Our Place on the Island
Rating: 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading Our Place on the Island. It is a very slow paced novel and has a dual timeline. We get to see their present lives in 1999 and revisit Cora's past in 1948. I loved reading about their relationships between them, because it showed that no family is perfect. It showed me that things we hold back as secrets eventually come up and can create some hurt.
Overall, it was a good story. Check it out if you're interested in reading about family relations and how the past is not always how we remember it.

*I would have liked for the chapters to be labeled by who's POV were we going to read. It changed between Cora, Hedy and Michelle. The 1948 timeline is told by Cora's POV.

This was a really quick read. Told in two time frames. Current day Mickey is a chef and the the owner of a restaurant in Baltimore that's getting rave reviews. She's gotten behind on the bills which she has kept secret from the chef who is her boyfriend, Wes. She gets called away to Martha's Vineyard because her grandmother Cora is getting remarried. The other story told is of Cora coming to Martha's Vineyard for the firs time in 1948 as the new bride of the wealthy Harry. Mickey's mother Hedy was a Daddy's girl and isn't excited about the fact that her mother is getting remarried. Mickey and Cora have always been close, having learned her love of cooking from Cora. I liked that Cora made Mickey call Wes and tell him what was going on with the restaurant and that the resolution of the affect it would have on their relationship wasn't drawn out. There was definite, did they, didn't they regarding Cora and Max.

Can this book make me more of an emotional mess or what!!!!!!!!!! It was perfection, exactly what I needed in a summer read. We have Cora who is getting her second chance at love and getting married, her daughter Hedy isn't too comfortable with the idea and Michelle, her daughter, is going through her own thing with her new restaurant but she pulls through for her grandma. I love how we go back and forth between Cora and her life in the 40's, after the war when the men came back after women had to be put to work, and the struggles women went through in those times after the fact. I adored the romance in this book, from all aspects. I loved the traditions, and the little secrets that were revealed, the cooking, since Michelle is a chef, and I loved the sense of community. This book was so heartwarming. This was an amazing cozy summer read.

Thanks netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I really enjoyed this book. IT would be a great beach read. It’s got lot of cooking which made me hungry but in a good way.

In Our Place on the Island by Erika Montgomery coming out in June, Mickey Campbell has a big secret: her Baltimore restaurant Piquant is in serious financial trouble, and she is keeping it under wraps from her partner and fellow chef Wes Isaac. Mickey thought she could handle the business side of owning a restaurant but that is proving to be untrue as overdue invoices are piling up on her desk. A couple of vendors have already stopped delivery, and Wes wonders why.

A phone call from her mother Hedy prompts her to come to the family home in Martha’s Vineyard, the Beech House. The home has been in the family for generations but unbeknownst to Mickey, her widowed grandmother is going to sell the home as she begins a new life with a new husband. Mickey barely has any time to process these changes as the wedding is in a few days.

With her restaurant in the red, this is not the best time to leave it behind to head to Martha’s Vineyard, but Mickey will do about anything for her grandmother Cora. Both Mickey and her mother are uncomfortable with the wedding plans as they lost their grandfather and father only three years ago.

As the story plays out on a 1999 timeline, chapters are interwoven with a look at Cora and her husband Harry as they start their married life in the Beech House in 1948. Turns out Cora’s fiancé is Max Dempsey, the carpenter who remodeled Cora’s kitchen back then. Both felt flickers of infatuation during the renovation, but how far did they take it? Even neighbors noticed the amount of time Max was spending at the house when Harry was away on business back in the early days of their marriage, and the current gossip in town is that Cora is marrying “the one who got away,” which requires an explanation to both Mickey and her mother.

How will Mickey and Hedy be able to cope with this remarriage especially now with the news of a possible scandal? What will Mickey and Wes do about their restaurant? What chance is there to keep the Beech House in the family?

A native New Englander, Erika Montgomery currently lives with her family in the Mid-Atlantic. Her debut novel A Summer to Remember was published in 2021. In addition to penning books, she teaches creative writing, collects sea glass, and watches old movies.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 9, 2023.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

If you enjoy a dual timeline multigenerational family drama, this is the book for you! Three generations of Campbell women trying to find their place in the world while always knowing they can come home to Beech House on Martha’s Vineyard. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend as a beach read!

I enjoyed Montgomery‘s debut novel, A Summer to Remember, so I was excited to receive the arc for this book!

Our Place on the Island is told in dual timelines (1999 & 1948) and with three different pov (Mickey, Hedy, and Cora). The three generations of Campbell Women. It takes place in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts and totally gives all the beach vibes.

This book explores second chance romance, mother-daughter relationships, family relationships and the love for cooking. We get to see Cora fall in love with her renovated kitchen. We see Mickey struggle with keeping her restaurant afloat, and Hedy struggling with her mom’s upcoming wedding. Each women faces difficult life decisions where they seek their family for support.

I thought this was a great, light, summer read. I fell in love the Campbell women and Beech House. ❤️ Make sure to add this to your TBR for this summer! ☀️

[ Thank you to the publisher & netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

This was a slow burn that didn't quite grab my attention at first but as I continued reading I realized at some point I grew really attached to the main characters and really enjoyed the way the story unfolded.

This is the story of three women - Cora, the grandmother, Hedy, the mom, and Mickey the daughter. They are brought together for Cora's wedding to Max after her husband/Hedy's dad has passed. I loved the story of Max and Cora and I'm glad they reunited later in life. I would have been happy with just a story on the two of them and I wanted more of their relationship and how they reunited. I also loved Mickey and Wes's relationship and I also wanted more from them! Basically, I wanted the book to be another 100 pages or it to be a triology haha. Cooking was also a big part of the book but I didn't really pay that much attention to it because I enjoyed all the relationships - romantic, familial and friendship. I wanted more from it all!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Our Place on the Island is the second book written by author Erika Montgomery. After reading A Summer to Remember and enjoying it like I did, I was thrilled to have received a widget from St. Martin’s Press inviting me to read Our Place on the Island. This story takes place on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s a dual timeline story that centers around 3 female generations of the Campbell family. Cora, the grandmother, Heady, the mother, and Michelle or Mickey as she’s called, the granddaughter. They all come together at their family cottage called Beech House in preparation for Cora’s second marriage. This family learns that it’s never too late to start a new chapter in life. This was a great read, I loved both the location and the characters. The love and connection that these women felt for each other was both beautiful and inspiring. I felt such deep respect for Cora, the way she chose to live her life after being treated the way she was by the islanders. She always made the best of it. And to have felt such an attraction to Max but never to have acted on it was highly repectful. She was a remarkable woman. This is a great story and it’s one I’ll be recommending to all my reader friends. I’d like to thank Kejana Ayala, Marketing Coordinator at St. Martin’s Press for the invite and NetGalley for the arc. I really enjoyed reading this and I’m giving it a 5 star rating. I look forward to reading more by Erika Montgomery in the future.

This moves between 1948 and 1999 to tell the stories of three women-Cora, her daughter Hedy, and her granddaughter Mickey., And they all have secrets. Cora arrived on Martha's Vineyard as a young bride and she struggled, Now, she's marrying again at the age of 78 and she's much more confident- confident enough to tell Hedy and Mickey her secrets (no spoilers). Mickey is a chef who doesn't want to tell her partner that their restaurant is about go belly up, despite its popularity. And Hedy has one too (no spoilers). This has a good spirit of family reconciliation. And the food! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good summer read that will be equally welcome on a cold day.

This home sounds amazing and a wonderful gathering place. This book is a story of the early days of Cora coming to the island and the story of her 50 years later as she remarries. Harry is domineering and stuck in old friendships. Cora is not accepted but Harry doesn't seem to get it. Cora has more of a friendship with they guy doing a kitchen update. Cora's granddaughter Mickey also has a story. I found the book interesting and I was entertained.

Thank you SMP and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Our Place on the Island is not my favorite. I found it to be boring and also confusing as its plot felt as if it had no purpose…

Is Our Place suppose to be a family drama with a bunch of character growth? I felt as if most of the characters did not grow. Is it supposed to be a historical fiction of the wealthy class on an island with a dual timeline of 1948 and 1999? If so, the characters felt snobby and therefore unlikeable (except for Max). Is it a story about “fitting” in? Is it supposed to be a homage to cooking, chefs and foodies?

I don’t know. I really don’t.

Our Place on The Island is a feel good story about three generations of women and their connection to a town they all love. Beech House means different things to each woman but when the day comes that Beech House must get a new start everyone knows what it should be next. Grandma Cora owns the home and has made it her labor of love. The kitchen and it's handsome contractor go back to Cora's first days of moving to the house and now the two will be married. Cora's daughter Hedy has so many questions about her father who passed and the contractor who her mother knew back then and is now marrying so late in life. Was her mother unfaithful to her father? For granddaughter Mickey Beech House is a place that has always felt like home. Becoming a chef and spending her childhood in Grandma Cora's kitchen are some of the best memories. Mickey owns her own restaurant but is to afraid to share with her family that the business is failing. The food, her staff, her boyfriend...everything is right but they can't seem to get out of the red.
With Grandma Cora's quick nuptials Mickey and Hedy must head to the Island. The time spent with family will help all three of the women come to terms with the past and the present and decide what will happen with Beech House. It will be a time of renewed happiness in all three women's lives.

🚢Compelling multi generational family saga🏖

Superb storytelling women's fiction that I could not put down. It features three generations of a family rooted on the shores of Martha's Vineyard reuniting for a second chance wedding of their widowed matriarch. I loved the setting, the challenges Cora, Hedy and Mickey face and the way they support each other through difficult transitions.

Of the three women, Cora's life story really held me the most. She comes in 1948 to the island as a young bride from modest circumstances who finds it hard to settle in to the insular, country club society that is an integral part of Harry, her wealthy husband. Her story also touched me because she exemplifies many of the women who found employment and a new purpose during WWII and then suddenly had to surrender it all when the war ended and the men returned. In her case, she is also expected to act like it never happened, something that really goes against the grain as she carries such fond memories of her days in her uncle's restaurant business. Cora is the kind, giving and down to earth woman who really holds the family together and food is the not-so-secret main ingredient to her success.

The novel transitions back and forth from 1948 to 1999, incorporating romance, disappointments and an intense love of cooking for Cora and granddaughter Mickey. The author built love, comfort and sharing into Cora's kitchen. Cora's connection with Max, the carpenter-builder who remodels her kitchen with such care, was bittersweet but my favorite part of the book. I loved how the author brought them their long-delayed HEA.

This story earns a definite thumbs up and recommendation from me. Thanks to St. Martin's Publications and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I enjoyed this story of three generations of women. The dual timelines are nearly 50 years earlier, during Cora's first summer at Beech House, and the week leading up to Cora's second wedding in 1999 as she brings her daughter and granddaughter to the house.
The three women have complicated relationships with one another, and their views on love and relationships have been influenced by the generations before them. Hedy is struggling with aging and the idea of her mother marrying someone new in the house that belonged to her beloved father and his family. Mickey loves her boyfriend but has kept a huge secret from him and uses the trip to escape her reality.
This was a quick read but very interesting, and I enjoyed learning more about these women. I wish there had been a little more about Cora in the present day, because the chapters about her first summer were great. I'd also have loved a bit more info on some things that took place with her between that early summer and now. But overall, it was a good story and enjoyable read.

I enjoyed the stories of Cora and Mickey. The book was predominately about Cora and Mickey's story felt secondary. The slice of Hedy's story was slim. I did enjoy the stories and they weaved together well. Overall, it was a feel-good story with a hopeful ending. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the free book.
Cora, Hedy, and Mickey are the women in this story told through their POVs. They are grandmother, mother, and daughter. Hedy and Mickey are called back to Beech House on Martha's Vineyard when Cora decides to get remarried in her seventies. I loved that Cora was doing what she wanted. I like reading stories when people find love later in life. Cora also has a POV set in 1948 that shows how she came to the island and how her first marriage was. I was so surprised and happy with how this plot line came along. Some characters surprised me, while others I liked right away. There's a food plot line in this book that made me hungry while reading. Mickey owns a restaurant and learned to cook from Cora and the bonding that happened in their kitchen was so relatable to me cooking with my grandmothers. I also liked Hedy's growth - as a mom and daughter. The dynamics in these different mother/daughter relationships kept the book interesting and engaging. I enjoyed this author before and I can't wait to read her again.

I really enjoy stories about women and their relationships with each other so this tale of a woman coming back home for her grandmothers wedding and the dynamic between three generations of women and their friends on the island was so enjoyable. I loved how it unfolded around kitchens and food and how it also came together in the same setting.

This is a dual timeline (1948/1999) story featuring grandmother Cora and granddaughter Mickey centered around their ancestral home Beech House on Martha’s Vineyard.

Cora is shown as a young devoted wife who is daunted by her wealthy husband’s friends and lifestyle on the island. Almost unwillingly she finds herself drawn to a local carpenter who renovates her new beloved kitchen sanctuary. Decades later, she has another chance at love.

Foremost a chef, Mickey has made management mistakes with her and her boyfriend chef’s upscale restaurant. She must figure out a way to save both her dream job and her broken trust relationship.

As two families gather to celebrate a momentous event, misunderstandings ensue, surprises (both good and bad) are revealed and new beginnings look to be on the horizon.

This was an average book for me. Fairly predictable and a little too convenient in some of its plot line. However, Cora’s and Mickey’s shared love of cooking (as well as their devotion to each other) bumped it up a bit in my esteem.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing the free early arc of Our Place on the Island for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Our Place on the Island is the perfect beach read. Set in Martha's Vineyard with sand and beaches in tow.

Cora, the family matriarch is getting remarried.
Hedy, Cora's daughter is struggling with her mother replacing her beloved father.
Mickey, Cora's granddaughter, has always been close to Cora.

Each of the Campbell women have had their struggles and secrets over the years and are working through them in their own way.

Set in dual timelines. I liked reading about Cora's beginnings in the community and her fear of not fitting in. I also would love to see her beloved kitchen island.

All the characters were real to life and the story is totally believable. A great book to read when you need an escape from life and just want to relax and enjoy a heartwarming story.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the arc.