This book had a slow start, but once things really started being revealed, I was hooked and could not put it down. Betsy is the youngest daughter in 1968 and in 1978, she is a graduate student trying to figure out what she really wants to do with her life. I loved the feminist messages in this book and how things came together once the sisters and mom finally spoke to each other. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a chance to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

Our Last Vineyard Summer is the perfect book for Summer. The historical fiction setting on the beaches of Martha’s Vintage was the perfect place for this book to take place. The sister relationship was my favorite part of the book I also loved the dual timeline that spanned from 1965 and 1978, and all the nostalgia that came with it. If you are looking for the perfect summer escape I highly recommend this beautiful coming of age story. It’s got a bit of everything; love, heartache, family relationships and a long buried secret that takes the reader by surprise. A perfect bookclub book as it raises many great points of discussion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced reading copy.

Review: Our Last Vineyard Summer by Brooke Lea Foster

Brooke Lea Foster’s Our Last Vineyard Summer is a quiet powerhouse of a novel—deeply atmospheric, emotionally resonant, and steeped in the history and heartbreak of generational womanhood. Set against the salt-kissed backdrop of Martha’s Vineyard, this dual-timeline family saga toggles between 1965 and 1978, tracing the legacies of love, betrayal, feminism, and identity through the eyes of one fiercely independent mother and her three complicated daughters.

In 1978, graduate student Betsy Whiting is adrift—reeling from the death of her father, a U.S. senator, and the fallout from an affair with her married professor. She returns to her family’s summer home on the Vineyard, only to find her mother, Virgie, preparing to sell the house to pay off debts Betsy never knew existed. What was meant to be a nostalgic summer turns into a confrontation with secrets, grief, and unresolved tensions between the sisters and the woman who raised them.

Running parallel to this is Virgie’s own story in 1965. A respected feminist columnist and a senator’s wife living under a public microscope, Virgie fights to maintain her independence while raising her daughters in a patriarchal world that expects her to play nice, stay quiet, and look the other way. Her refusal to do so—and the cost of that choice—sends ripples through her family for years to come.

Foster’s ability to bring both timelines vividly to life is a standout. The 1960s passages feel fully immersed in the atmosphere of second-wave feminism’s rise, with Virgie’s character capturing the tension between public activism and private turmoil. The 1978 narrative offers a more introspective tone, as Betsy sifts through physical memories and emotional wreckage, questioning who her parents really were and what kind of woman she wants to become.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is how it handles its themes with honesty and complexity. Family secrets are present, but they’re not deployed as gimmicks—they unfold gradually, revealing the small, human ways people fail each other. Foster also doesn’t shy away from difficult topics: abortion, infidelity, the silencing of women, the double standards of motherhood. These are handled with sensitivity, although some readers felt key plot points (like an inheritance twist or Betsy’s pregnancy decision) resolved too quickly or neatly. Others noted that while the novel is steeped in rich emotional terrain, it occasionally lingers too long in introspection and could move more briskly.

Still, for most readers, Foster’s characters are where the novel shines brightest. Virgie is a force—unapologetic, principled, often hard to love, but impossible to forget. Betsy’s journey feels true to the push-pull of becoming your own person while still living in the shadow of family expectations. The three sisters are distinct, and while some readers wished for deeper development of their individual storylines, the dynamic between them is sharply drawn and emotionally real.

The setting is not just beautiful but essential. Martha’s Vineyard is lovingly rendered—not as a tourist brochure, but as a place layered with memory, conflict, and identity. The house itself becomes a metaphor for everything the Whitings are trying to hold onto—or let go of.

What sets Our Last Vineyard Summer apart is how it bridges the past and present without leaning too heavily on either. Foster captures how women’s choices were shaped by the times they lived in—and how, despite progress, many of the same struggles persist. It’s not just a story about one family’s summer. It’s about how generations of women try to protect each other from heartbreak, even if it means carrying pain alone.

Final Thoughts:
This is not a fast-paced book, but it is a deeply felt one. Some readers may find the dual timelines occasionally muddled or the ending too tidy. But if you’re drawn to rich character studies, feminist undertones, and family stories that explore the space between love and disappointment, this novel delivers.

Foster writes with restraint, compassion, and precision. There are no wasted words, and even the quietest moments have weight. Our Last Vineyard Summer is a novel that doesn’t shout, but lingers—and like the best summer memories, it haunts in the most beautiful way.


Poignant, thoughtful, and quietly powerful—a novel about what we inherit, what we carry, and what we choose to leave behind.

Thank you to Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster, and the author for my gifted copy and ALC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I loved this story. It has multiple POV, mom and daughter. And there is a little mystery with what is going on with the deceased father.

This is the perfect blend of politics, feminism, family, sisters, summer island life and self-discovery all poured into a single beautiful novel. We follow Betsy and her mom, Virgie, through the 60s and 70s as they discover who they both are as women...as a mother, daughter, sister, wife and what they want to be in this world. I really enjoyed how Foster tied in what political life can look like as the wife and family of a Senator and being set in Martha's Vineyard made it feel like a relaxing summer read. So many incredible themes and interwoven stories. It's a must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this arc. I loved it and couldn’t put it down. I found it interesting that each of the sisters had different memories of their childhood that carried over into adulthood. I loved how they navigated the past to create a new future. The transition from the past to current time was seamless. This is the first novel I’ve read by Brooke Lea Foster and won’t be the last.

Our Last Vineyard Summer is a luminous, multigenerational tale that traces the emotional terrain of a family shaped by silence, legacy, and quiet rebellion. Set against the windswept shores of Martha’s Vineyard, the novel unfolds in two interwoven timelines—1965 and 1978—through the voices of a mother and her three daughters. A year after the death of their father, a powerful and enigmatic U.S. Senator, the sisters are summoned back to their ancestral summer home, where the ghosts of a gilded past still linger.

In 1965, Virgie, the matriarch, discovers the fracture beneath the polished veneer of her marriage and, in the process, unearths a courage she didn’t know she possessed. Thirteen years later, her daughters—each grappling with her own disillusionments—are confronted by long-buried truths about the man they idolized, forcing a reckoning not only with his legacy but with their own identities.

What begins as a slow, contemplative read gathers emotional momentum, culminating in a compelling final act that will leave readers breathless. At its heart, Our Last Vineyard Summer is a meditation on womanhood, inheritance, and the enduring question of how we make peace with the past—especially when the place we love most is the one that reveals us most completely.

“Our Last Vineyard Summer” is by Brooke Lea Foster. I’ve so many mixed feelings about this book. It’s a dual timeline - one in the mid-60s mainly following the mother, Vergie, and the other in the late 1970s, mainly following her daughter Betsy. There are two other sisters who appear in both timelines. Vergie is the wife of a politician and the author of a very popular newspaper column. Sometimes her husband feels that her writing touches a bit too closely to items that upset his constituents, so that’s an underlying theme (wanting to express yourself and be part of the different movements, yet also feeling hemmed in by a cage). Betsy is getting a degree (post-grad) from Columbia and is finding it difficult - she’s one of the few females in her field and at times wonders if there’s any point of continuing. Most of the 1970s section takes part over a two month time period - when Betsy and her sisters return to Martha’s Vineyard to help their mother get their summer cottage ready for sale. The storylines mingle and things unfold, but they unfolded rather slowly. There are subplots and sometimes I forgot which timeline was presented. The ending felt a bit too neat. There’s a lot of discussion about women’s rights, women’s body rights, and abortion - but sometimes it felt as is Ms. Foster mentioned them, explained them a bit, touched onto how they affected the family, and then moved on - I would’ve preferred a deeper dive. Overall, I wouldn’t call this a summer read - no matter what that cover might imply.

Betsy's heart was broken by a married professor and broken even further upon the death of her Senator father. Headed back to the Vineyard to help her mother and sisters prepare the house for sale, Betsy navigates grief, memories of the past, and an unknown future. Told in dual times lines of 1965 and 1978, focusing on Virgie (the mother) and Betsy respectively, feminism and women's rights are an important topic in this novel. Some readers maybe surprised at how few rights, options and opportunities women had in the not so distant past.

Good but slow-moving story. I almost enjoyed the historical perspective of women's rights more than I was curious about how Betsy's story would turn out.

Why I Read This Book: Brooke has become a personal friend, and her book is set on Martha's Vineyard-- my favorite book setting!

Plot: Graduate student Betsy returns to her family’s Martha’s Vineyard summer home in 1978, only to find her mother planning to sell it to cover her late father's debts. As Betsy reunites with her two sisters, secrets from a forbidden romance and the work of her activist parents come to light.

Thoughts: Once I got into this novel, it was a propulsive, light historical fiction beach read. I loved how it worked in the politics of the time while never feeling too heavy or preachy. I also learned new things about both the time and the island.

Who It's For: fans of Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

Brooke Lea Foster’s Our Last Vineyard Summer is soaked in nostalgia and emotional nuance, beautifully unfolding across two timelines anchored on Martha’s Vineyard.

In 1965, we meet Virgie—a sharp, unapologetic mother of three young girls, a feminist newspaper columnist, and the wife of a rising political star. Her world shifts when she uncovers a secret that alters the course of her life.

We rejoin the family in 1978. The father has died, and the now-grown daughters return to the Vineyard home one last time to help their mother pack up and say goodbye. As they sift through memories and long-held resentments, the sisters begin to unravel truths not just about their parents, but about one another.

The novel is poignant, richly atmospheric, and full of layered emotion. I was captivated by the women's journeys and the sense of place Foster evokes. My only wish? That the ending had lingered a little longer after so much careful buildup. Still, it’s a deeply resonant story of identity, legacy, and the weight borne by women.
#OurLastVineyardSummer #BrookeLeaFoster #GalleryBooks #HistoricalFiction #FamilySaga #MarthasVineyard

Thi is an appealing novel about a mother and her 3 very different daughters navigating a life crisis caused by the death of the husband/father. The author brings 2 different time periods together, sadly confusing the reader.

I kept waiting for a storyline to take off, but they were all mired in the different stories before any one took off. I feel as if Foster missed every opportunity to dig deeper into the lives and current problems facing the women. It is a superficial sturdy of potentially fascinating and powerful women. I felt very dissatisfied.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I love Brooke Lea Foster and I really enjoyed Our Last Vineyard Summer! Told in dual timelines, 1964 and 1978, the story of a woman and her three, very different daughters picking up the pieces after the father dies and leaves them on the brink of losing their beloved summer home. This is a great summer read! I was disappointed in the ending; it felt a little “tie it up in a bow, happily ever after”.

Set against the picturesque backdrop of Martha's Vineyard, "Our Last Vineyard Summer" chronicles the journey of graduate student Betsy Whiting as she returns to her family's summer residence with her sisters in 1978. Following the passing of their father, a senator, the sisters are summoned by their mother, a noted feminist, who reveals the necessity of selling their cherished home to settle their father's debts. Betsy, who initially anticipates spending the summer with her boyfriend, is compelled to confront familial tensions and concealed truths upon her arrival.
The narrative unfolds through a dual timeline, alternating between 1965 and 1978, emphasizing the intricacies of Betsy's relationships and a long-suppressed romance. As the sisters navigate their grief and the legacy of their parents, they wrestle with the ramifications of their mother's activism and its influence on their family dynamics. The story intricately weaves together themes of love, loss, and the quest for identity as they confront the pivotal decision of whether to preserve their beloved summer home.

Foster is adept in capturing the historical ambiance of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly during the transformative period of second-wave feminism. The novel is a poignant exploration of two generations of women, imbued with nostalgia for the New England landscape and rich in emotional resonance. It is an engaging summer read, highlighting the significance of courage, forgiveness, and familial bonds amidst adversity.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

Both nostalgic and strikingly current, this novel captures life at a cherished summer home in Martha’s Vineyard - first in 1965 with a couple and their three young daughters, then again in 1978 as those children revisit the past as adults.

With alternating narrators, we see life through the lens of matriarch Virgie in '65, as she navigates life in the spotlight as a prominent Senator's wife. Virgie is a noted feminist and leader in the women's movement, and is dedicated to making sure her daughters grow in a world where men see women as their equals. She struggles to condone a "boys will be boys" mentality (as was expected of women during that time) and will not turn a blind eye when her husband betrays her in more ways than one.

In 1978, we see things through the perspective of graduate student, and youngest daughter, Betsy, as she meets her sisters and mother back at their Vineyard summer home after learning it will need to be sold to pay off their father's secret debts, which came to light after his death.

When Betsy finds a letter from her father while cleaning out his desk, she is suddenly forced to confront long-buried familial secrets.

Foster masterfully unravels those secrets in real-time for both 1965 Virgie and 1978 Betsy.

There’s a quiet beauty to this novel’s exploration of family and womanhood, as the three sisters and their mother try to reckon with the past that shaped the women they all became, and are still becoming.

There's not a word in this novel that is wasted, not a character that goes undeveloped.

It’s rare to find a story that feels just as relevant today as it would decades ago, but Foster does it. Honest, provocative, heartbreaking, and raw, she captures the emotional push and pull of mother-daughter relationships in a way that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.

OUR LAST VINEYARD SUMMER is a compelling exploration of how the past echoes throughout generations, and how a mother's goal is to shield her child from injustices she faced, and to protect them from any heartbreak by taking on potential pain as her own, no matter the cost.

This is one of those books that lingers long after the last page. YOU can't read it again for the first time, so you'll find yourself compelled to share it with the women closest to you; you know it'll resonate with them as well.

Nobody does summer on the New England coast like Brooke Lea Foster.

Three sisters return to their parents home on the Cape after death of their father. The reader learns of the dysfunction family and the sister's desire to keep thier family cottage. I have read other books by this author and have enjoyed. This one was not one my favorites , I did not care for the ending.

I really enjoyed Brooke Lea Foster's latest book set on Cape Cod that focuses on the family of a politician, particularly the wife and daughters. Moving between the 1960s and the 1970s, I felt Foster did a great job capturing the historical feel of the decades and the experiences of women during this transformative time of second wave feminism. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Politics, secret families, East Coast enclaves - great mix of material on which to set the story of Virgie (not a huge fan of that name) and her three daughters as they process Charlie's death. The story moved nicely and the chapters were short which I very much enjoy; there were a few times when I had to flip back to remember if I was in 1965 or 1978.
When James' mother collapsed, I actually stopped to ponder if there was actually 911 service on Martha's Vineyard in 1965. Subsequent google searches haven't been fruitful but I am not convinced that is historically accurate. I would hope it is and such an egregious factual error hasn't slipped by editors to this point.
I found the fleeting treatment of abortion to be honest yet maybe just a bit too casually integrated - Louisa having had one at 15 and our main character Betsy contemplating one but ultimately deciding against it. Perhaps within this more liberated family abortion wasn't something as taboo as it was in the wider population in the 60s and 70s. Nonetheless, it had a place in the story and has made me think.
I thought Virgie's reaction to Betsy's pregnancy was a little out of character, "Oh, ok, sure, you go to school and I will be grandma and it'll all be great." - that seemed too easy and too quick. Similar to the financial solution of the secret family's home on Nantucket - there just didn't seem to be enough legal discussion (other than the serendipitous letter to Betsy) on ownership.
Overall, I will continue to read Foster's work when I see it on the shelves; thanks for the advanced read.

A pleasant summer read in a charming setting.
Tho a fan of the author, her latest was unfortunately mostly a miss for me.
I didn't feel invested in any of the characters [tho admittedly think I enjoyed the earlier of the two timelines more when the siblings' mother was more centrally featured]. And much of the dialogue felt stilted and didn't flow well.

With thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this e-ARC.

This is another winner from talented author Brooke Lea Foster. You can tell that Foster devotes careful attention to her stories, and her characters really shine. The dual timelines in 1965 and 1978 are handled deftly. The stories are both compelling; I especially admired how the story conveys the differences in two generations of women trying to find the courage to stand up for their beliefs. These are women whom you want to spend time with. They seem so realistic, which is an impressive feat. The story moves along at a nice pace. Overall, this is simply a wonderful read, and I very much enjoyed being in the story world. I am already looking forward to the next novel from this brilliant author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.