What an adorable, heartwarming novel. I was unsure what to expect. I purposefully try to not read the disclaimers and I’m glad I didn’t. This was a never a story I would normally pick. I am so glad I did.

A beautiful story, heartwarming, captivating, all about family and love. Cora, in her seventies, is getting married for the second time. She is marrying Max who she met for the first time when arriving to the island as a new bride. The story is told in two timelines so we learn about Cora’s younger days. The present day timeline starts the day before the wedding. Cora’s daughter Hedy is there and Mickey, Cora’s granddaughter. We learn about the tension in the family over this wedding, the close relationship between Cora and Mickey, financial struggles and taking a risk. This is a terrific story, a family saga.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A wonderful novel to read on a cold winter's day. Three generations of women reunite at the family home on the Cape to celebrate the second marriage of the family's matriarch.. Each woman will have a story to tell ; the grandmother's first marriage and her life on the island; her daughter's experience growing up there and her closeness to her father but not her mother and lastly, the granddaughter who has left and started her own restaurant business. Cooking is a main theme in the story (made me hungry when I was reading it!) and will tie the story together. I enjoyed this book immensely and plan to read the author's previous book.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins for the opportunity to read Erika Montgomery's newest. It was exactly what it he doctor ordered during this dreary post holiday season; a wonderful house on the beach with enjoyable characters. More please!

Our Place on the Island will be on my list of best books of 2023. An absolutely fabulous read that I absolutely adored. I loved Mickey, Hedy, and Cora and how their stories unfolded in the dual timelines. Family, food, and a lot of heart made this novel a great read.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I was excited when I was asked to review Erika Montgomery’s “A Place on the Island.” I became a fan of hers when reviewing “A Summer to Remember” last year. I remember being excited to see what she could come up with next; fortunately, her sophomore effort is just as enjoyable.

I love stories that take the reader through multiple generations of a family, and this is a great example. Cora is remarrying on Martha’s Vineyard. Her daughter, Hedy, still misses her father and struggles with her mother’s choice to remarry. Granddaughter Michelle (Mickey) has realized her dream of owning a restaurant but it’s about to go under because of poor financial choices.

The story shifts from present to past (where Cora met her future husband as a waitress working at Martha’s Vineyard). The connection of mother to daughter to granddaughter is quite clear. Like many books of this type, there are plenty of secrets as well as a few roadblocks on the way to the wedding. Though nothing is particularly unique about the plot, I found the story and its characters relatable and the writing easy breezy and picturesque. This novel will certainly show up on beach bags around the country when it comes out in June. I cannot wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Thanks to Erika Montgomery, the publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

It's so wonderful to start a brand new year with a really excellent novel. Erika Montgomery once again and quite effortlessly transported me with her evocative story about three generations of women and their connection to a family estate on the lovely Martha's Vineyard. This women's fiction piece toggles between past and present with all three women taking center stage. Also front and center lies the meaning of the beautifully presented setting and how it's intrinsically woven into the fabric of all three women's lives.

Montgomery's writing is so smooth and seamless; the moving prose rich with meaning and beautifully constructed. With themes of family laced with the complexities of mother/daughter relationships. The duality of past vs. present and how eventually everything comes full circle. The price of failure and the beauty of redemption and hope. The characters were all so interesting, charming, and human that you just couldn't help to root for them while being completely engaged in their plight. The novel also reminds us that the places we hold dear to our hearts have changed us and will forever continue to shape us when we need them to most.

Our Place on the Island provides enchanting romance, and lasting friendship, with just the right amount of real familial drama that is always scored with undertones of unconditional, lasting love. This is a story of maturation and growth, loss and triumph, that - and I just can't say it enough - is written so beautifully it was hard for me to put down and I barely did. I finished and was so enamored with the characters and their journeys that I picked it right back up in the evening and re-read parts that stuck with me. I think that's the best part about this book, it will stick with me and goes straight to my list of re-reads. This author made me an insta-fan with her debut novel, this one solidifies my position as a super fan who will read anything she publishes. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to have read this great story.

This is a delightful, heartwarming story! Mickey (Michelle) Campbell has finally attained her dream of owing a restaurant. It’s located in an old bank building in Baltimore. Her boyfriend, Wes, is the Chef, so instead of cooking together, she is now buried in administrative details, which is not her strength. Mickey finds she is very behind in paying bills with a pile of past-due notices without the resources to catch up. She is determined she will update Wes on their financial situation – sometime soon.

An unexpected call from Michelle’s mother, Hedy Campbell, announces that Michelle’s grandmother, Cora is engaged and will be getting married in 6 days at her home they have always called the Beech House in Martha’s Vineyard. Although one of her most favorite places, Michelle hadn’t been back to the Beech House since the funeral of her beloved grandfather a few years earlier. Cora is engaged to Max Dempsey, who years before remodeled her kitchen at the Beech House.

This very fascinating story takes us back to 1948 when Cora, a waitress, meets her future husband, Harry. Harry is from Martha’s Vineyard, a totally different world than Cora is accustomed to. After they are married, the story continues with their life on the Vineyard in the 1940s, and then will jump up to the present time, which is 1999, with marriage preparations for Cora and Max and restaurant troubles for Mickey which also creates some issues with Wes when he learns of the financial situation.

This intriguing story is beautifully written with well developed, life-like characters. Secrets are revealed, a near disaster related to the wedding is narrowly avoided. This book kept me turning the pages until the end. I didn’t want to put it down and certainly didn’t want it to come to end.
Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s for a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions expressed are my own.

Enjoyable women's fiction/romance in which three generations of women come together for the eldest's wedding to her lifelong love. Cora, in her seventies, tells her story in present day and flashbacks. Hedy, the "daddy's girl," still grieves the loss of her father and can't believe Cora is remarrying. Michelle, Hedy's daughter, is like her grandmother in that she and Cora are both gifted chefs. Although Michelle's acclaimed restaurant is about to go under and her sweetheart and work-partner doesn't have a clue. An enjoyable story by an author who really has a gift for description.