Shanty by the Sea

by Kelli Pizarro

[phyllish]

An unusual concept

My rating is 3.5 stars

In all my reading, I've never read a story surrounding a writer's retreat. In fact, I know almost nothing about writer's retreats. The concept behind Shanty by the Sea fascinated me and I was more than happy to give it a read. The workings of this writer's retreat are quite unusual - I imagine no one has ever been to one quite like it!

As you'll see if you read the sample, the writing style is slightly snarky and engaging. Several situations were over-the-top quirky, such as the turkey at the family Canadian Thanksgiving celebration.

I really enjoyed the description of the castle she visited and would love to go there myself!

While the other two ladies at the retreat were not kind, Scarlett's reaction to them seemed immature. Yes, I did understand her response at the final dinner, just not as much before that event. I also didn't see why the others didn't like her and behaved as they did.

There are a handful of references to church and Christianity but not so many for this to fall in the Christian fiction category. In case this would be a concern to you, I will also mention that there is at least one use of a mild swear word and a reference to drinking wine.

Overall, it was a fun story.

Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.