I'm not the biggest historical fiction lover. The book is extremely well-written but I just couldn't get into the excerpts and the going back and forth with details on the present tense. This book just isn't for me but I'm sure other readers will love it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Under the Stars. As a longtime fan of the author, I was excited to dive into this one, especially after loving her previous novel, Husbands and Lovers.

While I appreciated the chance to revisit some familiar characters, I found the first part of the book quite slow and struggled to feel fully engaged at the start. It took a while for the connections to Husbands and Lovers to become clear, which might make it harder for new readers or even fans expecting a quicker tie-in.

I was also distracted by the frequent use of strong language—particularly the word "fuck"—which felt excessive and, at times, unnecessary for the tone of the story. Additionally, the subplot involving the estranged husband stretched believability and didn’t quite land for me.

That said, I did really enjoy the historical setting and the way the book wove in real-life events and atmosphere. The author's strength in creating a vivid sense of time and place definitely shines through.

Overall, while this wasn’t my favorite from the author, I’m still looking forward to seeing what she writes next

Under the Stars by Beatriz Williams
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub date: 7/29

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced copy.

The story follows Audrey Fisher and her famous mom, Meredith, as they return to Winthrop Island, a place neither of them really wants to be. While trying to navigate their complicated relationship, Audrey stumbles across a chest of old paintings that ties their family to Providence Dare, a woman who vanished during a steamship disaster in the 1800s.

Under the Stars is a mix of family drama, romance, and a bit of maritime history. I love Beatriz Williams’s writing style, and her dual timelines and layered family secrets usually draw me in. But this one felt a little overcrowded. The three POVs (Audrey, Meredith, and Providence) were hard to juggle, and I never really clicked with Providence’s chapters. Honestly, I wanted way more about the shipwreck itself, because that part of the story was so interesting.

There are some great side characters (I loved Sedge and Mike), and the island setting is vivid, but I felt like some relationships needed a little bit more. Still, if you enjoy Williams’s books or historical fiction in general, this is definitely worth picking up.

Beatriz Williams is back and better than ever! This new novel from her has all the nods you want to her older books, and a triple timeline between these three connected women.

In the present-day, we’ve got a grittier heroine than usual (loved!) and a cinnamon roll of a guy on the side. Audrey is a chef who’s just been left by her husband - she’s charged with drying out her actress mother Meredith for the summer so she can go on set. They as life themselves away go Winthrop Island, where Audrey’s dad owns a bar and Meredith’s past is in the forefront.

The middle timeline is during Meredith’s late teen years, when she’s desperate to leave Winthrop, and learning she’s pregnant with Audrey. The far past is an account of the wreckage and sinking of a ship just off Winthrop Island, by a passenger who had escaped arrest for the murder of her employer.

It sounds complicated, but in Beatriz we trust, because she is a master storyteller. She keeps you interest in each storyline, weaving flawlessly each character to the others. Every time I sat down to read, I didn’t want to get up.

The ending in particular is an absolute perfection - unforeseen events are unfolding quickly, but we really get a beautiful resolution on all sides.


The nods to many of BW’s other stories really made me want to finish her backlist!! Highly recommend reading anything by her - they do stand alone quite well!

“Under the Stars” is a page turning fabulous read. Once again, Beatriz Williams has made me love a historical fiction book.

This book is set in three time settings with the wreck of the “Atlantic” in 1846, early 90’s and current day. This is done seamlessly. The characters are multi-generational with complex personalities.

Main character, Audrey, has agreed to help her mother stay sober after rehab until her new movie starts filming. They travel back to Winthrop Island for the summer. The mother-daughter duo has a complex relationship. From the natural beauty of the island to the development of a new understanding of their lives.

Highly recommend this book!! Comes out on July 29th. Go pre-order now! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this advance copy.

Three women, three timelines, and shipwrecks that link them. Audrey and her mother Meredith, an Oscar winning actress have retreated to Meredith's somewhat decrepit family home on Winthrop Island so that Meredith can dry out and Audrey can figure out next steps after her rotten husband drained their bank accounts and disappeared. Neither of them expected what come next. Audrey goes to work at her father Mike's place, fixing up the kitchen with funds from Sedge, who becomes more for her. And then she finds a trunk which contains previously unknown paintings that are worth a fortune. Interspersed with Meredith and Audrey's stories is the diary of Providence, who fled Boston after being accused of murder and is on a ship destined to smash on the rocks. Know that at one point I was confused as to how everyone related to each other and that this being a Beatriz Williams novel, there are twists and surprises around every corner, especially as you get deeper into the well told tales. This one pulled me in and kept me reading. I especially liked the use of the diary for the all important back story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

4.5 stars
"When a daughter and her famous mother return to Winthrop Island to confront their complicated past, they discover a secret trove of paintings that connect them to a mysterious woman who vanished on a luxury steamship two centuries earlier. [It's] an epic tale of family legacy, love, and truths that echo down generations."

Under the Stars is historical fiction layered with an element of mystery and romance. After reading Husbands and Lovers, I was excited to get my hands on this. The story is told in three timelines where the lives of three women converge and are connected across centuries. Audrey Fisher and her mother Meredith have a complicated relationship. When they return to Winthrop Island for the summer, both Audrey and Meredith are counting the days until they can return to their lives. The discovery of paintings and a few mysterious men entering their lives reveals family secrets and that all the women are more than they appear to be at first glance and they learn to trust themselves and those they love.

The main characters are richly developed, and although they are much different than me, they are real and relatable. The timelines of Providence in 1846, Meredith in 1993, and Audrey in the present day were seamlessly woven together, each chapter revealing more secrets and details. William's storytelling is masterful with beautiful prose that I absolutely loved. I think I enjoyed it more because characters from Husbands and Lovers are threaded throughout the story, but it can be read as a stand-alone. This book is so descriptive that I was transported to Winthrop Island (based on Fisher Island) off Long Island Sound. It is written so beautifully that I now want to summer on a New England island. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand will love these books that have a similar feel in setting with the added element of historical fiction. I highly recommend adding this to your summer TBR. It's one of my favorite beach reads of the summer! ☀️ 🏖🔎

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books, and Beatriz Williams for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

#UnderTheStars #BeatrizWilliams #RandomHouse #BallantineBooks #NetGalley #bestbooks2025 #beachread #ARCreview #bookreview #historicalfiction #mystery #familydrama #familysecrets #romance #5starbooks #bestbooks #TBR2025 #AnticipatedBooks #nytbestsellingauthor #booklover #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookclub #StrongFemaleCharacters #NetGalleyReviewer #BookRecommendations #bookinfluencer

Under the Stars is a gripping historical novel by Beatriz Williams, told through three different timelines that all come together in powerful ways.

One part of the story follows Providence Dare, a young woman in the past who escapes Boston by boat after being accused of killing her boss, a world-famous artist. Her journey is full of mystery, danger, and hidden truths.

In the present day, famous actress Meredith Fischer is struggling. Her career is fading, she’s almost out of money, and she needs help getting sober. Her daughter Audrey drives her across the country to their family’s summer home on Winthrop Island, hoping the quiet place will help her mom heal.

As Audrey and Meredith settle in, secrets from the past begin to surface—some connected to Providence and some to their own family history. The story moves between timelines, slowly revealing how the lives of these women are connected.

Beatriz Williams does a great job blending history, mystery, and family drama.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Under the Stars.

Book Review: Beatriz Williams, Under the Stars
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for my gifted ARC—I regret nothing, except that I can’t read it again for the first time.

Beatriz Williams’ Under the Stars is like finding a dusty old chest in your dad’s bar basement and discovering it’s full of lost art, family secrets, and a whole new reason to side-eye your lineage. It’s lush, it’s layered, it’s emotionally messy in all the best ways—and it somehow juggles three timelines without dropping a single plot thread. Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out how she pulled this off. A shipwreck mystery from 1846, an actress detoxing in exile, and a disillusioned chef all manage to collide into a story that’s romantic, propulsive, and just a little bit feral.

In 2024, we meet Audrey Fisher, a Michelin-level chef whose marriage has gone up in smoke (figuratively) and whose kitchen has done the same (literally). Enter her mother Meredith, an aging Hollywood icon with a closet full of designer gowns and demons. Meredith’s one job this summer: get sober before she tanks her last chance at a career comeback. Audrey’s job? Be her unwilling chaperone on Winthrop Island, a moneyed New England enclave known for privacy, privilege, and repressed generational trauma.

Just when Audrey thinks it can’t get worse, she discovers a wooden chest in the cellar of the family inn. Inside? Paintings. Very old, very valuable, and very clearly the work of Henry Irving, a 19th-century American master who apparently had a muse—and a tendency to keep secrets. All the paintings depict the same woman. No signature. No explanation. Just a time bomb of mystery waiting to detonate.

Now, flash back to 1846. Providence Dare—servant, survivor, and unofficial queen of doing-the-most—is on the run from Boston, accused (maybe fairly, maybe not) of murdering her employer, the very same Henry Irving. She hops aboard the luxury steamship Atlantic, hoping to disappear into the waves of anonymity. Unfortunately, the ship has other plans—namely, exploding in a gale off the coast of Winthrop Island, where all threads in this story go to knot themselves beautifully.

Also in the mix: Audrey’s long-lost father (a cranky bartender with surprising emotional depth), a broodingly handsome neighbor named Sedge Peabody (yes, that’s his real name), and the kind of found family energy that makes you believe in second chances—even if your first chance involved setting a kitchen on fire and emotionally fencing with your mom over tuna tartare.

Williams balances all this with the elegance of someone who knows her way around heartbreak and dry humor. The banter between Audrey and Meredith is dagger-sharp—equal parts passive-aggressive and aggressively passive. These two women do not like each other… and yet, you feel how much they need each other in every scene. Meredith, for all her star power and narcissism, has a broken core that makes her sympathetic in flashes. Audrey is jaded, bitter, and deeply, deeply relatable.

One of my favorite lines in the whole novel?
“You either leave or you get left.”
Oof. Hits like a well-aimed martini glass in a family argument.

As for the historical portions, they read like a gothic survival thriller: salt-soaked, heart-racing, and full of ominous fog. Providence Dare isn’t just a plot device—she’s a woman with agency, secrets, and an excellent ability to not die in a shipwreck. Her story weaves into the present timeline with perfect tension. Honestly, I’d watch a limited HBO series about her tomorrow.

There are a few spicy scenes that show up out of nowhere like “Surprise! Boobs!”—but it’s nothing offensive, just a little tonal whiplash if you were still mentally hanging out in the 1840s. It’s like someone walked into Downton Abbey with a bottle of Fireball and zero regrets. Not a complaint, just… bring snacks.

The payoff in the final chapters is everything. The mystery of the paintings, the fates of the women, the tender (and sometimes hilariously awkward) romances—all of it lands. Williams doesn’t just write endings, she sticks them. And if you’ve read her other Winthrop Island novels, get ready for some Easter eggs and returning characters (hello, Monk Adams, still charming, still chaotic).

Bottom line? Under the Stars is the literary equivalent of an expensive glass of scotch: warm, bold, and just a little bit dangerous if you consume it too fast. It’s a slow burn that turns into a wildfire, and it’s got everything—romance, ruin, redemption, and a dash of art theft.

4.5/5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved William’s latest HF present day mashup. There historical fiction piece truly kept me hooked. I loved reading Dare’s journal entries and was hooked on her journey and impending shipwreck. I also loved both of the present day storylines and ensuing romance. The nods to many of William’s previous books as well as visiting already well-loved characters was also a treat. This book will surely be a crowd pleaser, especially if you enjoyed Husbands and Lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy.

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams was one of my favorite reads of 2024, so when I learned that Williams would be returning to this world with Under the Stars, I knew I had to get my hands on it.

This releases on Tuesday and I’m so enjoying being back in this world! If you haven’t read H&L yet, this can absolutely be read standalone, but you’ll be missing out on another great read - and I highly recommend the audio as well - multi cast narration!

3 stars. This was a slow start for me and took me a while to get to a point where I began enoying the book. The characters are quirky and there's lots of family drama/secrets plus mystery.
This was my first Beatriz Williams book and I saw other reviewers recommend reading some of her other books before this one, and I wonder if that would have made me enjoy the story more.

Thank you to Netgalley and BeatrizWilliams for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Beatriz Williams’s books. This one had SO MANY little Easter eggs and nods to her previous books and titles. While you don’t need to read all of them (only if you want to be an insider), I do recommend reading THE SUMMER WIVES before this one and possibly HUSBANDS AND LOVERS just to know the side characters more (and Sedge). I did find myself wishing I had Reread at least THE SUMMER WIVES beforehand because I was doing some googling on some of the backstories.

This was a little slow at the beginning and I wasn’t sure how the Meredith/Audrey perspectives were going to tie into the past POV but it started unraveling about 44% in.

I wasn't a fan of her last book - but this was so good. It took me a little to get into it, but then finished it really quickly. Books with alternating perspectives are my favorite and this was no exception!

This story is told from three points of view. Prudence from 1846 when the ship Atlantic crashed close to Winthrop Island. Meredith's story starts in 1993 when she has her daughter and leaves the island to become an actress. Audrey, Meredith's daughter, has come to the island to keep her mother sober before she starts her current movie. The lives of these three women intertwine in way we cannot guess.

This book is part historical fiction, family drama, mystery, and romance all in one. When a trunk is discovered containing valuable artwork, who does it belong to and how did it get on the island. This is an engaging read with the reader trying to guess how the women's live are interrelated. Meredith has never settled down and her daughter is now doing the same thing. Will there lives change on Winthrop Island? I would recommend reading this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #BeatrizWilliams, and #BallantineBooks for a copy of this book.
#UndertheStars

Dnf at 25%. Maybe I’m just getting pickier but I don’t have time to waste on boring books. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters 25% in, nothing had really happened yet, and there was so much swearing. I cuss like a sailor myself but I think it takes away from the story when a cuss word is dropped in every sentence of dialogue. I haven’t read any of the other books by this author and idk if that had any impact on how I felt about this story but I don’t think I’m going to pick up her other works.

Actress Meredith Fisher needs a quiet place to recuperate after a stint in rehab. Enter the family home on secluded Winthrop Island. Meredith's grown daughter, Audrey, begrudgingly accompanies her with the intention of seeing her father, Mike, for the first time in decades. While helping him clear out the basement of the restaurant and bar that has been in his family for over a hundred years, Audrey discovers a trunk of paintings by one of America's most famous painters. How did they end up in a trunk at the Mohegan Inn?

I was excited to return to Winthrop Island and loved that Monk and Mallory from Husbands and Lovers made an appearance. Audrey, Meredith and Mike are all complicated characters who have complicated relationships with one another. It also made it harder for me to get to know the characters as a reader. The story is told in 3 timelines: Audrey and Meredith present day, Meredith in 1993 before she leaves Winthrop Island, and Providence Dare in 1846 detailing the story of the paintings. I had a harder time connecting with the characters in Under the Stars than I have in other books by Beatriz Williams. While many of the characters felt familiar from other Winthrop Island books, the storyline just didn't grip me. The historical storyline with Providence didn't even feel necessary to the overall plot. The plot is more of a family drama than historical fiction and I would have love if the story leaned into that more.

This has all the right beats for a Beatriz Williams novel, but I didnt fall in love with it the way I did some of her other stories

I love Beatriz Williams and her fictional Winthrop Island. I was just underwhelmed by this particular entry into that world. Williams seemed to throw in too many things, the story felt too dramatic at times, and the characters were... really unlikeable. Both Audrey and Meredith felt like caricatures of quirky women with a quirky mother/daughter relationship. They felt very forced and abrasive.

The best part about Williams' stories are the characters and their relationships. This one felt like it was lacking a certain something, and the parts from Providence Dare felt disjointed. I'm not entirely sure they fit in with the narrative at large except in a way that was supposed to feel profound, but to me fell flat. I honestly was like "whats the point?" on a few plot points because they made no difference to the over arching story. To me, at least.

I love entering the world of Winthrop Island, but this book, for the first time, felt confusing. Like I was supposed to know who all the players were but didn't. Reading the beach at summerly and husbands & lovers, I never felt lost, but this time I got very distracted by all the history and the names that i knew should be familiar but weren't. i obviously missed something by having not read the summer wives, but since this isn't technically a series, that shouldnt, in my opinion, matter. this time, it was a hindrance.

but i did love that a few of meredith's films were Willams' adaptations.

I had a hard time getting into this story because of how much was going on at the jump. Beautiful writing but I didn’t feel engaged with this book.

A fabulous, historical and mysterious read. Another Beatriz Williams gem! A huge thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read.