I enjoy this author’s way of bringing the reader into a beautiful nostalgic past America. I did not enjoy this one however. I didn’t find the mother likeable and the switching timelines was odd to me. Sometimes I had to remind myself wait what storyline am I in. Am I old mom, am I young her or am I the older daughter speaking.

All that to just end up that a feminist woman was cheated on her whole marriage and the dude had a double life, fam out there.

The premise of Martha's Vineyard was enough to pull me into this one, but I just could not stay engaged. The premise of a feminist movement back in the 60s-70s called to me, but the plot did not move quickly enough for me. I wanted to love this one, but it fell short for me.

Our Last Vineyard Summer by Brooke Lea Foster was an entertaining and amazing story.
This book will keep you intrigued to the very end! Written with great care to detail and characterization. Kept me entertained through the whole story. It was so interesting I couldn't put it down. I read the book in one day.

This is a fun read and both time periods were a blast to read about. Thanks to the setting, it is a perfect summer read.
Jello, anyone?

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Such fun!

Perfect summer read!! This book will transport you the Martha’s Vineyard for the summers of years 1965 and 1978. I have longed for spending a summer at Martha’s Vineyard and I just loved the vivid atmospheric setting of this book It dives into themes of sisterhood, family dynamics, drama, secrets and women’s rights. The story is told in various point of view and dual timeline. In 1965 we learn about Virgie, the wife of a senator, she is a well known writer of a Dear Virgie column and mother to three girls. The second timeline of 1978 we follow Besty’s, the youngest sister. They are coming back to Martha’s Vineyard for one last summer following the death of their father. There are secrets, family bonding and memories to be created. I loved the sisterhood and womanhood found within these pages.

Brooke Lea Foster is quickly becoming one of my go to authors. You’ll love the nostalgic feel that this story brings, one of family and feminism. Each woman in this story is unique and I guarantee every woman who reads this will see a part of themselves in at least one of the characters in this story. A true summer read, set on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1960’s and 70’s that you’re going to want in your beach bag!

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I grew up going to Martha's Vineyard, myself, and this felt like a true love letter to the Island. The characters were beautifully written, each fleshed out with realistic flaws and real life concerns. The tension felt real, not contrived. The relationship with Vivie and Charlie is truly unique to anything I've read before. I appreciated that this didnt stick to a strict back and forth between the 2 time periods. The story served itself, rather than a structure. The only thing I really would have liked a little more of was James - I felt like he dropped off towards the end. It was a smart, thoughtful comfort read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Gallery Books for gifting me the latest novel by Brooke Lea Foster. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Set in dual timelines of 1964 and 1978, we follow a family of women at their family summer house on Martha's Vineyard. In 1965, the story is mostly focused on Virgie and her relationship and marriage to Charlie, and their 3 daughters. In 1978, the youngest daughter, Betsy, is struggling with grad school and has come back to the summer house along with her sisters after Virgie announces they must sell the house to pay off their father's debts. What they find are family secrets, strained relationships, and facing the complicated legacy of both parents.

I have enjoyed all the books from this author and this was no exception. The setting is once again on the Cape Cod islands, and focuses on the strength of these women within their family and in the larger context of the times. I really enjoyed the look back at women's rights and feminism in both of these timelines - some of it is eye-opening! But where the book really shines is in its characters. I so enjoyed getting to spend time with these women, as they held secrets within so as not to hurt the others. One line really spoke to me about family relationships - "...my story is not your story. You could write a different version of the same exact events, and they would still be true." It was nostalgic, atmospheric, emotional and I thought it was wonderful. It's the perfect book to pack along on your beach vacation!

Thank you Gallery Books for my #gifted ARC and thank you Simon Audio for my #gifted listening copy of Our Last Vineyard Summer! #GalleryInfluencer #gallerybooks #simonaudio #OurLastVineyardSummer #BrookeLeaFoster

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐌𝐢𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝟰.𝟱★

I devoured this novel! I didn’t know what to expect going in, but Brooke Lea Foster once again delivered with Our Last Vineyard Summer! I found this historical fiction novel to be powerful and to be honest, timely. With the Martha’s Vineyard setting, the writing was so vivid, and transported to 1965 and 1978 with Virgie and Betsy and the rest of their family. I loved both of the two main characters to much and I feel like any woman reading this can find a connection in this book and in these characters. This book has such strong themes of sisterhood and womanhood and I loved the focus on equality. I cannot recommend this one enough!

🩵Dual Timeline (1965 & 1978)
🩵Family Dynamics
🩵Martha’s Vineyard Setting
🩵Family Secrets
🩵Women’s Rights
🩵Sisterhood

🎧Narrated by Mia Barron and Cassandra Campbell, both women did an exceptional job in their roles as Betsy and Virgie. Both did an excellent job transporting the reader to their respective timeline and did an excellent job making their story come alive. I found my time listening to this audiobook to be so enjoyable and effortless and looked forward to each time I could come up with an excuse to pop my headphones back on to listen to this one! I highly recommend this one on audio!

Posted on Goodreads on June 27, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around June 27, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 1, 2025
**-will post on designated date

4.5 rounded up. Absolutely wonderful. Made me teary. But that’s not all.

I love stories about women. It’s most of what I read. When done well, like this one, I feel buoyed by the spirit and love of those women. That was definitely in this book and I was inspired and moved.

We meet Betsy right away. While she’s the main character, we get to know her sisters and mother intimately, too. In the months we spend with them so much happens, including growth and so much strength, endurance and love. We get to see how they help each other, push through and get past resentment/hurt.

I was so moved in several places in this book. The dialogue and love between characters brought me to tears, the true sign a book was amazing!

Advanced reader copy provided by Gallery Books but all opinions are my own.

I'm 100% going to be in the minority about this book. So far, I see 30+ 4—and 5-star reviews, which is great. I'm glad people were able to enjoy it. I, however, not so much. Don't let the cover fool you. This isn't a light-hearted romp on an island for a few months.

Our Last Vineyard Summer is the story of a mother and her three daughters. In one narrative, Virgie is a senator's wife, but she's also a writer. She writes an advice column that ruffles feathers. In the second narrative, we switch years and focus on Betsy, the youngest of the children. She is currently a graduate student at Columbia, who has been having an affair with her advisor.

The girls all converge at the Martha's Vineyard family home, as they are packing up their lifetime full of memories. Their father has tragically died in a plane accident and the only way to survive is to sell the family house.

Throughout this book, feminism and second-wave feminism are the key topics, woven in and out of family drama, past history, and secrets within the family.

And here's why my issue lies. What kind of book is this?

Is this book about a family with secrets and how they unfold?
Is this a book about a woman teaching her daughters to be more than what is acceptable?
Is this a story about the power of sisterhood, motherhood, and friendship?
Is this a summer beach read?

I like the idea of a story like this, but the plot was too slow to develop and the 'twists' were too long. When we got to the 'reveal' about 'the land', I had forgotten who was who and why it mattered.

Virigie as a character was frustrating. She was so strong in her ideals and hopes for her children, but suppressed her desires because of convention. Betsy was more developed and showed great resolve. However, I wish the storyline with James had gone further. It was left hanging, unfinished.

I think Brooke Lea Foster is a good writer, and I am interested in checking into her other work; however, Our Last Vineyard Summer is not something I would recommend if someone were judging a book by its cover.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Our Last Vineyard Summer by Brooke Lea Foster is a stunner of a novel! Descending from a long line of strong-willed women who do things their way, I really identified with the leading ladies in this book! Travel back in time to the Martha’s Vineyard of the 60s and 70s, with even a little Nantucket thrown in. I loved how this family navigated its imperfections with love and the feminism woven throughout. It’s an uplifting tale, despite the sad reality we find ourselves in with equality recededing decades (that I painfully discovered first-hand last week when I was discriminated against by my bank because I would not add my husband to my account!). Many parts of this novel rang true to my experience and I’m so grateful to the author for putting graceful words to my many thoughts! Mark your calendars for the pub date on 7/1!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC!

I enjoyed this story but it did feel somewhat slow. I did really like the setting and the dual timelines that we got. It did feel a bit heavy for a summer read but I would still definitely reccomend picking this up.

I really enjoy Brooke Lea Foster's work and Our Last Vineyard Summer is no exception A well crafter tale of 3 sisters and there quest to save a place that they all love is a perfect summer read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I loved the dual timeline of this book which really helped me follow the plot. This was a great book about family drama and women navigating the many complications of life. I’m was swept away about the character interactions and how well written out they were. Family secret type books are always a favorite of mine and this was certainly no different as I read page after page to learn more about the family overall and their history but also how things are navigated. I loved the timeline also when the storylines took place.

4.5 ⭐️

This was such an incredible story of sisterhood, motherhood, and womanhood in general. Alternating between two timelines of summer at a family’s beloved Martha’s Vineyard home, Our Last Vineyard Summer does a perfect job of intertwining feminist themes with the atmosphere that the Historical Fiction lover in me adored. Truly the perfect beach read if you’re looking for something summery, but not without substance and empowering and emotional themes!

As stated before, Our Last Vineyard Summer follows two separate timelines and narrators. The first is the summer of 1965, following Virgie, wife of a senator, writer of the beloved “Dear Virgie” column, and mother to three girls. In this timeline we follow Virgie navigating tensions within her marriage while attempting to stay true to her convictions. The second timeline is set in the summer of 1978, following Betsy, Virgie’s youngest daughter. We follow Betsy as she and her sisters attempt to save their families beloved home after the death of their father, all while Betsy is attempting to figure out the path of her future and the kind of woman she wishes to be.

This book is above all, a love letter to women. Each woman in this story is unique and I guarantee every woman who reads this will see a part of themselves in at least one of the characters in this story. Foster truly immerses you in the time period, while maintaining strong feminist themes throughout this novel. I really enjoyed her writing style, and though this was my first book by her it will definitely not be my last. My only gripe with this book was that it had a slow start, but once it got going I truly did not want it to end.

A huge thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.75 Stars

Betsy and her two sisters are called to come to their summer cabin in Martha's Vineyard by their mother, claiming that she needs their help. Her mother, Virgie, has never needed help before, and Betsy has been estranged from her oldest sister in the year since her US Senator father died suddenly. This was not in her plans at all, and in fact her life has felt easier when she is not around her family. But she agrees to go. Turns out that their father had secretly taken out several loans on the house, and there was no money to pay them back. The house would have to be sold, which means being together while they sort, clean and relive old memories. This story is told in dual timelines, the present of 1978 and the past of 1965, when Betsy is 10 years old.

I had read another book by this author that I was disappointed by, but since I love a dual timeline, I gave her another try., and was glad I did. The characters were well developed and their interactions and patterns in their relationships were very realistic. Even though Betsy was the main character, we got enough of the mom and sisters that they were not hollow by comparison. If you like a dual timeline, and family turmoil with a summer setting, this one is a good choice.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest reveiw.

A captivating story of a complicated family of a mother and her three daughters. It is a recounting of the past converging on the present with deeply held secrets, ruined relationships, and lessons. The mother, Virgie, is the wife of a recently deceased senator. Their second vacation home on Martha’s Vineyard needs to be sold due to his debts. The sorrow of the daughters at the thought of selling the house brings secrets out into the open, shattering long held images and beliefs.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Set against the backdrop of a beloved Martha’s Vineyard summer home, Our Last Vineyard Summer moves between 1965 and 1978 to explore the lasting impact of family secrets and generational trauma. In the earlier timeline, we follow Virgie, the wife of a U.S. Senator and a passionate feminist, as she tries to raise her daughters with values that challenge the era’s gender norms—even as her own marriage starts to unravel.

More than a decade later, the youngest daughter, Betsy, returns to the Vineyard with her mother and sisters to confront the reality of their late father’s hidden debts. When Betsy uncovers a letter from him, long-held truths begin to surface, forcing the women to reevaluate the past—and their place in it.

Told through alternating perspectives, Brooke Lea Foster expertly reveals the emotional complexities of motherhood, womanhood, and sisterhood. The characters are richly drawn, the prose is thoughtful, and the themes feel timeless. Both nostalgic and sharply relevant, this is a moving story about how women carry—and sometimes heal—the wounds of those who came before them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for the advanced copy.

Our Last Vineyard Summer was an intriguing read and touches upon topics relevant to this day such as what it means to be a woman in society, the reputation of others, family secrets that unraveled with time and the never ending battle for women to have choices (the decision to become a mother, having a vocation vs staying at home, etc). The book was written in a dual timeline (1965 and 1978) from the perspectives of Virgie, the mom, and Betsy, the youngest sister of three. Because of the dual timeline, we saw the development of Virgie over time and why she became a proponent for women's rights. She used her power as a writer to share her opinions of what a woman's role in society should be (even if it could have affected her husband's reputation in the political realm). Through the dual timeline, we saw parallels between Betsy in 1978 and Melody, a woman who was a family friend, in 1965. Highly recommend the novel for any reader.

Thank you Galley Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Our Last Vineyard Summer will be published on July 1, 2025!