Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky

Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, spending summers together in Nicole's coastal island house off of Maine. But many years, and many secrets, have kept the women apart. A successful travel writer, single Charlotte lives on the road, while Nicole, a food blogger, keeps house in Philadelphia with her surgeon-husband, Julian. When Nicole is commissioned to write a book about island food, she invites her old friend Charlotte back to Quinnipeague, for a final summer, to help. Outgoing and passionate, Charlotte has a gift for talking to people and making friends, and Nicole could use her expertise for interviews with locals. Missing a genuine connection, Charlotte agrees.

But what both women don't know is that they are each holding something back that may change their lives forever. For Nicole, what comes to light could destroy her marriage, but it could also save her husband. For Charlotte, the truth could cost her Nicole’s friendship, but could also free her to love again. And her chance may lie with a reclusive local man, with a heart to soothe and troubles of his own.

Romance novels are not my favorites, so I was a bit hesitant to pick this book up. It did prove to be an interesting read, overall, so I am not sorry I spent time on it.

Although it is a romance, the author does a nice job of getting us fully into the characters’ heads at all times, so that we do get to know Nicole and Charlotte pretty well. The beginning is a bit slow, I do have to say, but if you give it a few chapters, you’ll definitely get involved with the different characters’ lives.

The setting plays a huge part in the book’s ability to trap the reader inside its pages. The descriptions are lovely, as is the whole “small town” feel, though I do wish we’d gotten just a bit more on the town life and the people who live in Quinniepeague.

The protagonists are nicely written, though some of the scene changes between them were a little strange to follow. The writing itself is not anything I can gush about, but it’s functional and gets the plot through.

If you like romance novels with a bit of atmosphere, then this one might be for you.