Another visit to Winthrop Island, with a very unique second story line. Beatriz Williams never disappoints. Her cliffhanger links between the parallel story lines kept me up late into the night. Equal parts suspense, history and romance, this summer read was delightful.

As usual for a Beatriz Williams’ book, Under the Stars wraps around all my favorite elements: complicated but swoony romances, intriguing mysteries, compelling narratives and protagonists connecting past to present. And of course, exceptional writing. Another wonderful tale from a master of the dual-timeline!

Beatriz Williams has created another compelling story of family trauma and drama wrapped in love with quirky, likeable, and interesting characters. Meredith is a movie star who continually makes bad choices but stays ever in pursuit of the attention and her daughter, Audrey, who has continually had to take care of her mother while also seeking her love. All Audrey has to do is keep Meredith sober for 3 months for a part in a new movie while staying at her childhood home on Winthrop Island and her estranged father lives. The dialogue is at times snarky but also clever and entertaining and I loved it!

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

-I struggled with this one: a dual storyline that intertwined a woman, her famous mom and a story from the past.

It was an interesting premise (and parts I really liked) once it got going but it took me too long to get there and in the end I was left with more questions than answers. I’ve heard great things about Husbands & Lovers though so I’ll still give that a chance! (And whoops apparently I should have read that first!)
Thanks you NetGalley for the arc!

3.5 stars rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of Under the Stars!
I loved Husbands and Lovers, so I was excited to see a bit of crossover characters on Winthrop island. But B, you’ve got to give us a family tree! I read this whole book and still can’t figure who is related and who is not… going back over a century..

It’s hard not to compare books. This one just didn’t pull at my heart strings like her others have. I found the time jumping around a bit confusing too. This one isn’t just dial timeline- there’s 3 timelines and within each are flashbacks.
Even so, I enjoyed the story and the characters! I didn’t know about the historical event-the crashing of the Atlantic. And I enjoyed the mystery of the paintings. Not my favorite BW, but I’d still recommend it!

A Beatriz Williams book is always guaranteed to be a good read. She places this one on the fictional Winthrop Island that has been the setting for a couple of her other books. This one has three timelines, mid 1800s, 1990s and present day. The shipwreck of the Atlantic really happened, but she places her fictional characters among the actual people. To be honest, this was my least favorite part of the book. It was a necessary part for the book as a whole, but was pretty dreary reading, at least for me. The rest of the story is about Meredith and her daughter, Audrey. I really enjoyed their storylines. I loved the last third of the book as connections were made between all the storylines. The ending was very satisfying.

I enjoy Beatriz Williams. She has become an autoread author for me. She writes multiple timelines and it is neat to see how she weaves them all together. I have not read the other Winthrop Island books, although I bought them and meant to read them before this one, but it was not necessary. I think it would have been nice if I read them before to already know some of the families. This book has a survivor of a ship crash in 1848 telling her story, and then we have a 1994 timeline, and a current day. This book is about Meredith and her daughter Audrey. Meredith is an actress and needs to be sober before her next role so her daughter is going to be in charge of her all summer to make sure of the detox. They go to their home on Winthrop Island for the summer. Audrey's father also lives on the island and their relationship is not much better than her relationship with her mother. I will say that neither of them was likable in my opinion. They both need lots of therapy and I feel like that should definitely have been a part of the story. The book opens with a dead body and then we find out there are other dead bodies in the past so there are some mysteries to this story as well.

-"You only get hurt if you love someone in the first place. Grief is the price we pay for love."

-"Because that's how love works. Love does not keep a balance sheet. Love does not keep score. Love just gives. "

This book took me a while to get into, but once I did, it was a great story! It’s definitely more contemporary than historical fiction like most of her books, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! Set in Winthrop Island (I love a small beach town vibe)! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I always look forward to reading Beatriz Williams’ books, and Under the Stars didn’t disappoint. While some parts moved a bit slowly, the story she tells kept me turning the pages. I definitely recommend this book. #UnderTheStars #NetGalley

It wouldn't be summer without a new book from Beatriz Williams, and Under the Stars is a wonderful follow-up to last summer's Husbands and Lovers! I love the way that each of her books can be read as a stand-alone, but all of the books are tied together in some way. In Under the Stars, Williams blends three narratives that are all set on Winthrop Island, the fictional setting of the Summer Wives. The first narrative takes place in the summer of 2024, when Audrey and her mother, the famous actress Meredith Fisher, return to Meredith's family estate on Withrop Island for a summer of drying out before her movie shoot begins in August. Meredith's mother was Isobel, the step-sister of Miranda from the Summer Wives. While on the island babysitting her mother, Audrey is grappling with her own issues, including an estranged ex-husband who left town with all their money, and a dad who needs help resurrecting his failing dive bar. The second narrative takes place in 1993, when Audrey's parents are teenagers. The third narrative focuses on Providence Dare, a young woman accused of murder who has taken refuge on a doomed steamship; this timeline is inspired by the sinking of the Atlantic off the coast of New York in 1846. This was such an enjoyable blend of modern romance, suspence, and historical fiction; long-time readers will enjoy revisiting characters from previous books like Monk and Mallory and the Peabodys of Summerly, but new readers won't have any problems jumping right in. Thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine Books, and author Beatriz Williams for the librarian preview! Additional thanks to Libro.fm for the audiobook, which is also excellent!

Beatriz Williams is becoming a go-to author for me! A dual-timeline historical fiction, set in the fictious New England island of Winthrop Island, "Under the Stars" follows three characters and their diverging storylines. Williams untangles the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, societal perceptions of women, and the general drama of daily life.

My only markdown for this novel is from the difficulty I had at the beginning keeping characters straight throughout the three timelines. It took some mental notations but I eventually was able to remember who each person was. The cast of characters is so rich and diverse, it was hardly a drawback that there were so many people.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
I usually like books by Beatriz Williams, but this one missed it for me. There is three story lines. Each one is interesting on their own, but it was hard for me to connect them. There just wasn't enough connection throughout the story to hold my interest. I still think Beatriz Williams is a great author. This book just wasn't one of my favorites.

Williams did an amazing job showing the story of three different women and creating a connection at the end. I couldn’t put it down. That being said, Under the Stars reminded me too much of Husbands and Lovers.

✨ Under the Stars - Beatriz Williams
4.75/5 ⭐️ - I loveeee me a Beatriz Williams book. I was so excited to receive this ARC and I flewww through reading it. I was obsessed with the history, the mystery, and the romance. Williams meshes the genres beautifully.

I was immediately hooked to the present day story with the struggling mother-daughter relationship and the need/desire to watch their story grow. I was interested in the historical fiction sideline story to see how it was relevant and when it would circle back. I also enjoyed the middle timeline story to really grow the dynamic of Mike and Meredith. I loved the characters and the story and was so pleased with how it all connected. My ONLY qualm is that the ended was abrupt and I wish there was an epilogue!

Absolutely stunning!

Beatriz Williams takes such care with her craft and effortlessly brings the past to life as it entwines with the present. Being able to visit Winthrop Island and get to know more of its lore is as enchanting and engaging as other visits. Audrey, Meredith, Mike, and Sedge are all vibrantly human, and their summer at Winthrop becomes an unforgettable one.

I am never disappointed with a novel by Beatriz Williams. She remains one of my favorite authors for historical fiction and I cannot ever see that changing.

Under the Stars is a must read for all historical fiction, romance, and literature lovers alike.

Many thanks to the publisher, the author, and to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books for the gifted ARC!

4.25 stars

This book delivered so much more than I expected, I'll admit I was sold based on mostly the cover alone, but I'm happy to say that it didn't let me down!

I don't even know how I'd characterize this because I came for the women's fiction, was drawn in by the historical fiction aspects, but ended up loving the romance the most, I love when books offer something for everyone, and I think this one does!

The story was told among 3 different time periods, but everything was interconnected so perfectly that it seamlessly felt like one unified story. I loved learning about these 3 women and how their stories shaped history.

This book definitely has me eager to go back and read more from Beatriz Williams as this was my first by her!

There were a a couple spicy scenes and some other explicit content that seemed a little jarring compared to the rest of the book, so keep that in mind if that is a concern for you.

Honestly, Beatriz Williams can do no wrong in my eyes. This novel is equally as good as Husbands and Lovers PLUS brings back our favorite couple. Audrey is a great character - layered, hard to read and desperate for her mother’s love. For me, this one hit all the right chords, made me cheer and cry and is one of those books that will stick with you for a long time.

I will start off this review by saying, if Beatriz Williams has no fans, I’m dead. Under the Stars takes us back to William’s fictional Winthrop Island, and while it was not my favorite of her books, I still enjoyed it immensely. Mysterious paintings, Hollywood glamour, glimpses of some of our favorite island residents, and a love story—what more could a girl want?

I've read every book by Beatriz Williams, and haven't liked the last several nearly as much as her first few. This one is ok, typical beach read fare but essentially forgettable when you've finished. Each timeline is fairly engaging while you're reading it but don't stick enough to be very moving or memorable, and the ties between the shipwreck storyline and the modern one is a bit forced. It's fun to find the Easter eggs that Williams hides for consistent readers of her novels, but overall, for me this book lacked charm or substance and wasn't as much fun as her earlier works.

Beatriz Williams is back with another great read. Under the Stars is a dual timeline story with some historical fiction and a great love story (or 2). While I enjoyed learning about the steamship exploding off the coast of New England, my favorite storyline was Audrey learning more about her father and allowing herself to fall in love. Block off a day and enjoy the read- I did!