Book Review: The beach hut next door - V. Henry

In all honestly I got this book from the library just because I was going to Wells next the sea and I wanted a book cover to photograph with the beach huts!
I have read and enjoyed Veronica Henry's books before, she writes pleasantly and this novel too is a very good escapism, full of secrets, love, happy endings.
Various characters, all linked by the beach hut setting, have their secrets, troubles, hopes in the various chapters of the novel. All very pleasant, some more than others. I really like Eloide's story, from the grandeur of a wealthy family and the happiness of youth to a massive betrayal and her finding her own feet.
Probably a bit too "and they all lived happily ever after" to be credible, but nevertheless a very enjoyable book. And I really want a beach hut now!

Overall rating:  7    Plot: 7,5   Writing style: 7   Cover:  8

Title: The beach hut next door

Author: Veronica Henry
Publisher: Orion 
Pages: 304
Publication year: 2014

The Plot:

Summer appeared from nowhere that year in Everdene...and for those lucky enough to own one of the beach huts, this was the summer of their dreams.For Elodie, returning to Everdene means reawakening the memories of one summer fifty years ago. A summer when everything changed.Vince and his brother are struggling to come to terms with the death of their father - but they have very different ways of coping.And for Jenna, determined to put the past behind her, the opportunity to become 'the ice cream girl' once again might just turn her life around.But this summer is not all sunshine and surf - as secrets unfold, and some lives are changed for ever...

The Author:

From the author's website:
"As an army child, I went to eight different schools, including the Royal School Bath, where I learnt Latin, how to make rock buns and how to take my bra off without getting undressed.  I went on to study Classics at Bristol University, followed by a bi-lingual secretarial course - a surprisingly useful combination.    

I landed a job as Production Secretary on The Archers at Pebble Mill in Birmingham, where it used to take me two and a half hours to type out an Archers script on an Olivetti ET121 typewriter.  Duties ranged from recording the sound of newborn piglets to playing Peaches the barmaid in the Cat and Fiddle.  There was never a dull moment, and The Archers taught me that everyone needs an escape from everyday life.

From there, I became a script editor for Central Television, working on broadcasting legends Crossroads and Boon.  I started a family and became a freelance scriptwriter, writing hundreds of hours of television drama, including Heartbeat and Holby City.  

In 2000 I got my first book deal, and am currently writing my twentieth novel.

I also write lifestyle features for newspapers and magazines, including Woman and Home, Red, The Daily Mail, Woman and The Sunday Times.

I speak regularly at Literary Festivals, libraries, WIs and charity events, talking about my career and the inspiration for my novels."