Palm Beach audiobook

"Palm Beach" by Mary Adkins is a story about 'The Have's' and The Have Not's'!Rebecca, a freelance journalist, is married to Mickey, an actor who actually works more at catering than acting. They're tired of struggling financially and living scrunched into their Queen's apartment, even more so after the birth of their baby, Sebastian. That's why Mickey quickly accepts a generous six-figure job offer managing the mansion of a Palm Beach multimillionaire. So, with their bags packed and Baby Bash in tow, they're off to sun, beaches and a more comfortable lifestyle. Once settled in Palm Beach, Mickey accepts another offer that doubles his income from billionaire venture capitalist, Cecil Stone. Rebecca, whose writing focus is on economic inequality, is appalled at the affectless record and path of destruction from Mickey's new employer. Rebecca then surprises herself when she accepts an offer from Mrs. Stone to work as her ghostwriter. Soon after, she finds herself invited as a regular guest at the Stone's high-powered dinners. Is Rebecca after an insider's look at this famous billionaire and his family? Is she looking for a story for her column in New York Magazine? Or, is it simply the money that's so appealing to both Mickey & Rebecca, especially when something unforeseen happens?I enjoyed this read and how unexpectedly good it was! The story progressed quickly and morphed in surprising directions I didn't see coming. The characters morph a bit, too and all of this happened in a good way. It kept me reading, for sure! There wasn't a character I didn't like, even the devious ones and there were a few. I love characters that are a bit edgy and Mrs. Stone was definitely that. I feel the same way about quirky characters and Mr. Stone delivered, along with being a bit unintentionally comical. I thought the author did a great job in making all characters interesting and memorable, even those who just popped in for dinner!I'm sure there are tons of subliminal messages to be found in this novel but, to be honest, I was simply entertained by the author's talent with words. I'll think about and try to figure out all that underlying stuff later. Much later! I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a well written, entertaining fiction read. Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways, HarperCollins Publishers and Mary Adkins for a physical ARC of this book. It is my pleasure to give an honest and voluntary review.

This is an arresting novel. Once I was captured by the plot, I couldn’t put it down. It might be one of the least predictable books I’ve read. Rebecca and Mickey find themselves in Palm Beach after a series of crazy events find Mickey in need of an immediate career change and a job. As a struggling actor, he put his catering skills to work and took a job as an estate manager. Ultimately, Mickey winds up in the home of the ultra-rich Stones.Rebecca, a journalist, finds herself working with the Stones as well. Her career takes off and it would seem that their lives were on a smooth glide path. Fate was not initially kind, their infant son Bash is diagnosed with an unexpected, rare, life threatening problem. Yet, this odd relationship becomes their salvation on many levels. I really enjoyed this book and I think it will be a book club favorite. Thank you Netgalley fir this great read.

Talk about a page turner!Usually for me, the only books that fall under that category are juicy thrillers, but there was something about Palm Beach that hooked me and wouldn’t let me go!Married couple Rebecca and Mickey are thirtysomething New Yorkers, struggling to make ends meet after the arrival of their newborn son. They decide to pack it all up and move to Palm Beach, Florida where Mickey’s been offered a job as a house manager for a multimillionaire. When they arrive, he’s quickly poached by a famous billionaire, and Rebecca takes a job with the billionaire’s wife, ghostwriting her memoirs. Their lives become entrenched in this world of insane wealth and privilege, and when Rebecca discovers a shocking secret about their wealthy benefactors, she must make a difficult decision that could alter all their lives forever.Mary Adkins is a terrific writer. This novel is perfectly paced and beautifully written. She managed to develop her characters extremely well and quickly for such a relatively short book. I absolutely loved the peek into the world of the super rich!Thanks to Harper for my advanced review copy. I cannot wait to read everything else Adkins has ever written!This one comes out August 2021. Make sure to get your copy!

Really enjoyed this one after reading comments here.

Palm Beach is the story of a couple (Rebecca and Mikey) that moves from New York to Palm Beach, Florida, after Mickey is offered a job running the household of a wealthy man. Mickey is an actor, and they’ve just had a baby, so they are tired of living paycheck to paycheck. This job offers them the best salary Mickey's ever. This is the story of what happens to the couple once they relocate to Palm Beach. Their lives get entangled in the lives of this billionaire family, and crazy stuff happens.I have been to Palm Beach many times and loved how the author portrayed the setting. I love how the author decided to make this more of a reported novel. There are so many facts and figures included in the story. There is also a lot in the book about income inequality disparity—the gaps between the wealthy and the not-so-wealthy—and the class differences. To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/mar...

Couldn’t put this down! This is much more that a ‘beach read’ covering topics from wealth disparity, parenting, race, and cultural norms. Although I did not personally like each character I can’t say I wouldn’t have made the same decisions given each complex situations. A great look into a different life and from a new perspective. Wealth does not change how you judge yourself and others, just what you base your judgements off of.

I really really enjoyed this book. It's an interesting peek in to the world of "the help" for staff members that work homes of the uber rich and famous. I really enjoyed the character development, even if I didn't necessarily like all of them. The plot twist at the end I did not see coming and it came to a satisfying conclusion to me, so it's a win!

This was the August 2021 selection by Annie B. Jones, owner of The Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA, with whom I have a monthly Shelf Subscription. What a wonderfully thought-provoking yet equally entertaining novel and the perfect end to my summer reading. Highly recommend!

This book was exactly what I needed and it hit me at the perfect time. I loved this contemporary fiction about wealth and class, truth and lies, corruption, young parents… Mickey, a Broadway singer whose career has been sidelined and who has been hired as a House Manager/caterer for a billionaire, and Rebecca, his vegan wife who is a freelance journalist writing about wealth and class, move to Palm Beach from NYC for Mickey’s job with their 8 month old son and for the first time—in their mid-30s, they have enough money for extra purchases and savings, and space to breath. When the Uber-billionaire down their street hires Mickey for double his salary and Rebecca starts to write the memoir of that billionaire’s wife, their lives get intertwined in ways that become hard to untangle. I liked, admired, disliked and was annoyed by each of the characters, and normally that doesn’t make for a good book for me, but this one worked! The ending was a little rushed but still a book I really really enjoyed.

I think I expected the “big secret” to be… more salacious? Not that what happened isn’t bad, it just feels mild in the world of billionaires. Something this book does do very well is capture the complexity of human relationships and moral “high ground”. Especially how easy it is to skew morals to fit your needs. This was a great read all together.

4.5 stars.

Lovely and moving book about wealth, work, parenthood, …. So interesting.