The Way to Cape May: A Beach Read for Jersey Shore Lovers
Looking for a beach read set in our towns, featuring people we know and love?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve grown weary of beach-themed novels set in New England or the Carolinas. Let’s face it: they’re just not like us. The south Jersey shore (which, for these purposes, are the eight coastal towns between Ocean City and Cape May) is unlike any other beach resort in America, drawing nearly 11 million visitors annually. I include in that “other” category our neighbors to the north (who, due to the once-popular reality TV show, may have forever tainted the name “Jersey Shore”) and those to the south who think their town by the same name is somehow better than ours (not even close!)
If you’re excited by the prospect of reading a novel featuring some of your favorite shore spots—Kohr Bros, Deauville, OC Boardwalk and Congress Hall Resort, to name a few—I’m happy to report: your search is over.
The Way to Cape May is a romcom beach read and debut novel of local author Kimberly Brighton (that’s me!). The story is set between the courtrooms of Philadelphia and the Jersey Cape and features a Love Actually-inspired ensemble cast as they travel down the shore to a Cape May wedding.
In other words, this book is us.
Beyond simply wanting to highlight our shore towns with a story about finding love, the true inspiration for my novel was the Jersey-famous song, “On the Way to Cape May”, sung by Maurice “Bud” Nugent in 1960 as he ad-libbed the lyrics to his family as they drove down the coast. Like the song, this book tells the story of Delaney and Dalton, who met in Ocean City as kids and fell in love as adults. As wedding countdown commences, their love is put to the test when a series of events threatens their big day and challenges their commitment to one another. You’ll join their guests, each seeking their own version of Happily Ever After as they experience unexpected twists and learn to pivot and change in their quest for love.
The Way to Cape May is a story about life, love and friendships. The novel examines the idea of how we find and keep love, and whether we know it when we find it. It poses the question: are we destined to find one person, or do we possess the power to alter the course of our destiny through opportunities presented to us along the way?
This swoony beach read will take you on a journey of choice and chance, love and loss, sunsets and cheesesteaks, with familiar romance tropes of friends to lovers, unexpected meet-cutes and opposites attract, leaving you with a heart full of love. What better way to spend a day at the beach?
If you’re interested in picking up a copy, please consider supporting our local bookshops. The book is currently available at the following locations:
- Ocean City – Sun Rose Words and Music (756 Asbury Avenue)
- Sea Isle City – The Book Nook (Spinnaker Shops, Promenade)
- Stone Harbor – Barrier Island Books (301 95th Street)
- West Cape May – Barrier Island Books (479 West Perry Street)
- Cape May – Beachlove (Washington Street Mall)
The book is also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
If you’ve purchased a copy and are reading (or have read) it, please send me a message! Visit my website at KimberlyBrighton.com to stay in touch!
