Cover Image: The House On Fripp Island

The House On Fripp Island

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Member Reviews

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

For some reason I thought this was going to be more of a mystery than it in fact was, so I kept waiting for 'the thing' to happen. The first 80% or more is the story of two families holidaying together on an island, and goes into enormous detail about when and what they eat, what exactly they do between meals and with whom and so on and so on. Despite this, the writing and particularly the characterization was good enough that I quite enjoyed it.

However the final 20% was an enormous disappointment to me. It is hard to write about it without spoiling the plot, but 'the thing' did happen, and then a few chapters described the immediate aftermath and then the final few were set decades later and caught us up with some (and only some and not the ones I was really interested in) subsequent developments in a really abbreviated way. The shape of the plot was very unbalanced and the ending felt as if the author had run out of space to include all the things she wanted to say.

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Fripp Island is the perfect vacation destination for the wealthy Daly family: Scott, Lisa and their two daughters. But the house they’ve booked is large and they invite Lisa’s childhood friend, Poppy, and her working class family to join them. Their son is about to head to college and they’ve never been able to afford a destination vacation. But it seems that everyone has a secret.
This book had everything. Mystery, family drama, and a good beach read. It was a slow burn that quietly dealt with class and societal mores while building the drama. It’s a riveting read with characters that I actually cared about. I loved that I could feel the humid early morning runs and the sand on the beach through the atmospheric writing. I still had some questions in the end, and I think that makes the climax discussion worthy. I passed this on to my sister and I can’t wait for her to finish so we can talk about it.

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This was a solid mystery. Someone is murdered in the prologue. The rest of the book you are left wondering who was killed and who Is the killer. Two families vacation together on Fripp Island and it’s very interesting reading about the different family dynamics. This story was very suspenseful and the end was shocking. I didn’t see it ending like that. This is a great summer read for anyone who enjoys mysteries/thrillers.

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Rebecca Kauffman grabs you in the prologue and keeps you close through the entire story. The book opens with an unknown narrator describing their families arrival on the island. We find out that the narrator is dead, which is highly unfair, as Kauffman manages to endear the reader to every last character, upping the anxiety as we wonder who will be around to see the conclusion.

Lisa Daly has everything she’s ever dreamed of; two beautiful daughters, a wealthy husband, and all the niceties that come with it. When her husband, Scott, wins a vacation at a beach house on Fripp Island, her first thought is to invite her childhood friend Poppy Ford and her family. Things are made awkward fairly quickly as Poppy’s life is drastically different from Lisa’s. The Ford family is working class with two children, made harder by the fact that John, Poppy’s husband, has a bad back and their son is going away to college very soon. While Poppy is paranoid of John becoming addicted to painkillers, Lisa is terrified of the handyman that comes to their house, and paranoid that her husband may be having an affair. Everyone seems to be harboring a secret, including the children, as this summer is a season of change for everyone in the house on Fripp Island.

Kauffman does an excellent job in character development. We slowly see the ideal Daly family shed their veneer of perfection in a personally satisfying way. Lisa is a problematic character (more on that later), focused on all things materialistic, and how she is perceived by others. As a reader I usually root against this character trope, but as I learned Lisa’s story, I found myself admiring her hesitantly. I also really liked the way that Kauffman strategically switched between characters points of view. She manages to make the story interesting in this way, revealing one character's secret at a time as the story develops rather than knowing the secret up front and dangling the character in suspense over it the whole time.

The victimization of Lisa felt like a slap in the face to me as a working class woman. Lisa is decently affluent, and there is one scene where her and Poppy are settling in after arriving at the very big and very expensive vacation house. Lisa begins getting irritated by “Poppy’s constant references to the expense of things” and “how out-of-pace she felt there”. What really struck me as offensive was this comment in the next paragraph:

“It bothered Lisa that people without money seemed to think they could squawk on and on about people with money, all the ways their lives seemed so different and strange, whereas Lisa would never dream of breathing a word about their lives or homes.”

She seems to not understand the concept of punching up versus punching down. When economic disparity benefits you, it is not your place to judge those victimized by an unfair and unjust system exasperated by medical costs, layoffs, and the ever-rising cost of owning a home and having a college education. I can’t tell if the author wrote this character to be so disconnected, or if this is the author’s own feelings bleeding through. I’m hoping for the former.

Kauffman writes a well paced, emotional novel. The twists and turns within the plot will leave you compulsively reading it, and her illustration of how complex, loving, and dangerous human relationships can be is masterful. That’s why I was extremely disappointed in how rushed and “neat” the story ended. It felt like she got bored, and just wanted to wrap it up and get it over with. I can’t say much more without spoiling it, but overall I hesitantly recommend this book, on the sole premise of it being a decent mystery novel.

2 of 5 Stars

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This was a very solid summer family drama with a bit of mystery. It was very nicely paced and a quick read (I finished it in a day) and makes a perfect book to bring along on a summer trip.

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I've been a huge fan of Rebecca Kauffman's and this one didn't disappoint. Loved the twists in this, as well as the examination of class and marriage. Great summer read.

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Lisa and Poppy are childhood friends, now adults. Lisa and her husband win a getaway to Fripp Island and invite Poppy, her husband and family. Lisa and Poppy, now as adults and families of their own, are in different economic places in life. Lisa and her husband win a getaway to Fripp Island and invite Poppy and her family. Everyone is getting along, vacationing.... but someone does not make it out alive. Who is it?

This is a great beach, summer read. The author does a great job to geting to know the families, their dynamics, friendship between Lisa and Poppy, and how their kids get along as they get to know each other. The intrigue builds as you know someone is going to die.... but who? and how?

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The House on Fripp Island is a glorious gift of a novel! Exquisitely written, you feel the heat of the soft South Carolina sand, the humidity after a summer rain, and the emotional pain carried by these troubled characters. This is a book to savor and it will remain with you for a long time. It is definitely a 5 star read.

Twenty years ago, Scott Daly wins an all expense paid four day vacation to a house on Fripp Island. He and his wife Lisa invite her childhood friend Poppy Ford, her husband John and their children, son Ryan and daughter Alex, to join them. The Daly have two daughters, Rae and Kimmy, and think that the preteens and teenagers will blend well. During this short vacation, all these characters relate to each other in totally unexpected ways. Almost everyone has secrets long hidden and now painfully revealed, at the very least to themselves. Joining this explosive mix is a young handyman and his wife and their interactions with these families lead to tragedy. After the vacation ends, the novel moves quickly to the present and we see the aftermath of the few days spent in The House on Fripp Island.

This tightly plotted novel explores marriage, money, sexuality and addiction and combines family drama with mystery. Rebecca Kauffman is an incredibly talented writer and I look forward to her next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Rebecca Kauffmann for this ARC.

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I enjoyed this book but I have to admit some parts dragged on and on and when the interesting parts happened it was toward the end of the bok and seemed rushed! That being said, I did enjoy it and look forward to more books by this author!

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I was expecting a typical light beach read. This was not that. Rebecca Kauffman has written a family story with a deft hand. Given us characters with depth, and made us care about what happens to them. I look forward to reading more of her work.

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I really enjoyed THE HOUSE ON FRIPP ISLAND -- a quick family drama which starts out with a mysterious murder, but ends up being much more about growing up, familial secrets, and inter-personal dynamics than it does a murder mystery. Two families, one a bit more well off than the other, go on vacation together to the beachside town of Fripp Island in South Carolina. The Moms of the families are best friends from childhood but the two families don't hang out very often, which leads to some great dramatic tension between the husbands and children as they get to know each other more. There are tons of shocking reveals (gotta love these family secret books!) and the ending is pretty shocking -- not something I saw coming at all.

This kind of book is right up my alley right now: it's a pinch of a thriller, a hint of a family drama, and it goes down very smooth. The writing is great, so it doesn't feel like a "trashy" read, but I had a hard time putting it down and felt like I was right there on vacation with them. The themes of discovering your sexuality and growing up in your tween years is always intriguing, and I think Kauffman did a great job on that front. An easy 4 stars from me!

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Kaufman's novel is like a beach read 'margarita' with a thriller 'tequila shot on the side' - easy to read with enough suspense to keep you hooked. Kaufman's deftly written characters explore family drama filled with plenty of secrets, along with the power of life-long friendships with some teen angst thrown in. #thehouseonfrippisland seems to suggest money can't buy you happiness, however, happiness ultimately is attainable if you're a good person. Thanks to #netgalley and #houghtonmifflinharcourt for the advanced copy. I enjoyed Kaufman's and will check out a backlist of hers, The Gunners next.

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"The House on Fripp Island" is a juicy family drama with a murder mystery baked in - what could be better for a summer read?

The book starts out revealing a murder has taken place during a vacation to the titular house on Fripp Island. What the reader doesn't know is who was killed and why, and Kauffman sprinkles clues and misdirects throughout the book that keep you guessing.

The story revolves around two very different families taking a vacation together - Lisa, her husband Scott and their two daughters are well-off but not particularly happy and when they win an all-expenses-paid vacation, they invite Lisa's childhood best friend Poppy (whose family is working-class but confident in their love for each other), her husband John and their son and daughter to join them. While the trip should be relaxing, everyone is hiding something, including some locals with whom the families interact. With martial issues, teenage angst, parent-child drama, sibling rivalries, broken laws and more unfolding over the course of this "dream" vacation, each character has the potential to end up the victim or the perpetrator of the murder.

The author has a wonderful way with words, and gives all of the characters very real quirks and personality traits, preventing them from becoming stereotypes. I was truly shocked when the murderer was revealed and appreciated that it wasn't where the story finished, although I did wonder what happened to a few of the other characters who weren't included in the sort of flash-forward ending. If you're looking for a quick page-turner, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mariner Books, and the author for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my unbiased review.

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I have been trying to find the perfect beach read and The House on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman definitely fit the bill! Lisa Daly and Poppy Ford were childhood best friends and still stay in touch. When the wealthy Daly family invites the middle-class Fords to come along on their vacation to Fripp Island, they of course agree. But their trip is not all sunshine and sandy beaches when everyone is hiding secrets and one of their family members ends up dead. This book grabbed me from the beginning and I was constantly trying to figure out what happened and to who. I had no idea what to expect by the end. It was the perfect summer read and I will definitely be looking at other books by this author. This book comes out June 2nd and this is one to add to your tbr pile! Thanks @netgalley and @houghton_mifflin for the advance copy.

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A fantastic story in all ways possible! I was expecting a light easy beach read but this was nothing like I anticipated. It starts with a death, but who and why? The twists and turns are unexpected and each character is struggling with something and doing their best to hide it. The twist at the end is jaw dropping!

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Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Scott and Lisa won an all expense paid trip to a cabin on Fripp Island. They invited Lisa’s best friend Poppy and her family. Each person had their own secrets and problems. I wasn’t really sure where this book was going. There was a mystery of someone murdered but the author rushed this angle in the last 3 chapters of the book. The various storylines were wrapped up nicely at the end.

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Let me start by saying that I could not put this book down, it was that good. I thought this would be a light summer read, but this is a pretty meaty story.

This story begins with a death from the very beginning. We do not know who died, but somebody has drowned in the opening prologue. This leads to a very intense at time family drama.

We meet the Daly Family, Lisa Scott, Rae and Kimmy and the Ford family, Poppy, John, Ryan and Alex. Poppy and Lisa grew up as best friends and their lives have drastically changed at least for Lisa who married a wealthy man. When Lisa and Scott win a trip to Fripp Island in South Caroline, Lisa believes this is the perfect opportunity to include Poppy and her family who would not be able to afford a trip like this.

This story covers a lot of territory, cheating, opoid addiction, LGTBQ, and a multitude of other issues. I for one was all in from page one. I have read Kaufman’s last novel, The Gunners (which I enjoyed), but this was on a different level.

Kauffman does an excellent job creating the perfect family drama. She gives you many perspectives from each of the characters, and she did a wonderful job giving each character their own voice. She provides a Literary Mystery that has you guessing until the very end. There are even a few laugh out loud moments that she was able to slip in here.

This is a great summer read, I personally wish I saw this on more lists of what to read. If you get the chance pick up what could be an underrated little gem.

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This novel wasn’t what I expected...but that ended up being a positive. What I thought would be an easy, breezy summer read turned into a fascinating psychological novel and character study. The ending wasn’t as wonderful as it could have been, but overall a very intriguing read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52654925

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I picked up THE HOUSE ON FRIPP ISLAND because there are times when I do love a good beach read! I didn’t really connect with any of these characters and didn’t feel very invested in the plot, but I finished it because it moved along at a good pace and was mindless. If you are really into beach reads, I think you’d enjoy this one. It just wasn’t a great one for me personally. 3/5 ⭐️—it was fine.

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Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Scott and Lisa won an all expense paid trip to a cabin on Fripp Island. They invited Lisa’s best friend Poppy and her family. Each person had their own secrets and problems. This book is eh. There was a mystery of someone murdered but the author rushed this angle in the last 3 chapters. I would pass. #thehouseonfrippisland #rebeccakauffman

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