A wonderful story of a young woman finding bonds across generations that tie her a past she
never knew existed.
When Kit's grandmother dies, she and her sister Clare are left to go through the house and decide what to keep and what to discard as they prepare to sell the home they grew up in after their parents were killed.
In searching through old letters, Kit finds some intriguingly mysterious references to a past and relationships that her grandmother apparently had one summer in the 50s on Martha's Vineyard. And even more shocking is the realization that her grandmother was actually on the cusp of Hollywood fame and had gone to the Vineyard for a brief reprieve from the siren call of stardom, for one summer.
Through back and forth, between then and now, the story of Mercy Welles is told and what a wonderful, absolutely interesting story it is. Callahan does a fabulous job of reeling you into the very heart of Mercy and Kit and brining their lives to life with stunningly in-depth detail and definitions.
If you have never visited MV, you will believe you have after reading this stunningly realistic back drop display.
Kit works to unravel the mystery of her grandmother and who she really was while trying to unravel her own
identity at the same time.
A stunner of av story and what a GREAT script it would make.
Hey Hollywood, are you paying attention??

I really enjoyed this book. I knew that the main characters were not going to stay together, it was in the opening chapter, yet I kept wondering what would drive them apart.

The author did a great job moving the story forward and highlighting the tension building around the island.
The love story, the intrigue, the horrible acts one does for family.

There was a few sticky points that really didn't need, like the sister telling a secret. Vera being paid off....why?

Overall I loved Mercy's story and would love to read more about it. I think that there is more to be told from Mercy.

Thank you NetGalley & Mariner Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Kit's grandmother dies, she is met not only with grief but with mystery. Kit discovers what seems to be a secret life her grandmother lived while she and her sister, Claire, clean out their grandmother's house to prepare to sell. Kit, mirroring her grandmother's tenacity and desire for answers, begins digging into a life she never knew existed.

With this dual time line novel, we get two spectacular point of views. We follow Kit's adventure in finding out her grandmother's secrets, and we also get her grandmother's story from the 1950's. What starts as an escape from Hollywood stardom, turns into a wonderful love story, and ends with a shocking twist of fate.

I absolutely LOVES this novel. The mystery behind Nan's past life drew me in instantly, but I stayed for the beautiful story of Mercy's rise and fall from fame. Mixed in with the romance and mystery is a bit of a thriller, and it's done so tastefully that it doesn't subtract from the story. It adds to it and makes it a perfect 5-star read.

This review can also be found on Goodreads.

Where to even begin with this book?! I was so pleasantly surprised, delighted, in love with the whole of it.

The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard is a dual timeline mystery that jumps between the 1950s life of Mercy Welles, an upcoming Hollywood starlet, and the present day life of her granddaughter, Kit. The prologue sucks you right into a high-anxiety chase scene -- and each chapter of the story only gives you just enough insight into each plot and character to not be completely trusting of anyone until the very end.

I LOVED the parallels between Kit and her grandmother - and I LOVED the subtle homages to my first & favorite mystery series of all time, Nancy Drew.

A well-written mystery with good pace - this was like the cross between a great Carolyn Keene and Taylor Jenkins Reid book. 10/10.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner books for gifting me my first ARC with this book. It will be hard for the subsequent ones to live up to this!

I’m a major sucker for a good mystery, so as soon as I read the description of The Lost Letters of Martha’s Vineyard, I knew I had to read this book! The story jumps between Hollywood and Martha’s Vineyard in 1959 and present day, but it does so in a way that’s not confusing at all. I found Mercy’s story so intriguing, as I love Hollywood at that time. And though it was only a small part of the story, it was just so glamorous and fun watching Mercy’s story unfold.

Even though part of this synopsis has been done many times, I loved how there was some mystery and even murder woven into the story. It was really interesting, kept me guessing, and was a refreshing take on the standard “discovering a hidden past of a family member” story.

If you love Hollywood and Martha’s Vineyard, or even just a good mystery, I highly recommend reading this one! Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner books for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I’m looking forward to reading more by Michael Callahan!

I needed a quick read and this book did the job. (this will be a good beach book next summer). Lost letters from the main characte's grandmother sets up the storyline. Hidden secrets and the choices that are made are revealed in the book. I loved the descriptions of Martha's Vineyard.