Great beach read.  This book had a great mystery that kept me engaged the entire book.

POSITIVES OF THIS BOOK ARE TOO MANY TO LIST!!! NEGATIVE is simply that the story came to an end.  The events of 1940's on an island in Georgia. Narration switches between POV along with time periods.  Excellent characters, secrets revealed, and numerous happenings that make this an enjoyable entertainment option.  Andrews started out with the introductions that at first seemed cloudy.  Loved the length of the book that allowed for extended read time.  "A copy of this book was provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley with no requirements for a review.  Comments here are my honest opinion."

4.5 stars.

 Weaving seamlessly back and forth in time, The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews is an engrossing novel that features touching friendships and an intriguing mystery.

 In 1941, Josephine Bettendorf, Millie Updegraff, Ruth Mattingly and Varina Shaddix are close friends who are as thick as thieves. However, Millie’s engagement party celebrating her upcoming wedding to Russell Strickland is a turning point in their friendship. The mystery surrounding Russell’s inexplicable disappearance from Josephine’s family’s island has endured for decades.  All of the women but Varina went on to marry and over the years, the women stopped speaking to one another.

 In the present, ninety-nine year old Josephine Bettendorf Warrick lives in the house her father built on picturesque island off the Georgia coast. Full of regret for events in the past, she asks lawyer Brooke Trappnell to ensure her property will not be purchased by the state and added an existing state park. Josephine also requests Brooke track down Millie, Ruth and Varina, all of whom she has been estranged from for decades. Fully realizing the women are most likely no longer alive, Brooke nonetheless sets out to locate them. Ruth has indeed passed away, but Brooke convinces her granddaughter, Lizzie Quinlan, to meet with Josephine. Varina is still living and along with her great niece, Felicia, they also join Lizzie at Josephine’s estate. Millie has also passed on, but Brooke locates her daughter and invites her to the meeting where Josephine begins recounting the events of the past. However, right before she can clear up the mystery of what happened to Russell, Josephine passes away, leaving the fate of her estate up in the air.

 Brooke is a single mother to three year old son, Henry. She is barely eking out a living in the small town in which she lives and she is definitely curious when Josephine summons her to the island. When she discovers there is a conflict of interest with one of her new client’s requests, Brooke enlists the aid of her former mentor and boss, Gabe Wynant, to take care of those duties.  Despite Josephine’s death, Brooke and Gabe continue working together to try to fulfill her last wishes. Along with Lizzie and Felicia, Brooke tries to prove a stunning claim that could have unexpected ramifications for Josephine’s estate if it turns out to be true. In the midst of all of the uncertainty surrounding her client’s affairs, Brooke’s life is complicated by an unexpected romance and the sudden appearance of someone from her unresolved past.

 With a delightful cast of endearing characters, an idyllic setting and a perplexing mystery, The High Tide Club is a captivating novel. This well-plotted story moves at a brisk pace and the events from the past are just as fascinating as the ones in the present. As the storyline unfolds, long held secrets are revealed through riveting flashbacks that whisk readers back to the 1940s. Mary Kay Andrews brings the novel to an exciting, jaw-dropping conclusion that wraps up all of the various story arcs. A wonderful novel that I absolutely loved and highly recommend.

Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints.  This is probably the best yet! Plot twists and turns makes you NEED to keep reading.  This was one of those books you just lose the day reading.  If you like Southern Fic you will love this book.  Difficult to say too much without revealing the story but you won't be sorry you purchased this book.

Mary Kay Andrews sure knows how to weave a southern tale. This book is lengthy for a beach read. Be sure to pack plenty of sunscreen as you will be drawn into the lives of Josephine, Millie, Ruth and Varina, the original High Tide Club back in the Forties. Present day Brooke is tasked with finding these ladies or their heirs by the aging Josephine. There were times when snippets from the past seemed intrusive but as the mysteries increased, the past became as interesting as the present. 

I have always been drawn to books using coastal locations, and MKA succeeds once again with her portrayal of the fictional island of Talista. It was easy to feel the heat and picture Josephine’s stately home trapped in it’s Sixties decor. It was a fitting backdrop for Brooke, Felicia and Lizzie as they tried to unravel the mysteries surrounding Josephine and her estate.I enjoyed watching bonds form between this disparate trio of present day women. I liked how Andrews inserts enough humour to lighten the darker moments and appreciated the parallel themes of orphans and single parents in the past and in the present. . 

Not my favourite read by this author thanks to threads left unresolved and slow pacing. My need for speed thriller side found this book a slow go. 

ARC received with thanks from publisher via NetGalley for review. 

3 stars


READING PROGRESS

Always enjoyable, MKA did not disappoint with this book! I enjoyed the dual storyline, the setting, and all of the characters. Always a good way to kick off the beach reading season!

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.  Another great book from Mary Kay Andrews.  Long lost secrets and family members are discovered while trying to save an endangered island.  Mary Kay Andrews did a great job of describing all of the characters and intertwining them together in this story.  She never disappoints her readers with her books.

Out of the ballpark Mary Kay Andrews! I was so lucky to have received an ARC of  The High Tide Club courtesy of Netgalley.  It’s a fabulous beach read but it incorporates so many elements. Brooke Trapnell is a lawyer in a small southern town when she receives an astonishing phone call.  Joshephine  Warrick wants to meet with her. Josephine is ancient, very old money, southern society and the sole owner of most of Talisa Island and a gorgeous decrepit mansion located there. Located off the coast of Georgia it is a natural resource and an asset that the state of Georgia would love to add its state owned landmarks.  Josephine wants to insure this does not happen.  The narration switches between characters but also time periods and weaves a tale that invokes segregation, murder, deceit and other of your common everyday  sins.  It is also a story of friendship, betrayer and trying to rewrite the past.  This has been  so skillfully  crafted, it’s jumps in time and character are seamless. Put this in your tbr pile definetly!

Thank you Net Galley
I had read most of Mary Kay Andrews’ book, and love them all.  This one is a little different, it is near the beach but mostly a mystery that spans decades.
Josephine Warren who is her nineties, hires local lawyer Brook to help her keep her property from the 
Government and find three childhood friends to make amends.  Before she can, Josephine dies.
The mystery!  
The book goes back and forth in time, telling us the story a little at a time.  I did enjoy the book, though it was different that other books by Ms. Andrews. 
The writing is wonderful with the characteristic Ms. Andrews is known for.   I recommend this book highly!

Josephine is in her 90's.      She lives on a private island off the coast of Georgia.     She is terminally ill and she wants to make amends before she dies.

She gets in touch with Brooke, an attorney, and wants to hire her to help in her quest to write a new will as well as protect her island from being taken over by the state.   When Josephine explains everything to Brooke, it turns out that it could be a conflict of interest.      Because Brooke and her mother, Marie, may be beneficiaries.      Marie's mother, Millie, was one of Josephine's best friends when she was young.

There are also 3 other women who could be a part of the inheritance.      Varina, an elderly African American woman, who has been a friend to Josephine all her life, her niece Felicia and finally, Lizzie, the granddaughter of another long dead friend, Ruth.

There is nothing in this story that goes in a straight line.      The reader is taken from the 1940's to today.         The characters from the past and the present all have secrets.     And each secret has a huge influence on past and present events.

Josephine is not a nice person.       She has lived her life as though only she knew what was best for people around her.      She was jealous, selfish, deceptive and generally not a nice person.       She has caused pain for nearly every person in her life.      

Brooke is a single mother who is starting her own law practice and finding it difficult to cope with her son, her lack of money and her general disappointment in her life.    Her mother, Marie,  is a nice woman who wants what is best for her daughter.    But also feels at loose ends since her divorce. 

Varina and Felicia have a relationship which is at times adversarial and at times loving.     Felicia is certain that Varina was never treated well by Josephine, Millie or Ruth.

Lizzie appears to be a money hungry woman who has no desire to connect with anyone on anything but a very superficial level.

The history of old relationships can be heartbreaking.      Being wealthy and self involved seemed to be a complete protection from the troubles in the world, and then things changed.

The present day events are even more complicated.        People are not who they appear to be and after Josephine's death there are secrets from the past which start appearing at every turn.         The Geechee people who have lived on the island forever fear they will be displaced.       Josephine's staff members are afraid they will also lose their home.      So many lives will be changed forever.  

The High Tide Club name comes from the 4 young women from the past.       Best friends who loved and cared for one another until they didn't.

Ms Andrews has created a cast of characters of depth and texture.       

The plot held my interest, but at times I did feel there were too many paths to follow.      For me, I think things could have been less complicated and just as entertaining.

This is a story of finding truth and learning to trust yourself.      It is about women learning that they can depend on friends and family when needed.        And the women also learn they can depend upon themselves.    

I liked this book very much.       I have been enjoying books by Ms Andrews for many years.   She creates stories which draw me in and hold me until the final pages.     

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley.      I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

This isn’t a beach book. I’m leading with that because I tend to expect a Mary Kay Andrews book to be somewhat beachy. I’ve read all of her recent books but none of her earlier ones under her actual name which I believe are mysteries.

But at this point, I’ll admit that I am assuming it will be a beachy book. I also think I’m not the only one, so we should get that out of the way now :)
If you aren’t expecting the wrong thing from this book you’ll probably enjoy it more.

Brooke is a lawyer who is contacted by Josephine about her will and her final wishes. She knows she’s dying and she has a lot of apologies to make before that happens.

At first, the storyline bounces between current day and the 1940’s when Josephine and her friends formed a club that they called The High Tide Club.

In the present day, Josephine wants to reunite the club.
But Josephine is 99 years old, the other girls might not be alive any more.
So, Brooke is to contact the families or the women themselves and gather them together to see Josephine.

It’s about this point in the story where the mystery starts to kick in.
In the 1940’s someone was murdered. We don’t know by who, we just know that the High Tide Club vows to keep it secret.

I’d say this book classifies as a mystery.
Who committed the murder?
Why?
And who should inherit Josephine’s fortune?

What I didn’t like:
-Lizzie-she was pretty unbearable in the beginning and then became likable randomly with no connection between the two 
-Multiple mysteries going at once, it got really confusing by the end

What I did like:
Despite it being confusing, I really did want to know who committed the murder 
Brooke was a likable character that tied everyone else together 

I honestly hope the next MKA is a beachy book again. I’m sorry but it’s what I like best from this author. Didn’t the cover even look summery?

I got to read an early edition of this book through NetGalley. Thank you!

Friendships, loyalties ,deceptions, love, intrigues...this novel has it all and more.  Mary Kay Andrews has once again written a novel that is both compelling and entertaining.  Don't wait for beach weather to read this one.

Once again, Mary Kay Andrews does not disappoint with her southern charm in The High Tide Club.  This book takes a different path than other books I've read by Andrews in that it is a full blown mystery which keeps you wanting more and more.  The toggle between the present and the past takes the reader into the lives of strong women and the struggles they all face.  Set in Talisa, off the coast of Georgia, ninety-something Josephine Warrick calls on local lawyer, Brooke, to save her property from the government and round up the descendants of her three best friends so that she can make amends and right wrongs.  But before Josephine can reveal what she needs to make right, she dies.  With only the tip of the iceberg revealed to Brooke, Felecia, Varina, and Lizzie, these women embark on an adventure that will change their lives forever.

4 Mermaid Beach Stars to The High Tide Club!

I can still remember reading my first book by Mary Kay Andrews. I was in graduate school, and my cousin (one of my favorite reading buddies) told me I just had to read Hissy Fit. Filled with southern charm and humor, I had read nothing like it before. Mary Kay Andrews was offering something different! 

Several years later, and Mary Kay Andrews continues to offer something different. The High Tide Club is more serious than her previous endeavors. Told in two timelines, in 1941 and the present, I fell in love with the characters. And talk about diversity in ages- they range from their 30s to 90s! 

The High Tide Club was formed in the 1930s by Varina, Ruth, Millie, and Josephine. Only two members, Varina and Josephine, are living in the present day when the story begins. There’s a mystery and a story behind the group of women, and it kept me quite intrigued. 

The setting on a Georgia coastal island was perfectly described. I felt like I was at the beach the entire time I read. The characters had MKA’s usual fun and charm. 

Mary Kay Andrews has dug a little deeper with The High Tide Club. Beach readers looking for a mystery on the side of their southern charm will swoon over this one! 

Thank you to Mary Kay Andrews, who never fails to entertain me, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the ARC. The Hight Tide Club will be published on May 8, 2018.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

Josephine is a 99 year old widow, who invited Brooke to the island that has been her home for her entire life, to help her track down Josephine's friends from her youth. The story flips back and forth between present day and 1941 when Josephine was 18. Josephine, Millie, Ruth and Varina were the members of the High Tide Club. They went skinny dipping during full moons back in the 1940's. 

I loved how the story lines wove back and forth. Each flip in time brought out the truth of what happened back in 1941. I liked how there was a little mystery, romance and hidden secrets. The way that the characters, who ranged in age from early 30's to 99, interacted with each other was enjoyable.

I could see there being a follow up book to this one.

I love Mary Kay Andrew’s—-her books are always highly engaging and just plain fun to read. I really enjoyed how the story presented the narrative in both the past and the present. I was intrigued by the motives of the eccentric elderly character and stayed up just to find out how all of the stories intertwined in the end. Highly recommend- perfect beach read!

Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints. Secrets, lies, tangled family history - it's all here.

I enjoyed this novel as I've liked her others as well! Alternating between 1941 and the present, the book focuses on the friendship of four women who have secrets between them that come to light when present-day 99-year-old Josephine hires attorney, Brooke to help her settle her estate before she dies and make amends to her long-time friends. Brooke has her own secrets as she has a 3-year-old son and is estranged from her step-father--both issues that need closure. Enter Gabe, another attorney with whom Brooke has worked and various members of Josephine's family, and things get complicated quickly. Fortunately the secrets come out and resolution ties the loose ends together. A fun and interesting mystery!

Make sure you pack this novel in your beach bag....savor it in the sun. Five stars.

Josephine Bettendorf is a 99 year-old wealthy woman who always has gotten things her way. When she gets a terminal cancer diagnosis, she wants to make amends to her estranged friends (and their descendants). She hires Brooke Tappenell, a lawyer and struggling single mom, to help her.

I enjoyed reading this book, especially the second half, but there were some issues. There was a lot going on. There were multiple plot lines, multiple points of view, and multiple time periods. In the beginning of the novel, there were many flashbacks, but as the novel progressed, the flashbacks were few and far between. With everything going on at Talista (Josephine's island home), I am not sure if Brooke needed not only one but two romantic interests.

Overall, I liked the book, especially the blossoming friendships between the women who have little, other than Josephine, in common. This is my first time reading anything by Mary Kay Andrews, so I can't say how it compares to her previous novels. I'm looking forward to reading more by her