Title: Second Tide’s the Charm
Author: Chandra Blumberg
Publication: August 6, 2024
Publisher: Canary Street Press
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Pages: 336
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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Love puts you in uncharted waters. At first glance, Hope Evans just landed the perfect spending the summer on a shark research boat. Except as every marine biologist knows, it’s what’s going on beneath the surface that counts, and Hope’s new position comes with a big catch—the boat belongs to her ex-boyfriend, Adrian Hollis-Parker. For three years Hope’s been treading water, staying away from anything that reminds her of their past. It’s time to dive back into a job that could springboard her career—and maybe offer much-needed closure. Since their split, Adrian has risen to internet fame as a shark expert with the launch of his YouTube channel to dispel myths and educate viewers about sharks. But success rings hollow without Hope. Embracing this new career trajectory was a risk, but working in cramped quarters with the woman he never stopped loving? That has the potential to backfire in heartbreaking ways. Side by side, weathering storms of every kind, they’ll have to navigate the murky waters of past hurts…and hope it’s not too late to chart a new course…
REVIEW:
**A copy of the book was provided by the NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I have to be honest. I decided I wanted to read this book because it had sharks in it. Not that anything about the book made me not want to read it, but a love story AND sharks? I was 100% in.
The story follows Hope as she is trying to get back into shark research, but the only way in is through a summer job on her ex-boyfriend’s boat. What could possibly go wrong? Hope was a great character. I really enjoyed how Blumberg wrote her. She was relatable and funny. Her internal monologue was so entertaining to read, because I feel like she thought just like all of us at one point in our lives. Another aspect I thought Blumberg wrote really well was the relationship between Hope and Adrian. A lot of ex relationship romcoms focus on the breakdown of a relationship or the negativity of said breakups, But the Adrian and Hope relationship was written in such a way that FINALLY made it seen that sometimes things just don’t work at a given time. The relationship was sweet and respectful. I loved the interactions that Blumberg created for us to see that type of relationship.
The story as a whole flowed really well and had hooked me right near the beginning. While you kind of know what to expect at the end of a romcom, the journey to get there was interesting, happy, and even sexy at times. Blumberg wrote some nice personal growth in the characters, which adds substance to the story and I just enjoyed it overall. The only thing keeping me from five-stars was the fact that you obviously knew how it was going to end. Not much to do be done about it, but a really solid, enjoyable story. I will definitely check out more from Chandra Blumberg in the future and highly recommend you do too.
