The script isn’t new: recently divorced woman meets good-looking, younger man and they share in a night neither will ever forget.

In A Stranger on the Beach, Caroline’s one-night stand refuses his walk of shame. Aiden becomes a stage five clinger in the most extreme and unnerving of ways – he becomes possessive, needy, and a full-on stalker. Caroline’s new (unwanted) relationship ends up tangled in the web lies surrounding her husband’s affair and financial misgivings.

Campbell’s novel features a quick moving plot with plenty of twists and turns along the way. The tension, frustration and fear are omnipresent during the early pages.

Unfortunately, the story felt too cute by half and relied too much on unreliable narrating from all of the characters involved. With two distinct parts, the book ultimately felt disjointed and frankly predictable.

We won’t leave any spoilers for those looking to plunge into a run-of-the-mill beach read that isn’t as complex as it strives to be.

Verdict: Skip it (3/5 Stars)
Length: 346 pages
When: on the beach of course!
Quote: Never trust a stranger. Never let a man you don’t know into your house, your car, your pants.
Instead Try: We like Campbell’s previous novel She Was The Quiet One (B2C review)

Buy A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell