I really loved The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club! I'm adding a visit to the Martha's Vineyard Museum to my bucket list.

The book begins in 2016 when Mari takes a trip to visit a reclusive painter on Martha's Vineyard (as a result of finding some info after her mother passed away). The painter retells some wartime history to Mari, that brings alive sisters Briar and Cadence from Copper Pond Farm from the 1940's; most chapters alternate between these two sisters ... with an occasional chapter from Mari.

I've heard about German submarines on the east coast, but this book brings those stories to life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for approving my request to read the advance read copy of
The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club
A Novel
by Martha Hall Kelly
in exchange for an honest review.

approx 336 pages, published June 2025

Also many thanks to Jane in my local non-fiction book club for pointing out to me that this book was written by the author of Lilac Girls. I had missed that.

Also ... in the afterward or acknowledgement, a friend of Martha Hall Kelly mother said her mother would have loved this book. I agree.

What a pleasant story! While the end was not overly surprising, the content of the story was entertaining enough to want to finish quickly. Being based in Martha’s Vineyard, definitely gave an accurately descriptive setting. The relationship with the sisters and Bess was just wonderful and definitely one people can relate to.
Thank you NetGalley for sharing this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, I enjoyed this book with my whole heart! Martha Hall Kelly is easily one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and I'll always be in line to read her next book. The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book club was a mixture of wholesome moments, interesting details about a region I know little about and its involvement in the WWII era, great character development, mystery, and suspense. We meet Gram, Cadence, Briar, and Bess- living on an old farm on the island. Briar was one of my favorite characters, she's not afraid to speak up even in the face of people thinking she's just a silly young girl. She and her sister Cadence are forced to be independent when many of the men they were related to or grew up with go off to war. Their close friend Bess also must learn to evolve in this changing atmosphere. The three of them plus Gram face adversity, mystery, sadness and moments of silver linings, but all along develop an even stronger sisterhood with each other (which is what I love about Martha Hall Kelly's books). The setting is lovely, and i learned some surprising facts about that region when I researched events mentioned. Give this lovely book a read, hopefully you'll love it as much as I did!!

The story starts in the present day when Mari Sherwood gets an invitation from artist Elizabeth Devereaux to study on Martha’s Vineyard. The 1942 timeline focuses on sisters Briar and Cadance Smith who live with their Gram on Martha’s Vineyard. Their dear brother Tom is leaving for the war and the sisters, along with Bess, Tom’s almost-fiancé and Cadance’s best friend decide to form a book club to keep themselves occupied.. A contingent of soldiers is stationed close by to their farm, overseen by Major Gilbert who Cadance has a love-hate relationship with. Briar, known to the locals as “Briar the Liar” for her seemingly false U boat sightings, ends up finding a German soldier washed up on their beach. He tries to convince them of his wish to defect. But is he really a spy with strong ties to the German subs frequently seen at night off the coast? He does offer to help the sisters work their fam, but can they trust him? A cast of local characters is thrown in to help round out this fast-paced story. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end to discover Kelly’s ties to the area. My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for access to this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This was great on audio with a full cast. Dual timelines and perspectives. Set around WW II and with an element of mystery.

A slice of American history that is rarely told. The clash of the permanent residents and the rich tourists was so well done. Seeing that the labels doesn’t always define the people made for interesting. The romance was the least interesting part of the book. With so few chapters about the modern timeline line I kind of lost who they were but found the ending to be marvelous.

In the beginning of the book, Mari is traveling to Martha’s Vineyard to meet a famous painter named Elizabeth Devereux. Mari’s mother just passed away, and she is trying to uncover some of her past. Mrs. Devereux begins to tell the story about the Smith sisters named Cadence and Briar, and their grandmother, Ginny. These sisters decided to start a book club for women the war. The book club ladies end up designing books small enough for soldiers to bring with them to war. These ladies face several challenging situations and are fCwd with adversity but end up pulling through because of their love for each other. Mari starts to think she is somehow related to these women and decides to stick around for a few days to hear the end of Mrs. Devereaux’s story. The book switches between characters but it done with elegance. I enjoyed the characters in this story and thought the book was very well written. Well done Martha Hall Kelly. Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy
of this book.

Amazingly I have been reading a number of 5-star books recently, but this one has left me with quite a book hangover. I doubt that I will be able to choose another book that provides an equal impact on me. Of all the historical fiction that I've read about World War II, I find that I enjoy the ones with a homefront theme the most. Not only did I learn so much from the fictional story, but also the author's personal story that inspired her to write this book. It was especially fascinating to learn about the Hitler youth-type camps operating here in the United States, including my own state of Wisconsin, I appreciated the way that the author presented the two timelines without constantly alternating back and forth between the two time periods. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine and the author for a copy to read and review.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this book. It moved too slowly for me and there weren’t any real stakes I could get invested in, at least not early enough for me to stick with it. The writing was good, but the pacing was off. I DNF’ed at about 25%.

What started out as a fun easy beach book soon turned into a suspenseful murder mystery as well as a sentimental family drama. This is also a WWII hysterical fiction novel. Once again the author, Martha Hall Kelly, has produced a nostalgic and inspiring story for her readers.

I LOVED this book by Martha Hall Kelly! Great for the beach and beyond, this thoughtful story about women left to keep life moving forward while the island’s young men were off to war was informative and inspiring. The bravery of these sisters and their resilience in the midst of the war makes me want to be part of a book club that does great things for the world! Filled with imaginative characters who seem real to life, I highly recommend The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club.

I absolutely adored this book - a nice mix of past and present day, combined with the dawning of WW2 and how it affected the small town of Martha's Vineyard. The author was great at pulling out the story so you wanted to keep reading, but yet wasn't too loquacious that it dragged. If you are looking for a good read, check it out

When Californian, Mari, finds a name of an artist in her deceased mother’s papers, she flies to Martha’s Vineyard to discover the connection. The artist, Elizabeth Devereux, tells the story of the Smith family and their connection to Mari, describing the home front during WWII with detail and accuracy. Aside from the story of Cadence and Briar Smith, and their efforts to keep their farm alive, their friend Bess, pregnant with their brother’s baby, as well as Gram, round out the family history. A German U boat off the coast adds some tension and mystery to the story. The author creates an atmosphere that makes you feel you are living in that time and place. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Martha's Vineyard and Beach and Book Club is a suspenseful read of dual time period-WII and present.I. Mari leaves California to head to Martha Vineyard with only a name of a woman who she found in her deceased mother's belongings. Mari finds out information about a book club formed by 3 girls during the wartime whose mission was to have the soldiers that were stationed there the opportunity to have books. There is a secret that the girls must keep. I think you would enjoy reading this novel and thank you to net galley for allowing me to read it.

This book focuses on the lives of two sisters on Martha's Vineyard during the second world war. The military takes over a portion of their land for training exercises and their beloved brother ships off to war with the Rangers. The sisters start a book club with other women on the island.
I really enjoyed the historical fiction described in this book. I, as an American, often feel that World War II did not have very much activity on the North American continent. However, I learned through this book about spies and off-shore German submarines in the Atlantic off of Martha's Vineyard. It was very interesting to see the impact that books had on the civilian population and how books were coveted by the military population. I also felt deeply satisfied by the growth and self-exploration that the young women encountered through the novel. This book is an excellent historical fiction summer read for those with a love for historical fiction, military history, book culture, or a beachy fun time.

“The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club” is set across two timelines—World War II and 2016—and is exceptionally well written. I appreciated how the storylines came together by the end in a thoughtful way. The richly detailed setting and strong character development kept me fully engaged throughout. While some readers have mentioned a slower pace, I personally found it just right for the depth of the story. This isn’t a quick read—you need to pay attention. Fans of historical fiction should add this one to their TBR.
Thank you to NetGallery and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025, and it did not disappoint! This was such a fun summer read when needing a palate cleanser from rom coms. This was very much a WWII historical fiction but focused on German U boat and military operations in Cape Cod which I found very interesting and haven’t read about before. I quickly became attached to Bess, Cadence and Briar, loving their different but still very intertwined stories. There was even a mystery element which was fun! The way the past and present story lines came together was nice but I was much more interested in the past story line and often forgot what was going on in the present storyline between chapters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book! I truly enjoyed it!

This is a great World War II historical fiction book set in the unlikely location of Martha’s Vinyard allowing for a homefront story which is a refreshing new space for this genre. Hall Kelly creates a great narrative in the flashback style that keeps the reader's attention. Although, the plot is kind of predictable I do love Martha Hall Kelly’s books and will always read them.

The book details events in a dual timeline:1942 and 2016. In 2016, the main character, Mari Starwood travels from California to Martha’s Vineyard, MA, to find Elizabeth Devereaux, a name she found among her mother’s possessions after she died. Elizabeth agrees to teach Mari painting lessons once Mari arrives in Martha’s Vineyard and begins to tell Mari a story of what happened to the two Smith sisters (Cadence and Briar) and best friend Bess in 1942 during WWII. She tells Mari her mother is connected to these three friends

Cadence and Briar Smith, and their friend Bess, who is their brother Tom’s girlfriend, form the Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Bookclub. They bring books to the U.S. Army troops that have arrived in their town to practice maneuvers on the Island. Bess comes up with a plan to print portable books for the soldiers. Briar spots a U-boat off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard and they soon learn there is a spy within their small community that is communicating with the German U-Boat.

The novel is based on true events that took place on Martha’s Vineyard during WW2. It was a great read with wonderful character development especially in the 1942 timeline. I have loved all of Martha Hall Kelley books and this was no exception.

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books through NetGalley, who allowed me access to this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I loved Martha Hall Kelly's writing in Lilac Girls and wanted to pick up this one as well.

This is a dual-timeline historical fiction with a mystery in both timelines. Kelly always does a great job writing settings to be immersive and her writing is easily digestible. While I enjoyed this book, I felt a little disappointed with it, too. There was so much happening in both timelines it felt difficult to keep up with. A lot of the plot points didn't feel fully fleshed out and there were so many characters all at once that I had trouble connecting with any of them, especially the ones from the current-day timeline, which made the ending less impactful for me.