Quirky story of an island’s few residents pretending a man is still alive for his widow and a journalist longing for recognition telling the story on a podcast. Mostly a madcap race to keep the islanders from knowing about the podcast without exploration of the characters motivations.

Anders Caldwell had dreams of being Clark Kent-- not Superman. He wanted to be a big shot journalist, but nothing seems to be going his way. But when he's sent out to Frick Island to cover the annual Cake Walk, he stumbles on a much juicier story. Piper Parrish is going out on dates with her husband, seeing him off to go crabbing, and cooking for him. Which isn't newsworthy, except that her husband disappeared when his boat capsized. She's carrying on with her married life with an invisible husband and the whole town is playing along. 

Anders sees this as his big chance and launches a podcast about the island and Piper's story. But, as in all good stories, things aren't always what they seem. I loved this easy read that took me on an escape to the Chesapeake Bay and immersed me with a cast of quirky, lovable characters.

I hated the main guy. He dreams of being a reporter who specializes in human interest stories. After going to Frick Island for a story about a literal cake walk, he decides to do a podcast on how the residents feel about climate change causing their island to sink. They aren't receptive to this, so he finds another story in a recently widowed woman. To cope with her grief, she pretends that her husband isn't dead, and the people pretend along with her.

The main male character is selfish. He's publicizing a woman's grieving process to the world without her permission. And he's the romantic interest, which means that she'll forgive him. This isn't a spoiler because it's very obvious. I wouldn't because who knows what happens when he finds another story that might hurt someone to tell?

I was able to get through the book because the people of Frick Island are charming. They're busybodies stuck in their ways, but there's a charm to them. It's hard to blame them for not liking outsiders since the first one in a while decides to use them to further his career.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

Piper has lost her husband, but she is acting like he's still around. The whole community on Frick Island is going along with pretending with her. Anders is a journalist who decides to make a podcast about it. He tells the residents that he is researching climate change, but really he is intrigued by Piper. I loved the quirky characters in this story! I love how the book talks about climate change while also being a story about loss and finding new love. Colleen Oakley is a favorite of mine and this one is great!

Super fun...at first you think you know were the story is going, and then it zings to a weird spot. Then maybe you have it figured out...but no, it twists again! Had to finish in one read!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is a charming, lighthearted book full of quirky characters. There are two main characters, but let's start with Anders, who will introduce us to Frick Island. Anders’ goal in life is to be Clark Kent. Not Superman, but Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter fighting for truth and justice. Unfortunately, he has just started his career and is more like the cub reporter, Jimmy Olsen, but a bit more nerdish. He has a cowlick in his hair that will never stay down, dresses in white button-down shirts and lives alone in an apartment furnished with a table, chair and a mattress on the floor. He receives an assignment covering the annual cake walk on Frick Island, which is where he will meet Piper Parrish.

Piper is one of the 90-odd residents living on Frick Island, a tiny, remote island in the Chesapeake Bay. There are a few weekenders that visit the island in the summer months to get away from it all as the island does not serve alcohol, has no cell service and the only internet connection is through one computer. The main source of the islanders’ income is fishing, and Piper’s husband, Tom, carries on his family’s tradition of fishing. Unfortunately, one day there is a storm, Tom’s boat is sunk, and his body is never found. Piper never comes to terms with his death, and behaves as if Tom were still alive, and the whole town goes along with her delusion. Piper walks Tom to the dock each morning, meets his boat when it comes in, goes out to dinner with Tom and carries on conversations with him. Out of love for Piper and her fragile state, no one on the island disputes her belief that Tom is still alive.

Piper and Tom are having dinner at The Angry Crab, the only restaurant on Frick Island. Anders is there also and, at first glance, Anders is smitten with Piper. When he works up the gumption to ask if Piper would join him for dinner, she rebufffs him, informing him she is there with her husband. Using his investigative skills, Anders learns that the whole town is going along with Piper’s delusion. Anders sees this story as one that people will be interested in, and he begins a podcast, What the Frick? While the islanders believe his podcast is about climate change, it is actually about the people on the island, Piper in particular. Anders begins spending weekends on the island, and he and Piper become closer. As the podcast gains popularity, though, his duplicity begins to spiral out of control. And when a cell tower is close to being built on the island, Anders realizes the town will soon learn the truth of his podcast, and not take kindly to having their secrets exposed to the world.

But as I said, this is a lighthearted book, and there is a fairy tale ending!

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Anders is not thrilled when his office sends him to Frick Island for a story. He doesn’t love boats, and the cake walk seems less than newsworthy. When he returns home to an email telling him he missed the main story on the island however, Anders knows he needs to go back. He then meets Piper, perfect in every way, except she is married. However, her husband is dead? But she still talks to him? As does everyone else in town? If this the story Anders needs to explore?

Colleen is the Queen of odd and abnormal romances! I freaking love it! My heart just broke for Piper as she faced the loss of her husband and continued to act like he was right there with her. I just wanted to reach through the pages and give her the biggest hug! At the same time, I felt for Anders as he tried to make his place in the world, and I cringed every time he checked his apartment for roaches when turning on the lights! I went to college in Georgia and those bugs are NO JOKE! I loved learning more about Frick Island and the amazing cast of characters that lived there, what a fun place to live! I was also cheering for Piper and Anders to get together the entire time…though I did want him to just be honest with her as well! Not going to lie, I kind of want to go live on Frick Island for a few months at least! I feel like it would be such a nice break from everything! If you have loved Colleen’s books in the past, preorder this one now!!

This is listed as a romance, but I think it would be better described as contemporary fiction with romantic elements (a lot more words, but more accurate). A chapter or two in, and I was just hooked!

Piper Parrish lives on an island in the Chesapeake Bay that has a population of fewer than 100 people, but she likes her life. Except for the morning when her husband’s boat didn’t come back. However, Piper continues talking to her dead husband. The townspeople, not sure what to do, decide they’ll play around with the charade.

Anders Caldwell had high hopes for both his career as a journalist and as a podcaster. He’d once done a podcast that had thousands of listeners, but nowadays, his subscriber list is as small as the podunk newspaper where he landed a job writing fluffy pieces between advertising. When he gets assigned to do a story on tiny Frick Island to write about their annual Cake Walk, he’s hard pressed to get enough information for even the paltry six inches of space he needs to fill. Then he learns not just of Piper believing she can still see her husband, but the entire town going along with the deception.

When he starts podcasting about this mystery—how does a young woman still talk with a husband who isn’t there and why are the townsfolk enabling her?—his audience begins to grow. He’s an outsider that the dwellers of the island are reluctant to confide in, but he comes back, weekend after weekend, to talk to Piper, telling her and the community that he’s writing about the impact of climate change on tiny islands like Frick.

I personally like living in bigger cities with outstanding Wi-Fi access at all times, but the community Oakley describes, even though dilapidated and with one singular restaurant option, sounds enviable. She vividly describes all the characters so they come alive. This is gripping and fun.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES MAY 25, 2021.

"Living, in itself, is a risk, with only one guaranteed outcome. And we get up each day, and we make our toast and kiss our spouses or kids or parents or cats or dogs and go to work or school and come home to yet another pile of laundry. We do all these things with no guarantee that we'll even make it through the day."
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Frickin' Frick! I frickin' loved me some Frick Island and will be venturing on to read as much Oakley as I can!
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This book is a slow build, but don't give up on it. At the 50% mark, I could barely put it down, racing toward the end needing to know what was up with Piper, what happened to Tom, and what was go become of Anders' venture to seek the truth. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, it's all very mysterious on Frick Island and you will really just have to read and found out for yourself ;)!
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This is mostly a light-hearted read with some definite sad moments, but you won't be left sad at the end. There is also a strong air of mystery, humor, and swoony feels. I was charmed by Piper and Anders and felt deeply connected to the characters and their stories. This is absolutely one I recommend to those who just love a good story!

A young woman becomes a widow, and all of the town’s inhabitants go along with her delusion that her husband is still alive. When a journalist comes to the island searching for a story, he discovers one he never saw coming. Author Colleen Oakley offers warmth, romance, genuine affection, and kind characters in her newest novel The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.

The lifelong residents of Frick Island divide people into two groups: From Here, meaning those who belong to the island, and Come Here, those who migrated to it. While the residents treat everyone with politeness, the Come Heres have often felt a small difference. All of them except Piper Parrish, that is.

Piper and her scientist mother came to Frick Island when Piper was in the sixth grade. In the beginning, the other kids in school singled her out as a Come Here. When Tom stood up for her, though, people stopped bothering her. Through the years, her sunny disposition won them over to the point that they forgot—or forgave—her Come Here status and adopted her as a From Here. Tom did more than that, however; he fell head over heels in love with Piper, and she returned his love with eagerness.

It didn’t surprise anyone that they got married young. Piper loves Frick Island, and Tom’s family has always been in the crab business. Tom took it up like his relatives, but he also feels a little restless. Piper keeps him steady, and he challenges her in the best of ways. As corny as it sounds, they’re meant for one another.

When Tom’s crab boat capsizes during bad weather, then, everyone in town understands Piper’s longing to grieve. When she starts talking to Tom as if he’s still there—telling everyone she needs to help Tom with his tie for church, say, or that she’s going out to the beach to meet his boat when it comes in the way she did before the accident—no one has the heart to correct her. In fact, they go one step further.

Anders Caldwell moved to Maryland from Atlanta hoping for a break in his journalism career. The proximity to New York and his pluck were all he needed for big things to happen. Except Anders is stuck covering the dumb stories no one wants, like a Cake Walk on Frick Island, which he’s never heard of and where he really doesn’t want to go. The only way to get to the Island is by ferry, and Anders hates being on the water.

His editor doesn’t give him a choice, though, and Anders makes his way to the island expecting to see a bunch of cakes and gawking tourists. What he finds is an entire town of people pretending to see a dead man. They actually call out to Tom as if he’ll respond, leaving Anders incredibly confused at first.

The more questions Anders asks, the more an idea burns inside of him: what if he starts a podcast about the town and this bizarre situation? What harm could it do anyway? The town doesn’t even have a cell phone tower, and internet speeds are actually crawls. Maybe this will be the feature story that will catapult him toward success.

As Anders comes back every weekend to interview Frick Island residents and spend time with Piper, he finds out just how far the From Heres will go to protect their own. He also discovers something more valuable than his next big career move.

Author Colleen Oakley handles her situations and characters with a practiced hand. While in theory it might seem a tad precious that Piper gets married so young, within the context of the story world it makes complete sense. Piper’s grief and her longing for Tom will endear her to readers. Both ring true and loud for anyone who has lost a loved one.

Oakley’s plot stays well within the realm of its genre but doesn’t come off as saccharine. Moments meant to be solemn maintain their dignity. Those meant for a laugh will make readers chuckle. With the exception of the dialogue that comes off as unrealistic at times, the book leads its target audience through the entire range of emotions with precision. I recommend readers Bookmark The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.

At first glance, the blurb and cover of “The Invisible Husband of Frick Island” sounded to me to like a light-hearted, even funny read. Turns out there are bits of quirkiness, but overall it is a tender and thoughtful story.

Frick Island in the middle of Chesapeake Bay is the creation of author Colleen Oakley, based on a somewhat similar island that really does exist in the Bay. When young novice report Anders Caldwell arrives at the island on a summer weekend to cover the annual Frick Island cake sale, he will learn more than just the facts about a dessert. He will see and feel for himself that no man is an island.

The setting of Frick Island is drawn in loving and specific detail. The caw of the seagulls, the worn out houses and shops like so many “Velveteen Rabbits”, the weathered waterman working on their trawlers at the small marina, and the changeable sea and sky set the scene perfectly. The many townsfolk are also well-presented, with their peculiar ways of seeing the world.

Anders expects to spend one dull afternoon on Frick Island, but he ends returning again and again. He is compelled to solve the mystery of pretty, young Piper Parrish and her apparent delusion. He begins to podcast about the conditions on Frick Island from the effects of global warming to the odd behavior of Piper and the townsfolk. Treated at first as a “ Come Here”, his awkward, careful manner begins to thaw the “From Here’s.”

Can Ander’s podcast help the people of Frick Island, or at least do something for Piper? Can Anders become more comfortable in his own skin? You will enjoy this sincere and charming story and you will see that life is more than the facts of “who”, “what,”where”, and “when”. Anders shows us that while it is hard to explain the “why”, love and hope can sometimes be enough when life ebbs and flows. When we push pass the things that divide us, we can move forward together.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance review copy. And much gratitude to Berkley Publishing Group for recommending “Frick Island” to me- I truly loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Anders Caldwell has wanted to be a journalist ever since he was a little boy. He didn't want to be Superman, he wanted to be Clark Kent. When covering an annual Cake Walk fund raiser on a local island leads him to discover a lovely young widow living as if her dead husband is still alive and right there beside her, and the entire town is playing right along with her, at first he just can't believe it. Then he thinks... what a story. This could shake up his world. Little does he know.
This is a fairly fluffy tale with a few twists that I have to admit I was not altogether happy with. No spoilers, but it took some of the emotional depth out of the story, allowed an entire issue to be bypassed so that a romance could be included in the story. There was excellent character development with Anders and Piper but all the other characters had original names but unfortunately interchangeable personalities. I enjoyed the book for the most part with minor quibbles. My copy was an ARC from NetGalley.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This author has written several other books, but this was my first time reading one of her books. Her characters are sweet and likable and it’s not too over the top on the romance factor which is a plus in my opinion. I would read more by this author in the future!

Review also published on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Sweet, Enchanting, and utterly Mesmerizing.

Oh, how I loved “The Invisible Husband of Frick Island!” What a sweet, captivating novel about extremely lovable unforgettable characters you can’t help but root for.

So unprepared was I, for how the characters of Piper Parrish and Anders Caldwell would steal my heart!

Piper Parrish lives on Frick Island, a tiny little island off of Chesapeake Bay. Frick Island is extraordinary, a charming, whimsical place where all of the townsfolks know and are invested in each other. There is no cell reception and almost no internet except for extremely slow dial-up in one of the town’s local shops. Technology is something these folks are not addicted to and the idea of it is absolutely refreshing.

Piper is happily married to her High School sweetheart Tom, a Waterman who loves the water, adores to read, and loves his wife desperately. Sadly, one day after going out on the water, Tom goes missing - his boat is found but he is not. Piper is devastated and almost can’t go on, until one day, something strange happens. She suddenly starts living her life as if Tom were by her side, talking to him, going out for walks with him, and going out to eat with him. Soon, everyone in the village is going along with it, yet no one discusses it.

Anders Caldwell is a reporter at a small-town paper in Maryland, sent to Frick Island to cover a story. While there, he becomes fascinated by the town and its inhabitants. In his spare time, Anders runs a Podcast and soon realizes that there is a story there. A new podcast emerges entitled “What the Frick?” which leads Anders to spend every weekend on the Island, becoming a local.

Adorably sweet and simply charming, “The Invisible Husband of Frick Island” is character-driven fiction that made me smile and yes, made tears fall as well. I adored the character of Anders, whose kindness, generosity and understanding swept me away. 4.25

This was a charming buddy read with Kaceey.

A huge thank you Stephanie Felty at Berkley Publishing Group (via NetGalley) for the arc. #blogblitz #blogger #bookreviewer

Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.

Well if you are looking for a heartwarming read that will wrap itself around your heart… look no further. You have found it right here with this gem of a read.

Piper Parrish grew up in a quaint community off Chesapeake Bay known as Frick island. No internet, no alcohol. A place where everyone knows each other.

Piper has lost her husband, to a boating accident, at a very young age. He was her life. All she knew. She is trying to put one foot in front of the other but is failing. Until one morning she wakes to see her husband Tom in bed with her. Piper is beyond the moon that Tom is home. Only no one else can see Tom except Piper. But the town loves their own and supports Piper in her beliefs that Tom is right there at her side.

Anders Caldwell is an up-and-coming reporter. He is assigned to cover the cake walk on Frick Island. When he meets Piper he is instantly smitten. But is struggling to understand her belief that Tom is alive and even more strange… that the town is going along with it!

Everybody grieves in their own way.

I loved every character in this book!

Piper was so endearing. You could see why her fellow islanders loved her so much that they went along with her beliefs.

Anders was so quirky. A lost boy who could take whatever the locals dished out to him.

There is laughter as well as tears. It’s a book that covers all the feels and leaves you with a smile on your face when you reach the end.

A buddy read with Susanne that we both enjoyed.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to Stephanie Felty, Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
(book will be out May, 2021)
Yes, it was the title that hooked me but the story reeled me in.
For so many of my cousins, the story takes place on an imaginary island in the Chesapeake Bay (not so different than Smith Island).
Piper Parrish's beloved husband, Tom was thought to be drowned while crabbing on stormy day. Two weeks later, Piper starts talking to her husband, Tom, and although no one else can see him, they go along with her and her invisible husband.
Anders Caldwell is a journalist/pod caster wannabe, sent to the island to cover the annual Frick Island Cake Walk. While there, he finds out some of the secrets of Frick Island . Anders starts to earn the trust of many of the islanders but his now very popular podcast is a betrayal.
It's a couple of love stories, a mystery and a pleasantly quirky tale.
I liked it!

I first fell in love with Colleen Oakley's writing when I read Close Enough to Touch: A Novel a few years ago. So I was eager to read her latest and I'm so glad I got an early peek!

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is such a great story. It's so creative and unique. Colleen really captured the small town feel and I enjoyed reading her author notes about what inspired Frick Island. The characters were so interesting and quirky. I especially loved Piper and how she processed her grief throughout the novel. The descriptions really brought everything to life and I could see all the people and settings clearly. There was even a mystery within the story.

Overall, a sweet and heartfelt novel that was hard to put down. I eagerly await what Colleen has next in store for her readers!

Movie casting ideas:
Piper: Madeleine Arthur
Anders: Nat Wolff
Tom: Luke Benward
Pearl: Melissa Leo
Jeffrey: Freddie Thorp
BobDan: John Kapelos
Jess: Allison Scagliotti
Piper's mom: Juno Rinaldi

Overall a great book.

If I’m honest it took a minute to really get into it, but about halfway through I needed to know what was happening next, and not just because of the investment of time. It picked up steam and really got interesting on that back half. And I can’t fault Oakley for it, because she was busy developing the setting of the island, which almost became a character in its own right. By the time the pace picked up I felt like I really knew where the story was taking place and why it mattered. The ending, while a little predictable, was satisfying and I realized the island may just be the most important character of all.

The only thing that I wish I could have done was take this book to the beach so I could dip my toes in the sand just like Piper. Looking back on my younger pre-kids life, I could have finished this book during a fun weekend trip enjoying the story along with the beautiful weather and a bottle of wine. So do that. Grab your favorite pinot noir, this book, and a weekender bag, and go sit on a marina where you can be surrounded by boats and sand, and just enjoy it. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island will be published just in time for a Memorial Day excursion! It won’t disappoint, just do it.

This premise of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley is so interesting, original and I can’t wait to see how this story comes together.

From the get-go, I am loving this little town. Frick Island is picturesque, quaint, fun, and from another time. The cast of characters here is unforgettable. From the ferry driver to the dentist who is now the surrogate MD, the diner & more. From the very first page, I can picture it and I want to visit.

“Just because we can’t see him, doesn’t mean Piper can’t.”
Now, we get to meet Piper & Tom. Poor Piper. Tom is lost at sea (we think), yet he is alive and well in Frick Island. His boat is docked and the townspeople wave and say hello to him as he “walks” with Piper. Is this just a way of her handling her grief? Is she having a mental breakdown? Why is everyone going along with this? Will this do her more harm than good for the townsfolk to play along. These are a few of the questions running through my head.



Then we have Anders. He visits the island for a story about the infamous Frick Island Cake Walk and is pulled back in by an anonymous email He pieces together what’s going in with Piper. He knows Tom isn’t real and isn’t sure if he will play along or not. What he will do, is create a podcast. The story of this island is something he feels he has to tell. This is his chance to really tackle storytelling and here walks in Piper believing that her missing husband is still living.

“There were more buried secrets on this island than on a sunken treasure ship and Anders was tired of uncovering them.”
Honestly, I feel like I hold my breath while reading these pages. I want the best for Piper and I want Anders to handle this situation delicately. I have no idea how it will pan out, but so many people can be damaged and hurt. I’m very invested in the well-being of Piper and everyone else on Frick Island.

For me, this is such a great story about grief, community, healing, love, and second chances. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley is truly a story to savor, enjoy and discuss.

Thank you, Berkley, for our gifted review copy.

It’s best to not know too much about this book going in. Here’s all you need: A young waterman never comes home after a bad storm. He’s presumed dead, but his wife, beloved on their very small island in Chesapeake Bay, carries on as though he’s still there and the whole town goes along with it. Then an earnest if misguided journalist and would-be podcaster stumbles on this story.

There are quirky (but not too quirky) characters, a gentle love story or two, grief, mystery, humor, and climate change.

This was a really lovely story that wasn’t exactly a capital R romance. And If you care, there was a little bit of cussing and no sex on the page, though the briefest of mentions.