Charlotte is a first-year college student embarking on a new chapter in life. But having just lost her father to cancer, she can’t quite focus on her studies. She then gets a call from her best friend, Evie, with news that she’s pregnant. Wanting to support her, and possibly looking for an excuse to take a break from school, she travels to the inn that Evie’s parents own on Hatteras Island, off the coast in North Carolina. She reconnects with her best friend’s family, including her older brother Nate. And then her cousin’s long-distance boyfriend, Michael, shows up for a job on the island as well. Charlotte is appreciating every moment with the sand, sea, and family. But she finds that grief is not linear, just like romantic feelings. And the major storm on the way to the east coast possibly foreshadows the complicated events that Charlotte and her family friends find themselves in. The Saddest Girl on the Beach by Heather Frese explores how one young woman copes with devastating loss and endures a rocky path towards healing and recovery.
Book
Even though Michael is the boyfriend of Charlotte’s cousin, Troia, she can’t help but find herself drawn to him in more than a platonic way. And while she enjoys her budding romance with Nate, she can’t seem to shake the feelings. Additionally, Michael and Charlotte connect over marine biology/oceanography – which continues to get deeper throughout the story. Meanwhile, Evie is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy to her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Stephen. Evie’s family is also fairly traditional, which makes things a bit more complicated when it comes to handling the situation.
Charlotte finds her own place and role on the island, even if temporary. But she continues to grieve for her father and somehow maintains a relationship with her mother and brother. Even though she occasionally forgets also lost a husband and father, respectively. And as she prepares for the “official” goodbye, she also contends with her complicated feelings towards both men, and must figure out what she truly wants.
Review
Frese offers an emotional and authentic tale of grief in The Saddest Girl on the Beach. Anyone who has lost a loved one understands that grief comes in waves and is difficult to ignore. And while Charlotte perhaps tries to navigate through that grief with romance, she inevitably complicates things and compromises her lifelong friendships. The author sprinkles facts about oceanography in through conversations between Charlotte and Michael – which not only adds symbolism of Charlotte’s emotions, but also offers a different take on Frese’s writing style. Even if the pacing was a bit slow, it worked for the story. I became invested in Charlotte’s outcome, her friendship with Evie, and how she would move on, if at all. Even if she made questionable choices, that made her all the more relatable and yes, entertaining.
Heather Frese joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about her experiences writing short stories vs. novels, and how she got into the mindset of a grieving teenager. Stay tuned for a future episode and order The Saddest Girl on the Beach, available now.
