Sandcastles by Luanne Rice

Luanne Rice has done it again! Every year she provides the perfect novel for summer reading. Last year brought us the aptly titled Summer's Child and Summer of Roses. This year she gives us Sandcastles, which returns loyal readers to the shores of Blackhall/Hubbar'd Point and the Conneticut coastline. Reviews of this novel are panning it for being both melodramatic and shallow...this may or may not be the case, but if so I say that's not necessarily a bad thing in a summertime beach read. Sandcastles is not as memorable as some of the other Blackhall novels, but neither is it depressing like Cloud Nine or Stone Heart. Not only did I enjoy Sandcastles, but it made me want to go back to reread gems like Firefly Beach and True Blue. For any author, I say that's a job well done.