Review: The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club 

by Martha Hall Kelly

Blurb from Goodreads:

2016: Thirty-four-year-old Mari Starwood is still grieving after her mother’s death as she travels to the storied island of Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. She’s come all the way from California with nothing but a name on a piece of paper: Elizabeth Devereaux, the famous but reclusive Vineyard painter. When Mari makes it to Mrs. Devereaux’s stunning waterfront farm under the guise of taking a painting class with her, Mrs. Devereaux begins to tell her the story of the Smith sisters, who once lived there. As the tale unfolds, Mari is shocked to learn that her relationship to this island runs deeper than she ever thought possible.

1942: The Smith girls—nineteen-year-old aspiring writer Cadence and sixteen-year-old war-obsessed Briar—are faced with the impossible task of holding their failing family farm together during World War II as the U.S. Army arrives on Martha’s Vineyard. When Briar spots German U-boats lurking off the island’s shores, and Cadence falls into an unlikely romance with a sworn enemy, their quiet lives are officially upended. In an attempt at normalcy, Cadence and her best friend, Bess, start a book club, which grows both in members and influence as they connect with a fabulous New York publisher who could make all of Cadence’s dreams come true. But all that is put at risk by a mysterious man who washes ashore—and whispers of a spy in their midst. Who in their tight-knit island community can they trust? Could this little book club change the course of the war . . . before it’s too late?

My Review:
I loved this author's last novel and this one is no exception!  If you like historical fiction, beach reads, books with past and present stories intertwining and World War 2 hidden stories - this book will be for you.  I sped read it one day and can't recommend it enough. Read this book!!

I absolutely loved this book, and I give it my highest recommendation.  The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club comes out next week on May 27 2025, you can purchase HERE.

I walked across to the gray-shingled terminal building, the asphalt radiating heat, and sat cross-legged on a bench, watching the crowd of rich-looking tourists, flannel-shirted farmer types, and lunch-tote-carrying workers from the mainland. Were some headed to those stately white houses that lined the harbor, the ones probably built by men with names like Ichabod, the kitchens done over with double Sub-Zeros and too much white marble? Life was good for people here in almost-too-charming land.