Beach Town: A Novel

by Mary Kay Andrews Narrated by Kathleen McInerney

Overview

Greer Hennessy needs palm trees.

As a movie location scout, picture-perfect is the name of the game. But her last project literally went up in flames, and her career is on the verge of flaming out. Greer has been given one more chance, if she can find the perfect undiscovered beach hideaway for a big-budget movie. She zeroes in on a sleepy Florida panhandle town called Cypress Key. There's one motel, a marina, a long stretch of pristine beach and an old fishing pier with a community casino-which will be perfect for the film's explosive climax.

There's just one problem. Eben Thibadeaux, the town mayor, completely objects to Greer's plan. A lifelong resident of Cypress Key, Eben wants the town to be revitalized, not commercialized. After a toxic paper plant closed, the bay has only recently been reborn, and Eb has no intention of letting anybody screw with his town again. But Greer has a way of making things happen, regardless of obstacles. And Greer and Eb are way too attracted to each other for either of them to see reason.

Between an ambitious director and his entourage-including a spoiled "It Boy" lead actor-who parachute into town, a conniving local ex-socialite, and a cast of local fangirls and opportunists who catch the movie bug, nothing is going to be the same in Cypress Key. Now Greer is forced to make some hard choices: about the people and the town she's come to care about, and about her own life. True love is only for the movies, right? Can Greer find a way to be the heroine in her own life story? Told with inimitable heart and humor, Mary Kay Andrews' Beach Town is the perfect summer destination.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Beach Town

"Andrews expertly combines an intriguing love story with small-town quirkiness and cinematic action to highly entertaining effect." -Booklist

"Ready to kick off beach-read season? Look no further than Mary Kay Andrews's aptly titled Beach Town." -Instyle.com

"Could Beach Town be the summer beach read of the year? Featuring a bevy of memorable characters, as well as Andrews' attention to detail and distinct wit-along with her proven summer beach read track record-it very well could be." -RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars)

“There is a lot of competition out there for your beach bag filler this year. You had best go with the lady who has the track record of creating hit after hit after hit. To read Mary Kay Andrews is to love Mary Kay Andrews and Beach Town is no exception. Set your sites for this summer destination and have a grand time with a fascinating storyteller.” –Huffington Post

“A fun book that's perfect to read by the pool or in the sand...Another summer staple.” –The Durham Herald-Sun

“Beach Town is perfect reading for a sunny summer day.” –BookPage

“Fun and frothy.” –Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“It wouldn’t be Summer without another page turner from Mary Kay Andrews.” –popsugar.com

“Just in time for warm weather, Mary Kay Andrews comes through with another perfect beach read. Filled with sun, sand, and romance, Beach Town is ideal for the lazy days of summer…Though Andrew’s story is filled with deeply emotional issues, it has enough palm trees, quaint boathouses and ocean waves to qualify as a relaxing read.” –Woodbury magazine

Library Journal - Audio

08/01/2015
Andrews's (Save the Date) latest great summer novel is set on the beach. Cypress Key, FL, is a down-on-its-luck, forgotten-by-time rural community whose mayor, Eb Thibadeaux, hopes for changes. When movie location scout Greer Hennessy finds Cypress Key and a major motion picture starts filming, the town changes, but is it for the better? And when Greer and Eb become involved, will those changes break their hearts? Add in fan-crazy teenagers, paparazzi, a money-hungry socialite, and ex-cons, and the mix keeps getting more complicated. This is a fun, fast-paced listen with excellent narration by Kathleen McInerney, who avoids the stereotypical Southern drawl that would be completely out of place for the Florida location. VERDICT Recommended for those who dream about sunny small-town life.—J. Sara Paulk, Houston Cty. P.L., Perry, GA

JUNE 2015 - AudioFile

Kathleen McInerney’s smooth voice hooks the listener from the start. Location manager Greer Hennessy is in Florida, doing her best to get her big break in the movie business. She finds the perfect beach town for the upcoming movie, but Eben Thibadeaux, the mayor, has other ideas about what’s best for the town. Soon the two are butting heads. McInerney’s sensitive portrayal of Greer captures a multidimensional woman who is afraid to fall in love. Dramatizing Eben’s ability to care about people but also keep them at a distance, McInerney’s pacing is fast and sharp for strangers but slow and smooth for those Eben cares about. McInerney’s range of voices and accents for the secondary characters is equally impressive and engaging. M.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2015-04-01
Bestseller Andrews introduces Greer Hennessy, a third-generation worker in the film industry, whose difficult background and current job trigger a flood of problems. Greer's personal life is a mess, and her professional one is no laughing matter, either. Following an incident involving a fire on her previous job, the location scout/manager is hoping to redeem herself working for Hollywood's newest golden boy, director Bryce Levy. Although the script for his latest movie is vague and ever changing, Greer finds him the perfect location, a small dot on the map along Florida's Gulf Coast fraught with heat, humidity, palmetto bugs, and little else. Economically stagnant Cypress Key has seen better days, and Greer assumes its citizens will jump at the opportunity to make some quick cash and spotlight their town. The area also features an old ramshackle building along the waterfront that's perfect for the final scene—so long as Greer can secure permission to blow the erstwhile Cypress Key Casino to smithereens. Mayor Eb Thibadeaux (who apparently emulates Dr. Seuss' Bartholomew Cubbins in the hat-wearing department: he's also co-owner of a local motel, a realtor, grocery store and boat repair shop owner, and town engineer) is skeptical about the benefits of having a film crew invade the town, and he's definitely against Greer's plans for the historic structure. But he's attracted to Greer, and she to him. A romance quickly develops, then ebbs and flows as a tidal wave of complications creates misunderstandings between the two—and there are plenty as Andrews floods the story with several secondary characters and subplots. The author uses her tried-and-true formula to good effect, though. As in many of her preceding novels (Save the Date, 2014, etc.), Andrews masterfully creates an entertaining story filled with likable characters and a few lightweight, havoc-wreaking troublemakers. Although far-fetched, it's entirely fun. A perfect fit for the romance lover's beach bag.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172183621
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	05/19/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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