other. But one woman's self-serving interests clashed with the other's desire to preserve the peaceful, rural atmosphere of her coastal hometown.
I appreciated how both characters, especially Breezy, showed remarkable growth. Breezy's ability to forgive Juliette, even after everything she's been through, is truly admirable. And while Juliette's choices were understandable given her circumstances, a more honest conversation would have been beneficial.

I highly recommend this book. I couldn't put it down.

Apparently second chances books are what I'm reading today. This was like Romeo and Juliet and true love that ends not well.

Tanya (Breezy) Brees is a townie of Coastal bay, Florida and has had a great childhood so far when she meets Juliette Peralta at thirteen. For the next few years, they communicate with letters and a couple of visits during the summer when her family has business in town. They share their first kiss at seventeen and confess their love for one another when Juliette disappears without a trace except for a note.

Sixteen years later, they meet again when Juliette is there to get the family resort up and running. They dance around each other for awhile, but it was inevitable they'd hook up again. There was the classic miscommunication/not telling everything, but it was resolved fairly quickly. I wish we'd gotten Juliette's POV to flesh the story out a little more.

I enjoyed the side characters of Oscar, Austin and Benny as well.

This was a great summer read though and I do recommend it. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quick, cute, fun, and slightly steamy book about finding your first love, losing them, and finding them again. The main character, Breezy, is totally relatable from when we first meet her at 13 (infatuated with a pretty girl after one quick meeting) and all the way up through her teen years into her 30s, where the back half of the story takes place. I loved her relationship with her Aunt and Uncle, the “boys”, and especially her early relationship with Jules. When they finally reconnect, the sparks are still on the page. I found myself rooting for them the whole way through, despite all their roadblocks.

My biggest setback with this book is that there just isn’t enough! It’s under 250 pages, which is nice if you’re looking to bang out a book in a day, but as a reader, I wanted more buildup to their reunion, a little more tension, and some more drama, so their reconciliation was even sweeter and more rewarding. I think Hartnett has a great story, and I just think there was so much left to tell.

Overall, this was a great story with so much potential. I loved the HEA and hope the best for Breezy and Jules.

I was a little hesitant at first with this book when it started when they were teenagers. However I was soon into it and I loved it.
It combined life in a small, sleepy, seaside town with the journey from teenagers to successful business women. It moves through time without mentioning it, so don't expect a chapter to be headed 5 years later or anything like that. You have to work out for yourself that time has passed and they have aged accordingly.
There is also the push and pull in their friendship and relationship. As adults there is also conflict about their various life and business choices.
Whilst there is little doubt what the ending between the 2 of them will be, there are some surprises thrown into the mix.

There is of course an epilogue - providing an update on their lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is the 1st of her books that I have read - I shall no doubt now want to read more

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Oh I enjoyed this one so much!😭 I loved the beach vibes and the whole setting of this novel. It’s a perfect sapphic summer read that had me saying “awwww” way to many times which I loved❤️ I loved the characters in this book so much. Not one to me was unlikeable. Jules and Breezy aka (Tanya) were just the sweetest. Although they definitely had ups and downs throughout the years that passed from when they were 14, they found each other again and finally worked it all out and got back together🫶🏻 it was just such a sweet story that was pretty fast paced, and always got to the point that I was understanding exactly what was happening. Extremely enjoyable🫶🏻

I had to DNF this book at the 36% mark. The cause for my DNF though was due to the depiction of on page sexual activities between minors. In the scene in question, (which I will say was very brief) Juliette and Breezy are only 17, which is under the age of consent and made me feel uncomfortable as a reader. I can say that prior to this scene, the book was enjoyable; the characters were charming and the writing was well done. It was exactly what I was looking for in a sapphic summer romance and I liked that I was able to relate to the characters' queer experience with my own. Unfortunately, this scene just made me uncomfortable enough to not continue reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was a very quick read for me (wasn’t THAT short though) that I tore through, and it went down easy. The emotions were on point and there were a lot of them, which is exactly what I was going for. Second-chance novels like this are always sweet; I love the whole process of setting up the pieces, tearing the whole thing down, and then pulling it back together from the wreckage. There were some great small-tourist-town vibes and values, clashing with arrogant rich land developer greed. This novel wasn’t perfect (few are), but it was very well done and thoroughly enjoyable. I would recommend to all!

I have to say, this novel really reminded me how much I can hate capitalism. It was a solid example of rich elitist people making the world a worse place in order to make themselves richer, all the while treating non-rich folks poorly. In some ways I disliked this element of the novel, but at the same time it worked really well. This paragraph is just a little ramble.

Highlights:
-This novel was emotional, and I felt it! Solid endorsement that doesn’t need a lot of elaboration. The characters had their highs, and lows, and this aspect of the novel was very well done.
-I like it when a romance takes place over such a long timeline. It gives the opportunity for the characters to develop a real and strong relationship with a lot of history behind it. This always makes for stronger emotions!
-The romance! They had great chemistry, and watching the relationship develop over the course of their lives was interesting and satisfying.
-The characters were excellent. They felt real, were well developed, and clearly distinct. The side characters in particular were great and added a lot to the novel.

Nitpicks:
-Ok! Where did the note from the prologue happen in the novel????? I spent the entire novel waiting for it to come back around, and it never did. OR, if it did, then it wasn’t very clear and I somehow missed it. This obviously isn't a big deal, but it really got to me for some reason.
-This novel was rushed in some places. Some of the time periods were relatively brief with only a scene or two, and I think it would have benefitted from spending more time on the characters when they were younger. In stories like this, time spent at the beginning usually pays off later on after the time jump!
-Also rushed: some of the conflicts in this novel go away much easier and quicker than I think they could have. The drama was satisfying, and I could have absolutely enjoyed more of it!
-I had issues following the time jumps throughout the novel, particularly the beginning. The novel kept jumping forward between chapters but never identified where it happened or told the reader how much time had elapsed (“two years later” isn’t really hard to write!). It always became clear enough that I was never actually lost, but it was jarring and temporarily confusing while waiting for the details to be revealed. I don’t think the ambiguity helped in any way.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This sapphic romance was a nice surprise. It’s both cute and a little bit spicy. The plot pulls you in but the characters make you stay. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoyed this fun summer read! I love seeing the past story play out and how it connects and weaves into the present. Love stories with history between the pair always gets me! My complaint is that it did feel a little fast for me for forgiveness and reconnection, I think it would have added to the story to see more time to earn back trust. Still, I really enjoyed this book and felt immersed in the town, the main leads and supporting characters! I’m now going to see what else the author has written and devour it!

It comes in waves is a second chance, friends to lovers sapphic romance that starts when the main characters Breezy (Tanya) and Juliette are 13 years old. Breezy is a townie she has lived in Coral Bay her whole life and Juliette is a tourist her and her parents visit Coral Bay on vacation during the summer. When the two first meet there is an immediate connection between them and they become friends. Every summer they are together brings them closer and closer together until their feelings for each other start to change into something more. But Juliette is under a lot of pressure from her parents and she leaves Coral Bay suddenly and they lose contact. This story takes place over many years, the first half when they are teenagers and the second half is when they are adults and Juliette returns to Coral Bay. I really enjoyed this book the characters were likeable, the story was good and there’s a little bit of spice. It was a nice summer read. 😊

Thank you to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC.

Oh my god, I love this book. This is by far my favorite sapphic romance I’ve read so far. This book is the kind that you stay up all night devouring because you can’t put it down.

This is a second chance at love, friends to lovers story that starts with Breezy and Juliette as teenagers. One a townie of a small beach town and one a tourist who are drawn to each other immediately. They have to navigate the ups and downs of a friendship from a distance and of Juliette’s expectations and control from her rich real estate mogul parents who have started to buy up pieces of property in the small town moving it toward commercialization. Years later, Juliette returns to the town and finds this quiet town and all the people she loved is still everything she loved it for, the only problem is that Breezy is still recovering from the heartbreak years earlier.

This book has so much special about it. From the author paints a picture so easy to imagine, to the special friendships found in it, to the way you fall in love with this little town and root for it, and most importantly the way that you fall for Juliette and Breezy’s relationship, get your heart broken and then it gets mended back together. It really isn’t often that I find a book I can stay up all night devouring, but this is definitely it. 5 stars.

This was a lovely and heartfelt story. I loved both main characters so much and the setting was fantastic. Full of angst and heartbreak and tension and so much love.