by Debbie Mason
Sunshine Bay - Book 2
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Reviewed by PJ
Nothing gets Willow Rosetti down. She adores everything about her life in Sunshine Bay, particularly the close proximity to her beloved family and her job as a meteorologist. So when she finds out Channel 5 may close and she and her coworkers will be out of work, she goes behind her family’s back to call her estranged aunt, a famous actress. Willow has never met her aunt and has no idea why her family disowned her, but she’s hopeful Camilla can deliver the ratings they need to convince Noah Elliot, the station’s gorgeous and grumpy owner, to save Channel 5.
When Camilla Monroe learns her niece Willow is trying to contact her, she fears the worst—that her secret has finally come out. Distracted, she doesn’t see the e-bike in the road. Now a case of amnesia has Camilla back in Sunshine Bay, and she’s getting Willow into one mess after another.
With a little bit of scheming and a whole lot of heart, this unlikely duo might just have the summer of a lifetime, saving the station, healing their fractured family, and even paving the way for love.
PJ's Thoughts:
Debbie Mason takes readers back to Sunshine Bay and the Rosetti family with a new tale filled with unexpected twists, long-held secrets, laugh-out-loud humor, and heart-tugging emotion. It's everything I expect - and enjoy - when reading a Mason novel.
I love the dynamics among the women in the Rosetti family - the focal point of this series - the complex relationships, the layers within each of the women, the steadfast bonds among Willow and her two cousins, and the unexplained estrangement among their grandmother, mothers, and aunt. Mason took time to give each character the attention and development they deserved. That also included Noah and his teenage sister, Riley. In fact, the relationship between by-the-book, 15-year-old Riley and mischievous, 40-something Cami (who, because of amnesia, thinks she's 17 for the first half of the book) was one of my favorite parts.
Willow and Cami are the Rosetti women who evolved the most in this book. I appreciated the complexities of each of their situations as well as their places within the Rosetti family. Or, in Cami's case, outside the family. I really enjoyed watching the growth of both of these women; with Cami as she worked to mend the rift between her, her sisters, and her mother and with Willow as she worked to find her calling and prove her worth. One of the facets of Mason's writing that I especially enjoy is her willingness to dig deep into emotionally fraught and thought-provoking situations.
The romantic relationship between Willow and Noah is also an important part of this book and one that I enjoyed. Mason is so good at threading together multiple relationships in her books without causing confusion or sacrificing the importance of any one singular relationship. Whether it's friends, co-workers, siblings, mothers and daughters, other extended family, or romantic couples, each gets the attention it deserves and each has the necessary thread to form a complete tapestry. Things got pretty messy at times (just like real life) and there were places in the book where I had no clue how it would all work out - for any of the characters - but, of course, Mason guided them expertly forward to a heartfelt, believable conclusion with laughter and tears along the way. I'm already looking forward to whatever she has planned for this family next.
Three Little Wishes can be read as a standalone but for a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the Rosetti family, I would recommend reading book one, Summer on Sunshine Bay, first (Click the title to read my review).
Have you read Debbie Mason yet?
What books are on your summer reading list?
Do you enjoy multiple-generation stories or do you prefer books that focus on only one couple?
One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, May 13 and follows @ReadForeverPub at either Facebook or Instagram will receive a print copy of Three Little Wishes from Forever Publishing. To be entered into the giveaway, you must include your social media handle in your comment and at which social media platform(s) you follow Forever.
* U.S. and Canada only
* Must be 18
