Paradise Girls by Sandy Gingras ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Mary had learned along the way that rules were all well and good, but love is a messy thing.  It made its own rules. You couldn't love by the book."  (p25)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

July 2022; Griffin; 978-1250816719
audio, ebook, print (320 pages); women's fiction

It's Christmas time and 42-year-old Mary has just broken up with her long-time love.  Ron was also her boss so she quit not only Ron but also her job.  She was an interior decorator but for the last several years she's been writing home improvement columns for Ron's magazines.  She isn't sure what to do with her life.  Her daughter CC has gotten distant with her and keeps Mary's young grandchild, Larkin, away from her because she believes that Mary doesn't set boundaries.  Her best friend convinces her to go out of town with her daughter and granddaughter for the holiday.  Her daughter cancels at the last minute to go on a cruise but is allowing her daughter to spend the time with Mary.  Mary rents a room at the Low-Key Inn.  It's a rather run-down hotel in Florida but when she sees that her room is a small igloo-like structure, she decides to stay.  As Mary and Larkin spend time together, Mary starts easing up on some of the rules that CC set for her.  She lets Larkin eat sweets instead of the vegan diet her mother believes in, lets her wear casual clothes instead of dresses, and continues to break down other rules.  Mary and Larkin go on a charter fishing trip with Daniel, a guide, and get to know Ollie, the owner of the Low-Key Inn.  Mary plus her two new friends are all in crucial places and their lives aren't very happy.  

Will their new friendship help them all to heal and be ready to face life again?  Will her daughter keep her granddaughter away from Mary again because of all the rules that she's broken?

This is a fantastic book about making changes in life and doing the things that make you happy instead of the things that life expects of you even though change is emotional and difficult.  I enjoyed all of these characters as they made changes in their lives and found happiness in proving that no matter how old you are, you can still change.

This is a book that made me laugh and made me cry.  I look forward to reading future books by this author. 

Buy Paradise Girls at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is two hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.  You can connect with her on Facebook.

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