School by the Sea Series: Book 3
Publication Date: March 7, 2023
The summer holiday brings new passion and new challenges in the enchanting third book of Jenny Colgan’s utterly delightful School by the Sea series, set at a girls’ boarding school in Cornwall.
School is out, following a bit of saucy scandal at Downey House…
Beloved high school teacher Maggie Adair had been comfortably, if somewhat ambivalently, engaged to her dependable long-distance boyfriend Stan. But in the heat of summer, Maggie’s attraction to her colleague David McDonald has caught fire. Now both are facing an uncertain future as they try to figure out how to stay committed to their careers—and each other.
Meanwhile, the girls of Downey House—mercurial Fliss, glamorous Alice, and shy, hard-working Simone—have had long summers at home, which weren’t quite the respite they had been hoping for. But the new school year is thankfully here, and it will bring new pupils and lots of fresh challenges for students and teachers alike at the school by the sea.
The midpoint of a series serves as an excellent predictor of future success. For author Jenny Colgan, using an English boarding school as the subject continues to captivate readers.
Lessons at the School by the Sea picks up during summer vacation and leads into the next term, following not only the characters showcased in the earlier books but some new ones, too. The continuity enhances the appeal of the series since readers can see how the characters evolve.
Teacher Maggie Adair’s crush on a fellow teacher takes a rather daring turn, throwing into question a future with her steady Scottish boyfriend. Her struggles provide an interesting balance to the challenges faced by the students. Rather than writing off David’s character, the author expands his role in a secondary story arc that eventually ties back to the main one.
With new faces joining the familiar trio of Alice, Felicity, and Simone, the atmosphere at the school heats up. The cliffhanger at the end serves as a teaser for the next installment.
Lessons at the School by the Sea continues a well-crafted series that brings the boarding school experience to life.
Jenny Colgan is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including The Christmas Bookshop, The Bookshop on the Corner, Little Beach Street Bakery, and Christmas at the Cupcake Café. Jenny, her husband, and three children live in a genuine castle in Scotland.
