The Things We Wish Were True, by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, is a classic beach read. It tells the story of Sycamore Glen, North Carolina, where it is summertime, and everyone spends time at the neighborhood pool, talking to and about each other. Along the way, some old secrets come to light, some new mysteries are solved, and lots of people get to know other people even better than they already do/did.

Sycamore Glen seems to be the whitest community on the planet. Not sure about this, but everyone seemed shiny white and presentable, except for the obvious creepy guy, or guys.

There are LOTS of chapters, and at first I was struggling keeping everyone and their kids straight, but soon I could recall that Jencey’s kids were Pilar and Zara, and Cailey’s brother is Cutter, and Zell is the neighbor everyone wants to have, or at least to talk to.

It’s fluff, but entertaining fluff. Not my genre, but I give it four stars because it held my interest, there was some suspense (although I figured out one of the main mysteries VERY early on, and I am TERRIBLE at that), the many characters were well-developed, and it took my mind off the election (although I was thinking, Sycamore Glen is sort of the Mayberry-esque America that some people want to return to – whiter than white)

In any case, much gratitude to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an advance copy of this fun read, four stars.