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In the aftermath of her discovery, Haylie gets away to a beach town and becomes friends with Meghan, a local teacher who works as a waitress in the summer. Haylie pours her heart out to her new friend and they form a close bond during the time Haylie is staying there. The book is a quick read, although I did find most of the plot to be very predictable. I guessed a few things early on in the story. I still found the book hard to put down. Haylie’s character was well-drawn and her feelings about her marital problems are detailed and realistic. Some of her reactions are a bit over the top, such as throwing a glass wedding picture and wedding album across the room. Her new friendship with Meghan feels genuine, and Meghan is a believable character. On the other hand, Chase’s character is fairly one-dimensional and most of his conversations fall flat.
Although Tear Stained Beaches is an enjoyable read, I did feel that the author wrote Haylie’s character as too overly emotional and full of self-pity. I find like I was reading the story of a teenager who had her heart broken, rather than a 28-year old woman. Most of the book involves Haylie describing every single feeling she has and every second of her life after finding evidence of her husband’s infidelity. At times, it reads like a person telling a detective or therapist every step of their actions and feelings from an event and its aftermath. Some of her actions are too overdramatic, such as immediately taking a leave of absence from her job. If she is considering leaving her husband, then she should have kept working since she would have had to support herself in the event of a divorce.
I found Haylie’s character relatable with regard to her disappointment in the decline of her marriage, even before Chase’s infidelity comes to light. She has flashbacks to their fun first meeting, romantic courtship and early days of their marriage. When her husband becomes detached and preoccupied with work, you can relate to her loneliness and feelings that her marriage is not as perfect as she thought. Her suspicions and insecurities feel very real.
There are several errors in this book that make the writing seem a bit unprofessional, such as “peaking” in the kitchen (should be peeking), in-to (should be into), and suit case (should be one word), to name a few. Even the words “tear stained” in the title should be hyphenated; I found the error in the title particularly annoying. Still, the book is an enjoyable light read. Rating: 3 out of 4 stars.
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