Loved this story and the WWII parallels to today - we should listen to women! The back and forth between years past and present day had me hooked and truly enjoying this one.

A WWII novel by author of the Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly, based in part on her own family history. With spies and military training for D-Day on the small island, this story documented a little-known slice of history and was both charmingly told and well-researched for historical accuracy. The tale of sisters Patience and Briar Smith, who start a wartime mostly-family female book club, is told through the eyes of Mari from 2016. A mystery and a book about books; what's not to love?

“Books have a way of healing places we didn’t even know were hurting.”

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly.

This uplifting multi-generational beach read follows a group of women whose bond is built through books, beachside gatherings, and shared pasts. It explores friendship, resilience, and healing after heartbreak with warm, comforting writing and a summery setting you’ll want to linger in. Perfect for fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Kristy Woodson Harvey.

I’ll be sharing this review on Goodreads, Instagram, StoryGraph, B&N, and Amazon.

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for gifted copy of this new title! I am the biggest Martha Hall Kelly, and maybe I am just comparing her too much to herself, but this title was my least favorite of her novels. I did not feel as connected with the characters as her other novels and felt some storylines hard to believe. That being said, it is a time period and history I was not familiar with, and as always, love her ability to transport me back to a different time and place! Of all of her books, this would be the best "beach read".

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club is a very enjoyable and well-researched historical fiction told from multiple points-of-view and with a dual timeline. Most of the timeline is set during WWII, the modern day seemed used more as an opening and closing to the story. The novel contains a great cast of characters, a beautiful setting, and a bit of mystery and romance. I've read many WWII novels yet was pleasantly surprised with the new-to-me material this covered. The author's note at the end of the book was a nice bonus for its historical information.. All-in-all this was a great story for kicking off my summer reading! I highly recommend this novel for those who enjoy historical fiction, WWII fiction, and for book clubs.

Thank you to Martha Hall Kelly, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club is a light, breezy read—even though it weaves in a fair amount of history.
I loved the Martha’s Vineyard setting; it gives WWII fiction a refreshing twist. The historical elements felt mostly believable, though some parts of the plot definitely stretched reality... just super far fetched.

The wartime sisters, Cadence and Briar, were a highlight for me. Two orphaned teens on a struggling island farm—one clever and bookish, writing a charming column called Up-Island Happenings, the other a 16-year-old tree-climbing genius detective in men’s clothes.
The modern-day storyline with Mari didn’t land for me, though. I felt disconnected from her, and the writing in that part just didn’t feel convincing. Honestly, that timeline felt a bit cliché and uninspired. I needed to see more of her.

Luckily, the historical timeline dominates most of the book, and it has enough literary love and charm to keep things interesting. That said, I couldn’t quite get behind the way the two timelines came together, especially the tie-in with Elizabeth and Mari at the end.

This was a true “in-between” read for me. Not forgettable, but not a favorite either. Some parts I really enjoyed; others made me roll my eyes. I wouldn’t talk anyone out of reading it—but I wouldn’t be rushing to recommend it either. Solid three stars.

I don't read much historical fiction but HIGHLY recommend this completely charming book set in Martha's Vineyard during World War II. It follows a trio of young women who are trying to hold down the fort at home, enjoy their youth at a terribly trying time, and support their town, their country, and their loved ones.

The book is told as a frame story, in which a modern (2016) young woman arrives at the Vineyard to meet a painter and learns about her own connection to the island. I honestly did not need that part of the story, but didn't mind it either. Once the narrative moved to the early 1940s, I was hooked. The Smith sisters, Cadence and Briar, and their friend Bess, are a tight trio. Cadence wants to be a journalist, Bess is waiting for her soldier boyfriend (the sisters's brother) to return home from the war, and Briar is convinced that a German U Boat is lurking outside the island, but no one will believe her.

Such a heartwarming and completely transporting story!

Set against the stunning backdrop of Martha’s Vineyard during World War II, Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Bookclub offers a unique and intimate perspective on the home front. The story follows two sisters, Cadance and Briar, as they struggle to keep their family farm running.. While Cadence struggles of farm life, she decides to start a book club where they collecting and creating books for the soldiers. The books they create are in high demand and printing in a way that is small and more easily carried.

While I enjoyed the unique details of this book and always enjoy Martha Hall Kelly’s work this one wasn’t a 5 star read for me. It just didn’t hold my interest to the level that her books normally do. Did I regret the time I spent with the book-no but it won’t go onto my list of favorite books.

Really enjoyed this dual timeline historical fiction set in Martha’s Vineyard. Took me about 1/4 of the way in to get hooked, partly because I was expecting more back & forth between timelines, but the middle of the book heavily takes place in the past during WWII. There’ are interesting characters, a bit of family mystery and romance, and the author clearly did her research on life on Martha’s Vineyard during the war.

"The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club" is a dual-timeline story, with one timeline during the early days of WWII and the other being in 2016.

The story starts in 2016, when a grieving Mari Starwood sets out to discover why her recently deceased mother had planned to meet the reclusive artist, Mrs. Devereaux, on Martha's Vineyard. But she is ill-prepared to handle what she finds out.

In order to explain why Mari's mother was coming to visit her, Mrs. Devereaux shares an intricate tale of the role the Smith family of Martha's Vineyard had played in WWII. Two teenage girls, Cadence and Briar Smith, are tasked with keeping the family farm going while their brother Tom heads off to war. However, Cadence dreams of leaving the island to head to NYC and pursue a career in publishing, while Briar as a bit of a reputation for crying wolf one too many times (even though she was right every single time!) by calling in sightings of a German U-boat off the shoreline near their farm.

Soon after Tom leaves, and while Briar is still mourning the loss of her German neighbor and friend, Briar finds a wounded defector that puts the family at risk. And as they nurse Peter back to health, he shares crucial information he has with them, unfurling a mystery that Briar is determined to solve in addition to discovering who killed their neighbor. But danger lurks at every turn, and it's hard for the girls to know who they can trust.

And as Mrs. Devereaux's story comes to its conclusion, it gives Mari the answers she was looking for as well as leaving her with some life-altering choices to make.

Overall, I found the story to be engaging, but the story was told through multiple character viewpoints, which could be a bit jarring at times. It was usually fairly easy to tell which time you were in, but within the WWII timeline, there were at least three different characters who narrated those chapters.

I will say that I was tickled when I read in the acknowledgments that the author's hometown bookstore was my childhood hometown bookstore. So the shout-out to the Hickory Stick Bookshop was a small thrill for me.

Thanks to Martha Hall Kelly, Random House, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I enjoyed this historical fiction summer read! The characters were easy to connect to. I enjoyed the dual time periods in the book as well!

The setting was beautifully crafted — immediately transporting me into summer mode. It made me want to pack a bag and head to Martha’s Vineyard!

It’s a quick read, but in the best way: I flew through the pages!

Thanks NetGalley for this copy of The Martha’s Vineyard Beach Bookclub.
I seem to read a bunch of WWII stories and really appreciate how this one differs from others that I have read. Taking place on Martha’s Vineyard the author, Martha Hall Kelly, did a great job alternating timelines and using historical accounting to tell this story.
So interesting to read about the war effort and how the islanders lived during this period of time. Character development was well done and the story had good tension.
Some things I had a little consternation about were how many obstacles were thrown in their way and how easily they were able to solve them. The ending wrapped up quickly and that felt a little rushed. I would have liked a bit more there of the lives after the war.
The author does a nice summary at the end to help wrap it up a bit more.
I enjoyed this book and will look to see other titles by this author.

While I typically avoid WWII fiction due to its emotional weight and frequent repetition, I couldn’t resist this title and it's beautiful cover—and I’m glad I gave it a try, even if it didn’t completely work for me.

The book weaves between 1942 and 2016, following two sisters, Cadence and Briar, as they struggle to hold their family together on Martha’s Vineyard during the war, and Mari, a woman in present day trying to piece together her family’s past after her mother’s death. I enjoy dual-timeline narratives and character-driven stories, but this one felt overly ambitious. The plot jumped frequently, making it hard to track at times, and the characters bordered on caricature.

That said, I appreciated the setting and the premise. There’s a good story buried in there—it just needed a more streamlined execution. I think fans of light historical fiction or coastal settings might enjoy it more than I did.

Book: The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club
Author: Martha Hall Kelly
Format: Digital
Genre: Historical Fiction
Places Featured: Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Review Score: ★★★½ (rounded down)

This book was not exactly what I thought it was going to be--a lot of discussion of books amidst WWII on Martha's Vineyard. There was a lot about books, but mostly just titles. But that was ok as there was soooooooo much happening in this book. Ms. Kelly, in her notes explains through her research there was a possibility of U boats off the island's coast as well as nazi sympathizers on shore and American soldiers practicing for D-Day on the Vineyard beaches. This book was narrated by different women, but yet they seemed to play off of each other. It is also a split timeline and although the reader may suspect who thet mysterious Mrs. Devereaux, it is only at the end of the book we learn her identity. The ending is quite bittersweet, but it is probably more realistic then if everything worked out perfectly. The notes at the end of the book are highly recommended as it gives the reader a whole larger perspective to the story.

Told from two different timelines, though mostly in the past, Mari Starwood is trying to find out why her recently deceased mother has a connection to a famous Vineyard painter, Elizabeth Devereaux. While out on the island, Ms. D tells Mari a story set back in the last few years of WWII. How the Smith family, Grandma Ginny, Briar, Cadence and their friend Bess manage to survive while their brother Tom is shipped off. It's a book club book, historical fiction/WWII book and a book about persevering.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Readers won’t want to miss Martha Hall Kelly’s latest release, THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD BEACH AND BOOK CLUB!! Travel back to Martha’s Vineyard during World War II to learn the role the Island played in training cadets to go to Europe and storm the beaches of Normandy, all while German U-boats were lurking just offshore! Learn about women working at Putnam’s publishing house in NY during those days and its company yacht the Never Moor, as well as Putnam’s role and 70 other publishing houses in publishing ASEs (Armed Services Editions) for the troops (paperback copies of books able to be carried in their pockets or packs). Get lost in the characters Kelly makes easy to fall in love with….and let me know if you agree that the unique and spunky character of Briar reminds you of the young girl in the movie Hope Floats?!! This novel is one close to Martha Hall Kelly’s heart and infused with such care and love, with much of the story, characters, and places being based on her own family and their history on Martha’s Vineyard. This is definitely a read you still have time to throw in your beach bag for the last month of summer sun!

This historical fiction book takes place on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II. It shows how the war affected people on the island, even though there are no battle scenes. The story follows sisters Cadence and Briar, their friend Bess, and a book club they start to support soldiers. There’s also a modern-day part set in 2016, where a woman named Mari visits the island to learn about her mother’s past. The book is touching, with mystery, friendship, and great book references, especially *The Great Gatsby*. The cover looks light, but the story is deeper and emotional.

The storytelling in this novel grabs you from the start and keeps surprising you throughout. The dual timelines effectively show the connections between the characters, and each character introduced serves a clear purpose, is fully developed, and well-defined. You're frustrated for Cadence, worried for the family as a whole, and rooting for Briar - all characters are portrayed in a beautiful and engaging way that pulls you into their historical period and links it to the present day activities.

I cannot wait to explore other titles by Martha Hall Kelly - The Lilac Girls has been on my TBR for years at this point but having read this novel, I'll be moving it to the top. Looking forward to reading more well-written historical fiction.

This book restarted my love for historical fiction type books..thank you! This book captured my attentiom from the start and I quickly finished it because I had to know how the story ended. I loved the multiple POV's...they were clear, well writtened and easy to follow. It really worked for me. I enjoyed the characters...especially the sisters. The author did a wonderful job telling a story about a family torn apart by war and by the social expectations and prejudices of the time. I really enjoyed how the book focused on the military drills and spy boats that happened on Martha's Vineyard...I had no idea this happened and enjoyed a different angle from this war time period. Two sisters, a book club, a brother sent to war, a mysterious solider who washed up ashore, a spy, some romance, some grief. This book has it all. I rated this a 5 star book on my Goodreads and have already posted to my socials as a must read. I can not wait to read this autbor's other work.

Another amazing book from one of my favorite authors. Martha Hall Kelly continues to teach me new things while entertaining me.
The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club take place on Martha’s Vineyard during the 1940s. It told a story of Germans on American soil during the war. Something I did not know.
A must week for anyone looking to learn about history on American soil or an interest of Martha’s Vineyard or WW2