Beach Trip

I usually love beach reads and go through several every summer. This falls into the category of “just okay”. No where near elin hilderbrand or Mary Alice Monroe but okay

Beach Trip by Cathy Holton When we first meet Lola, Mel, Sara and Annie in the first chapter, it is the very early 80's in a small prestigious Southern College in North Carolina, but we aren't going to stay there...oh my no! We have a long and winding road to go on and the author, Cathy Holton, takes pleasure in leading the way. In the next chapter it's 23 years later and we meet up with the `girls' now women at the peak of their lives and they are going to meet up at the beach for a week long reunion of sorts. We learn how each of the woman have grown and how some have changed and that, well, some really have not changed all that much. The week becomes very cathartic, as past secrets that they all have been holding for these two decades are finally revealed. In addition, this is the crux of this novel...how we all have secrets. Secrets that even our very best friends do not know about, secrets that we don't even want to admit to ourselves. Secrets that finally come out and bite us on the butt. We have some very hilarious moments (Mel's revenge on Mr. A Lincoln at the club and free dinner during Casino night for one) as well as some very emotionally scarring ones. Ms Holton deftly swings from decade to decade, without getting the reader confused or pulling them out of the story, as so many authors have the habit of doing. She weaves the traditional tale of `best friends against the world' with unique and strong characters. I am not going to spoil anything for you, but let me say that this book does have several big revelations at the end. This is a book that you read the first time straight through with no stopping because you just know something important is going to happen. You want to read it again almost immediately, so you can fit the pieces of their lives together and see why they all chose the actions they did as well as have a clearer picture of the consequences of those actions. A great, fast paced, well plotted read, with realistic characters and great secondary characters. It is a great story and Ms Holton is a great storyteller. Beach Trip is well worth your hard-earned book-buying dollar.

I loved this book! I expected to like it but hadn't realized how much I would love it! Wow! Being able to relate age-wise to someone in college easier than a 40something, I loved all the flashbacks to college probably more than anything. I hadn't realized the book would literally take us back to when these 4 girls lived together, figured we would just hear about it in passing, so I was very happy we got to be there for some of the important times that shaped their lives in college. For some reason I always prefer stories with more than one main character, I love stories of friends that come in and out of each others lives. All 4 of the characters were interesting but I like I liked Sara and Annie the most, probably because I saw a bit of myself in both of them, compared to Lola and Mel. I also saw myself being able to hang around someone like Sara or Annie more than Lola and Mel. I found myself fearing for Lola's safety, she kept wandering away the second her friends looked away. And Mel was definitely a button pusher, I think it would be hard to be around her. I did really like reading about her writing career and life in New York though. There were a few twists and turns towards the end of the book but since in my mind I had already figured them out I was reading compulsively to see if in fact I was right in my predictions, and I was! It didn't hurt the story at all for me, it was actually nice being able to pick up on all the clues instead of having to think back later on and piece it all together. I really liked both of the plot twists, that's totally what I had wanted to happen! Actually at one point I set the book down and stuck my fist into the air and softly shouted YES! All in all I definitely loved this book and can see myself going back to read it from time to time and reflect on this group of friends and their lives and families.

A 20 year reunion becomes a pivotal event in the lives of four college friends in this darkly-comic tale of lost love and friendship. Mel, Sara, Annie, and Lola haven't seen each other since their years together at a small liberal arts college. Over the course of an idyllic week on the North Carolina coast old rivalries surface and unexpected revelations come to light as the women struggle to reconcile their lives. The surprise ending was a stunner and made me want to read the book again for clues I'd missed. A must-read for book-clubs! From the author of the hilarious "Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes."

A hit of 2009. Another book of chick lit?? Oh no!!! Don't even think it!!! Cathy Holton goes above and beyond! Her imagery and descriptions leave you breathless and you feel like you are one of the girls. I love the girls. I can't pick my favorite. Lola, because she didn't want to marry for money, she would have married Lonnie because he was simple and sweet. Mel because she was brave and a writer or Annie or Sara, who knows they were all so different and the same in so many ways! Just blew me away on so many levels! I loved this book! I am sad it ended so quickly! I loved the cover. It said a lot, but was so simple. I am a girl that judges a book by its cover so to speak, so this was a good cover!!! Thanks again Ms. Holton, job well done!!!

I read and loved Cathy Holton's previous two novels about the Kudzu Debutantes. So, when I saw she had a new book out that did not continue that story, I was a little dubious as to whether or not I would enjoy it. I'll be honest, I absolutely underestimated this book. If you've read the synopsis, then you know this is a book about 4 friends who come together in college. Over the years their lives take different paths, and they each struggle with their own demons. Twenty three years after graduating, they all get together for a week long beach trip. Over this week, the ladies slowly start to open up to one another, try to heal old hurts and attempt to renew their friendship. Now, I've read this format many, many times before...it's a very popular one. While I enjoyed this book throughout, I was hoping something would happen that would set it apart from all those other books. Well, be patient, because you will NOT be disappointed. I knew SOMETHING was going to happen, and I thought I had it all figured out...I was wrong. The ending is what makes this book. There are some surprises all through the story, and a rather large one near the end that I didn't see coming, but I was very pleased with overall conclusion of the book, it wasn't a scenario that I'd even considered happening! In the end, this was a great read, and I absolutely recommend it. Ms. Holton has done a wonderful job with her newest novel, and I certainly won't doubt her again. While I just love the Kudzu Debs, she has shown that she can write a very entertaining and hard-to-put-down stand alone novel. A great way to pass a lazy weekend!