Today marks a very important day: the unofficial start to summer. I know, I know. Summer doesn’t technically start until the summer solstice on June 21st, which is why I was very careful to label today as the unofficial start. Everybody knows that June ushers in a new season, and with it, a new mindset. Our minds wander to casual things, like cookouts and lemonade. We daydream of lying on a white sand beach, tropical drink in one hand and a great summer read in the other.
Do you have a beach vacation planned? If so, I think I can help out with the great summer read. The Mailbox by Marybeth Whalen releases today. It’s the perfect book to toss into your beach bag along with that tube of sunscreen.
The Mailbox is set in the charming North Carolina coastal town of Sunset Beach. In a story that spans nineteen years, we meet Lindsey Adams, and her summer love, Campbell. Campbell introduces Lindsey to a real-life symbol of folklore that has long been a part of the Sunset Beach community: the Kindred Spirit mailbox. It’s a place where residents and tourists alike flock to, leaving behind heartfelt letters about their lives, love, and sometimes loss. The identity of the Kindred Spirit is a mystery, but somehow visitors to the mailbox take comfort in knowing that someone–somewhere–not only reads the letters, but also lifts the letter writer up in prayer.
As summer loves often do, Lindsey and Cambpell’s fizzles and fades. Both move on with their lives, eventually marrying and having children. And when–some twenty years later–Lindsey returns to Sunset Beach as a soon-to-be divorcee, she sees firsthand the beauty of second chances.
The Mailbox is an uplifting, refreshing novel that explores the emotions of lost love and the desire–the hesitation–to trust again. What I loved most about the book was that though it is Christian fiction, it sheds light on the struggles of divorce, without a pretentious air. It’s honest and real–very relevant to today’s Christian woman.
Marybeth Whalen is a mother (of six!) and writer from Charlotte, North Carolina. I had the pleasure of meeting her in the spring of 2008 during a blogging event at Walt Disney World. I fell into easy conversation with Marybeth and immediately took a liking to her down-to-earth demeanor and subtle confidence. She’s good peeps. And her book, The Mailbox, is a reflection of that.
I’m giving away a copy of The Mailbox. To win, leave a comment telling me what you would most like the postman to deliver to your mailbox today. I will close entries on Monday, June 7 around 8 pm, Pacific time and will randomly choose a winner from all eligible entries received.
***UPDATE: Mandi #19 is the winner!***













