Another winner from Martha Hall Kelly. If you enjoyed her other books, you'll enjoy this one too. It has less action, but the same great story-telling.

Plot summary; Mari's mother recently passed away, and Mari found a cryptic note connecting her mother to famous New England artist Elizabeth Deveraux. She goes to visit her and finds out the connection. Most of the story is the artist's telling of the past, when two sisters, Cadence and Briar, managed through some unusual events during WW2 at their farm on Martha's Vineyard, and how these events changed their lives forever.

As usual with this author, this has strong female leads and is told over through several voices. The characters are richly drawn and the story is engaging. As typical with this genre, the old story is much more compelling than the present-day story, and the author smartly focuses on the former. However, it was a little clunky because after opening in the present day, we don't hear about it again until halfway through, and I almost forgot about it. The present-day story does become important at the end, when the past presents an important dilemma for Mari.

The first half was overall fairly slow, but the second half was very fast and interesting, full of romance and mystery. The mystery becomes somewhat obvious as we are told more, but it was hard to know if some of the characters were the "good buys" or the "bad guys." I think most readers will figure out the connections between Mari and Elizabeth from the beginning -- there's a pretty big giveaway. All the threads are pulled together, and the end was heartbreaking, heartwarming, and beautiful, with some moments that made me tear up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books, and Marth Hall Kelly for the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

This was such a fun book to read! My favorite genre is historical fiction with a dual timeline where the reader is also treated to a mystery being solved. This novel fit that bill to a tee.

While reading this book by Martha Hall Kelly, not only will you fall in love with several of the characters, you will also definitely learn a little more about WW II history. We are treated to such instances as the Martha's Vineyard shores being the locale for US training missions and to Nazi U-boats lurking off shore, communicating with Nazi sympathizers on the island via short wave radios.

The Smith family is nothing short of delightful, and, of course, we a presented with a wartime book club that meets on the Vineyard shores and creates a prototype to get popular titles of smaller sized books in the soldiers' backpacks.

As if the enchanting characters and the captivating love of reading throughout the book aren't enough, we are rewarded in the author's note at the end in learning that so, so many factors in the book were indeed based on the author's mother's and grandmother's actual lives in the Martha's Vineyard area. Reading the author's note at the culmination of the novel is a must. Your appreciation of the story you just read will be even more augmented and valued with that knowledge.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, for this delightful eARC. Love history? Love strong female characters? Love the Eastern coast as a setting? Love a love of reading? Watch for this one when it hits shelves on May 27, 2025.

I can't recommend it enough! I really enjoyed this book, I couldn't put it down, I finished it in a couple of days!

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club is a WWII book that starts with a modern day character, Mari Starwood, trying to answer questions about her past by traveling to Martha's Vineyard. However, most of the book is about the members of the Book Club during WWII and only briefly goes back to Mari's story a couple of times. The story is told mostly from the point of view of two sisters, Briar and Cadence. It chronicles the time when German Uboats could be seen from shore and there were soldiers based on the island for amphibious landing training. There is some intrigue about a German spy. But really it is just a relaxing read about the experiences of a few young women during a this time period. I really enjoyed the story and would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys WWII fiction or books about books! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

Can I just come out say how much I love this book? Mira, having just lost her mother sets off to Martha's Vineyard to find answers and a connection to her mother by meeting with a famous artist who lives there on a farm. I was so drawn in by Elizabeth's story giving the backstory of the Smith sisters of The Martha Vineyard Beach and Book Club that existed during World War 2. This was page turner. Detailed descriptions and great character development made this story come alive. Some mysteries about spies, some heartache and loss about families, it had you guessing throughout. Courage, Friendship, and love, this was a heartwarming story. Many thanks to #netgalley #marthahallkelly #themarthasvindyardbeachandbookclub for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you very much @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, by Martha Hall Kelly, to be released in May. Of course I will read any book about Martha’s Vineyard, but this book uncovers a part of the island's history that was new to me: during WWII, the US Army used the island for beach invasion training, including maneuvers that would later be crucial for D-Day. There are also rumors of German U-boats hiding off the coast, which adds a thrilling historical layer to the story. There is a modern day aspect to this story, Mari goes to the island to learn about her own family history, and finds out way more than she expected. But the historical part is the bulk of the book. Two sisters, their grandmother, and their brother’s fiancé live together on their family farm and start a book club, write books, and interact with the islanders as well as the soldiers. It was great to recognize a lot of the places mentioned, even better to learn about this part of history, albeit fictionalized. #themarthasvineyardbeachandbookclub #marthahallkelly #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #marthasvineyardnovel #bookstagram #lovetoread #readersofinstagram #booklover #readallthebooks #historicalfiction

There was a time when practically every book I picked up was historical fiction set in the WWII era. At some point I stopped reaching for these types of stories, but I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this. Id read several of Martha Hall Kelly’s previous books and enjoyed them and this was no exception. Hall Kelly brings us strong, resilient and nurturing female characters. The book was set exclusively in the United States which was a unique perspective for a WWII novel. This was a solid read and I enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

As historical fiction, the Martha's Vineyard beach and book club relates a story I never knew. The details of the "invasion" of the military onto the normally quiet island were so well researched that I learned something on almost every page. I felt the relationship between the islanders and sailors as the war waged far away, yet touched everyone in very personal ways.

However, I did feel it could have been more tightly edited. I thought that there were some characters included in order to pay homage to their service in real life (in an afterword, the author explains who the characters were based on) rather than to actually advance the story.

The story jumps between 1942 and 2016. However, there were so many chapters taking place in 1942, that when one of the ones that took place in 2016 popped up, I had to remind myself that the book took place in 2 time periods. I was distracted by the 2016 story, much of which I thought could have been incorporated into the 1942 narrative which was interesting and involving.

Having said that, however, the characters were well drawn and compelling. I cared about them and their stories. Because of the author's obvious love for the island, her descriptions made it another character in the book that I wanted to see healed after the disruption of war. Fortunately, for all of us, it has.

As with all of Martha’s books I learn a lot!
This dual timeline book set on Martha’s Vineyard puts us into the scene in 1942 along with naval training, possible Nazi spies and the escape books give us.

Years later, an artist arrives seeking answers about her mother from a reclusive painter.
Martha ties it all together nicely!

I especially liked learning of how books were specifically created for the use of the military!

I always love how Martha weaves history with fiction and real people. This novel starts out with a young woman, Mari, going to Martha's Vineyard to find out what mysterious link there is between the island and her recently deceased mother. The majority of the narrative comes from the point of view of 2 sisters living on a farm on the Vineyard during WWII. As their stories unravel, Mari and the reader learn where she fits into the story. I really loved the characters and intrigue in this book.

I enjoyed this book overall. The plot lines were interesting and kept good suspense, which I enjoyed. The pacing was a bit slow, but it was still a good read. This wasn't my favorite of Martha Hall Kelly's books; I felt the setting was a bit limiting for her. This book was enjoyable but seemed to be more based on wanting to talk about her own family rather than her usual more Epic stories

Unfortunately it archived before I had a chance to finish but from what I read I really enjoyed it. The characters were well developed and I was very interested in their story. I look forward to this book coming out so that I can finish it.

Many thanks for the complimentary ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and the author/publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

MHK has done her usual great job of developing her characters in this WWII-era story. The real mystery of the story is in the journey of how it ties together. Telling that story takes the up the majority of the book.

Nicely researched and executed; a definite departure from other stories about that time.

I absolutely loved the current timeline in the book but struggled with the WW2 alternate storyline. All in all a good read.

Learning about Martha's Vineyard's role in World War II history was the best part of this book. I did not care for the characters, sometimes thinking that their actions and dialog were silly. The several plot lines felt choppy. All in all, this was not my favorite Martha Hall Kelly book.

Thank you, Random House-Ballentine and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. The comments expressed are my own.

This was such an interesting and poignant story. Even better is that it was inspired by the author's family. I especially loved the smith sisters' experiences on Martha's vineyard during WWII.

Wow! The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club is one I will definitely be recommending to all my friends who are fans of historical fiction/romance. With the beautifully high quality of writing I've come to love from Martha Hall Kelly, this novel takes the reader on a journey of discovery, bouncing between Martha's Vineyard in the present day and World War II. In the present, Mari is meeting with Elizabeth Devereux, ostensibly to paint with the famed artist, and to perhaps uncover secrets of the past. In 1942, the Smith Sisters are caring for their family farm after their brother enlists. What follows are magnificent intertwined stories of love, loss, friendship, family, and community.

5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A totally different take on all the WWII stories. The Smith sisters grow up on Martha's Vineyard, poor but happy. Granny Smith, brother Tom and best friend Bess make up the family. But Tom goes off to fight, Bess is pregnant with his child and granny is ill. An amazing book that is happy, sad, funny and heartbreaking all at once!

I ran to request this book as I really enjoyed Lilac Girls, and historical fiction, especially War historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. This book did not disappoint. Is it perfect, no. But it is enjoyable, emotional and extremely well researched which are musts for me in the genre. Although some of the actions and connections could seem far fetched, what I loved about the book was the connection between the family members and the small town impact of such a big event. Briar is crazy but such fun, and I totally got a Little Women vibe from it all. Its also always wonderful when the power of a book is highlighted and here in little and big ways books make a stance and an impact.

Let me start this off by saying this is one of the few historical fiction books I have read. I wanted to broaden my horizons and found myself very interested in historical shows recently. I’d definitely say this book did not disappoint what so ever.

While reading you’ll find that you’re actually reading 3 stories. It’s hard to describe in detail without spoiling so I won’t but I found it very interesting and not confusing which can sometimes occur with multiple POVs. You’re not only following the smith women but also their friends while they navigate war time and how it affects their lives.

The found family is literally to die for. How each of the women treat each other with care and love showed a great strength in all of the characters. And it showed an impact on each of their lives as well. I also appreciated how not one of the women were alike and each had their own personalities and strengths.

The mystery aspect of the whole story was what I wasn’t expecting at all. I thought this book was gonna be about women creating a bookclub during the war which it definitely is not. But none the less the author had me questioning each character and their motives.

This may have been one of my first historical fiction but I can tell you it won’t be my last. I can’t say that I was completely obsessed with the story but I enjoyed reading it and the characters portrayed.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read the arc!

Would rate 3.5 stars if there was halves!