As the older sibling to identical twins Violet and Lily,
Cami Porter was always the odd sister out. The divide grew even wider when
their parents split up -- while the twins stayed in Cape Sanctuary with their
free-spirited mother, Rosemary, fourteen-year-old Cami moved to LA with her
attorney father. Nearly twenty years later, when Cami gets the terrible news
that Lily has drowned saving a child's life, her mother begs her to return home
to help untangle the complicated estate issues her sister left behind.
Navigating their own strained relationship, Cami
readjusts to the family and community she hasn't known for decades, including
the neighbor who stands in the way of her late sister's dream, while Violet
grieves the loss of her twin and struggles to figure out who she is now,
without her other half, as the little girl Lily saved pulls her back into the
orbit of the man she once loved.
Terrific story of family, loss, and love. Told from
alternating points of view, I loved seeing how each character processed what
was going on around them. The people are realistically portrayed, their
feelings and actions believable.
When oldest daughter, Cami, was fourteen, her parents
divorced. She stayed in LA with her lawyer father, eventually becoming a lawyer
herself. Her twin sisters, Violet and Lily, went to Cape Sanctuary with their
free-spirited mother, Rosemary. Cami always felt like the odd one out when she
visited. Twenty years later, Lily drowned while saving the lives of two little
girls in Cape Sanctuary. Rosemary begs Cami to help untangle some complicated
issues involving Lily's dream of a glampground on neighboring property.
I ached for Cami. She's still trying to process her grief
over Lily's death while working long hours at her father's law firm. Though she
doesn't know how much help she'll be, getting away to the peace of the beach
sounds like exactly what she needs to recharge. As she nears her destination,
she stops to help a man wearing a sling with a flat tire. Sparks fly between
them, but Cami doesn't expect to see him again.
The man is Jon, an archaeologist who has been called home
to deal with his estranged father. They haven't spoken in several years, but he
gets word that Franklin is behaving oddly. He arrives home to discover his
father in the early stages of dementia, tents set up on property that should be
vacant, and the suspicion that the neighbors are trying to pull a fast one on
his father.
Cami's sister Violet, Lily's twin, is a special education
teacher in Sacramento. She comes to Cape Sanctuary for the summer to help
Rosemary with the glampground. She struggles with the loss of her sister and best
friend. She also feels guilty over an argument with Lily that they hadn't made
up before Lily died. Complicating matters, she can't avoid running into Alex, her
first love, whose daughter Ariana is one of the girls Lily died while rescuing.
I loved the intertwining of the various storylines. While
Cami would like nothing more than to fix the glampground leasing issue, Jon's
first thought is protecting his father. Cami is sympathetic to his problems and
finds herself stepping in to help Jon with his dad. At the same time, the
sparks between Cami and Jon continue to grow. There were some sweet scenes of
the two of them together, with and without Franklin. It's easy to see their
growing feelings, but there are also obstacles to a future together.
Franklin's medical issues are heartbreaking to watch, but
on his good days, he is a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him interact
with Rosemary and the glampground guests. I was thrilled to see him and Jon
repair their relationship with each other.
I ached for Violet and her tortured feelings. She loved
Lily, but she also frequently felt like the pale imitation of her vivacious
sister. Without Lily, though, she feels as if a piece of herself is missing. I
liked seeing Violet and Cami begin to strengthen their bond in their shared
grief. The night-time scene on the beach with them and a bottle of wine was
emotional, funny, and eye-opening for them. It was also a great start to a new
closeness.
Violet also must deal with her unresolved feelings for Alex.
He makes it clear that he still cares about her and would like a second chance,
but Violet is wary of trusting him with her heart again. There are several
great scenes where Alex is there when she needs him and helps her work through
her grief. I especially enjoyed the scene on the boat when she helped him with
the whale-watching trip for the glampers. The question is whether she can let
go of the past enough to move forward into the future with him and Ariana.
There's a heartwarming scene where the town holds a
ceremony to honor Lily and her sacrifice. The kind words of the mayor and the
heartfelt speech by Ariana make a world of difference to Lily's family. Cami's
dad, Ted, was also there, and he wasn't what I expected. I enjoyed seeing him
and Rosemary together. There are some intense moments near the end when
Franklin wanders off, and Jon feels overwhelmed by what lies ahead. I loved his
surprise at how people came together to help find him and Jon's realization
that he's not alone. A moment of clarity in a discussion between Franklin and
Jon reveals an unexpected twist in the leasing issue. I loved seeing Jon and Cami look at exploring
their feelings for each other.
The epilogue was a terrific look at their lives a few
years down the road. There's happiness and heartbreak, love and loss, but above
all, the importance of family.
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