Book Review: The House on Mermaid Point by Wendy Wax

My family and I spent a week at the beach in early June. While I was there, I couldn't have picked a better beach read! I first read Wendy Wax when the second book in this series was released. (Click here for my review of Wax's Ocean Beach, which followed a trio of friends as they renovated a mansion in Miami.)

The series opened with Ten Beach Road, which began a friendship with a trio of women that has had a super-lasting power. In truth, Avery, Kyra, and Nicole have become more family than friends, dragging into their tightly-knit circle both Kyra's mother Maddie (and infant son Dustin) and Avery's mother Diedre. Ocean Beach followed, along with the holiday novella Christmas at the Beach.

After being reluctantly dragged/ forced into a reality show featuring their renovations, the team meets up for a fourth time -- and a second season -- to film Do Over. Although many of their original issues have been resolved in one way or another, the ladies still have a lot of baggage. Baggage that they will now have to drag onto a remote private island in the Florida Keys.

The accommodations are a little less than stellar, despite the fact that the island belongs to a former rock star. In fact, William Hightower is less than accommodating -- rather, like the ladies, financial necessity has forced him into a business relationship with the network to film Do Over. That and a final stint in rehab, after which his son has laid down the law: do the show, or sell Mermaid Point.

Wax doesn't disappoint; Mermaid Point features the mother-daughter relationship issues included in previous books, primarily between recently-reunited Avery and Deidre. She also sprinkles in plenty of romance, both with established relationships and new duos. The setting couldn't be more perfect for a summer read, and Wax does an excellent job of describing life and the landscape on the Keys.

If there are a few overly-dramatic-feeling scenes, readers will forgive them easily. The House on Mermaid Point is exactly what it sells itself as -- the perfect soapy beach read. For readers of the series, as well as new readers, Mermaid Point should make its way into your beach bag and into your heart. I promise it will be filled with sand and sprinkled with sea (or pool) water, as every great summer read should be, because you'll find it unquestionably complements your sunbathing.

Find out more about Wendy Wax and the Ten Beach Road series at her website.

This post is part of a July blog tour celebrating the release of The House on Mermaid Point. For more reviews, visit Penguin's blog tour page for the novel.