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

This title is intriguing due to the unique setting. The author’s personal ties to Martha’s Vineyard show in the exceptional descriptions and fondness for the people. A WWII book set on the east coast of the US provides a rare look at the American home front experience. Worth a read for those interested in this time period.

This book was incredible! It is a 10 out of 5 stars. What a unique view of the war as it was occurring and how it affected Marthas Vineyard of the time. The multiple character stories brought this book to life. HIGHLY recommend. Especially for book loving friends or a book club. LOVED IT!

This was a good historical fiction piece that had a little bit of everything: Drama, mystery, romance, etc. I thought it was really predictable, especially the present day timeline, but the WWII era timeline had more suspense. I feel like the book club piece could have been more clever but I liked Candace’s pieces in the paper. And I thought gils storyline could have wrapped up better. But overall it was an enjoyable read.

Although a work of fiction, this story has characters inspired by real people. Starts in 2016 when 34 year old Mari Starwood in California finds the name of artist Elizabeth Devereaux amongst her moms’ belongings. She goes to Martha’s Vineyard to try to figure out the connection while pretending to attend an artist’s workshop run by Elizabeth who now lives on Martha’s Vineyard on a farm on the waterfront.

While there, Elizabeth is telling a story from years ago. Cadence and Briar Smith were sisters who ran the farm in 1942 during WWII with their grandmother. Cadence, the older sister dreams of a job in publishing and Briar the younger of the two is more of a tomboy and pretty spunky. Both of their parents had died. Their brother Tom was called to the war.

Bess (Cadence and Briar’s friend) and Cadence start a book club to donate to the soldiers stationed on Martha’s Vineyard. Bess fell in love with Tom, Cadence’s brother. Bess is estranged from her wealthy parents because of it and lives at the farm. Bess and Cadence were friends first. As the war continues, Briar believes there may be a spy on the island and believes she sees a German u-boat off the shore.

I really found this to be an enjoyable historical fiction novel. I love the idea of the book club for the service men which apparently was loosely based on the Books in Action: Armed Services Editions. I recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction especially in the era of WW II.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the Advanced Reader’s Copy for my honest review.

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly – this is exactly the kind of historical fiction I love. We have the modern day story set in 2016 interwoven with the 1942 story, and honestly I couldn’t put this down. What’s not to love about strong female characters facing hardships head on, all without losing their love of books. It’s a beautiful read, wonderful setting and really is the perfect summer read.

For those of you assuming this is just a fluff book about a bunch of women in a book club in 1942...think again. It's so much more, alternating between WWII on Martha's Vineyard and 2016, telling the stories of these women's lives and wrapping around a mystery. It's actually a lovely story of love, loss, friendship, family and struggles during the war but uniquely set in this beautiful area that was very different during 1942 war time. You'll fall in love and root for the characters and want to hug them as well for their pain and sadness. The ending comes together nicely unfolding the mystery and answering the questions surrounding the family. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it as a great beach read this summer especially for fans of historical fiction! My thanks to Random House/Ballantine for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I only made it a third of the way through this one before I put it down. It was a snore.

WWII on Martha's Vineyard. The women are trying to keep the income flowing while they men are at war. The Germans are spotted off the coast, but no one believes it when it is called in. Troops are training and commandeering private homes and farms and now a man has fled the U-boat for safety in the US. What do they do? Help him and risk imprisonment themselves or turn him in which would likely kill him.

All this while trying to have a book club, collect book for the troops that don't weigh them down and try to get jobs in NY. I hope they achieved their goals, but didn't care enough to read any further.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.