Mary Kay Andrews is a pretty prolific author, and I see her books popping up in beach read displays, so I was excited to give one of her books a try. I can see why people like her books, but I'm not sure she's the author for me based on this book. The writing is fun, but The High Tide Club is not a light and fun read like the cover would lead you to believe. There's some heavy subject matter surrounding trauma and I just didn't enjoy it. I ended up not finishing this book, and will not be reviewing it.

I was honestly disappointed with my first MKA experience.
My #1 gripe would be the telling and retelling of flashbacks at length.
The very close second is the lack of foundation for the female relationships in this story. There were two sets of female friends, past and present, that had little to no foundation. In the past the girls were roommates and had a handful of moonlit skinny dipping adventures, this does not make lifelong BFF's. The present day 'friends' have an even weaker connection that I am not able to identify at all. Our Heroin was standoffish at best. While I can believe that the other two may have had some bonding time off page their 'friendship' and claims of 'sisterhood' felt very circumstantial at the very best.
I entered this book expecting an average beach read to while away the final days of the summer.
What was delivered was a book that needed editing and a vitamin B-12 shot of friendship and family relationships.
I read one review stating that this is not a typical MKA performance so I am open to giving her another shot. Have any suggestions on a good one to try?

This will be a popular book, but I really could not stand or abide the trauma. This was not a light and easy read.

This simple beach read offers its readers dual timeline story of female companionship/friendship in fighting with life’s injustices and complications, accompanied with some ghosts from the past.
I am not satisfied as this was too uncomplicated a read, where it was painfully clear what had happened and what is going to happen and some serious cliches got thrown in. The only point of delight is the character of Varina, who had lived hard life, yet is always willing to graciously rise above them and to appreciate all the good this life has to offer.

I loved, "The High Tide Club." Somehow it got lost in my TBR list but I found it and enjoyed every minute. I love the way Mary Kay Andrews writes, I feel like she dropped me right in Georgia along the barrier islands, inside a dilapidated but gorgeous mansion, walking through each room admiring the antique furniture, the windows and drapery, the rugs and chandeliers. This is what reading is all about - being transported through thoughtful and descriptive writing, and of course the story telling. This book is about so many things, but it really resonates female friendships, mother - daughter relationships and how they grow into the best of friends, and yes caretakers. This is a more serious book then her previous novels, way beyond a beach read. I highly recommend this book.

I want to thank NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Intriguing from the get-go! The chapters jump back and forth from 1941 to present day, unraveling the story of four best friends, and what happened to break apart their friendship. Featuring an island inheritance, a domestic drama, mystery, murder, love, and a bond between four friends. The best Mary Kay Andrews book I've read yet!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!

Brooke Trappnell is a single mother who started her own law firm in a small Atlanta town and is struggling to make ends meet. She is hired by eccentric and prickly heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick to help keep her private island out of the hands of the state when she dies as well as track down the descendants of her old friends that made up the High Tide Club so she can make amends for past wrongs and disagreements. As she shares her past, twists and secrets are revealed, but when Josephine dies, Brooke and the other women are left to find answers to the questions Josephine never had a chance to answer.

Overall, this was a pretty good, albeit very long, book. It’s got a little bit of everything. Mysteries both in the present day as well as the past, current stories as well as flashbacks to past events, romances, and found family relationships. It was very long, and it took a little bit for me to actually get into the story. Once I did, it was hard to put down, but it would have been nice to connect from the beginning. The mysteries were decent, although I did figure out at least one of the twists ahead of time. There wasn’t really any graphic sexual content, but there was a moderate amount of moderate language as well as a few instances of very strong language that was kind of jarring and out of place to me. Overall, a good read, but not my new favorite. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

This is classic Mary Kay Andrews, with a little twisty secret thrown in. It's a good read perfect for an afternoon at the beach (or when snowed in!!). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

In this wonderful book about friends and secrets, Mary Kay Andrews, weaves a fun and twisty tale about one woman's wish and a secret that could destroy everything.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Mary Kay Andrews is the queen of beachy reads. In The High Tide Club, Andrews spins the tale of a group of friends and a decades old secret that unravels a story of mystery, mayhem and murder.

Note: clearing old books from before 2019

I read this in June 2018 and rated it 4 stars on goodreads. Summer cannot go by without MKA joining me at the beach. This gave me a lot of friends to spend time with during the few days it took to read. A lot of high jinx and mystery along the way = perfect summer reading.

Absolutely amazing! Mary Kay Andrews never disappoints! This book is the perfect ‘beach read’! There’s a little romance, friendship, comedy, drama, and... mystery! Just when you think you have things figured out...

Mary Kay Andrews does it again! Her books make for great summer beach reads. This book kept me hooked from start to finish.

I love a good read that transport me and makes me want to be with those people. It was a great storyline, and a great setting that I couldn’t put down. I can’t wait to read the next story by this author.

I love Mary Kay Andrews books! Such an easy read with great character development and many mysterious twists and turns.

Eccentric heiress Josephine Warrick is a notorious recluse - reigning over a crumbling pink mansion on a private island, she is rarely seen but often whispered about. So when Brooke Trappnell, a struggling young lawyer, is summoned to the island, she has no idea what's in store. As she listens to Josephine recount a story of old friendship, dark secrets, and a mysterious murder, it becomes clear that Brooke is there for two reasons: to help protect Josephine's beloved island, and to make amends with her old friends, the skinny-dipping, secret-keeping girls of the The High Tide Club.

Andrews has created a story that is at turns suspenseful, sad, and hopeful, with plenty of surprising twists. Recommended.

The High Tide Club was my first book by Mary Kay Andrews, but it won't be my last. What I love most about this. Ook was the parallel friendships found not only amongst the original High Tide Club members, but also amongst their descendants. Additionally, the quirky, flawed characters and their relationships made this book hard to put down. Overall, I loved this book!

MKA never disappoints! I love the twist of mystery she's been injecting into her recent beach reads. Getting back to her roots! Fun, fast-paced and enjoyable!

This book was a rough start for me. Neither dual timelines or multiple viewpoints are my favorite styles to read, and this was both of those. Toss in a slow start right smack in the middle of all that the book plot is, and I was quickly seeing why this book sat in my TBR pile for as long as it did.

The good news is that it picked up for me. I started figuring out the characters, their placements, and their storylines (because there's at least 3 of them going on) and ended up really enjoying the book. I give it 3 1/2 stars but rounded up because it didn't warrant only 3. Even with such a beachy theme, I wouldn't call this a beach read - it's more so a rainy night read, but it's worth picking up!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed, are my own.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2891925078

I did not finish this book because I got about 50 pages in and it bored me. I’m sorry to say that but I will definitely try other books of the author’s to see if maybe this one just was not for me.