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    Sweet Salt Air: A Novel
    Sweet Salt Air: A Novel
    Sweet Salt Air: A Novel
    Audiobook13 hours

    Sweet Salt Air: A Novel

    Written by Barbara Delinsky

    Narrated by Marguerite Gavin

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky—a woman has a secret that may save the life of her best friend's husband—or destroy him

    Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, spending summers together in Nicole's family's island house, but they have since grown apart. A successful travel writer, Charlotte lives on the road, while Nicole, a food blogger, lives in Philadelphia with her surgeon-husband, Julian. When Nicole returns to the island house in order to write a book about island food, she invites her old friend Charlotte for both sentimental and practical reasons. Outgoing and passionate, Charlotte has a gift for talking to people and making friends, and Nicole would like her help interviewing locals for her book. Missing a genuine connection, Charlotte agrees.

    But what both women don't know is that they are each holding a secret that may change their relationship forever. Are the bonds of friendship strong enough to weather past indiscretions and betrayals? Can love survive an honest mistake?

    Filled with real, gut-wrenching emotion as well as a strong romantic storyline, Sweet Salt Air is a new offering from a beloved storyteller guaranteed to make you laugh and cry.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateJun 18, 2013
    ISBN9781427230744
    Sweet Salt Air: A Novel
    Author

    Barbara Delinsky

    Barbara Delinsky has written more than twenty New York Times bestselling novels, with over thirty million copies in print. Her books are highly emotional, character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship. She is also the author of a breast cancer handbook. A breast cancer survivor herself, Barbara donates her author proceeds from the handbook to fund a research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. Visit her at BarbaraDelinsky.com.

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    Reviews for Sweet Salt Air

    3.5/5

    145 ratings26 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Secrets both big and small but nonetheless difficult to keep. Nicole and Charlotte who had been friends since grade school and who hadn’t seen each other for ten years had secrets they couldn’t tell each other. Nicole’s secret did come out, but it was good that it did. Charlotte’s secret was definitely better left unrevealed.Sweet Salt Air is set in Quinnipeague, an island filled with quaint citizens and great cooks with wonderful recipes for Nicole’s cookbook and Charlotte’s accompanying narratives. The island’s characters were diverse and filled with generations of families who lived and worked using their talents in many areas, but specifically cooking and baking. They also knew everyone’s personal business, and if they didn’t, they would make it their business to find out. Everyone on the island was family.The description of the island was heavenly and sounded like a perfect place for a vacation even though some Quinnies were not pleased with outsiders. What brought the entire book together was the characters. The storyline fell into place around them more than the storyline falling around the characters. Leo, the son of the town’s herbal genius, was quite odd, but very likable. Charlotte and Nicole shared a friendship that was good for both of them. Julian, Nicole’s husband, was an ok character, but you will find out why he was the way he was when you delve into this appealing book.I enjoyed the book because of the beach setting, the wonderful, homey town, Ms. Delinsky’s writing, and of course the recipe hints. Warning: Don't read this book while you are hungry. I have never read a Barbara Delinsky book before and truly enjoyed SWEET SALT AIR. This book is a dream for all readers. It has books, bloggers, authors and is set in a beautiful location with appealing, unique characters. It is about life's choices and decisions, families, triumphs, and tragedies, along with a love story thrown in. It is a quick, delightful and VERY engaging book. 5/5This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher without compensation in return for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      I have most certainly heard of Ms. Delinsky but this is the first of her books that I have read. I am generally not a reader of "women's fiction" but now and again I like a change in genres and a nice beach read. The synopsis of Sweet Salt Air had promise and the setting truly intrigued me. That being written I can't say I fell in love with either main character but I did find the book pleasing.The main themes in the book is the friendship between the two women, Nicole and Charlotte and the harm that secrets can to to friendships and relationships. Nicole is married to Julien who has been diagnosed with MS and they have told no-one. Not her mother, not his parents. No-one. To save his dignity. This makes absolutely no sense to me, nor does it have any basis in reality in my opinion. Charlotte's secret is one that I think a woman would keep. (No spoilers here!)The location, the island Quinnipeague is almost a third main character. I think "Quinnie" is mentioned as often as the two friends. To the point of annoyance in all honesty. I get it - they love the island. It's peaceful, it's special. I as a reader don't need to be hit with a sledgehammer to recognize this. I can understand how a place can be a refuge and a place to run to when life seems overwhelming.Overall it was a book that entertained but didn't enthrall. I didn't feel the need to stay up late reading or to keep turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. It was an easy read with some tension. Some likable characters and a passable romance.
    • 3/5
      Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinsky is exquisitely written, her descriptions easily make the reader feel as though they are there with the characters, speaking of which, Delinsky’s characters and their lives are quite relatable. As an avid reader I certainly have heard of Barbara Delinsky, but I have never read any of her books until now and while I found her story to be thoroughly engaging, I usually steer clear of books in this genre. However, I do believe Sweet Salt Air would make for a wonderful summer beach read.
    • 3/5
      Longtime best friends Nicole and Charlotte are reuniting for the first time in ten years on the coastal Maine island of Quinnipeague, where they spent every summer as young girls. Charlotte’s a writer who never settles in one place, and Nicole is a wife and step-mother, as well as food blogger and aspiring cookbook writer. It’s the cookbook that prompts Nicole to invite Charlotte back to Quinnipeague for the summer. She knows Charlotte is the perfect writer to link all the island recipes together.

      Nicole lives in Philadelphia with her husband, a renowned pediatric heart surgeon who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis four years ago. They've kept it a secret from everyone and the pressure is beginning to affect Nicole. Charlotte has a secret of her own, and if Nicole learns of it, might actually destroy the women’s friendship.

      I really liked the way the author let us know her characters. She included their backstories in a way that made me interested in how things were going to work out for them. The island was a character of its own, filled with unique people with their own culture. The writing was quite beautiful and very atmospheric. I thought it started a bit slowly and because it's a contemporary romance the story is going to be a bit predictable. I was in the mood for a nice, calm love story and this definitely hit the mark for me. It you're in the mood for a light and sweet summer read this is perfect for you. All the discussion of food and recipes will definitely make you hungry.
    • 5/5
      On Quinnipeague Island - just off the coast of Maine - hearts open up under the summer stars and secrets float in the sweet salt air. Nicole and Charlotte had once been the best of friends. Spending summers together at Nicole's island home off the coast of Maine was an idyllic time for both of them, but sometimes memories - no matter how sweet they are - cannot last. Too many years and too many secrets have begun to color the women's friendship and have succeeded in keeping them apart.Charlotte is a successful travel writer who spends most of her time on the road. She is single, but is happy living as she does - on the road and out of a suitcase. Nicole is a food blogger who keeps house in Philadelphia; and she has been happily married to her surgeon husband Julian for the past ten years. When Nicole is commissioned to write a book about island food, she decides to invite Charlotte back for one final summer, to the place where the women had spent so many idyllic summers together - Quinnipeague, Maine.To Nicole's mind, this could prove to be the perfect partnership between them. Outgoing and passionate, Charlotte has a gift for engaging people - talking to them and making friends with everyone she meets. Nicole could use her own expertise to interview the locals. So, dearly missing a genuine connection with her former best friend, Charlotte eagerly accepts Nicole's invitation.Yet what both women don't realize is that they are each holding on to secrets that may change their lives forever. For Nicole, what comes to light could possibly destroy her marriage, but it could also help save her husband's life. For Charlotte, the truth could ultimately cost her Nicole's friendship, but the revelation could also give her a second chance to find love again. And Charlotte's second chance for love may lie with a reclusive local man, with a heart to soothe and troubles of his own.First of all, let me say that I genuinely enjoy reading anything by Barbara Delinsky - she certainly can write an intriguing story and creates well-developed, sympathetic characters. Having said that, I must also admit that Ms. Delinsky has a tendency to be a bit of a hit-or-miss author for me. Perhaps I have mentioned this before, but some of her work seems slightly over-written and tremendously - if minutely - detailed.This particular story was certainly interesting and an enjoyable reading experience for me. However, I would also say that it was slightly longer than I thought that it needed to be to tell the story. In my opinion though, this story was still well worth reading. I would still give this book a definite A!
    • 5/5
      I loved everything about this book, all the history and background on herbs and flowers.The book is set on a small island in Maine, and two friends get back together after a long time apart to write a cookbook revolving around the community. It has great research, facts and questions about MS that made me look more into a disease I know very little about.
    • 4/5
      Islands are magical. If there's anywhere to go to heal emotionally, an island is the ideal. Barbara Delinsky's latest novel Sweet Salt Air, a novel of forgiveness and revelations, is set on an island off the coast of Maine, the perfect place for her characters to come together again and to build the relationships and lives they want.Nicole has returned to her family cottage on Quinnipeague in order to get it ready to sell. She needs the break from the stresses of her life. Her husband Julian is a well-known surgeon who has been diagnosed with MS and has tried to keep his diagnosis a secret from his colleagues as well as his children from his first marriage, leaving Nicole the only person who knows and worries with him. So spending one last summer on the island, sorting through the house and writing a cookbook based on the luscious, local food available there, should be a release for her. Not wanting to do it alone, she calls and invites Charlotte, the best friend from whom she's been partly estranged for ten years but who used to spend summers with Nicole's family at the cottage, and suggests that Charlotte join her there. As Nicole, a food blogger, creates the recipes, she will rely on Charlotte, a celebrated journalist, to write the human interest tales about the people and the restaurants behind the recipes. This is a collaboration that Charlotte cannot refuse. But Charlotte has a secret that makes their reconciliation awkward at best. And Nicole isn't sharing about Julian's MS either, at least not at first.As Nicole and Charlotte tiptoe around each other and the secrets they clearly aren't telling each other, they tentatively start to try to rebuild something of their old friendship. Nicole cooks amazing food as Charlotte roams the island interviewing people about their contributions to the local culinary scene. In the course of her research, Charlotte runs into Leo, the handsome, abrasive, loner son of the woman whose amazing herbs are the foundation for almost every tasty thing produced on Quinnipeague. Leo has his own reason for keeping to himself and warning Charlotte away from his land and his herbs but she's intrigued and just can't stay away from him. Meanwhile the tension between she and Nicole is growing until Nicole spills her secret. This revelation increases the power of Charlotte's secret and makes her decision whether or not to reveal it that much harder.There are several different story lines going on throughout this book: Nicole's feelings about selling the family cottage in the aftermath of her father's death, her relationship with Julian, Charlotte's interest in Leo, the rekindling of Charlotte and Nicole's friendship, and Charlotte's secret. All of the story lines are emotionally weighted and the majority of them hinge on secrets that will eventually be shared. The major focus, of course, is on Charlotte and Nicole's lapsed friendship and the way that a secret festering for 10 years has kept them cordial but carefully held at arm's length instead of as close as they once were. In addition to the many secrets, there's a big moral dilemma involved that holds the potential to change the trajectory of the whole story. Some of these plot issues are very believable and others stretch credulity some. The pacing is consistent if a little slow; it is of the leisurely beach read variety rather than the can't put it down type. In the end though, it is a pleasant but not so very surprising beach read and astute readers will have guessed the unspoken long before it is revealed.
    • 2/5
      I really thought I would like this book more but it was just so predictable. I figured everything out within the first 100 pages. The characters were such stereotypes and their reactions to each other and the events in their lives was completely unbelievable.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the second... it just became too chick-lit fluffy for me.
    • 2/5
      I did not enjoy this book as purchased on audio and the narrator had a grinding voice which turned me off. (if not a good narrator, then it can ruin a book). Liked the setting and the story, but thought a little slow and was not one of those books you cannot put down. I may go back and read the book later, but after listening to the audio, would not recommend.
    • 3/5
      This book was for me a good story. I liked the pull between characters and the way the emotional topic was dealt with. Very nice to see the ending on a good notes, too.
    • 4/5
      This book is about the friendship of Charlotte and Nicole. Nicole has asked Charlotte to her family's summer home to help her write a cookbook based on local recipes and herbs. As they are writing the book, secrets are revealed that changes their relationship. This is a chic book with Charlotte finding love and predictably the friendship survives.
    • 4/5
      from the blog: My Home of Books

      Barbara Delinsky has another major hit on her hands with Sweet Salt Air, a book that is great for a beach read, but will be enjoyed any time of the year. The setting is a remote island off the coast of Maine and the story highlights the friendship between Charlotte and Nicole, two friends who reunite after an uncomfortable estrangement that left Nicole clueless. Now when her family's lovely beach cottage will be sold after the seaon, Nicole embarks on a project to write a cookbook that ties in the flavor of the community with interviews of the locals who grow and cook the food. But secrets lurk all around them, and Charlotte has a big one that involved Nicole's ailing husband.


      Classic Delinsky-style women's friendship story that doesn't disappoint with the drama. I really enjoyed it (having previously lived for years on the coast of Maine it brought back memories) and recommend it for anyone who is looking for feel-good contemporary women's fiction that is able to highlight the romance angle without explicitness. There is a twist in the plot that caught me by surprise and had me turning pages faster. A must-read for those who enjoy this genre! 4 stars
    • 4/5
      A good summer read!
    • 3/5
      I have most certainly heard of Ms. Delinsky but this is the first of her books that I have read. I am generally not a reader of "women's fiction" but now and again I like a change in genres and a nice beach read. The synopsis of Sweet Salt Air had promise and the setting truly intrigued me. That being written I can't say I fell in love with either main character but I did find the book pleasing.The main themes in the book is the friendship between the two women, Nicole and Charlotte and the harm that secrets can to to friendships and relationships. Nicole is married to Julien who has been diagnosed with MS and they have told no-one. Not her mother, not his parents. No-one. To save his dignity. This makes absolutely no sense to me, nor does it have any basis in reality in my opinion. Charlotte's secret is one that I think a woman would keep. (No spoilers here!)The location, the island Quinnipeague is almost a third main character. I think "Quinnie" is mentioned as often as the two friends. To the point of annoyance in all honesty. I get it - they love the island. It's peaceful, it's special. I as a reader don't need to be hit with a sledgehammer to recognize this. I can understand how a place can be a refuge and a place to run to when life seems overwhelming.Overall it was a book that entertained but didn't enthrall. I didn't feel the need to stay up late reading or to keep turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. It was an easy read with some tension. Some likable characters and a passable romance.
    • 4/5
      This was my first Barbara Delinsky book. It was a pleasant summer book to read. I love the setting-an island in Maine. The descriptions were lovely and definitely compelling.The story plot was ok for me. It seemed to pick up speed as I read more of the story. Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, but a secret held by Nicole has made them grow apart. They come together on the island to work on a cookbook together. There Nicole begins to fall in love with an islander and Charlotte shares her own devastating secret.It was a bit predictable at times for me, but an entertaining read all the same.
    • 4/5
      Barbara Delinsky's books have always appealed to me. Her newest, Sweet Salt Air is much more than just a perfect summer read. The Maine setting is of course gorgeous, but the character development here is special. Two friends reunite after 10 years at the home where they summered together growing up. One has a very famous doctor husband suffering from Multiple Schlerosis, the other has a secret. There's a handsome loner with an attitude in residence at the other end of the island. These ingredients would be enough for most storytellers. But here, Delinsky adds a choice for the characters that makes keeping the 10 year old secret a moral dilemma. When the characters are faced with the quandry of whether to reveal the secret, the festering impasse becomes a matter of life and death.This is way more than a beach read. It is a well-developed character study with the added features of romance and that beautiful Maine Island setting. The medical research forming the backbone of the story was presented in such a way as to avoid taking sides on some of the modern legal and ethical issues of stem-cell treatment and research, and yet was written to underscore many of the choices facing patients today as they decide whether to participate in trials, undergo new and untested treatments, etc.I think it's one of Delinsky's best. Be sure to grab a copy. It's on the shelves now, so indulge yourself in a late summer treat.
    • 2/5
      Started off with a novel approach of two friends getting together after not seeing each other for ten years. The location is a summer island off the Maine coast. Their pasts and present collide. By page 140 I had figured out the plots and ending. As the book was over twice that long, it made the rest of the book boring. I kept hoping for a twist, but it didn't happen. Light beach reading.
    • 5/5
      This may be one of the author’s best books. Charlotte and Nicole have been great friends forever, or so it seems. However, because of their different lives, they have not really spent any time together for the past ten years. Nicole has settled in as loving wife of a well-known doctor, helping him in his career and with his two children from a previous marriage. Charlotte has been traveling the world as a free-lance writer, unattached but still searching. They come together at Nicole’s family home on a Maine island home to collaborate on a cookbook that Nicole has been contracted to write. Their rekindled friendship comes with many secrets. Nicole and her husband have a dangerous secret that could impact on their very lives. Charlotte has a secret that could ruin their friendship or help Nicole’s and her husband’s life together. Cole and Charlotte each discover just how strong their relationship is while each sees her own life growing and becoming more fulfilled. I loved this book. The setting and its wonderful descriptions of island life and the people who live there full-time completely took me in from the start. The emotional struggle of the two women was well described and brought out throughout the book, with a fantastic culmination at the end. The only thing I found bothersome was the constant whining by Nicole. She definitely came across as one spoiled, financially well off girl and wife/mother. Charlotte, in contrast, became the world-traveled child of n’er do well parents, constantly seeking approval and acceptance in Nicole’s world. Her love interest was the island bad boy, son of the island sort of witch, who, though dead, lived on as a legend for her healing herbs and their powers, well protected by the islanders. Nicole’s husband, in contrast, became the petulant, arrogant husband, beloved and honored by most for his career helping others and his innovative medical break-throughs. How they all came together in the end was well done. The author described the setting and characters extremely well, bringing the reader right into the island and island life. The characters became the reader’s friends and neighbors. Their life became at one with the reader. This is more than a beach read. This is a keeper.
    • 4/5
      The best Delinsky book in a long time. Great characters..friends, lovers, family. A beautiful setting, flowers and herbs. Intertwined love stories and conflicts. A good read.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book... because my family on both sides are from Maine, and I have many childhood memories of vacationing both at the Grand Lakes and Wells, Kennebunkport, Perkins Cove, and more....the luscious descriptions of the island really resonated with me. I was impressed with the author's portrayal of Maine's culture and pride. Most of all, I enjoyed the characters of Charlotte, Leo, Nicole and Julian. The relationships were so intense it became easy to immerse oneself in the lives of these well drawn out characters.The back-story about the characters, and how that impacted the friendship between Charlotte and Nicole was riveting. The friendship between Nicole and Charlotte is well portrayed with secret revelations that go back 10 years. The atmosphere of the island and the depth of the characters and their interactions creates a compelling read. A wonderful summer novel. Definitely recommended.
    • 4/5
      Sweet Salt Air is another really great book by Barbara Delinsky. This is the story of Charlotte and Nicole and the rekindling of their childhood friendship in their adult life. Juliann and Leo are also added into the story. It is a story of love and hurt on many levels and how the principals in the story deal with each of these emotions. A must read if you are a Delinsky follower.
    • 3/5
      Charlotte Evans and Nicole Carlysle have been friends since childhood. Their best memories were spent with Nicole's family in Quinnipeague, Maine. The last memory of the summer house was when Nicole married Julian. Unfortunately Charlotte doesn't have good memories of that event and her secret has kept her away from her best friend for more than ten years. Now Charlotte is a renowned travel writer and her travel keeps her on the move, a true globe-trotter. Nicole has a wonderful marriage and has made a success as a blogger promoting the merits of sourcing local foods and the farm-to-table movement. Now that Nicole is protecting a secret of her own, she craves the companionship of her best friend in what may be her final summer at Quinnipeague. Fortunately Charlotte agrees to spend the summer on Quinnipeague and help Nicole write a cookbook based on local cuisine. Can their friendship survive the revelation of their darkest secrets?Sweet Salt Air is much more than a novel about the friendship between two women. It is a story about secrets, friendship, and family, as well as the lengths people will go to in order to protect those secrets and relationships. Charlotte has kept a secret from Nicole because she doesn't want to cause problems between Nicole and Julian nor does she want to lose her best friend. Julian is forcing Nicole to keep a secret about his health and while she's happy to be a support system for her husband, she doesn't have anyone to lean on for support during his illness. Charlotte and Nicole are both fighting deadlines . . . the deadline for the cookbook draft and the unspoken deadline hanging over their heads relating to Julian's health. If those issues weren't enough to deal with, they both must deal with the inherent privacy issues surrounding the legends of one of the Quinnipeague's own and the source for most of the local herbs. I enjoyed all of the characters and felt they were incredibly realistic. In addition, the setting of coastal Maine came to life and was ideal for the action. Ms. Delinsky has provided a great read that incorporates friendship, family drama, and romance into one nice package with Sweet Salt Air. If you're looking for something delightful to read this summer, then I can recommend adding Sweet Salt Air to your reading list.
    • 5/5
      Sweet Salt AirByBarbara DelinskyMy "in a nutshell" summary...Nicole and Charlotte reunite on an island off the coast of Maine after a ten year separation. Needless to say there are tons of yummy issues!My thoughts after reading...I can't even remotely write or say anything "bad" about this book. Reading a book by Barbara Delinsky is like going home for me. Her books are just yummy, relaxing, and have just the right amount of dysfunction and secrets...and in this book...amazing food descriptions!The location for this book is also a place I cherish...Maine...and her descriptions of the people, the food, the coast, the berries...EVERYTHING...are so spot on we booked a trip in August. Ok...first of all I love and adore Leo and his dog Bear...his relationship with Charlotte has the kind of romantic spark that is filled with...hmmm...let's just say intensity...that is to die for in a book...sexy without being graphic. Ms. Delinsky captured my reading soul in this book. I was NEVER bored...I was always anticipating each character's next move...I adored this book.Let's just say that if you were on the beach reading Sweet Salt Air...you would miss lunch and a snack and most likely have a terrible sunburn because time would fly by so quickly.Lest I forget...just a quick briefing of the story...Charlotte and Nicole reunite on their island to write a cookbook. Nicole's doctor husband has a secret that Nicole has kept for 4 years...Charlotte has a secret that could help Nicole's husband but kill her renewed relationship with Nicole. Leo is an island enigma and Charlotte is drawn to him...and of course...everything clashes! Yum!What I loved about this book...In a word...EVERYTHING!What I did not love...Nicole was my least favorite character...she had spoiled brat only child syndrome...but that just added to the allure of this book.Final thoughts...Readers who are familiar with this author's work will be delighted with this book. I think it's her best ever!
    • 5/5
      sweet salt air by barbara delinskyWhat I look for in a new book is travel and hope to learn something new. This book does that and more.Love that the book starts out and they are talking about knitting intricate Irish patterns. One of my favorite things to do.Charlotte and Nicole haven't seen one another in 10 years time but have briefly emailed one another. They are meeting on the island to work on an island cookbook together.That's one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book, the island, the cookbook and I love the author's other writings over the years.Charlotte is the photographer and interviewer. Nicole is the agriculturist and chef. This may be their last summer on the island as with Nicoles fathers death the estate will be sold...Loved hearing of how they had met and summered together.Small community where everybody knows each others business and is there in one's time of need. Like gradual blend of new characters, where they aren't forced upon you, easy to keep the characters straight.Love learning all the tidbits of information for the herbs and how to use them and for what reason.The health of Nicole's husband is something very private although he is a world renown surgeon. She is able to open up to Charlotte and explain how she's coped over the years. She also is ready to leave on the dime to be with him when he calls.They each still hold close to them secrets that might jeopardize their friendship but treasure what they have had in the past..til Julain's health takes a drastic turn for the worse and Charlotte knows she can help. Everybody has choices and decisions to make and they wish upon the red leaf clover that they selected the right ones.Recipes and meals talked about are a treasure as you can put them together yourself without the measurements of the ingredients. Wish you could smell while reading about it.Stumbling blocks are put in place with the recipes...Julian's health and Charlottes love life. Love that her boyfriend is an author as we follow his path to success and failure and doubt..I received this book from Fresh Fiction BooK Club Reading GUide in exchange for my honest opinion
    • 5/5
      I have been a fan of Barbara Deslinksy for years. She never fails to amaze me with her wonderful talent. and her ability to always tell a fabulous story with compelling characters and intriguing plots. Sweet Salt Air is no exception there are wonderfully compelling characters and a very intriguing plot. I had no idea when I started reading it that the plot would have such a personal meaning to me. I myself have MS so it was nice to see it brought into the spot light by one of my favorite authors.Nicole is a strong woman who has a lot of stress on her plate. She is the sole supporter of her husband Julian whom has MS, her father has recently passed away, and she is writing a cookbook with recipes from the island. I totally admired Nicole. When she is met with a challenge or fear she takes it on with with a force to be reckoned with. She has handled so much on her own that that I loved when Charlotte returns to her life and is able to lend the support that Nicole so needs. Nicole's husband Julian is a high profile surgeon that doesn't want anyone to know he has been diagnosed with MS. This book shows us first hand some of the symptoms of MS and how they can have a horrible effect on the the patient but clearly be invisible to others. I was completely intrigued by Barbara Delinsky's ability to show how the strain of an illness effects a couple's marriage but with love they can get through anything together.Charlotte is Nicole best friend and has been since childhood. Charlotte has been hiding a secret and trying to forget a secret from her past that could very well be the end of her life long friendship with Nicole. She's has been busy living the life of a freelance writer taking only the jobs that appeal to her and traveling all over the world to get the stories. I admired the friendship between Charlotte and Nicole. This a wonderful written story of friendship that can over come any obstacle in it's path. Leo Cole is the island bad boy with a heart of gold. When he meets Charlotte sparks fly, the chemistry between these two is so thrilling and sweet. Leo has some issues that he has to overcome from his past. Charlotte is just the woman to help him. Leo & Charlotte are such a wonderful couple is great fun watching these two find their way together. I loved this book, it is full of drama and romance. Ms. Delinksy has written a fabulous story about friendship, love, romance, and family connections. I would recommend having a box of Kleenex handy when reading this book. There are a few scene where you might them. If you are a fan of Barbara Delinsky, as I am, I think you are going to love this story. If you have never had the opportunity to read one of her books and are looking for a book with some drama and romance I think you will enjoy Sweet Salt Air. I was thrilled to win this Advanced Readers' Copy from goodreads in exchange for a review. It was my pleasure to share my opinion of this wonderful story with you.