Beatriz Williams returns with the familiar characters, locations and stories of Winthrop Island. In Under the Stars, she weaves together two timelines. First, the historical story of the sinking of The Atlantic in 1816 off the coast of New England. The reader learns through diaries about Prudence Dare who is fleeing Boston to escape investigation into her employer’s death. He is a famous artist and she is his muse and the last one to see him alive. Second, a contemporary story brings a mother who is an alcoholic movie star and her daughter back to Winthrop Island, each with their own secrets and a complicated relationship.

The multiple points of view and mix of mystery, historical fiction and romance hooked me right away. The art history subject matter and sinking of The Atlantic were fascinating topics and added to the depth of the narrative. The stories about the three women were expertly layered and kept me engaged throughout the whole story. The added bit of romance among the characters was the perfect bit of hope this reader needed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader’s copy.

The stories in Under the Stars are captivating. Audrey, Meredith, and Providence must each overcome hardships in their pasts. But I especially loved getting to know Mike and Sedge in this book. We got a glimpse of Sedge's kindness in Husbands and Lovers and I was thrilled for him to get a happily ever after in Under the Stars.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Under the Stars
Author Beatriz Williams
Available now!

This beauty was published last week, and I was lucky enough to listen to the brilliant full cast of narrators on @librofm over the weekend. Thank you, @ballantinebooks, for my @giftedarc! Beatriz is an auto- read author for me, and I was so excited to read her latest!

With her signature style of dual timelines that merge to create connections between the past and the present, Beatriz weaves in family drama, mystery, and romance to her plot, all while writing characters that are realistic, dynamic, and beautifully flawed. Under the Stars is a story of family legacy, the complex relationship between mothers and daughters, secrets, truths, and love.

I loved the complicated relationship between Audry and her mother, which made me enjoy the present timeline more than the past. I also loved the character development and growth that these women experienced.

4.5 ⭐

When I'm totally engrossed in a story I forget to highlight my favorite quotes! I only highlighted one in this new novel by Beatriz Williams.

Three timelines intertwine the Winthrop Island stories of Providence Dare (1846), Meredith Fisher (1993), and Audrey Fisher (2024). This is only my second of the author's four novels set in Winthrop Island, but it was fun to recognize familiar island characters like Mike, Monk, Mallory, and Sedge.

Similar to Husbands & Lovers, each timeline pulled me in with the author spending just the right amount of time in each before returning to another.

"You have to work for her love. You have to earn it. You have to show her that this shelter they have built is not a temporary accommodation. However fragile, however much in need of renovation and expansion and weatherproofing, it is home. To him, anyway."

There is just something special about how Beatriz Williams writes a story that completely draws me in. Multiple POV's, multiple timelines work so well together to created a storyline that keeps you engrossed and guessing until nearly the very end. Some of my favorite characters from Husbands and Lovers make an appearance also adding to the mystery of the story and I was there for it. Difficult Mother and Daughter issues, new and strange Daughter Father issues and the mystery of Providence Dare work so seamlessly and has you rooting for everyone, including Audrey and Sedge to find their happily ever afters.

After loving Husbands & Lovers last summer, I couldn’t wait to dive into Beatriz Williams’ latest—and Under the Stars did not disappoint. With its mix of mystery, romance, and historical drama, it is my perfect reading cocktail.

Synopsis: This layered novel weaves together the lives of three unforgettable women. As their stories unfold, the connections between them deepen, and the past begins to echo in the present in haunting, powerful ways.
✨Providence Dare: A young woman accused of murder, fleeing Boston on a doomed steamship in the 1800s.
✨ Meredith Fisher: A famous actress battling addiction, trying to piece her life back together.
✨ Audrey Fisher: (Meredith’s daughter) A newly single chef returning to her family’s island home, where a long-lost trunk and mysterious paintings unravel secrets buried for generations.

What I Loved:
🩷 The multiple POVs and intersecting storylines kept me hooked.
🩷 A compelling blend of genres—romance, mystery, and historical fiction all in one.
🩷 I mostly read the e-book but listened to a few chapters on Spotify, and the narration was excellent. That said, I’d recommend reading this one—the timeline shifts are easier to track that way.

📝 Final Thoughts
Beatriz Williams knows how to tell a story that sweeps you up and keeps you invested. I highly recommend Under the Stars—and if you haven’t read Husbands & Lovers, add that one to your list too. Can’t wait to read more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC

Under the Stars made for a pretty great summer read. It had a bit of everything - mystery, romance, art history drama, family dynamics. I loved the way the story wove together multiple storylines, though I do feel like the reveal of how the stories related took a bit too long to get to and the ending felt a bit abrupt. I gladly would have read another 100 pages to get more of their stories.

Aside from that though, I loved how the stories did eventually come together and felt satisfied with how the mysteries were resolved. I love a good historical ripple effect storyline so that worked well for me. I would gladly read another book just examining the mother-daughter dynamics in the book because I felt like they had such a rich and complicated history.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Under the Stars is two stories which are woven together. One is the story of the tragic sinking of The Atlantic in November 1816 off the coast of Winthrop Island in New England. Providence Dare is trying to escape Boston by sailing on The Atlantic to New York to start a new life for herself. She had been employed by a famous painter, Henry Irving, whose death is being investigated. While on the board the ship, Providence discovers that the detective investigating the matter is also on the ship. The other story is a contemporary story of the famous actor and her daughter who return to Winthrop Island. Neither woman wants to be there, but the actor, Meredith Fisher, is to recover from her unhealthy lifestyle in order to star in her next big movie. Meredith is haunted by a boating accident that occurred many years ago at the shore of the island. Audrey Fisher, a classically trained chef, wants to forge her own life and not rely on her mother being a celebrity. When her husband walks away from their marriage, Audrey agrees to go to Winthrop Island with Meredith. Meredith's home on the island should provide privacy for her to recover. Not wanting to spend her days at the home, Audrey meets up with her father on the island and agrees to be the chef at his run down restaurant. As they are fixing up the restaurant, they discover an old trunk and discover that her father may be related to Providence Dare. So many questions are raised as no one knew about the history of this ancestor. Beatriz Williams has written a fascinating epic tale that combines an historical event with a contemporary story. She ties together the stories of the three women that I could not put it down. I love her twist on words that she uses in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of Under the Stars. I was so excited to read Under the Stars as Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors.

Back to Winthrop Island.

This was literary fiction mixed with some mystery. There are 3 timelines we follow. Though I have to say Providence’s is my favorite timeline and we get the least of hers. I would have loved more.

Overall I enjoyed the story. There were times when it felt a little dragged out but I was def hooked to see what was going to happen.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for the advanced copy for review.

Beatriz never lets me down. I enjoyed returning to a previous setting and characters, but ultimately a new story. Meredith and Audrey were both pretty interesting characters, but something had me yearning for more. Overall, it was a pretty unique read.

Thank you for an early copy of this book by an author I have enjoyed in the past. This story returns to Winthrop Island, where previous Beatriz books have been told in the past which I loved. A daughter and her famous mother return to the island, they discover a secret trove of paintings that reveals secrets of the past. It combines historical fiction and a present day drama, though I was wishing for more focus on the past day story. That was more interesting to me overall...but it's a strong women driven story that kept me guessing and curious for where these women would end up.

I have read a few Beatriz Williams novels that I enjoyed, so I was excited to get an ARC copy of Under the Stars. Although it is a standalone novel, I learned after reading this one that Williams has a few other books set on Winthrop Island. I'm looking forward to checking them out.
The story has multiple points of view spanning from 1846 to 2024. In present day Audrey Fisher has agreed to accompany her mother, actress Meredith Fisher, from the West Coast back east to Winthrop Island where Meredith can dry out off the grid before her next big role. Audrey is helping her mother and also taking a beat while she deals with the aftermath of a recent betrayal. In addition to these voices, we also hear the story of Providence Dare, a young women who was on board the Steamship Atlantic the evening it wrecked in 1846. In the beginning, it is hard to see how Providence Dare's story could interact with Audrey and Meredith's, but it all came together nicely. This story has a lot of appeal to a variety of readers: historical fiction, family drama, and mystery. Those who are sensitive to language might want to skip this one. Overall, it was a gripping story that I could see being made into an HBO miniseries.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for allowing me to have a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley- thank you!

I enjoyed returning to Winthrop Island and some of the characters from Husbands and Lovers in this book (though this is a standalone novel). I thought Meredith and Audrey were both interesting characters, and I liked how Providence Dare's account of the sinking of the Atlantic was woven into the novel. Overall, it was a pretty unique read.

I really loved Husbands and Lovers, so I was looking forward to this, and it didn't disappoint! The plot sounds convoluted, but I was quite impressed with how clear Williams made everything and how the different timelines made complete sense together. In the present day, Audrey Fisher has gone to Winthrop Island for the summer to make sure her famous actor Meredith stays sober after going to rehab. In another timeline twenty years ago, Meredith is a teenager on Winthrop Island, navigating a maybe-relationship with her best friend and coping after a tragic sailing accident. And in the 1800s, Providence Dare boards a steamship in the wake of her master's tragic death, but she's in for a horrible night as the steamship will run aground in less than 24 hours. It's not clear in the beginning how the timelines are connected, but you get there eventually and I loved it.

A lot of the characters in this book are not exactly upstanding people, but I enjoyed that. The relationships in this story are so complicated - you'd need 500 pages alone to explain and decipher Audrey and Meredith's dynamic - and it made for a really compelling narrative. I thought some of the loose ends were tied up a bit too neatly at the end, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment. I also loved the 1800s steamship storyline a lot more than I expected. Overall, another tour de force from Beatriz Williams!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for the ARC of this title.

I am usually a fan of Beatriz Williams but I did not enjoy this one. I even waited until release day to try it on audio. It was just boring for me. I liked the family drama between Meredith and Audrey. But the storyline with the Atlantic was just so boring. So I DNF'd at 60%. I will not leave a negative review because I do usually love this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.25/5)

What a wonderful story! Three timelines, each unique on its own right, seamlessly come together in Beatriz William’s newest book. Each timeline had me totally invested.

Three strong women, each with their own set of problems. 1846, Providence Dare boards a steamship to try and save her life and comes very close to losing it. 1993, Meredith Kennedy, runs away from her own issues with her infant daughter, becomes a major actress but spirals out of control. Present Day, Audrey Kennedy has a failed marriage and restaurant, a ton of bills and is now in charge of making sure mom Meredith, stay sober.

This is a perfect mix of historical fiction, mystery, family drama and the right amount of romance. I loved the strong characters, their questionable behavior and personal development. They never stopped surprising me.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for an early copy of this book in exchang efor a honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. I loved the storyline and the characters. I did enjoy following the mother and daughter through their pain and joy. I would definitely recommend this book.

I eagerly dove into Under the Stars, enthusiastically ready for another great Beatriz Williams story. And that's what I got, a twisty tale spanning 3 generations of amazing but vulnerable and conflicted women: Providence Dare (1800's), Meredith Fisher (20th century) and her daughter Audrey Fisher. Add in 200 year old heartstopping paintings, questions about parentage, a bit of politics and you have a real page turner.

I initially had a hard time getting into the story; it's important to pay attention to the early clues Williams gives you or you will get lost. After re-reading the first couple of chapters I was totally sucked in to the rest of the story, and couldn't put the book down.

I love how she used the locations, stories and characters of Winthrop Island in multiple books. This one did not disappoint! I loved Sedge getting his happy ending after reading Husbands & Lovers not long ago and adoring him!

I will read anything Beatriz Williams writes. After reading Husbands & Lovers I knew I would be a fan for life. Her writing is so compelling. I love her epic blend of historical fiction and romance. I love that she continues to bring her readers back to Winthrop Island. I also love her use of dual timelines. Sedge Peabody was a highlight while reading Husbands & Lovers so it was lovely to read about his love story with Audrey. Beatriz does multi POV and timelines so incredibly well. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for another great novel from BW!