I seem to be reading a lot of books this summer set in Cape Cod and what a great summer book setting it is. This is a character driven family drama revolving around the family matriarch and her son and his family. As the family unites at their beloved Cape Cod home of Riptide, to prepare for a wedding, there are some shocking secrets revealed. These new developments reverberate through the family in various ways and shake up what they are have known as a family. Each character has to reconcile with the new revelations and decide how they each fit into the family moving forward. I love character driven stories and combined with this wonderful setting this is a perfect summer read you should definitely pick up.

This is one of those books that you know the characters have stories and secrets, but in the end they all come out and everything works out. I think one of the things I liked the best is how Ms. McKinnon worked in the setting of Cape Cod and made it an integral part of the story--the reader could almost smell the salt air, feel the sand between toes and hear the roar of the waves. The characters were all so different which made their reactions so real and demonstrated the sometimes messiness of families, but yet showed the connections that can't be broken. The books shows not only what the characters do but also the why which makes the characters all the more interesting.

I love a good soapy family drama and this book scratched that itch.
I didn't love it or hate it, but fell somewhere in between. I felt like I had read this story before in other books. However, it was a good book to use as an escape.

3.5/5 - Thank you to @netgalley, Atria / Emily Bestler Books and Hannah McKinnon for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! This one is out already, and if you love family generational dramas and New England summer vibes you‘ll love it.

The Darling family has been going to the Cape every summer since Morty and Tish bought their (his) dream fixer upper in the 50s. Well, most of them have been going. After a significant trauma, Tish hasn’t been back in decades. Then she shows up at a family dinner with a huge secret that blows up the family as they know it. Everyone questions everything. Except for Tish.

This is a triple POV - it rotates between Tish, the matriarch, her daughter-in-law, Cora, and Cora’s eldest daughter, Andi. It’s about how we define family, the power of love, fresh starts and second chances, truth and forgiveness, friendship and fate. There are some really beautiful parts in this story and the writing is wonderful but it also felt very familiar. Nothing was supremely shocking to me, and while having three viewpoints was helpful I also felt like I didn’t get everything I wanted or needed from or for each character. Overall this was an easy, enjoyable read and a great summer escape!

The Darlings are a complex family, but the book is a satisfying, solid read. I really enjoyed the characters and the settings.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Darlings by Hannah McKinnon

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Three generations of The Darlings gather together at Riptide, a family cottage on Cape Cod. What starts as a family vacation ends with heartbreak and loss as family secrets, kept hidden for years, are revealed. Bonds are broken, lies are uncovered and each family member grapples with finding out the truth that's been hidden for so long.

A wedding and some brewing family drama with secrets that bind them all. It’s a good story and I enjoyed reading about the secrets. It moved at a decent pace even with not the most intriguing plot. I loved the location most of all as I have spent a few years visiting family in Chatham and it was fun to read about the various locations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this eARC.

The Darlings is my first time reading a novel by Hannah McKinnon, and boy does she know how to write a family drama! There is a touch of romance in the book as well, but it is mostly about the Darling family and the drama, drama, drama that ensues when secrets finally start to spill out. There are multiple viewpoints as well as snippets from the past through Tish's POV. That ended up getting a little confusing for me since I was listening to the audio and the thing that signified those switches was a page break, but once I got the hang of what was going on I was fine. I would say this is a mostly serious story, but it is infused with plenty of humor as well, so there were certain parts that had me laughing out loud. I really enjoyed all of the characters, and the 3 different character viewpoints were more than enough for me.

Sara Sheckells is the narrator for the audiobook, and I have to admit that I loved her voice and overall narration. I do think this would have benefited from a full cast though, and the 3 female POVs ended up blending together a bit for me. Sheckells didn't really use any distinctions in her voice between the 3, so if I didn't know which viewpoint I was in by the chapter heading, I may not have been able to tell the difference at all. The real standouts by character are Andi going through a divorce and Tish being the matriarch of the family, but then Cora kind of just blended into the background for me. I had a hard time keeping the family straight at times, and I don't know if that is just a me thing, or the fact I listened instead of reading, or the author's writing style. Either way, I did really enjoy this one and the dash of romance that went with it. If you are a fan of family dramas with juicy secrets, I would definitely recommend The Darlings.

Cape Cod, a wedding and lots of family drama. What more can you ask for in a summer read? I love a dysfunctional family and The Darlings fit the bill. When family matriarch Tish reveals a secret that rocks them all right before a wedding, you won't be able to put the book down until you know how things shake out. If you enjoy Elin HIlderbrand's novels, you'll love this one, too.

Thanks to Atria for the copy to review.

Out now! This is such a great start to “beach read” season!

A wedding is just days away at a beloved family beach house in Cape Cod but a family secret is looming and just might throw everything of course.

This was a lovely summer read. You have a little bit of everything here - romance, family drama, quaint summer vibes. The pacing is quick and it dives right in and gets to the point within a chapter or two. I loved The alternating viewpoints from 3 generations of women in the family and the way the flashbacks were woven into the plot worked very nicely.

The author painted a lovely picture of the setting and details that transported me onto the Cape with the Darlings.

My only issue is I didn't feel like the characters were fully fleshed out. I wanted to know them a bit better and dive further into who makes them tick. I also felt like the siblings were portrayed younger than they were supposed to be, specifically the twins. Too many tantrums for 40 year olds IMO.

Overall, it was a great summer read and I want to read more from this author for sure!

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Darlings is a family drama that pulled me in quickly and held me close until the end. The characters were so well- developed, I was definitely invested in their futures. To me this is a great beach read kind of book. I would recommend this book.



Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for an honest review.

The Darlings is a perfect beach read. I was quickly caught up in the family drama and secrets that are revealed during this family vacation.

Curl up in your favorite beach chair and enjoy this heartwarming story

Thank you net galley for this ARC

Hannah McKinnon’s latest summer book will definitely find a place in your beach bag. The perfect setting for a summer escape The Cape. As the Darling family gathers for a wedding in Cape Cod at their long-standing beach house Riptide, secrets are revealed. What has caused Tish the matriarch of the family to be so closed off? What hurts has she been harboring over the years and will she reconcile them? What revelation will she reveal regarding the ownership of the beach house? Cora her daughter in law has skeletons in her closet as well. Will she be able to pick up the pieces after a bombshell gets dropped regarding a closely guarded secret? Then there is Andi whose recent divorce has her forging new paths while healing past hurts. These women are very different yet each also have some mirrored characteristics. Matriarch, mother, sons and daughters are at the heart of this story. Are family ties strong enough to bring understanding and healing as each woman begins to see things in a different light. I quickly became engrossed in The Darling clan as they come together to celebrate a wedding and so much more. Each chapter is told from the perspective of the 3 main women characters. The storyline unfolds over a few weeks before the wedding and culminates with a satisfying ending. I definitely felt connected to the storyline as well as the women she so eloquently portrayed very relatable situations.

Pub date: 5/2/23
Genre: beach read, family drama
Quick summary: Family cottage Riptide on Cape Cod is about to play host to a wedding - alongside the reveal of multiple family secrets.

Fun fact: this book is set in Chatham, where my husband's grandmother also has a Cape house. McKinnon did a great job bringing the town to life with the use of real-life locations, including Chatham Bars Inn and Lighthouse Beach. I enjoyed the overall setup of the book - the eccentric matriarch and the grandchildren with secrets are common beach read elements. My only critique of this book is that the ending felt unfinished - I wish there had been a bit more of a conclusion to the plot - maybe an epilogue? But I think beach readers will enjoy it.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Darling family is getting together for the wedding of Sydney, the youngest in the family. Andi, newly divorced, and Hugh, Andi’s twin who is trying to decide about a family with his partner, have always been close, particularly since the age gap between the twins and Sydney was a big one. Cora, their mother, is married to the easy going Charley, but there is a family secret that will wreak havoc before the wedding, exposed by Tish, Charley’s mother. The characters were likable, the setting of summer on Cape Cod a good escape for a beach read. Recommended if you like stories about messy family relationships. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Darlings is the perfect beach read! You won’t be able to put it down, as you dig into the story and family drama of the Darlings. I loved digging into their family secrets and would love to see a sequel with the Darlings!

Ohhhh The Darlings, how do I feel about you?? I wanted to love this book so much. It has an excellent setting, a giant family secret, and lots of wealth. There's a great premise and I love reading about families.
The setting was 💯- Cape Cod in the summer is top notch! There's a lot of vignettes to past scenes that are really interesting and helpful in building character development. They peel back layers of each woman so we see how they got to their current state and it’s really effective in building empathy for each of the women featured in the novel.
I'm not sure what it is that's missing, but there's something that didn't get me to loving this book. I think if you love family dramas, big family secrets, and enjoy a New England summer-- give this book a try!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Darlings" and all opinions expressed are my own. This is a nice summer beach read. Good story, makes you feel that you are at Cape Cod. Overall I liked it.