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Blake and Kat met at summer camp when they were 12. The two girls came from different backgrounds: Blake lived in a modest house near Minneapolis with her grandparents, and Kat lived in a big house with her parents in a wealthy neighborhood in Atlanta. But they became fast friends. Unfortunately, at the end of camp, they were shocked to learn that they were half-sisters, too.
They don’t connect again for 15 years, until their father dies and leaves them both the family beach house in Destin, Florida. Kat has been used to having money whenever she needs it, but she’s stunned to find out her father was almost bankrupt. She has a reasonable income from her work as an Instagram influencer, but nothing saved. Blake has never had money and has been working as a nanny. She’s been demoted to dog sitter for the summer as the family she works for goes to France. Money still wouldn’t be a big deal to her, except her beloved grandfather, the only family she has left, needs to be placed in the memory care section of his retirement facility, and that’s pricey.
In short, she would love to sell the beach house to be able to pay for her grandfather’s care. Kat refuses to give up the place that means so much to her. And both have to agree to any sale.
When she arrives at the house at the beginning of the summer to start arranging for a sale, Blake is disappointed to see that while it’s in a prime location, the house is small and old and very out of date. It won’t bring in the money she needs. Kat, upon her arrival, is angry that Blake could possibly think of selling. She’s angry at Blake for everything: for existing, for having had some time with their father that she didn’t experience as a child. Blake is angry at Kat for a lot, too: standing in the way of a sale, not staying in touch after they became friends so long ago. For getting to live with their father.
They can at least agree that the house needs serious work. Blake has some experience with working on houses thanks to her grandfather. So she works on the house all summer. And Kat uses her influencer connections to get sponsored stuff.
Blake and Kat alternate weeks living in the house since they can’t stand to be around each other. Kat goes back to Atlanta, while Blake works down the street cleaning a rich family’s beach house.
Each woman meets a man she cares about but each is sure a relationship won’t work past the summer.
Slowly, as the weeks go by, their hearts start to change a bit as they do a lot of thinking and a little compromising.
It’s fun that this book is titled as it is, with elements taken from “The Parent Trap.” Sisters who didn’t know the other existed meet at summer camp. In this case, they first become fast friends, and then they don’t stay in touch. And their late father brings them together years later.
The Beach Trap is a sweet “chick lit” book about two women who have to deal with a lot of pain, betrayal, heartbreak, confusion and disappointment because of what their parents chose. And it takes them a while to work through those difficult, longstanding emotions to find the sweetness in the gift they have: each other. Romance for both is a nice part of the story, and so there’s plenty to love in the ways things get wrapped up by the end.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 15 uses of strong language, around 40 instances of moderate profanity, about 50 uses of mild language, and about 15 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes kissing and make-out scenes, as well as a number of sex scenes, two or three fairly detailed, and a few very brief or just alluded to.
