Julie Holt knows what it is like to experience loss at a young age. While keeping an eye on her younger sister Chelsea, Julie leaves her alone in the backyard only to discover her missing. Her family searches desperately for the girl yet never finds her. With the constant reminder of a missing link, the family tragically falls apart. When Julie's mother passes away unexpectedly, it leaves Julie alone with the plight to bring Chelsea back home.

Now, Julie is a successful businesswoman working at an auction house in New York City connecting her love of art with the hope of finding her beloved sister Chelsea. One day, she meets the charismatic artist Monica Guidry from way down South at an exhibit. An immediate bond forms between the two and a forever friendship takes flight. When a secret heart condition takes Monica's life, Julie becomes the guardian of Monica's five-year-old son Beau and the owner of a mysterious painting.

With no other choice, Julie sets off to Biloxi, Mississippi to reconnect with Monica's family in order to uncover the clues of Monica's mysterious past. Along the way, she meets up with Monica's beloved grandmother Aimee and stubborn brother Trey. What unfolds is an emotional power struggle for both families as they fight to hold onto Monica's memory while desperately trying to let go of the past. As family secrets are revealed, the stakes become higher and Julie learns firsthand the power of love and forgiveness.

THE BEACH TREES is the tenth novel for the nationally bestselling author Karen White. Taking her readers to the core of the hurricane zone in Mississippi and Louisiana, she brings together two families nurturing their wounded souls. Expertly written, White's emotionally tender story of intrigue, love, and modern day natural disasters sets her apart as the ultimate voice of women's fiction.

Book Summary

From the time she was twelve, Julie Holt knew what a random tragedy can do to a family. At that tender age, her little sister disappeared-never to be found. It was a loss that slowly eroded the family bonds she once relied on. As an adult with a prestigious job in the arts, Julie meets a struggling artist who reminds her so much of her sister, she can't help feeling protective. It is a friendship that begins a long and painful process of healing for Julie, leading her to a house on the Gulf Coast, ravaged by hurricane Katrina, and to stories of family that take her deep into the past.