Jenny Colgan is one of my favorite rom com authors. I love her style and her stories. They're feel-good, heart-warming escapist reads and they never disappoint. Studies at the School by the Sea is the fourth (and last) of the School by the Sea books.

I loved reconnecting with Maggie, her students, coworkers - and love interest. There's been a yes, no, maybe so, plotline running through the entire series that is finally settled in the final pages.

The setting of the book is on and around the Downey House Boarding School (for girls). The girls are getting older and their lives are changing. It's been nice to watch them grow up with every new year. Their outlooks, experiences, doubts and all round teen angst has been depicted really well. The focus in this entry is on Fliss and Simone.

Settling in with a Jenny Colgan book is like visiting an old friend and catching up on what's been going on. Colgan writes an number of series and sometimes there are cameo and crossover appearances from other books. I wonder if we'll see any of this lot in the future?

This was another great read for me. ( )

This latest installment of Jenny Colgan’s boarding school series is enjoyable to read but still seems unfinished. For some reason I thought this was the conclusion of the series, but maybe I was mistaken since not much seems to be have been resolved. I understand that this last installment was written later than the first three, and that changes had to be made due to the passage of time and especially the rise of social media. Good effort, but the story still seemed incomplete.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )

Studies at the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan is highly recommended. As a Whole, the whole series of four School by the Sea books are very highly recommended.

Maggie Adair loves teaching at the prestigious Downey House boarding school in Cornwall and she is sure she loves David, a teacher at the inner city Philip Dean school. After she had to cancel a summer vacation with him and returned home to Scotland due to an emergency, Maggie is hoping to continue her relationship with David, however, she is also misses the idea of a different life back in Scotland. Maggie's favorite students are back, Fliss, Alice, Simone, and Isme, and bring with them their individual struggles as they finally finish their studies at the school by the sea.

Fans of the series will applaud another addition to the series. Studies at the School by the Sea is an entertaining, quirky story, but not my favorite book in the series. New readers need to know that this series is best read in order and the individual books won't work well as stand-alone novels. The first book in the series, Welcome to the School by the Sea, was my favorite in the series. The second and third books are Rules at the School by the Sea, and Lessons at the School by the Sea. a good final novel to end the series with, even though there are a few cliff hangers. Now, apparently, there is news that there will be a fifth book in the series. This novel was reviewed in partnership with my mother who is a big fan of the author. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses our honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/02/studies-at-school-by-sea.html ( )