That April in Santa Monica (Love is a Beach)

Melody
DeBlois
Genre: 
Contemporary

Madison is a bonafide workaholic. She gets a wake-up call when she ends up in the hospital after passing out at work. She is given grave news by the doctors--if she doesn’t make changes soon, she won’t live much longer. Her family brings in a health guru named Brandon. He is a part of a reality TV series to help people become healthy. To better promote her company, she agrees to be on the show. However, it is not as easy as she thought. Brandon inserts himself into every aspect of her life. He teaches her yoga, meditation, proper eating habits, and even takes away her life elixir, coffee. Nothing can be worse than being in front of cameras 24/7. If those cameras weren’t there, Brandon and Madison could express their true emotions. 

This book somehow manages to make readers think about getting up and going for a nice jog along the beach. Talk about motivating! This story also really looks into life experiences and emotions and how they control major aspects of our lives. It is wonderful to see the development that arises between Madison and Brandon. They develop individually and together, as well. There are times when the story focuses more on physical looks than on health, yoga poses, or progress. It didn’t seem realistic that Madison could have so many positive changes in such a toxic environment with all those cameras. The storyline also has a pretty slow pace, yet it manages to grab the reader’s emotions, which gives them a connection to the characters. This book really touches all the senses!

Amanda Hupe