The Suite Spot by Trish Doller Book Review
“The beer flows. The conversation flows. And I have no idea how to turn off the tap of feelings I have for him.”
(pg. 164)
About
Author: Trish Doller
Genre: New Adult Romance
Series: The Beck Sisters Book Two
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Synopsis
Rachel Beck has hit a brick wall. She’s a single mom, still living at home and trying to keep a dying relationship alive. Aside from her daughter, the one bright light in Rachel’s life is her job as the night reservations manager at a luxury hotel in Miami Beach—until the night she is fired for something she didn’t do.
On impulse, Rachel inquires about a management position at a brewery hotel on an island in Lake Erie called Kelleys Island. When she’s offered the job, Rachel packs up her daughter and makes the cross country move.
What she finds on Kelleys Island is Mason, a handsome, moody man who knows everything about brewing beer and nothing about running a hotel. Especially one that’s barely more than foundation and studs. It’s not the job Rachel was looking for, but Mason offers her a chance to help build a hotel—and rebuild her own life—from the ground up.
Review
🔴🔴 Trigger Warning if passing of a child, suicide, and sexual harassment are sensitive subjects 🔴🔴
Spoilers Contained Below
To those wishing to start over,
I read The Float Plan earlier this year (or was it last year?), and I unexpectedly really loved it. I loved the adventure and slow growth and healing. So I had to pick up The Suite Spot. I will say The Suite Spot was different in the way that it was less about travel, but still had some growth and healing. There was also different complex challenges that the main characters faced. With all that said, I enjoyed The Suite Spot and the journey we took to a small island in the middle of Ohio that I had no clue existed until now. I really got comfy, home-sweet-home, small town vibes from The Suite Spot as compared to The Float Plan, which took us around the Caribbean.
If I’m. being honest, I liked the The Float Plan more because it had more adventure and I enjoyed the conversations and romance a bit more. But that’s not to say I didn’t like the The Suite Spot; it just depends what you’re in the mood for—-adventure or comfort.
Rachael Beck is Anna Beck’s older sister who we met in the last book. The impression I got of Rachel in the last book was that she was very judgmental of Anna for leaving, but in this book Rachel kept mentioning how jealous she was of Anna having found love with Keane and to have this great life that she set out to have. I understood Rachael’s jealousy because here she was working long nights, trying to make a living for her daughter while also living at home. That had to be hard for her because she probably wanted to move out and be more independent, but it was difficult when she was a single mom (for the most part) and her mom helped watch Maisie when she was at work. But I think any adult would want more independence as they get older and that they feel a bit uncomfortable to live with the parents because it feels weird or wrong like they should have moved out ages ago. I don’t think that anyone should feel embarrassed if they still live at home because we don’t know the situation. Rachel was also jealous because Anna also found love, and after having been in a shizzy relationship with her ex, it was no wonder Rachel wanted a good man.
As the book continued, I really wanted Rachael to talk to Anna about this jealousy because repressed jealousy can cause a rift in a relationship or cause problems of resentment later on. However, Rachel never talked to Anna about these jealous feelings. I guess, maybe it’s because Rachel got over her jealousy because of the opportunities she took and things that did happen. Nevertheless, I would have still like d conversation or a heart-to-heart between them because there was a part of me that felt like they needed it, especially after Anna abruptly left and the way that effected Rachel and her mom.
I did like Rachel as a character because she was a hard-working, kick-butt single mom. The reason I said for the most part earlier in parenthesis was because she co-parented with her ex, Brian. They had a fling and that fling turned into Maisie. Brian still wanted to be in Maisie’s life, however, Brain did so minimally. He did the bare minimum as a father or baby daddy. He always arrived late to the dates he was supposed to hang out with Maisie, and he always brought his new girlfriend at the moment when he should have ben focusing on his daughter who he barely saw. It really hurt my heart to know how much Maisie was also aware of how much her father didn’t seem to care about her. I mean, she was five or four and she knew that her dad did the bare minimum and couldn’t even be present for her. I can’t imagine how that must have made Maisie feel and how much that would effect her growing up—-knowing that one parent never really cared about her. Brain also never had his act together and took Maisie and Rachel for granted because Rachel did everything from raising and caring for Maisie and all he had to do was show up and he couldn’t even do that. He was a piece of turd.
I quite didn’t like Brian. He could go suck some toes.
And he didn’t even really care about Maisie until he felt threatened in more ways than one to care.
That’s a WHOLE other thing I’m going to get into later 🙄.
But I appreciated a strong mom and all she did for her daughter because she didn’t want her to be hurt anymore. I also loved how Rachel set those boundaries with Brian because she was also tired of his shiz. She cut him off and took Maisie away with her to Ohio for her new job opportunity. You know when they say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone? Yea, Brain didn’t know.
Rachel had a new job opportunity to run a brewing hotel in Ohio, a start-up from a friend of a friend.
She just lost her other job and couldn’t find another job that paid well and had suitable hours where she could still be with Maisie. The hotel that Rachel worked at might have seemed like a grand place, but honestly it’s always the impressive edifices that have some creepy a** people. When That Rhys-Blackwell dude acted all nice to her and then invited Rachel into his room after dropping of his drinks, I was LIKE SIS MY BAD VIBE METER IS GOING OFF 👏🏼!!!!
🚩🚩🚩BEEP BEEEP BEEP 🚩🚩🚩
That did NOT seem like a good situation and a sis really should have said absolutely not.
When he pushed her against a wall and harassed her, I was SEETHING and STEAMING. This guy needed to be shoved into a garbage bin and thrown into the middle of the ocean because I could not. I don’t tolerate people like Rhys-Blackwell. Goodbye.
I CACKLED when Rachel told him to f*** off 😂!!! Good for him!
I was laughing for her, but I was saddened and disgusted that that even had to happen n to her. And I felt even more disturbed at the fact that Rachel was thinking that it was her fault—questioning if she was too flirtatious or inviting. I just wanted to slap those idiotic thoughts out of her membrane because it’s always the victim that feels like it’s their fault when something like this happens, when it is absolutely, a 1000% not the victims fault. It’s the trash perpetrator of a human being because that person has the brain to make choices and their choices were discussing and repulsive and inhumane wrong. Nothing she could have said or done would have changed the fact that Rhys-Blackwell and other people like him would have found a way to do the same exact thing.
OOOOOOOOOOH, you know what got me heated like a piece of toast left in the toaster too long???? 😡
When Jack her boss talked to her about a complaint that Rhys-Blackwell had in how he claimed that Rachel came onto him and then told him to f himself. I WANETD TO SCREAM. I WAS FURIOUS. The freaking AUDACITY of this man to turn the narrative around on HER!!!!!!!!!?????? I COULD NOT. GOODBYE.
What. The. Literal. Heck.
That was tick number one.
What tick number two was in my book was that it was total horse shiz that Jack knew Rachel better than anyone because she worked there a long time and yet he FIRED her because Rhys-Blackwell told him to fire her or word would get out about the hotel. Because Rhys was rich and had influence, Jack fired her. I COULD NOT. I mean, if Jack had any ounce of human decency he would have said screw Rhys and defend Rachel 👏🏼! I didn’t like Jack after he chose Rhys-Blackwell’s story. No. That’s not okay with me. Because time and time again it’s always a man’s word against a woman and I am TIRED of it. No person goes out and asks to be harassed or attacked in such a way and no person would make a story up like that for the fun of it because harassment really isn’t something to joke about. I just don’t like people like Jack either who enable people like Rhys and let them get away with their obvious wrong. And it also sucks that people like Rachel who do speak up are never believed because they don’t have as much money.
And it sucks because her peers didn’t defend her either even though they all knew what a shizzy person Rhys was because he has done the same thing over and over again with other workers. No one defended her because they also had to make a living and didn’t want to lose their job. The whole thing sucks to know that a wrong happened and no one did anything because of fear of losing their job and what would happen if they said something against a wealthy person. It’s unjust and unfair.
A persons’ voice shouldn’t come with all these conditions they have to fear, especially when it comes to speaking up about harassment.
No.
I’m happy Rachel got out of there because if those workers didn’t stand up for her or believe her, then that’s not a healthy environment she should have been working at in the first place. I mean, basic human decency people. I don’t know where it has gone.
Rachel couldn’t find a job anywhere except this opportunity at the brewery hotel her friend recommended.
When she called the owner, Mason, I had to say he sounded like he was rude, mean, and had a porcupine up his butt or something; dude was uptight as heck and sounded so tense and mean. Literally she was calling him about a job inquiry to help him and he treated her like she was a telemarketer.
When we met Mason, he still seemed like he had a porcupine up his butt 😂 but he also didn’t seem like a bad person—just very hurt. I don’t know. He gave me the vibes that he had a dark past and that made him closed off and unintentionally grumpy to everyone. I just felt like there was a lot to Mason we were going to learn about—-he was going to open up before our eyes—and I was excited to uncover what depths Mason had.
Gosh I have to say, first and foremost, I don’t know who Mason was kidding about starting a brewing hotel in the middle of a cold island that no one could get to unless they took a ferry. An island, that very well stormed and that Mason attested to not having ideal weather. I literally think he messed up on location 😂. Not to judge or anything, and I have nothing against the island itself. I just thought if he wanted a successful brewing glamping situation, he should have located the brewery somewhere where more people would want to go drink beer and not a place where people didn’t know about and yet alone would probably not want to go in the middle of winter 🤪.
But that’s just my opinion.
I mean, the concept of a brewing glamping situation was pretty cool and fun. I don’t drink beer, but I think if someone did, they would enjoy going to the brewery and meeting new people, all while staying in a cozy cabin, getting drunk off their rocker. Sounds like a good, cozy time.
Second, I can’t believe that he actually started a brewing hotel with his ex-wife as part of their marriage. So now he was stuck with a beer hotel he had no idea how to run because he had no idea how to design the hotel after his wife left him. It made sense why Mason was kind of grumpy because he was recently divorced and he didn’t really have a lot of things in his home. He was processing the wife leaving, which I still wanted to know why she left him and what happened there.
There was also the fact that Mason seemed apprehensive around kids.
When he saw Maisie for the first time, he felt the same way I feel around bugs—jumpy and like he didn’t know what to do with it. But he also gave me the vibe that he knew a lot about kids, but didn’t know how to be around them now. I mean, he was nice to Maisie and kind and he knew how to tuck her in or what things to say—-almost like he had expierence.I liked how Maisie bonded with his cat, Yohan, which was cute.
Later on we learned that Mason had a kid, a daughter names Piper. He had a daughter with his ex, Jess and Piper was born with a heart defect. They performed three operations on Piper and Piper made it. But then she passed away a little bit before her fourth birthday 🥺. Her birthday was recent, and it was hard on Mason to watch a day go by without Piper, knowing it was a day to celebrate her.
I don’t even know what to say. I just wanted to hug Mason because when he opened up about his divorce and now how he lost his daughter, I could imagine how freaking painful and difficult the past few years have been on him—-how much he losses and how alone he felt. Because it seemed like Mason had to repress his pain because he had no one to talk to about it, which had to be even harder on him. Sometimes you need someone to talk to and someone to listen. I just felt like Mason was waiting to open up about what he had been through with how easily he talked about it, and like he always wanted someone there.
I could not even being to understand how he felt. No one should ever have to experience what Mason went through, let alone alone. I understood Mason a lot though because it made sense why he was grumpy and tense because he lost his daughter and his wife and now he had this beer hotel as his last resort of something he wanted to do for himself. He also was uncomfortable by Maisie not because he didn’t like her, but because kids reminded him of his daughter and being around them after his fresh loss, is unbelievably understandable. It’s no wonder he’s been carrying around this darkness about him—-not in the sense that he’s broken or something is wrong with him—-but he was a human being who epxiernced immense pain and he was still hurting.
I could feel his hurt.
But I was happy that Mason had a passion project that brought him joy.
Mason was always into chemistry and brewing beer. I laughed when Mason recounted the story of him brewing in his childhood bedroom and the mom being like, “What is this child doing?” I mean, if I saw my child brewing some beer in his/her room, I would be confused and concerned. Masons’ passion never faded and he started a brewing company with his college roommate, Fish Brothers. Fish Brothers blew up into a major company and then they sold the brand to a global brewing business years ago, but Mason missed brewing beer for himself and for the fun of it. So that’s why he wanted to open a brewing hotel.
“‘The Limestone Inn and Public House is the worst name I’ve ever heard,’ I say, pushing up off the ground and getting back to my feet. . . ‘I mean, can you imagine having to spit out that mouthful every time you answer the phone?’
‘F***. I never considered that.’
‘What about . . . the Limestone?
. . . He offers me a ghost of a smile, something I’m already discovering is a rare thing for Mason Brown. ‘Welcome to the Limestone.'”
(pg. 60)
Yea, the first name was a mouthful for sure 😂.
But I really liked this moment between them because there was this animosity and tension between them, but talking about his daughter, his ex, and why he wanted to open the hotel/inn broke down many walls between them. Also, coming to a consensus of a name for what they were building together felt like a special moment like they could be a team and that this project wasn’t just Mason’s anymore, but both of theirs.
I also loved how funny it was that Rachel lost her job because it brought her to a new, unexpected dream that Rachel never knew she needed or wanted. I think she was very comfortable in her old job, cleaning rooms and dealing with people’s complaints. But she always wanted more and never thought she could have it because she had to be close to home or the ideal job didn’t land on her doorstep. I would have never wanted Rachel to get fired the way she did, but it’s just wild how sometimes we don’t understand why things happen until we look back on that moment and think how we wouldn’t be where we are if we hadn’t gone through that.
I was excited for Rachel because she was excited. I was also excited for Mason because the way he talked about brewing, created this inner childlike glow about it; I could tell brewing was his pride and true passion and what made his heart happy. That made me happy for Mason because he deserved happiness.
Working on the brewery with Rachel provided healing and companionship that brought peace to Mason. I could feel him slowly starting to find peace because he was no longer alone and didn’t have to face his internal or external hardships by himself. Because Mason really was a good guy.
He just gave the wrong first impression. When we got to know him and see him open up, he really was considerate, compassionate, and dedicated.
I loved him.
I loved how he crafted beers based on the people he loved.
Not me literally sobbing my eyes out when he told Rachel about the beer he made inspired by Piper 🥺💙.
Or how he also named a beer after his mom. I mean, get you a partner who names precious things after you in a sentimental way. Mason just really had a soft heart or a soft spot, and I loved it.
But also, I really loved how he integrated culture into his work. I loved when he talked about his mom and how she would make tea. When Mason made tea for Rachel, it was the first time I genuinely saw peace settle over Mason. It was such a joyful feeling because he deserved it. I think there was just something calming about the routine of making tea and the fact that it was connected to his mom whom he loved and respected. I loved how later on it became a routine of Rachel and Mason’s for him to leave her steaming tea in the morning and for her to make the breakfast food. They were kindly saying they cared and noticed each other without interacting—-easing into their bond.
Mason was also inspired by names.
“I’ve always been interested in the meaning of words, especially words in other languages that aren’t directly translatable to English.”
(pg. 120)
He always deliberately chose the name of the beer to mean something that reminded him of that person.
I have to give a huge shoutout to Trish Doller because you know most people don’t do chapter titles these days, and that’s okay (i.e. I would LOVE a chapter title though because they are always fun to read). The chapter titles were such a small detail to how much Mason loved words/langague, but the chapter titles were an insurmountable joy to read. I felt like I was learning new languages and vocabularies that I could keep in my pocket 💙. I also really loved how the chapter titles were strategically chosen to encapsulate the feeling of the chapter! I LOVED.
Bring back chapter titles.
Okay, thank you for coming to my TED talk 😂.
I also loved later on when Mason created a beer inspired by Rachel 🥺. That’s how you know he loves you—–if he makes a beer after you .
He integrated all the flavors that reminded him of Rachel from the hibiscus to the light, bubbly feel. He really was out here trying to capture the essence of people in beer, which we loved.
I thought it was incredibly sweet how Rachel and him had a routine in the house they shared.
It was awkward for them to live together at first, which was understandable because the house was his and his ex, but now it was also Rachel’s and Maisie. There was also the fact that Rachel and Mason skirted around each other a lot. in the beginning because Rachel wanted to respect Mason’s boundaries of not being around kids yet, which I thought was very nice. But then Mason warmed up to being around Maisie because it wasn’t like Maisie was a bad kid, he just didn’t know how to feel around her. The more Mason was around Maisie, the more mending he had in his heart because it didn’t hurt so much. I think he needed to be around kids again when he was ready because that would allow him to find peace to move forward and not fear kids. He would always carry Piper in his heart and remember her, and probably would see glimpses of Piper in every kid he sees because that’s natural, but I was glad he was trying.
All you can do is try when you are ready.
There was a moment when Rachel was at the airport with Maisie because they were going to fly home for the Mom’s birthday, and Maisie was having a tantrum. Maisie was throwing a tantrum, but I loved how Mason reassured Maisie because that calmed her down. Seeing Mason interact with Maisie with so much tenderness and kindness made my heart swell at the fact that he was not only good with kids, but that he seemed like he was warming up to them too.
Also enjoyed how later on, Mason offered to even take care of Maisie because Rachel was doing all these things for the hotel and going to book club. The fact that he took initiative to help Rachel and be with Maisie showed how much he wanted things to work with Rachel and that he also wanted to care for Maisie and be in her life. I loved that for him. Good for him for stepping up to help his woman and Maisie.
I loved loved loved that Keane and Anna were in this book because I missed them 😊. I literally thought they were halfway to sailing to Scotland though because that’s where we last saw them, but I guess they took another trip around the Caribbean, which was nice for them. I hope they do go to Scotland though and maybe there can be a novella about it *cough cough Trish Doller* and we can meet Keane’s family and Keane can propose or something. You know, *cough cough Trish Doller cough cough* I would read that.
I loved how Keane still had a sailor’s mouth if ever 🤪. We love flirty Keane. But also cracked up at P.h.D Keane who psychoanalyzed Mason 😂. I was like, Okay, I guess we are breaking down this relationship between Rachel and Mason.
There was a relationship brewing between Rachel and Mason for sure.
See what I did there 😉
I just HAD to.
Anyway, thank you for your silent laughter, but they were. From their little awkward conversations in the beginning where they stumbled over what to say to each other. I freaking laughed with the moment when Rachel dressed up for book club with Avery, a new friend she made, and Mason was like, “You look nice . . . not that you don’t look nice usually.” And then he literally face palmed himself like an idiot because he probably reprimanded himself as so 😂. It was cute and humbling to see how flustered Mason got around Rachel because he thought she was pretty and he obviously liked her. Here’s the thing, I didn’t know if Mason liked Rachel because she was the first woman he was around for a long time and close proximity brought them closer, or if he genuinely loved her. I mean, towards the end I loved their love, but I really wanted more moments where we could see their connection and bond if there wasn’t close proximity or what drew them to each other in the first place besides Mason needing someone to not feel as alone or in pain. So I didn’t know if it was love or the idea of having someone around.
I mean, again, I still liked the romance.
But my ideas about Rachel and Mason’s relationship goes back to what Keane and Anna talked about with Rachel that night.
“‘But yer man’s not going to make a move while he’s all tangled up. He’s grieving a child. He probably has lingering regrets over his divorce. And now he’s caught feelings for someone who works for him, and it’s likely he feels guilty for wanting to be happy. He has no idea what to do with any of that information, so he’s a f***ing mess.'”
(pg. 133)
Okay, Dr. Keane 😂.
I don’t know if soaking in the sun for however many days electrified his brain and made him smart enough to know the situation from a few passing sentences from Rachel.
Keane was weigh though. Mason liked Rachel but he also didn’t want to or know how to be in a relationship with Rachel when he was still healing from losing his daughter and the divorce—-two very monumental life shifts that we could tell he was still in the thick of when we met him. Then when he met Rachel, he thought he had another chance to be happy because here was a beautiful woman who understood him and cared for him, but he didn’t know if he could be happy because of all the loss he faced. When you face so much loss or sorrow, it feels like you don’t deserve to be happy or to move on because you always have to grieve and hold onto that sadness for it to be real—-that person, relationship, memory. But you don’t need to hold onto sorrow to remember something or that something to live on in you. You can healthily carry what you have been through and still be happy because they would want you to live life to the fullest. I agreed with Keane that Mason was processing a lot, and maybe that was why he talked like a teenager who just discovered girls didn’t have cooties.
He was figuring things out again after being in the darkness so long.
The light was blinding and he was stumbling, trying to find footing.
Masons’s grief and internal battles reminded me a lot of Anna’s arc in The Float Plan—-how Anna was battling grief and not knowing how or if she could move on. Keane was the person who helped her out of that grief, and Rachel was the Keane in this situation. I liked the reversal of perspectives here because in the last book, we saw the story from a raw grief perspective from Anna. But now we had the perspective of someone who was loving someone through that grief to help them.
Because Mason was still processing, Rachel had visceral emotions about if she could start a relationship with Mason or if he was even ready for that. That’s really hard to know or judge because she shouldn’t force or rush into something with Mason before he was ready to open himself up more to love again. Mason did seem like he was trying to do so, which was very sweet to see because I felt like he wanted to be happy and to have love in his life again.
My heart skipped a beat when Rachel returned home that weekend and Mason redecorated the house to be all cozy and make it more of a home for Rachel.
*Cue This is me Trying by Taylor Swift 🥺*
And the fact that Mason also asked Avery for decorating tips because Avery knew Rachel’s Pinterest board aesthetic???? He went above and beyond.
“‘I’ve been thinking a lot about how I’ve been living on hold for the past year,’ he says. ‘Like there was a chance Jess would come back and fill the place up again. But that’s never gonna happen. I’ve also been thinking that it’s selfish to expect you and Maisie to steer clear of me. You shouldn’t have to confine yourself upstairs because my head is a mess.'”
(pg. 144)
Give a guy a weekend alone and he self-reflects 👏🏼!
We love a self-reflecting king 🤪.
But what a huge step for Mason to acknowledge how he had been living the past few months and years. It’s not easy to confront your pain or say that you were aware of what you were going through or how you were treating others. You only start to name those emotions when you know you want to heal or move on. I did feel like Mason was living in the past with his daughter and his ex-wife. It’s not wrong to hold onto the past with his daughter, but he should let go the expectation that his wife would come back because that wasn’t healthy for him to live in the past when the present was happening now and he was missing all the great things already there and things that were coming. I also loved how Mason reached out for help from Avery. Everyone in his community cared and loved Mason and knew what a tough few years he had experienced. They were all worried about him, but left him alone because they weren’t sure how to talk to him or if he wanted to. So they gave him space. So for Mason to finally reach out for help and reenter the community that had been waiting for him, made my heart so happy.
After Rachel came home that weekend, things really started to pick up with their dynamic.
I loved how excited Mason would get to show Rachel brewing posters and designs or the work he had done in the brewing house. My heart felt like a kid at Disneyland whenever Mason would tug on Rachel’s hand to bring her to the brewing house because he was overflowing with pride and joy and wanted to show her what he had been working on—-that he wanted to share his special moments with her. I also loved how she never made him feel bad for being excited about his passions.
“He’s animated as he talks about top fermenting and dry hopping, and I don’t understand everything he’s saying, but his passion is overflowing.
Like he’s held it in because no one was listening.”
(pg. 162)
My heart was glowing to see Mason happy and to share his happiness with others 🥰.
Like I don’t know, when people share things they love, their eyes light up, there’s this effervescent glow about them, and an excited tone to their voice that says they could talk about this for days on end and never run out of things to say. Hearing someone express that passion is such a wonder because it’s beautiful that capacity that people feel for the things they love—-a love people should have for things that make their heart happy. I also loved loved loved how Rachel just listened to him babble about beer-related things even if she wasn’t a 100% interested or knew what he was talking about. I silently laughed to myself because I bet we have all been in conversations where a person rambles about something they are passionate about but we don’t really know what they are saying. However, we let them speak.
Let people speak about their passions.
Don’t extinguish that fire.
Once you do, you send the message that no one cares to hear them or would ever want to listen. They begin to bottle their passions up and when all that energy has nowhere to go, it just deflates after a while.
It fizzles out.
Or the drive to talk about it fizzles out.
Listen to people and encourage them to tap about what they love because maybe they have never had someone who actually cared to listen. Don’t be the person who causes someone to fizzle.
I know this feeling all too well.
I also loved seeing how Rachel also was passionate about designing the cabins. I liked the cozy, unconventional, and rustic-chic vibes she was going for. I don’t know how excited to name her aesthetic, but it gave me random cabin comfort vibes with the the elk chandelier, vintage pieces, and lively paintings.
Because Rachel and Mason were getting close, it meant that their feelings were stronger. However, Mason still was processing a lot, and Rachel knew that. I genuinely respected how she set boundaries with Mason to protect her peace and to also give Mason time to figure out what he felt and wanted.
“‘I would like to kiss you. . . I have for a while,’ Mason says. ‘But-‘
‘You don’t have to give any reasons. I understand,’ I say. ‘And if you cross the hall and kiss me, I will kiss you back. But I’ll mean it, and I’m afraid you won’t. Not yet.'”
(pg. 167)
I loved this moment.
Sounds weird that I love the moment she barred the kiss 😂.
But I just loved how they know they like each other and both want to act on it, but they both know it’s not the time. They respected each other’s boundaries because they understand the gravity of their situation, and I think it takes a lot for two people who really like each other to recognize that what they have is real but also not ready. They both need time.
Or Mason needed a bit more time to figure out if he would mean the kiss rather than just kiss her because he was halfway drunk and it was a dark night and he walked her to her room. You know? I mean, I don’t blame Rachel for wanting to know that Mason kissed her because he meant it and felt it.
But they really went from boundaries to kissing real quick, which didn’t tmake sense for me. There wasn’t any real growth or context from when Rachel told him to mean the kiss and then to kissing her. Like what happened between the time they shared a beer to going to an auction together where Mason really worked on himself or reflected on what he wanted for them to lead up to the kiss. And how did we go to mean the kiss, to kissing, to sharing.bed?????? Not that I’m mad at any of that for them, but I just felt like I liked the boundaries thing because they both needed more time. Then out of nowhere we escalated to kissing and sharing a bed with spicy moments.
A bit quick for my liking if you ask me.
They were setting up for the book club movie night with the fire pit when they started to kiss because he named a beer after her. I mean, nothing says kiss me like you named a beer after me. But I just wanted more context and more detail about the kiss. I wanted to feel the passion and steam or the electricity if you will with their kiss. They kissed and that was that. Where was the sparks? The firework show? The Macy’s Thanksgiving parade? The whole shebang. I wanted DeTails.
I laughed though when Avery caught them kissing in the brewery later after a book club meeting and her and her husband stayed back to help Mason and Rachel clean up. She always teased Rachel about liking Mason and that they should start something. Seeing them kiss was her big aha moment and I loved how she was like, “I knew it! I love you both! Bye.” I would have said and done the exact same thing. I bet she was cheering on her way out of that barn. I honestly, loved Avery because she was supportive and kind to Rachel since day one—-including Rachel in book club, offering to look after Maisie. I think it was wonderful that she had a friend and someone who supported her as a single mom because Avery knew how hard it must have been for Rachel.
And how did we go from porcupine-up-his-butt Mason, to excited-kid-in-a-candy-shop Mason, confident-auction-Mason, to suave-kinky Mason 😂.
Hahaha. No literally choose your Mason.
I quite liked suave-kinky Mason with a touch of confidence. Not that sentence sounding like a coffee order 😂.
No, but really when he showed Rachel a picture of his ex, I was like does he have a FETISH 🤪?? My brain went there because how could it not? I mean, I already didn’t know if he liked the proximity to Rachel or he truly liked her. But then add in how his ex was a curvy woman like Rachel, and I’m like what? And Rachel thought the same exact thing 😂. Not us being on the same wavelength. But we love a person who loves women and appreciates their bodies.
Also, not going to lie, suave-kinky Mason really came out to play during Rachel’s birthday!!!
I was SCREAMING.
They had a running joke that he wanted to do things with her in the woods, you know romantic sex in the woods. And then he threw her a surprise birthday party, which made me want to combust with cuteness. I mean, a surprise birthday party 😫!!! What a sweetie. No one had ever taken the time to surprise her as so, and him doing so emphasized how much he loved her—-that he took the time to coordinate and plan something special for someone special in his life.
But then he said my surprise for her was in the woods 😂. I freaking laughed when they walked into the woods and there it was: a blanket, overhead lights, a gift. I was like, Mason be setting the mood 👏🏼.
I freaking love this guy.
Not him literally gifting her some kinky lingerie for her birthday as a gift to her, but really a gift to himself 🤪!!!!!!!!
Scream with me now!!!!
MASON.
He knew what he was doing. He said I’m getting it tonight.
Oh, my goodness. I am terrible. My brain needs some soap and some water, maybe a Clorox wipe for how dirty it is.
Sorry, I’m a smut reader for sure.
I also loved loved loved when Rachel met Mason’s family. They all came over to stay, and I loved that his family was so welcoming, especially the mom. Ugh, I LOVED Mason’s mom. What a sweet, cute woman. I loved her bond with Rachel and how easily it felt that the Mom let Rachel into her heart and like.
“‘Did you do all of this?’
‘Yes and no,’ I say. ‘I think Mason knew he needed a push, but when he hired me, he had no way of knowing I would actually push him. I took some of the weight off his shoulders.’
She’s quiet for a moment, then nods. ‘Yes, I can see that.'”
(pg. 211)
Yōkai was quiet for a moment because she knew that Rachel not only helped get Mason’s brewery barn/cabin/hotel place started, but she also alleviated the darkness that weighed Mason down. I loved how the mom could feel the difference in Mason to be able to see that she could also see how much lighter Mason had been. it hits differently when everyone knows how rough things have been and they have tired to release some of that pain for the person, but seeing how much happier Mason was a testament to how people change people. People support people.
Mason needed someone like Rachel to come into his life and help him carry all that he had been for years 💙.
I also really enjoyed the sweet moment between Yōkai and Rachel when Rachel went to Mason’s old house/Yōkai’s house for pictures of Mason and the family brewing. It was such a special day between them that bonded them in their love of Mason and wanting to be there for him. I loved the easy conversation between them, and how they made ramen together 🥺.
“thank you for holding my son’s heart in such steady hands.”
(pg. 227)
Ummmm, where are my tissues 😭?
Rachel had been holding Mason’s hand—emphasizing he was not alone anymore and he had someone to fall back on or to guide him through.
That’s the mom’s stamp of approval if I ever heard any.
GOSH, you know when things are going TOO well in a book that you start to get apprehensive and on-guard because you know something is going to screw up this bubble of happiness?
Yea, I felt that.
I was like, something is going to happen. And I’m not going to like it.
So, Brian, Rachel’s trashy ex/baby daddy, was angry that Rachel took Maisie and left because that meant he no longer had time to see Maisie. If he really cared beforehand, I don’t know, you think he would have, I don’t know, tried to actually pay attention to Maisie when he had the chance. But he didn’t because he was TRASH and couldn’t see how much his daughter meant to him until he was gone—-how good he had it with sharing time with Rachel until he didn’t.
Throughout Rachel’s time in Ohio, Brian was subtly dropping hints to what I felt was building—-a custody hearing.
I just felt it coming.
He was giving all these weird signs from the phone calls where he only wanted to talk to Maisie and then that Fourth of July moment where Maisie was playing and having fun and he was so adamant about talking to Maisie. I was like bro, you daughter is having fun, let her be. Stop bucking under your mother’s direction because we all knew and heard his mother in the background of this situation. Brain was a grown man and he was letting his mother control him in an unhealthy way that also effected Rachel and Maisie. Now, that wasn’t okay.
Then were was Brain getting a job and going back to school because he wanted to look good by having an education and an income. Then his mom probably bought him an apartment to make him seem like he finally gave a flying freak that he had a house Maisie could go back to when he didn’t have that before. I felt upset and disconcerting that Brian felt the need to clean up his act because Rachel finally said screw him and his flippancy when she left and took Maisie with her. He really should have cared more about Maisie sooner, but no, he was too late and now he was bitter and trying to start something that didn’t need to be started in the first place if he hadn’t just been a better man for both of them.
When Rachel got this custody letter in the mail, I shook my head and rolled my eyes to the sky.
What a loser.
How DARE he bring. this custody battle upon her when 1) he just got his act together so it wasn’t like he was really stable 2) he didn’t know Maisie as well as Rachel and 3) Rachel raised Maisie without him and took care of her his whole life, so why the heck was he going after her now?
What a trashy situation. I hated it for Rachel. I hated the thought that she felt like she was helpless and could do nothing but return home to Florida for the hearing and to stay closer to Brain to try appease the situation. That broke my freaking heart. Rachel was happy in Ohio, she was building a life. Maisie was happy in Ohio and that was her new home. Brain trying to fight for Maisie a little too late and making them feel the need to leave somewhere that was their new home was not okay with me. At all.
I could feel my heart ripping into two with the tough decision Rachel had to make for herself and her daughter. It all around sucked. She loved Mason and wanted to be with him, but she also knew she didn’t want to put Maisie through the pain of flying back and forth between Florida and Ohio if Brian did win something. She also couldn’t ask Mason to give up his dream and leave the brewing cabins and hotel they built, so she had to leave.
The way they communicated their fears, sorrow, and worries, was so mature and I loved how Mason reacted so well to the situation by taking a step back to clear his head before saying something he didn’t mean. I liked that he knew himself to do that. I also liked how when he returned to Rachel that night, he told her he loved her, but in a way that said I love you but I know I have to let you go. He understood what she needed to do for her and her daughter—-that as much as it pained him to lose the love of his life again, he had to let Rachel and Maisie go because Rachel should put her daughter first.
“I don’t want you to go,’ he says . . . Just know, my feelings are not going to change. if you ever want to come home, I will be here.”
(pg. 249)
Freaking Brain trying to ruin everyone’s happiness 😡.
“‘I’m sorry I have to leave.’
‘Listen,’ Mason says, resting his palm lightly on my cheek. ‘If you pulled into my driveway again—even if I knew it meant having to live this day a second time–I’d still fall in love you with.’
‘Me too.’ I kiss him softly, then touch my forehead to his. ‘Every single time.'”
(pg. 252)
I was UPSET and SAD.
I was UPSET and SAD with how UPSET and SAD Rachel was after leaving Ohio.
She just seemed so lifeless and melancholy. She just left her real home with a man she waited all her life to find because gosh knows a sis wanted to find love and then she found it and had to let it go. She also didn’t have a job anymore and had to go back to cleaning toilets. And she lived at home with her mom again, who bought a new (smaller) house. So Rachel was sleeping on the couch and not thriving.
She was bothered and not thriving.
She was at rock bottom and a pile of leftover thread.
And you know how caused all of that?
BRIAN.
What also bothered me and put me in a foul mood was how Rachel didn’t feel like she could win the custody battle even though all the evidence points to how she was the most reliable and credible person to do so. It was because Rachel was a woman and in front of a court, a woman always has less of a say or an influence compared to a man. It’s not something I like to type or say, but it’s a truth in the American judicial system because of this dang stupid patriarchy that says men somehow have more credibility when they absolutely don’t. Because if Rachel were a man, she wouldn’t’ have felt worried about her chances because she knew she would have won. But because she was a woman against a man who looked good on paper, she knew that she might not have a chance. And that broke my heart. It shouldn’t be that way. Rachel was Maisie’s noel care provider her entire life and Brian had done nothing until now, and even then, that wasn’t enough.
She deserved to keep her daughter. Also, Maisie deserved to be with someone she actually loved and cared about. They put her in the middle and I wanted to hug Maisie because she was only a child and she didn’t serve this whole legal battle. As someone who has been put in the middle, it causes a lot of stress, worry, and anger.
I loved the moment between Rachel and the mom where the mom could see how much weight Rachel was feeling from the trial and from leaving the love of her life, that she sat with Rachel and comforted her. She reassured her that Brian was going down because she kept notes of Brian’s visitations—-his lack of. I was like, YES YOU!!! You take Brian down!! But I just loved the moment because it made me think about how sometimes people feel embarrassed or like they failed if they go back home or if they talk to their parents about their issues. The thing is, you parents will always be your parents and no matter how old you get, they want to take care of you and help you when you need it—even when you don’t. That’s because they love you. Rachel letting herself go before her mother at her most vulnerable made my heart warm because she needed her mom, and it doesn’t matter you age, but you still need your parents for the hardest moments. And hopefully, they will be there.
When Rachel’s lawyer also said that Rachel’s case looked more promising, I was like, BRIAN’S GOING DOWN! BRIAN’S GOING DOWN! BRIAN’S GOING DOWN! TRY ME.
The day of the trial was a bunch of horse shiz.
You know, I realized something that day, Brian redeemed himself and didn’t suck as much 😂/
His MOM SUCKED.
The mom was the driving force behind this whole trial and this power tip that Brian went on because the mom was bitter and wanted Brian to get his life together to hold onto Maisie. Brian didn’t want the whole trial, and when he spoke up about not wanting to do this whole custody battle, I was like, “Brian! Finally you are useful for something!” It was about darn time he stood up to his mom and said how he felt. But honestly, couldn’t he have said something to his mom ages ago and save Rachel this whole entire trip and the pain. *Shakes head*
I’m glad they did work out an agreement of switching off times because
I at least appreciated that Brian wanted to be in Maisie’s life and that I hoped he actually tried.
I really wanted to sob in a fetal position when Rachel walked out of the office building during a break and freaking Mason was there in a tux no less because he wanted to be there for her 🥺💙. He still LOVED HER.
Also, I don’t know what is in the water that he men in this book don’t think of ideas beforehand, but Mason really couldn’t have come up with this whole summer switch idea before their whole goodbye? It would have saved them the pain and sadness. But I know, he probably had a lot of time on his hand to ruminate how he could make things work between Rachel knowing that Maisie was a big part of her life and she would always put Maisie first. I really appreciated how Mason never inserted himself as the father figure or staked claim to Maisie or the situation, but he knew how much Brain was also trying to be in Maisie’s life and wanted him to be there.
I really wanted to grip a wall when Brian and Rachel were talking and Brian was like, “Is that the new boyfriend?” And Rachel was like, “No, he’s my home!!!!”
I love the he’s-my-home trope 💙.
Also, the moment between Brian was nice because I could finally see that maybe he wasn’t a bad person—sure, he did some dumb things—but he didn’t want to hurt Rachel and Maisie and I appreciated that they were no hard feelings between them.
The ending was cute where Rachel, Maisie, and Mason were all back at The Limestone, which didn’t open in July—better late than never. I loved how Mason’s old Fish Brother’s friend was there to celebrate their opening and how they had this little beer completion. It was nice to see Mason happy and chatting with friends. Such a stark contrast to when we first met him to the person he was. The moment just seemed like good, wholesome fun. That’s what Mason needed more of in his life and I’m glad he found that with Rachel and Maisie.
Even though the ending was cute, I also felt like it was rushed. I really wanted more conversations between Rachel and Mason about how exactly Mason healed or moved on because, again, it just seemed like they went from boundaries to kissing and having a full-fledged relationship without talking about what Mason was letting go or how he was ready to be there for Rachel and Maisie. I wanted him to say that he would always have this darkness inside of him that will carry that grief and loss with his ex, but he found light because of her and Maisie and that he had more light in his life that outweighed the darkness and that he would try everyday to be there for them the way he needs to be. Or something like that.
Again, I wanted more depth conversations between Rachel and Mason to feel how they fell in love because I know they loved each other and what they had was cute, but something was missing that didn’t make me believe that their love was more than forced proximity. If Mason had met any other woman at the time who helped him with this hotel, would he have fell in love with her too because she was the first person around or was Rachel different. Something was missing. I also wanted more romantic or detailed descriptions about their kisses or their touches or how they felt around each other because I know they probably felt soaks, but we didn’t feel those sparks because there was not enough detail to convince us that their relationship was more than just proximity.
I also wanted to know more about why Mason wanted to start a cabin/hotel experience because I know he liked brewing, and his ex liked hotels, but was there a reason that Mason felt connected to the hotel idea too/ Any experience camping that he had as a child that sparked this interest?
Other than that, I really did love reading The Suite Spot because it gave me cozy vibes, I just wanted a little bit more.
I had no idea there was a third book coming out because I though there was only two Beck sisters, but you best bet I’m going to read the third book 🤪.
Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? What did you think of the book?
If you were a beer or a beverage, what beverage would best encapsulate you? Honestly, I would be water because I’m BLAND 🤪. I’m joking, I would be a strawberry banana smoothie because I’m sweet.
Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕
I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.
And as always, with love,
Rating
4.55 Full Bloom Flowers
Characters: I loved Rachel because she was a head-strong woman, but it was fun to get to know Mason and see all his layers unfold because he really was a good person once you understood what he had been through. Mason’s just a good reminder that you don’t know what a person has been through to be who they are and to lead with compassion.
Plot: Cozy vibes with blossoming romance and sweet family moments.
Writing: I loved loved loved the chapter titles—they were superior. Also, super easy read to get into.
Romance: I liked Rachel and Mason together, but I also wanted more moments where I felt their connection was genuine.