Goodreads Book Reviews:

What readers have to say.

Sara Rodgers: Review Excerpt

Reading Bailie Beach is like looking at an old photograph of someone you used to know. There’s warmth. There’s nostalgia. There’s also this quiet ache, because you know what happened after the picture was taken.

I found myself caring about these people more than I expected. Tommy frustrated me. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and tell him to stop being such an idiot. But I also understood him, the rush of being young and desired, and the inability to say no to something that feels good in the moment. He’s just a kid making mistakes that adults pay for later.

The women in the book, Joan, Mary, and Debbie, each left a mark on me in different ways. I won’t say more than that, because I want you to discover them for yourself. But I will say that one of them, in particular, has lodged herself in my heart in a way I didn’t expect. She’s the kind of character you wish you could warn. The kind you wish you could protect.

Josie Smith: Review Excerpt

What a wonderful surprise this book turned out to be. I picked it up not knowing what to expect, and by the time I finished, I felt like I had experienced something truly special. The writing is warm and inviting, the kind that makes you feel like you’re sitting with an old friend, listening to them tell a story that matters. The sense of time and place is so vividly rendered that I found myself completely transported; I could almost smell the salt air, hear the music playing on the radio, and feel the warmth of those long summer evenings. The characters are wonderfully flawed and deeply human. They make choices that frustrated me at times, but I understood why they made them, and I found myself caring about their journeys more than I expected.

Donna Hassell: Review Excerpt

I finished this book days ago, and I still can’t stop thinking about it. It’s rare for me to feel this connected to a story, but this one got under my skin in the best possible way. The author has a gift for creating atmosphere. Every scene feels so alive and detailed that I felt like I was actually there, experiencing everything alongside the characters. The writing flows beautifully, never feeling forced or pretentious, just honest and true to the story being told.

Orville Honeycutt: Review Excerpt

This isn’t just a romance. It’s about the difference between being in love and being ready for love. Tommy feels everything deeply but lacks the maturity to act responsibly. Joan sees his flaws, his lies, and loves him anyway. If you want a book that makes you think about your own choices and regrets, read this. Highly recommended.

Jaqueline Singh: Review Excerpt

I genuinely loved this book from start to finish. It’s rare for me to find a story that feels both timeless and deeply personal, but this one managed to do exactly that. The writing drew me in immediately, warm, accessible, and filled with such rich detail that I could almost feel the summer sun on my skin and hear the waves rolling onto the shore. The characters are wonderfully human; they make mistakes, they hurt each other, they struggle to figure out what they want, but they also love deeply and grow in ways that feel earned and true. I found myself completely invested in their lives, rooting for them, worrying about them, and feeling their joys and sorrows as if they were my own. The story has real emotional weight. There were moments that made me smile and moments that genuinely moved me to tears. What I appreciated most is how the author trusts his readers, letting the story unfold at its own pace without rushing the emotional moments.

Lillie Cooper: Review Excerpt

Some books you read. Others you live inside. Bailie Beach is the latter. From the first page, Krupski transports you to 1962 Long Island: the salt air, the vinyl records, the rumble of a ’61 Chevy, the flicker of a drive-in movie screen. Every detail lands. Every scene breathes.

The pacing is deliberate, almost deceptive. You’ll settle into the rhythm of summer beaches, diners, sunsets, and dances, and then, without warning, the ground shifts. The final act is a masterclass in tension and release. When tragedy strikes, it doesn’t feel like plot convenience. It feels like fate.

Sadie Shook: Review Excerpt

I loved this book. That’s really what it comes down to. I loved it.
 I picked it up not knowing what to expect, and by the time I finished, I was genuinely sad to say goodbye. The setting is wonderful. The characters felt real. Tommy frustrated me sometimes. The friendships, especially between Tommy and Davey, felt authentic and warm. And the women in the book each left an impression on me in different ways.
 The dialogue is sharp and natural. I found myself laughing at the banter between friends. It reminded me of my own relationships.
 I didn’t expect this book to affect me the way it did. It has real emotional weight. Some moments are genuinely moving, and by the end, I was completely invested in what happened to these people. It’s not a light, breezy read. It asks you to care. And if you let it, it rewards that investment.
 Final Verdict: If you’re looking for a story that will make you feel something, then read this book. It won’t disappoint. I’m glad I took the time. And I suspect you will be too.

Julie Kratochvil: Review Excerpt

This is not a book for impatient readers. Bailie Beach takes its time deliberately, almost teasingly building a world of summer romance, teenage bravado, and small-town rhythms. You’ll spend hours at drive-ins, on blankets, under sunsets. You’ll think you know where this is going. You don’t.
 What makes this novel remarkable is how Krupski earns every emotional beat. The tragedy doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s planted early in jealous glances, in loaded conversations, in the quiet desperation of people who love too much or too poorly. When the gun fires, you’re not shocked. You’re devastated. Because you saw it coming. You just didn’t want to believe it.
 The prose is clean and unpretentious. The dialogue rings true. The sense of place is impeccable. And the ending that final image, that cliffhanger will leave you staring at the wall. A slow burn that becomes an inferno. Read it with someone you love. Then hold them tighter.

Virginia Smith: Review Excerpt

This book is about three things: summer, secrets, and the cost of both. Bailie Beach captures the intoxicating freedom of summer long days, warm nights, the feeling that nothing bad can happen when the sun is shining. But Krupski never lets you forget that freedom without responsibility is just selfishness with a tan.
 The novel asks hard questions. Can you love two people at once? What happens when your choices catch up with you? Who pays the price for your indecision? The answers are not comforting.
 What makes this book special is its refusal to judge. Krupski doesn’t lecture. He simply shows you what happens when young people make young mistakes and when those mistakes intersect with someone else’s trauma, someone else’s rage, someone else’s gun.
The final line is a gut punch. A sequel hook, yes. But also, a reminder: the past never really leaves.

Mary Montgomery: Review Excerpt

Bailie Beach is proof that patience pays off. The novel unfolds like a Polaroid developing blurry at first, then sharper, then painfully clear. Krupski understands that tragedy hits harder when you’ve walked alongside characters through ordinary moments. The beach sunsets. The drive-in popcorn fights. The stolen kisses in parked cars. None of it is wasted. Every scene builds toward something you can feel coming but can’t stop.
 What impresses me most is the restraint. The violence is quick, almost clinical. The grief is quiet. The middle section tests your patience, yes. But the final hundred pages reward it a hundred times over. A confident, heartbreaking debut.