I ordered this book because the Marin setting appealed to me. I grew up in Marin and moved back several years ago, so I know the book's setting intimately. Marin is just as much of a character as the book's matriarch. The novel tells the story of an affluent recent widow (her terminally ill husband jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge) who discovers her husband had demolished their fortune before his death. As a financial survival strategy, she decides to open a bed and breakfast in her classic hillside Stinson Beach home. At precisely the same time, her three privileged daughter are all at crisis points in their lives. I anticipated loving this novel, but it grated on me from the very first chapter and I probably would not have finished it had I not committed to read and review it (I received a free pre-publication copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review). So why did it grate on me? The descriptions of the Stinson Beach area and Southern Marin all felt flat--like descriptions made by someone who had never actually lived there year in and year out. More importantly, I did not find the main character and her daughters at all appealing. They all had privileged, self-obsessed default settings that conjured up the worst of stereotypes of Marinites. Think of everything residents of Oakland and Berkeley say about "too precious" Marin and Marinites, and this book is about that stereotypical slice of Marin. For a bit, I thought perhaps the book would turn out to be a satirical send-up of self-obsessed, precious Marinites, along the lines of the wildly successful 1970s era novel _The Serial_. This is NOT that novel. The characters start out grating and rather shallow and remain so, albeit with some changes in circumstances and partnerships. The one character that had some appeal at first was the youngest daughter, but my interest in her arc of development diminished midway through the book. The characters are generally politically correct yet not political (other than in their respect for diverse sexual orientations). They wear the proper trendy and expensive attire (save for the youngest daughter), are accustomed to (and disappointed to lose) pricey Tahoe ski weekends in the winter, embrace organic meals and pescatarian Thanksgiving feasts, are accepting of (and/or personally practice) LGBTQ+ orientations, etc. I had hoped the financial crisis prompted by the father's death would trigger some major reassessments of the self-obsessed, smugly self-satisfied lifestyles the matriarch had been leading. But rather, the story seemed to be more about her figuring out a way to continue to lead her comfortable lifestyle via a bed and breakfast, not about gaining a richer understanding of those who struggle financially. Barring the kind of character growth I had initially thought would happen, I thought perhaps a humorous send-up of that lifestyle would be offered. But neither thing happened. The matriarch kept cooking her picture-perfect meals (the book included way too many ingredient lists of the various meals she cooked), for her struggling daughters and guests. Without giving away too much, there was not a lot of character growth, nor much in the way of humor or satire. While one daughter has a non-white friend, there seemed to be no awareness of the economic, political, and ethnic diversity that exists in this uber-affluent area of Southern and Western Marin, even within the Tamalpais High School District. Had the writing been stronger, the book might have managed to carry me along (the descriptions of some of the bed and breakfast guests had potential, but were not fully realized, save for the one longer-term guest). I really don't like leaving such a negative review, but this is a book that should have gone through many more rounds of development and editing before getting published.

This was a DNF after reading 25% of the novel. I did not connect with the characters or the writing style. I am well-acquainted with the San Francisco Bay Area, so the premise sounded interesting from the synopsis. However, the story was a highly emotional soap opera in book form with a plethora of current social issues: suicide, divorce, widowhood, financial challenges, rocky romantic relationships, and LGBTQ themes. The chapters are short and changed perspectives frequently which added to the chaotic feeling. I am sure there is an audience for this book, but it was not a match for me due to the overwrought character development.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on A

“A Marin Bed and Breakfast” by Delores Street is the story of a woman and her three adult daughters trying to make the best of their lives after financial and personal calamities strike. Lily, left penniless by her husband, decides to turn her sprawling home in a desirable part of Marin County into a bed and breakfast. Her three adult daughters, Meaghan, Tiffany, and Amber’s lives are also in a state of upheaval. But with the help of new and old friends, they not only survive, they also thrive. This is a cozy and sweet book, but also one with LGBTQ themes.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an Arc of this book. My opinions are my own.

Delores Street wrote such a great book for the upcoming season. A Marin Bed and Breakfast is the perfect book to read on the beach.