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Willa has never fully recovered from the sudden death of her husband, Ben. She became an absent mother to her young son, Jamie, unable to comfort him while reeling from her own grief.

Now, years after Ben’s death, Willa finally decides to return to the beach house where he passed. It’s time to move on and put the Ocean City, Maryland house on the market.

When Willa arrives, the house is in worse shape than she could have imagined, and the memories of her time with Ben are overwhelming. They met at this house and she sees him around every corner. Literally. Ben’s ghost keeps reappearing, trying to start conversations with Willa. And she can’t help talking back.

To protect her sanity, Willa enlists Jamie, her best friend Kristin, and Kristin’s daughter Kelsey to join her for one last summer at the beach. As they explore their old haunts, buried feelings come to the surface, Jamie and Kelsey rekindle their childhood friendship, and Willa searches for the chance to finally say goodbye to her husband and to reconnect with her son.

**SPOILER ALERT**

I loved my first Beth Harbison book (When In Doubt, Add Butter), so I couldn’t wait to read my second. I probably should have read the back cover before I picked up this book, though, because it was WAY sadder than I usually prefer to read.

Part of the book reminded me of Jill Mansell’s To the Moon and Back, but with one big difference–this story really doesn’t have a happy ending. Willa spends the whole book wanting to move on and saying she can’t while Ben tries to help her, but we never see her do it.

For me, it was a let down. At the very least I wanted to see her meet someone or make the effort to go out–anything to show her finally moving on. A couple of extra chapters for that and it would have been a home run.

As is, if you’re in the mood for a good cry, this is a great book, but it doesn’t quite deliver the happy ending.

Rated PG.

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For a similar style women’s fiction novel, try To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell.