Soulful Santa Cruz beach book

I recently returned from a sunny Spring weekend in Santa Cruz,
 where we celebrated my daughter's 16th Birthday.
I took 4 teenagers there for a fun filled fete.
As you may imagine,
about 15 minutes after they hit the beach, I was ditched!

So I decided to have my own fun.

I went to the beach front pool, 

ordered a festive beverage 

and dove into the new book, Soul Sessions, that had just arrived from Amazon.

I recently saw this news story about a little boy, who remembers a past life living in Hollywood in the 1930's.  The details were so specific and he even identified a picture of himself from a movie still. The facts he described fit perfectly with this man's life, they were things that no young child could have known. Had he really been Marty Martyn?

It's a fascinating subject to me and I was excited to start Soul Sessions, 

a tale of love and the possibility of past lives and soul mates.

The main character, Nick Dalton is a handsome, successful businessman but lives a very empty and superficial life.  After a near death experience, he slips into a depression and seeks the help of a gifted psychologist.  Together they explore Nick's past and eventually he stumbles across answers to some of the mysteries in his life and how the course of his life will be altered.

As I finished the book and thought about the 4 fun-loving 16 year olds 

I was spending the weekend with, 

the real message for me was that you need to realize the events that really make you happy and think about why. Don't take anything for granted and follow your gut.

Without giving away the plot, there is a point in the book where Nick looks through a photo album of a friend's life.  He says, "I wondered, is life really so trivial that an entire lifetime of dreams, accomplishments, insecurities, emotions 

and relationships could be encapsulated in a single photo album?"  

I don't think life is trivial, but that you need to reflect on those memories deemed "album-worthy". 

There is probably a reason why it's in there. 

As I looked out on those happy girls taking pictures on the beach, having a ball,

I realized that this trip was going to be a great section in their "photo album of life".

There is a little bit for everyone in Soul Sessions.

It is a thought-provoking novel full of mystery, relationships and intrigue.

It is unbelievable to me that my daughter is 16 

and this was the perfect novel as I start to imagine her future and the choices she makes. 

From the laughs I heard coming from the beach, 

I think she and her 3 best friends may have known each other in another life!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.