Historical fiction at its finest! 1938 Montauk, with its wealthy summer break crowd and the hardworking locals, is a charming read full of romance, deceit, money, and heartbreak. This is the perfect summer book!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

What an incredible debut novel by Nicola Harrison.

Set in 1938, Montauk on Long Island, at The Montauk Manor.
The characters are wonderfully crafted, some likeable some not so much, those love to hate type of characters. Each individual character is well written , complex and fleshed out.

This novel speaks to the differences in class especially during the 1930's. The relationship between Beatrice and Harry is a familiar one, poor though educated woman marries wealthy man. But this story is so much more than that.

The story is compelling and dives into relationships , not only romantic, but friendship.

I felt transported back to a different time and I loved every minute of it!

Everyone wants that once in a lifetime romance, and Bea thought she had it until she realized she was living a life very different than the one she was meant to.
This classic romance story is beautifully placed in Montauk on Long Island during the 1930s. During a time when women were thought less of, Beatrice fights for what she wants and deserves.
I really enjoyed reading this story.
I was able to imagine the scene so well and really wish I was able to be there and see the view from the lighthouse.
Maybe I’ll make the trip one day.
Summertime, some fresh air, and a steamy lighthouse romance.

Living on Long Island, I visit Montauk often during the summer. The town is so charming and cute! When I heard of Nicola’s book, I was excited to read it and I’m glad I finally got ahold of it! The story reeled me in right from the start. Beatrice was a delightful and lovely character; I enjoyed following along of her days at the Manor. I felt as if I was living in Montauk with her.

I’m arriving to Nicola Harrison’s debut novel “Montauk” after bingeing three seasons of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime.

The two works share striking similarities, despite “Montauk” setting, which supposedly takes place two decades before Sherman-Palladino’s award-winning hit television series. (If you erase “Montauk’s” references to the 1938 New England hurricane, Roosevelt and his fireside chats, it’d be impossible to tell that “Montauk” takes place on the eve of World War II in the late 1930s, and not the late 1950s when “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” takes place.)
Both “Montauk” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s” protagonists are wealthy and married mid-twenty-something-year-old New Yorkers who spend summers in vacation resorts away from the city. In Mrs. Midge Maisel’s case, that’s the Steiner Resort up in the Catskills, where her Jewish family spend absolutely every summer. In Beatrice Bordeaux’s case, this is Long Island’s Montauk, a very new vacation resort for New York’s elite established by now-bankrupt financier Carl Fisher.

The bankruptcy is why Mrs. Bordeaux is at the Montauk Manor resort for the summer of 1938. Her husband Harry wants to invest in Fisher’s property and booked a room to scope it out. So Mrs. Bordeaux is a fish out of water among New York’s socialites, living her first summer in Montauk, where manor guests enjoy pig races, swimming, sailing, hunting, gambling, gossiping sunbathing and planning charity balls.

If reading about that sounds dull — it is. But Sherman-Palladino’s script and Harrison’s plot share other similarities: They blow up their female protagonists’ marriages. Mr. Joel Maisel’s affair becomes the catalyst for Mrs. Maisel’s burgeoning career as a stand-up comic. Mr. Harry Bordeaux’s affair propels his wife to criticize the wealthy and champion the poor in anonymous newspaper columns. It also leads Mrs. Bordeaux to have an affair of her own.

Mrs. Bordeaux is less rebellious than Mrs. Maisel. Mrs. Bordeaux never gets arrested for public indecency. Women like Mrs. Bordeaux don’t get divorced. Mr. Harry Bordeaux is not as sympathetic as Mr. Joel Maisel. But fans of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” may still enjoy “Montauk” and Mrs. Bordeaux’s quiet rebellion. Just expect less comedy and more tragedy.

Disclaimer: I received a free eARC of “Montauk” from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for this honest review.

I'm not much of a historical fiction fan, but this was excellent. Loved the history of the area, I've spent time there, so it was neat to think back to what was similar.

I actually really enjoyed this book, until the end. Ha. Trying not to hold that against the book, though.

It was such a beautiful debut novel! I could totally see this one being a movie! It takes place in 1938 Montauk, Long Island. Beatrice has married into wealth, and her husband Harry has her spending a summer in Montauk with all of the well to do wives, at the Montauk Manor Hotel , while their husbands go back to the city during the week for business. They hope that over the summer they can rekindle their marriage! Beatrice finds out that Harry isn't who she thought he was, and hasn't been faithful! She meets a lovely, kind, sensitive man that she feels and instant connection to. I don't want to say more and spoil this story, but so much goes on in this book, and I was so enthralled with it! I loved all of the descriptions of Montauk in the summer, and the whole 1930s living!! This was a quick read, I got through it in 2 days!! I can't believe this was a debut! I will definitely be looking forward to more books by Nicola Harrison!!

The story is about Beatrice, a socialite from New York, who like the other women in society, summers in Montauk, Long Island. Beatrice is in a childless and stale marriage, and thought that summers in Montauk would rekindle their loveless marriage, but in reality, her husband would only come to Montauk on the train during the week ends. feeling isolated and not belonging to the gossiping and shallow socialites, she befriends some of the villagers. She gets to know Elizabeth who does their laundry and the handsome and charming lighthouse keeper Thomas.

I enjoyed Nicola Harrison's writing style. I felt the story world of the late 1930's from the language, the descriptions of the hotel, the women's' activities, the food and the clothes they wear were successfully presented. I enjoyed the difference between the haves and the have nots, with the opulent lifestyle compared to the poverty experienced by the villagers that service the summer vacationers. The book is very well researched that had accurate representation of the role of women during that time and how medicine has evolved from what it was to current medical advancements.

I would have enjoyed a few more chapters to close the loop on some of the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this debut novel by Nicola Harrison. It was entertaining and for a few hours I did get lost in Montauk and in Beatrice's life in summer of 1938.

I stayed up ALL night reading this book. Once I started I couldn’t put it down. I was so captivated by the main character and her moral decisions! It was both uplifting and heartbreaking. I will definitely be recommending this to my reading group!

I don't know if I can actually convey all of my feelings about Montauk by Nicola Harrison, but I can say WOW, this is an incredibly memorable and smashing debut novel for this author.

I listened to the book almost fully on audio and I loved it, the narrator Erin Bennett was quite fantastic, especially on 2x speed! She made the perfect narrator for this novel and brought the story and book to life for me. Montauk is basically a character in itself and I loved learning more about what it was like in the late 30s. The setting was so vivid and the characters so real, I almost felt like I was right there with them. I loved Dolly and Beatrice the most, but there were plenty of characters to both love and hate.

In the nature of full disclose, I actually picked Montauk up and had started it but even though I liked it, I knew it just wasn't the right time to read it. I am so glad I picked it back up when I did and went with the audio the second time around. I ended up loving it and I'm happy I didn't try to finish it when I wasn't in the mood for it. This is a highly atmospheric, historical fiction novel with romance so make sure you are ready for that when/if you read it.

Montauk made my heart hurt, and even though I didn't full on cry during it, there were definitely plenty of moments that brought tears to my eyes. Overall I think it was a quick read although I highly recommend going the audio route since the narrator was so good. I listened to it on Audible and there was an interview with the author at the end which just made me love the book even more.

Song/s the book brought to mind: Again and Again by Jewel

Final Thought: Montauk is a beautifully written novel and I am seriously impressed it is a debut. Harrison did a great job of bringing the location to life, and the plot had many layers which I enjoyed. The romance, tragedy, and fashion in Montauk all came together for me and I won't be forgetting this one any time soon.

Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This was an interesting read, as historical romance is not really my preferred reading. While it was much different than what I was expecting, it was still a good read and one that draws you into each page.

It was well written, and for those who love a good romance, this is going to really be one you enjoy!

It took me forever to read this book, and after I finished I wondered why I hadn't started sooner. It's set in pre-WWII Long Island, and the main character is a woman named Bea who goes on vacation with her husband only to find that he has other plans, mainly sleeping with other women. Through her struggles to fit in, the book looks at the morals and attitudes of that time.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Montauk in 1938, it tells the story of Beatrice and her husband as they stay in a glorious hotel in the summer. While her husband is suppose to be working during the week, she is living the good life in the hotel. Beatrice soon finds out that her husband is not working at all, he is entertaining women in their apartment in New York. Beatrice starts to connect more with the down to earth people of Montauk than the wealthy ladies she is supposed to be connecting with. A wonderful book from start to finish.

As fun as it would be to live in a different era, I don't think I am cut out for that sort of thing. Conforming to society's standards and having to fall beneath my husband instead of standing beside him isn't for me. Bea seems to have similar feelings about her circumstances.

Bea tries to do what is expected of her. To act as she is expected to act. At times though it seems more like work than making friends and contacts for the future. Coming from small town life Bea is more comfortable around "the help" than she is around her peers.

This small comfort may however be the start to her downfall. A downfall that may not be as bad as it seems. That is until something comes along to threaten the happiness that may lie in Bea's future.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This is not a typical book I’d read as I’m usually not into historical fiction. I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and read this. This book was easy to get lost in and imagine life in Montauk. I definitely recommend this!

Montauk is a book about discovery, about love, and about unexpected change in our lives.

This was a beautifully written novel about one of my favorite eras. Beatrice is a naive housewife that yearns for more out of life. She lives the life that is expected for a woman in her era when suddenly that's not enough for her. When she befriends the local laundress she's introduced to a different part of life.

Although historical fiction is not my favorite kind of genre I enjoyed his book. I like the writing style and didn't mind some parts being slow. I would recommend this read to anyone who's a fan of hisorcal fiction and forbidden love. I fond Beatrice to be very unaware at times but also enjoyed that she was that, since the era really plays a strong role in her decisions. I recommend you will not be disappointed!

Montauk by Nicola Harrison is a historical fiction romance novel set in Montauk, Long Island in 1938. Beatrice Bordeaux thought she was going for a short summer vacation, but because her husband had some business aspirations her stay was extended for a few months. Beatrice has a college education but was raised more middle-class, while the women of Montauk are "upper crust", a world Beatrice is not comfortable in. Beatrice and Harry are in trouble in their marriage and she thought this summer would be a time of renewal, but as it turns out, Harry was a bit of a scoundrel and having numerous affairs back in the city. Montauk was an interesting read that I enjoyed, but it did not draw me in as I had hoped.

When I started reading this novel, I anticipated it being based more on historical fiction than romance, but found the romance to take precedence.  Harris' take on backstory of the hotel and its characters was an interesting spin, though I am not sure how much was based on historical reality. I did enjoy references to historical figures that I was familiar with.  I found the storyline to be a bit predictable at times and the ending a bit pushed and disappointing. Over all, it was an ok read.

I thought this was more historical fiction, I was wrong. This is romance through and through. And that is perfectly fine but I had a different frame of mind going in than I had coming out.

Beatrice married into high society, yet her husband leaves her alone often for work. In turn, she has fallen in love with the lighthouse keeper. You truly feel as though you know Montauk by the end of the book. The author does a wonderful job of writing that makes you feel you live there too.

3 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me to read and review.

As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy I shall give an honest review of Montauk by debut author Nicola Harrison. Set in the atmospheric coastal town of Montauk, Long Island this novel follows our protagonist Beatrice Bordeaux and her experience within New York City’s elite society. Montauk, Long Island has been chosen among New York’s high society as the place to be and in the summer of 1938, it was. Harrison’s ability to describe 1938 was exceptional and added to the drama of events in the future of its characters. I read this novel within two days and found it to become increasingly better as the story continued. There was not a moment I was caught off guard for there were twists and turns that made the story enjoyable for me. The use of atmosphere was an asset to the novel for in describing this coastal town and the city of New York compared and contrasted the worlds Beatrice was in and importantly how she responded to them. Overall we are shown the glitz and glamour of a life Beatrice has become accustomed to and the life she has or could build for herself. This novel held romance in a realistic manner and added to the plausibility of its experience in a persons’ life. Ultimately it is this character's journey that makes the story so secure from beginning to end and held my attention completely. I shall give this novel four out of five stars on goodreads. I highly recommend this if you are into slow-burning dramas, historical fiction, or are a viewer of period dramas.