Pub date: 5/23/23
Genre: beach read, family drama
Quick summary: Book editor Julia passed away at 37 - but she'll get one last summer on her beloved Fire Island as she follows the (mis)adventures of her husband Ben, her best friend, her neighbor, and two teenagers.

Rosen captured the beachy vibes so well here! I loved the descriptions of Fire Island - she definitely made me feel like I was summering there. GOLDEN GIRL also used the afterlife conceit, and I was intrigued by the concept of Julia narrating the summer. Ultimately, this book was too character-driven for me - there wasn't much plot, and I kept waiting for a "big summer event" to bring everything together. There were also a lot of characters, and I didn't feel well connected to them because I was experiencing their thoughts indirectly, through Julia.

That being said, the other reviews for this book are glowing, so it seems I'm a bit of an outlier! If you enjoy beachy slice-of-life novels, you may enjoy this one more than I did!

Thank you to Berkley and Let's Talk Books Promo for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an enjoyable book! The perfect summer read that will easily make you smile while also getting a little teary eyed

I’ve always envied those who are able to have a home away from home. Julia unfortunately has passed in her mid 30s from cancer. She has the choice to quickly follow the light but she wants one last summer, on Fire Island

Her husband Ben is having an extremely difficult time grieving her passing. But with the help of his neighbors that also call the island home, he slowly begins to like life again.

Told from the view of Julia watching the summer days go on behind the scenes in a sort of limbo, she hopes to see her husband find a purpose to continue on life without her

Imagine spending a few months watching over your loved ones after you die before moving on to the afterlife. This story was about a book editor who spends one last summer on Fire Island after her death watching her husband and friends as they navigate through life without her. It was such a poignant and heartwarming story, giving you that magical feeling (although no magic involved). The story had me smiling, laughing and crying throughout bringing all the emotions. It was such a lighthearted read with a little heavy undertones because death isn’t easy for anyone. I absolutely loved it and read it so quickly because I just could not put it down.

Julia dies at the age of 37. Instead of following the light, she decides to stay around and spend one last summer on Fire Island, her favorite place. She follows her husband and along with other residents of the island.

Despite the subject matter, this isn’t a sad book. It’s thoughtful and beautifully written with a dynamic cast of characters and some laugh out loud moments. On Julia’s journey over the summer, she learns the impact of those that she made on others. It’s a touching story of marriage, friendship and grief and the ending was full of hope. I recommend it to those enjoy books of nostalgia and reflection of life.

Julia's much loved husband Ben flees their apartment where he's meant to be sitting shiva for her for Fire Island, where they spent their happiest days - and she follows. Yes, she's dead and she's able to watch as he navigates a new life. First and foremost, when he discovers their neighbor Shep, the man from whom they bought the house, sleeping in his bed because Shep can't stand the silence in his new house across the street since his own wife died 6 months earlier. And then there's Matty, whose parents have separated and whose mom, once Julia's best friend, has suddenly started up with Gabe, a younger musician. Matty, Shep, and Ben find solace with the men they play ball with and with each other. Julia narrates this and it does move back and forth in time a bit to tell her story with Ben (and the heartbreak of how they discovered she had cancer), a conceit that works well. This is funny (there's a sequence of Matty and contraceptives), there's pathos, there's a baseball player who makes the best sandwiches, and there's a huge heart. It's very much about the family we make, grief, and love. Rosen has a talent for creating believable characters you'll root for as they deal with the really hard parts of life and this novel is no exception. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley. However the review is unbiased. I loved the concept of this book. I found it unique. And most of the time this concept well executed. This book was well written, but at times was a bit slow. Overall, I found myself thinking about what happens after death a lot during this book.

I fell in love with this book from the prologue.

On Fire Island is magical and heartwarming. Such a very special story.

Following her sudden death at 37, Julia spends her summer at her favorite place, Fire Island. The love her life, Ben, is reeling from the loss. In an attempt to get away, he escapes Shiva. Legit runs away to fire island. Unfortunately he isn't alone for long.

There is a wonderful cast of characters including teenager Matty trying to lose his virginity and Shep, and older man going through his own grief.

Despite the constant undertone of grief, this is a story of hope and happiness. A story of moving forward, but not fully letting go. And simply a story of love.

I loved it. It will stay with me for a long time.

I had a difficult time with this book. It bums me out as I was really looking forward to it.

Julia, 37, passes away from cancer. Instead of moving on to see those that have already passed on, she decides to stick around with her husband for one last summer on their beloved Fire Island.

I didn't enjoy the story told completely through Julia. It had a lot of internal thoughts and not a lot of dialogue. It felt very disconnected to me. Plus, there wasn't much of a plot beyond how life and Ben move on after her death.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

On Fire Island by Jane Rosen is a beautiful book! I have a feeling this will be a top book of 2023.

I was a little nervous when the second chapter starts with Julia's funeral. The way I read the synopsis is that it was one last summer on Fire Island before Julia dies, but the story is mostly through Julia's viewpoint after she's died. I was pleasantly surprised since I'm not usually a ghost fan and I hated Golden Girl which has similar vibes.

The unlikely trio of Ben, Shep and Matty were incredible. The way she wrote about grief and other tough topics along with how seamlessly she also had comedic scenes was a perfect blend. The Whack-A-Mole with the tomatoes! Fire Island was the perfect setting and now I want to spend the summer there, especially if these characters are my neighbors!

I thought I'd probably cry this entire book, but I only cried at the end. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. I highly recommend picking this up if you're looking for a wonderfully written book about life, moving on and the people and places you love.

Thanks to @berkleypub for my copy of On Fire Island. It comes out on Tuesday - May 23rd.

I sort of went into this one blind - my first time reading this author and I didn't really read the synposis.

When I realize that our narrator, Julia, has passed away at 37, leaving behind her husband in his grief, I thought this would be terribly sad. And while it was sad, it was also hopeful and loving and found family and community.

Although Julia has passed, she is still in a bit of limbo and able to be on Fire Island for one last summer, keeping an eye on Ben as he deals with her loss.

The other characters who inhabit Fire Island were an amazing bunch. They surround Ben and care for him as he learns to live without Julia. Shep won my heart, and the mom in me wanted to adopt Matty.

And while this book deals with grief, there were some very funny scenes. Because that's what life is - sometimes it's sad, sometimes you laugh. This book was very well written and I will definitely be checking out more by this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and Let's Talk Books Promo for an ARC and for allowing me to be a part of this Berkley Buddy Read!

On Fire Island is told from the point of view of the deceased as she narrates the days/months since her passing. We see her husband, friends and family navigate their lives without her in their orbit. Julia experiences once last trip to the island that holds so many memories for her before her spirit passes through the next realm of life.

This story was heartwarming, heart wrenching and romantic all in the same breath. Grief was portrayed in such a realistic approach that the reader felt every emotion. Honestly, I need another book to see how this wonderful cast of characters fairs the following summer on Fire Island.

Thank you Berkley for the complimentary copy.

Thank you Berkley for the review copy of On Fire Island. This is the kind of book that, even with heavy topics (cancer, fertility, marital/relationship strains), made me somehow nostalgic for memories, feelings even, and also was heartwarming with moments of connection, honesty, and simply with relatable writing and characters. This is definitely a great option for readers looking for a book that wraps you up in the story, in the characters, the type of book that is great for a long plane ride, a weekend getaway, or those cozy stormy weekend afternoons with a blanket, tea, and a good, heart tug of a book.

Also a great option for book clubs, the topics are handled with grace and the character development, the focus on stories and books and family/friends... all really great for book clubs looking for a summer read!

I appreciate Berkley for offering me this copy and look forward to supporting more books from Jane L Rosen!

Looking for an unconventional summer story? Toss ON FIRE ISLAND into your beach bag and get lost in an unexpectedly heartwarming story about love, grief, the people that make our lives full.

The story follows book editor Julia Morse and her untimely death from cancer at the age of 37 and novelist husband Ben who is left to pick up the pieces. Before saying her final goodbye, Julia spends one more summer on her beloved Fire Island to ensure her loved ones are able to move forward in the aftermath of her passing.

While the musings of a woman speaking from beyond the grave may not strike you as beach read material, the writing has a wistful quality that doesn’t come across as morbid or flippant.
Jane Rosen takes death, a seemingly dark theme, and skillfully turns it into a heartfelt and delightful reading experience.

Brimming with nostalgia, FIRE ISLAND asks readers to contemplate our own legacies and the monumental and minute ways we can impact those around us.

READ ON FIRE ISLAND IF:
You love a bighearted novel with potential to make you laugh and cry
The striking Fire Island setting beckons you
You don’t mind suspending a bit of disbelief

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: May 23, 2023

Thank you for my copy of "On Fire Island".

Have you ever wondered what people would say about you when you move on from this world? Well, this book covers that and more.

Julia gets a chance to linger in her world after her death and she gets to witness not just her family and friends' reactions at her funeral, but she also get a chance to "visit" with them as they move on from her death.

"On Fire Island" presents a cast of characters that add vim and vitality (and lots of color!) for us, the readers, to be enthralled voyeurs of their lives. There's the grieving writer-husband Ben who tries to deal with the loss of Julia; there's Shep, who temporarily moves in with Ben to be a bed-mate (you gotta read it, to believe it) and sometimes comic relief with his playlists and his mission to get rid of his trike; Pan and Andie with their chubby baby Oliver who takes Ben out of his comfort zone, whilst introducing him to a possible new "friend"; Matty who is going through his parents' painful divorce; Renee, mother of Matty, who hooks up with a barefoot musician after her messy divorce from Tuck (who had left his wife for a much-younger Lola); and there's Dylan, Matty's best friend, who is getting herself ready to leave Fire Island for college. It is a motley crew of people whom you wish you could spy on, be a fly on the wall for, or just be a hovering spirit who is just having the time of her life saying goodbye by watching her friends tie up their loose ends on earth.

It is a delightful, fun, easy-to-read story, that you will literally want to take to the beach.

My second book in a month to read about Fire Island, an island that New Yorkers escape to in the summer. This gave me all the vibes of summer reading best enjoyed next to a body of water-readers choice! It has depth and reality, but also good character development and enough drama to keep one entertained!

The narration of story is what makes this so unique. It's a recently dead woman, Julia, who died of cancer at the young age of 37. Instead of "moving on", she remains amongst her loved ones and watches their summer play out on Fire Island. We watch her husband, friend and neighbors go about their lives as seen through her eyes, watching.

A solid choice for a summer getaway read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advance e-copy of this book.

I can’t finish this one, due to the death content. I did not realize it was so heavily from her perspective and that’s a bit triggering for me. I am so sorry! I am sure the writing is wonderful!

I really wanted to love this book! I was hooked and totally in love with the first 40% of this novel, but was a bit bored by the middle portion of the book. This book was all about telling and not much showing. The premise is super intriguing and unique. I think I was a bit let down because I assumed the book would be a bit more like Pack Up the Moon, which I loved. However, I do want to bump the book up a star because the writing is fantastic and I LOVED the Jewish rep.

Read if you like:
♥️ Books with Heart
👻 Narration by a Ghost
✡️ Jewish Rep
😢 Grief
🏖️ Summer at the Beach

This book! I am so glad that I gave this heartwarming book a chance! It wasn’t at all what I expected yet it was so much more than I could have asked for.

The author handles heavy topics so well and wrote a truly beautiful book.

I will be thinking of Julia’s summer on Fire Island for a long time to come as it was just such a well written and heartfelt story.

Thank you so much to Berkley for my ARC in exchange for my review! I highly recommend snagging a copy of this one once it publishes!

I received a gifted galley of ON FIRE ISLAND by Jane L. Rosen for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, PRH Audio, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

ON FIRE ISLAND follows Julia, a book editor and wife and friend who loses her life at thirty-seven to cancer. Her favorite place to spend time was at her Fire Island cottage, so after her death when she has the opportunity to stick around, she does so. Julia narrates the book from beyond the grave, watching as her beloved author husband Ben and those in their community face their grief and spend the summer adjusting to their new normal.

I really didn’t know what to expect coming into this book and I found it to be a very unique approach to telling such a heartbreaking story. Losing Julia was tough on so many people, including Julia herself. That said, I think the narrator of the story doesn’t entirely come across heartbroken? I think there is a sense of peace in her narration as she tells us her story before her death and the story of those she’s observing after.

This is very much a slice of life type of book without really much of a plot. I have to say I struggled a little bit with tracking the different characters and their relationships and wished a little bit more for a cohesive plot to bring things together a bit more. That said, it was very beautifully written and once I got to know the different characters better through their ups and downs, I did find the relationships to be very well done.

This was a very beautiful read overall!

I loved this one so much. I loved the writing of this one. I loved the way the author tied in the spiritual aspect of mourning to throughout the story. The setting of Fire Island was amazing and I loved every character. The writing sucked me in from the very first page and I loved it so much.