Our Place on the Island is a heartwarming story of three generations of women. It takes place on Martha’s Vineyard in two timelines, post World War II and the 1990s. I absolutely loved the 1948 storyline. Cora is a newcomer to the island trying to fit into the summer society there. She loves her husband, but is attracted to the cabinetmaker who is redoing her kitchen. The food descriptions are so good they will make you hungry. In the 1990s Cora is the matriarch with a middle aged daughter and a young granddaughter who is a chef. There are secrets and misunderstandings.
On a final note, I love reading books where the setting is Martha’s Vineyard. In this one there is a slight mention of the Black Dog. There is also quite a bit of discussion relating to the differences between the rich summer people and the islanders. The exact setting does not seem as important as the characters. Definitely needs to be a summer type colony, but there was not enough specific description to say it had to be Martha’s Vineyard.

Books set on the Cape, when done right, are just so good. This is a perfect beach read, which I did here in Hawaii.
The food, the location, the mother daughter relationships, the friendships, it was all done so well. It was the perfect amount of sweet.
And, boy was I hungry every time I picked it up!

This is a family generational story but the three generations are all present and accounted for. Daughter and granddaughter are there for Cora's wedding to Max, a man she first met many years ago. A true love match. The island has always been a hotbed of gossip so learning the real story of their relationship is an interesting journey as is the longtime marriage of Cora and Harry. All sorts of secrets come out as the family prepares for the wedding. Loved this story!

Our Place on the Island is a delightful read. A June publishing date is perfect-this should get hype as a beach bag book. It's light and has a happy ending, but it also has some depth and reflective elements to it. I really enjoyed the back and forth timeline jumps between the early days of Cora's marriage and the 1999 storyline. Complex family dynamics make the storyline interesting and I was so happy that things worked out for Wes and Mickey as well as Max and Cora.

Readers who enjoyed Haven Point, Vacationland, or We Are The Brennans will find something to love in this book. It's really well done and I hope it gets the press it deserves this summer!

A charming story that combines family, food, and the love that connects them. I kept waiting for the story to head into an obvious plotline and was delighted to find that it avoided doing so. Great beach read: three and a half stars!

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A summer home on Martha’s Vineyard is the backdrop for three women as they cope with their changing lives.

Michelle Campbell, known as Mickey, is at the peak of her career. The restaurant she had dreamed for years of creating is a success, and she and her chef/boyfriend Wes are receiving rave reviews from critics. Tables are always full, her staff is fantastic….and the business is deeply in the red. Turns out that Mickey is a far better cook than she is a competent business person. She has been able to keep the stark reality of how bad things are from Wes thus far, but the longer she keeps the truth from him the harder it is to tell him. Then she gets a call from her mother Hedy, a successful businesswoman who raised Mickey as a single mother, and with whom Mickey has a prickly relationship. The news? Cora, Mickey’s grandmother and Hedy’s mother, is getting married…that weekend! Cora’s beloved husband Henry has only been dead a few years, and neither daughter nor granddaughter had any inkling that a romance was brewing. Hedy is not happy about the situation, and Mickey can’t believe that the grandmother to whom she has always been so close could keep this kind of a secret from her. They travel to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, to the family summer home known as Beech House, to meet the prospective groom and attend the wedding. All have secrets they are keeping that will be revealed, and all are struggling with upheaval in their lives. Can strained relationships be mended? Will Mickey and Wes’s relationship survive the financial problems that may cause their restaurant to fail? And what secrets will Cora reveal?

Much like the novels of Anne Rivers Siddons or Maeve Binchy, Our Place on the Island tells the stories of these three women’s lives and those of their circle of friends. The narrative take place along two timelines: in the present day the reader sees the unveiling of events from Mickey’s point of view, while in alternating chapters we hear from Cora as she is brought to the island for the first time as a young bride in 1948. Cora and Mickey share a love and talent for cooking which has long been a strong bond, and summers at Beech House have been the setting for Mickey’s happiest memories. This weekend will unearth long buried tensions, but also offer the chance for each mother and daughter to repair the tears in the fabric of their relationships. The setting of Martha’s Vineyard and the monied clusters of summer residents figures into the history of the Campbell women, as does the friction between those who consider themselves to be true islanders, and those upon whom they rely to earn a living. With its tales of clambakes and summer jobs at a seafood shack, the sticking of wooden doors swollen by humid seaside air and the feel of sand underfoot inside and out, this is a perfect beach read (or pull it out at the lake or the pool, if that’s where you find yourself). Who doesn’t need to read about the power of love and the strength women have found in themselves in generation after generation? As someone who has spent time on Martha’s Vineyard in the company of my mother and daughter, this story certainly spoke to me (although I am nowhere near the chef that Cora and Mickey are), and added to my enjoyment of it. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for sharing an advanced reader’s copy with me.

Just in time to line up books you want to read as you head to the beach this summer, Erika Montgomery has just the one for you. This book covers multi generational families and is set on the Cape. The characters are all likeable and fun and you find yourself totally absorbed in the story. The families get together to celebrate the second marriage of a beloved grandmother and each character has a story beautifully woven into the settings. This is a book that I highly recommend and know it will be book club hit as well.

I wish to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our Place on the Island is the story of three generations of women returning to their beloved family seaside in Martha's Vineyard. Their family reunion, which should be a joyous occasion, is complicated by the fact that their matriarch, Cora, is getting remarried after the loss of her husband. As the days leading up to the wedding unfold, secrets of Cora’s past come to light-- a secret that will cause three generations of Campbell women to question marriage, motherhood, and ultimately learn to savor the delicious joy of following your own heart. Told in dual timelines and through multiple POVS on the beaches of Martha's Vineyard, Our Place on the Island is a great summer read. I loved that the author kept all three POVs in the story interesting. I also loved the dual timeline aspect of the story because the author left each flashback or flash forward on a cliffhanger, making you eager to read more. The story of Cora, one of the main characters of the book, is a complicated story that leaves you rooting for her happiness. The author also did a great job with descriptive writing in regards to the beach setting. I really felt like I could picture myself on the beach with the rest of the characters. This story also dips it's toe into the historical fiction genre by describing the time after WWII when women were forced to leave the workforce and return to their lives as housewives and how that affected them.

Overall, this book did a great job touching on mother daughter relationships and how women share some universal experiences (love, work, grief, moving on), regardless of age, and how we can all learn from each other.

This had a dual timeline type of thing and I enjoyed this. This is perfect for summer. I felt the characters were relatable.

A great storing starring fun characters and food! Lots and lots of delicious food. Michelle "Mickey" Campbell returns to the island for her grandmother's surprise wedding with a lot on her mind. Her mother Hedy cannot believe that this wedding is taking place. Cora, the matriarch however, provides lots of background with flashbacks to a story of the ages.
If you like a beach read, love delicious food and family drama, Our Place On the Island is for you!
#STMartinsPress #STMartins #OurPlaceOnTheIsland #ErikaMontgomery

I really enjoyed reading Our Place on the Island. The relationships between the characters, especially Mickey and Cora were very well written. Hedy's is still mourning the death of her dad and struggles to accept that her mother is remarrying. Mickey has mismanaged her restaurant and is set to lose it without her partner having a clue about the situation.
Cora's wedding is not the only reason she wants everyone return to Martha's Vineyard. She reveals a surprising secret that makes all 3 women rethink their priorities.

This summer the three generations of women, Cora, Hedy and Mickey will all be together in Martha’s Vineyard for the marriage of Cora.
Told in dual time lines we learn of Cora who settled in Beech Tree House as a newlywed and dealt with the expectations of the country club set and trying to fit in where gossip is rampant.
Hedy adored her late father and cannot reconcile that her mother wants to remarry.
Mickey should be happy. She is running a restaurant with her boyfriend and although they have just been honored with a wonderful critique of their restaurant, she has unfortunately run the business into the red.
The time spent together is an explanation of secrets, dreams realized and a reconciliation of love that was always there.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy.
The characters had depth, especially Cora and Mickey. I found Cora had to be the strongest of the three women. The book moved at a good pace and was good. This review is my opinion.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book. It would make a great book to read on vacation. It put me in a summer mood.

Our place on this island was a great book. I my was a little slow at first but I quickly fell into the rhythm of the flashbacks and current tale. I loved seeing both sides of Cora! There are some nice morals in here for any family as well! It’s never too late to start a new chapter or follow your heart.

This is a sweet story about three generations of women from the Campbell family. They have all met at the Beech House for Cora's (the grandmother) wedding. Mickey is the granddaughter and Hedy is the daughter. The relationships between these women are not always easy, but it improves as they spend time together and share secrets. I liked this engaging family story!

This would make a great beach read! Set on Martha's Vineyard and full of a love of family this story is a tale of three generations of women and their ties to their family home. The book is filled with a love of cooking (which kept me hungry) and I loved "Cora's Kitchen" and the closeness it built between grandmother and granddaughter. The book is told in two timelines and it set around the grandmother remarrying at the family home and a second chance romance.

The book is sweet, but there are conflicts and hurdles as well as life-changing decisions to be made. Cora, the grandmother, is a strong woman with a good head on her shoulders. Wish I had her cooking abilities! The granddaughter, Michelle (Mickey), has a great deal going on in her life, and is being faced with some hard truths.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on June 23, 2023.

Every family needs a “Beech House” to gather for celebrations, for grieving and for moving on with life. At the core of Erika Montgomery’s new book, Our Place on the Island, stands a strong and beloved home with years of memories built within its walls. The fate of the home, and all those who love it, is given its due as this story unfolds, revealing secrets. characters stronger than originally thought, and an abiding and genuine love for home and for each other.

A really good story about 3 generations of women, loved the setting and the characters, hated for it to end.

A beautiful story - perfect for a relaxing day on the beach or in the year!
The story is told in aa dual timeline, and each piece flows effortlessly into the other. Great story, with a few sub stories interwoven. Loved the characters, flaws and all. Recommend for all looking for a light, feel good, and refreshing story of love, family, and secrets.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy grandmother / granddaughter stories as I can relate to their relationship. Our Place on the Island is a wonderful read with beautifully written dual timelines. I will definitely be reading more of Erika Montgomery! Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley.