The Lighthouse by Jessie Newton — Part 2: The Final Review
Grab a coffee. Make it a large one.
We need to talk about a lighthouse.
Remember back in August when I started reading The Lighthouse by Jessie Newton?
Yes. AUGUST.
It's now November.
I've made bracelets, created greeting cards, celebrated birthdays, prepared for Halloween, watched the leaves change color, and started thinking about Christmas.
And through it all, there has been one constant in my life.
That bloody lighthouse.
If you missed my Currently Reading: The Lighthouse, you might want to start there. Back then, I was still hopeful. I was giving the story a chance to develop, waiting for the characters to become interesting, and assuming that somewhere along the way, something wonderful was going to happen.
Oh, sweet, innocent August Julie.
If only she'd known.
Twenty-Eight Chapters In, and I Still Don't Give a Shit
There. I said it.
At Chapter 28, page 321, my Kindle informed me that I had completed 82% of this book.
EIGHTY-TWO PERCENT!
And I still couldn't tell you who half these women were.
There are childhood friends, husbands, children, sisters, mothers, and enough complicated relationships to require a family tree.
Whose children belong to whom?
Who's married to whom?
Who's having problems with whom?
I THINK Duke is Robin's husband.
Don't quote me on that.
At this point, I was seriously considering making name tags for everyone.
And here's the problem.
After 28 chapters, I should have cared about these women. I should have felt invested in their friendships, their struggles, their relationships, and their lives.
Instead, I found myself thinking that I could put this book down, never pick it up again, and the only time I'd remember it existed would be when I needed to dust the surface around it.
That's not exactly the emotional connection I was hoping for.
Five Island Cove — Somebody Get Me a Map!
As if keeping track of the characters wasn't challenging enough, we also have FIVE ISLANDS.
Five!
One minute we're somewhere on an island.
The next minute we're in somebody's kitchen.
Wait.
Was that the same woman?
Are we on a different island?
Whose kitchen is this?
And how many women are actually hanging around this lighthouse?
I needed a map, a ferry schedule, a family tree, and possibly a small notebook to keep track of the entire population of Five Island Cove.
And quite frankly, I wasn't prepared to do that much homework for a book I was supposed to be enjoying.
Joel's Dirty Deeds — Now THAT Might Have Been Interesting!
One of my biggest frustrations with this book was the way the author handled Joel's past.
Now, don't misunderstand me.
We DO learn some things about Joel.
Apparently, he had an affair with one woman's mother.
He made advances toward another woman's sister.
There are questionable decisions, betrayals, and plenty of reasons why these women might have complicated feelings about him.
Now we're talking!
THAT sounds like the beginning of an interesting story.
But here's where I struggled.
The author would briefly touch on one of these significant incidents, give us just enough information to suggest that Joel had been up to no good, and then move along.
I wanted to know more!
What happened?
How did these events affect the people involved?
What were the consequences?
Give me something to sink my teeth into!
Instead, we seemed to spend considerably more time learning about things like whose hair wouldn't hold a curl for two hours.
Or who takes two teaspoons of sugar in her coffee.
Or who prefers just a little light cream.
Now, I love coffee as much as the next person.
Probably more.
But I don't need to know how every woman in Five Island Cove takes hers.
Apparently, having an affair with someone's mother deserves a paragraph, but how someone takes her coffee requires a full character study.
And that's where the book really lost me.
It's not that I object to details in a story. Quite the opposite! Good details bring characters to life.
But I want the details that help me understand the characters, their motivations, and the events that shape their lives.
Not Susie Q's curls.
Or lack thereof.
And Then There Was Duke's Breakfast
Oh, Duke.
Dear, sweet Duke.
Of all the characters in this entire book, Duke may be the one I remember most.
And not because of his personality.
Not because of his relationships.
Not because of anything particularly remarkable he contributed to the story.
No.
Because Duke successfully chewed and swallowed his eggs.
Let me explain.
At one point, the author describes Duke eating breakfast.
He takes several bites of eggs, puts down his plate, chews, swallows, and then retrieves a protein shake from the refrigerator.
And I'm sitting there thinking...
WAIT.
Did we really need confirmation that he chewed and swallowed?
As a reasonably intelligent reader, when someone puts a forkful of eggs into his mouth, I generally assume he's going to chew and swallow them.
Unless, of course, the eggs are about to become an important part of the plot.
Perhaps he's going to choke.
Perhaps the eggs are poisoned.
Perhaps the entire mystery of Five Island Cove revolves around a suspicious breakfast.
But no.
Duke was simply eating his eggs.
Successfully, I might add.
And the author wanted to make absolutely certain we understood the process.
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for some meaningful details about Joel's questionable adventures.
WE HAVE TIME TO DOCUMENT THE CHEWING, BUT NOT THE AFFAIR?!
Honestly, at that point, I nearly lost it.
And I will give Duke credit where credit is due.
The man knew how to eat breakfast.
The Internet Loved This Book. Apparently.
Here's another mystery I haven't managed to solve.
I've read reviews from people who absolutely LOVED The Lighthouse.
Loved the characters.
Loved the friendships.
Couldn't put it down.
Couldn't wait to read more.
MORE?!
There are SEQUELS?!
People voluntarily returned to Five Island Cove?
Meanwhile, I've spent months trying to escape!
I kept wondering whether these readers and I had actually read the same book.
Because apparently, they developed deep emotional connections with these women.
And I couldn't confidently tell you whose children were eating breakfast in whose kitchen.
Clearly, we are different people.
Which brings me to something important.
A Little Respect Where Respect Is Due
Before I go any further, I want to say something sincerely.
I have tremendous respect for anyone who writes a book.
Think about what that takes.
The imagination to dream up an entire world, create characters, develop their lives, and weave everything together into a story. Then the determination to sit down and actually write it, work through the process, and have the courage to put it out into the world for other people to read.
That deserves recognition.
And I genuinely admire Jessie Newton for doing exactly that.
I also respect the readers who love this series. Clearly, these stories have connected with people, and that's a wonderful thing.
Just because I didn't enjoy this book doesn't mean it isn't someone else's favorite.
Reading is personal. We bring our own experiences, expectations, and preferences to every story.
What one reader finds comforting and beautifully detailed, another might find slow and difficult to follow.
Neither reader is wrong.
And I certainly don't want my disappointment with a book to be mistaken for disrespect toward the person who created it.
I love stories. I admire storytellers. And I appreciate anyone willing to share their imagination with the rest of us.
This particular story simply wasn't for me.
Not even a little bit.
But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the work that went into creating it.
Now...
Back to the lighthouse.
Because we still have to get me off this island.
The Final 18% — Surely Something Was Going to Happen?
At 82%, I was seriously questioning my life choices.
But I had come too far to quit.
I'd invested months in this book.
MONTHS!
I'm not getting any younger, and quite frankly, I can't afford for this book to suck any more life out of me.
So I made a decision.
I was finishing it.
That night.
No more putting it down.
No more wandering off to make bracelets.
No more hoping that tomorrow's reading session might finally reveal something wonderful.
I was going to sit there and read until I reached the end.
And I did.
On November 1, 2026, I FINALLY finished The Lighthouse.
And do you know what?
I'm still waiting for the good part.
Seriously.
I closed that book and thought...
THAT'S IT?!
After all those months?
All those women?
All those islands?
All those cups of coffee?
And Duke's historic breakfast?
THAT WAS IT?
I had spent so much time waiting for the story to become interesting that I hadn't really considered the possibility that, for me, it simply never would.
And here's the saddest part.
If someone asked me an hour after finishing the book what it was about, I honestly believe I'd draw a complete blank.
I could tell you there were women.
And islands.
And a lighthouse.
And Joel had been up to some questionable activities.
And Duke ate eggs.
But beyond that?
Your guess is as good as mine.
And Then Goodreads Had the Audacity...
As if the entire experience hadn't been enough, the moment I finished the book, my Kindle asked whether I'd like to review it on Goodreads.
REALLY?!
After everything we've been through?
You want a REVIEW?
Well, all right then.
I gave it one star.
⭐
Not because I loved the characters.
Not because the plot kept me turning pages.
Not because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.
And certainly not because I was desperate to return to Five Island Cove.
I gave it one star because someone took the time to get all those chewing details on paper.
And I suppose that effort deserves some recognition.
The Final Verdict
I don't think I've ever struggled so much to finish a book.
Normally, if I'm enjoying a story, I can disappear into it for two or three days and emerge wondering where the time went.
This one took me from August to November.
And not because I was savoring every page.
I kept reading because I genuinely believed there HAD to be something coming.
Some wonderful revelation.
Some emotional moment.
Some explanation that would suddenly make everything fall into place.
Something that would make me say, "Ahhh! NOW I understand!"
But for me, that moment never arrived.
Instead, I reached the final page feeling exactly as I had at Chapter 28.
Uninterested in the characters, confused about their relationships, and wondering why so much attention had been given to details that didn't seem to move the story forward.
Would I recommend The Lighthouse?
Not personally.
Would I discourage someone else from reading it?
Absolutely not.
There are plenty of readers who love this series, and you might be one of them.
But as for me?
One star.
And I can say, without hesitation, that this was the least enjoyable book I've ever finished.
Which is quite an accomplishment, considering how many books I've read over the years.
One Last Thought Before I Leave Five Island Cove
After three months at Five Island Cove, I've finally escaped.
I can't tell you much about what happened there.
I still don't know whose children belong to whom.
I'm not entirely certain where everybody lives.
And I couldn't begin to explain how all those relationships fit together.
But there is one thing I know with absolute certainty.
Duke chewed his eggs.
And he swallowed them.
Successfully.
And perhaps, somewhere down the road, there will come a moment when some little tidbit of knowledge I picked up from this book will prove useful.
Maybe something about friendships, relationships, or the complicated lives of the women of Five Island Cove will suddenly make sense to me.
Or perhaps I'll find myself in a situation where knowing that Duke successfully chewed and swallowed his breakfast will be surprisingly valuable.
Who knows?
Life is full of unexpected moments.
And I suppose that's the wonderful thing about reading. Even when a book isn't one we particularly enjoy, we never really know what little piece of information might stay with us.
So that's where I'll leave it.
The book is finished.
My Kindle is closed.
And for the first time in three months, I feel wonderfully, gloriously FREE!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an entire world of books waiting to be read.
Preferably ones with fewer islands.
And significantly less chewing.
Coffee in hand & finally free of Five Island Cove,
Julie — The Paper Artist
Where the coffee is hot, the books are usually better, and apparently, chewing is a major plot development.
