I had a hard time with this book. I don’t know exactly what it was but I could not get into it like I normally do a story. It didn’t pull me in or hold my attention. It took me quite a while to finally finish it and I honestly didn’t really like it that much. I’m not saying that others won’t love it, just that I didn’t. It started out pretty good but I didn’t like the husband at all.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.
I gave it 3 stars because I did manage to finish it. I’m truly sorry. It just wasn’t for me.

This is one of those books that takes the reader back in time to the early 20th century. Wealthy New Yorkers vacationing for the summer at the newest up-and-coming summer resort, Montauk. There is razzle and dazzle, gossip, affairs, galas and more as the summer heats up.

There was a lot to like about this story, but also some misses. I found myself rooting for the main character. Her transformation over the course of the book was fun to witness. However, the other characters were somewhat cliché, with very little personality. Although I enjoyed the vast descriptions of the setting and wealthy vacationers, I also felt like the writing was a bit clunky in spots in that it lacked emotional depth. It is more of a surface read, and for the most part, on the predictable side....except for the ending! I actually didn’t care for the ending all that much.

This is a book that will appeal to readers who enjoy women’s fiction in a historical setting. If you like forthright storytelling with a dose of gilded age scandal, Montauk is right up your alley.

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was on my radar ages ago! As I have mentioned a bunch of times before, I love debut novels and discovering new up and coming authors. This book stood out for me, not just because it was a debut, but also because it had a unique title.

I put this one on my calendar and was excited as the date to start reading it got closer and closer. I also loved the new over design. The original cover art really said ‘chick lit’ or ‘women’s fiction’ to me, but with this new redesign it says more historical fiction.

I love the simple grays of the background and then the stand out teal dress on the woman. It really was a beautiful cover redesign and much more visually eye catching than the original. As I cracked this one open, I was hoping to rad something new and exciting just as summer got underway.

Summary

Montauk, Long Island, 1938.



For three months, this humble fishing village will serve as the playground for New York City’s wealthy elite. Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a summer of reigniting the passion between her and her husband, Harry. Instead, tasked with furthering his investment interest in Montauk as a resort destination, she learns she’ll be spending twelve weeks sequestered with the high society wives at The Montauk Manor—a two-hundred room seaside hotel—while Harry pursues other interests in the city.

College educated, but raised a modest country girl in Pennsylvania, Bea has never felt fully comfortable among these privileged women, whose days are devoted not to their children but to leisure activities and charities that seemingly benefit no one but themselves. She longs to be a mother herself, as well as a loving wife, but after five years of marriage she remains childless while Harry is increasingly remote and distracted. Despite lavish parties at the Manor and the Yacht Club, Bea is lost and lonely and befriends the manor’s laundress whose work ethic and family life stir memories of who she once was.

As she drifts further from the society women and their preoccupations and closer toward Montauk’s natural beauty and community spirit, Bea finds herself drawn to a man nothing like her husband –stoic, plain spoken and enigmatic. Inspiring a strength and courage she had almost forgotten, his presence forces her to face a haunting tragedy of her past and question her future.

Desperate to embrace moments of happiness, no matter how fleeting, she soon discovers that such moments may be all she has, when fates conspire to tear her world apart (summary from Goodreads).

Review

I instantly fell in love with this beautiful resort town by the sea. This author truly captured the elegance, and spirit of a summer by the sea as well as the time period. Social status and dated gender roles figured heavily into this novel and I felt that the author did a nice job having that reflect in the time period as well as the characters themselves.

While this book’s cover looked more historical fiction, it was heavy on the romance side which was fine by me. The cover is a little misleading even though I like it better. Though if you are picking this up hoping for historical fiction, you might be a little disappointed as it’s more historical romance than pure historical fiction.In fact, other than setting the gender roles of the period, I didn’t really feel that the historical setting really had any baring on the overall story.

This plot was a little on the predictable side, but I still enjoyed reading about Bea’s romance and her friendships. There was a lot of drama and I felt that the drama kept things interesting. It was an easy read that I found engrossing for the most part. There were times that I felt the book was a little on the longish side, but ultimately I kept reading and eventually looked up to find that it was later than I was expecting! There is something comforting when even if a book has a predictable plot, the predictability of that plot is what keeps things comfortable and enjoyable—I hope that makes sense!

For this being a debut novel, the author should be happy with her story! Her writing is polished and strong, and her story and characters were fun to read. Though as I mentioned some things were obvious in the plot itself, overall I felt that this book was strong in the descriptions and writing which balanced it out for me.

Book Info and Rating

Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Published June 4th 2019 by St. Martin’s Press
ASIN B07J4W9CS9
Free review copy provided by publisher, St Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: romance, historical romance

I liked the setting and story. It was enjoyable, although a little predictable. I don’t normally enjoy historical fiction, this one had enough romance to keep me entertained and interested.

Montauk, the debut novel by Nicola Harrison, is set in 1938 Montauk, Long Island, New York.
A quiet fishing village for most of the year and a summer resort for the wealthy.
The wives and children spend their summer there while the husbands work in the city during the week and come to the island on the weekends.
Beatrice Bordeaux looks forward to spending time in Montauk, trying to repair her marriage with her husband, Harry. Instead she realizes Harry wants her to begin friendships with the wives of the wealthy men that can help further his business ventures. She soon discovers that while in the city Harry is pursuing other interests and women.
While visiting the fishing village Beatrice meets the lighthouse keeper and is quickly drawn to him as well as the simple life of a small community. She then finds herself stuck between the world she is committed to and the world she longs for.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the idea of this book, but the writing let me down. The story sounded interesting and some parts were enjoyable but I found it to be too long and somewhat boring.

Montauk takes the reader to the newest playground for the ultra-rich society denizens of New York City in 1938. Through the eyes of Beatrice Bordeaux, the reader enters the chic resort built by Carl Fisher which was going to catapult Montauk to the level of an international luxury resort.

I've never really been one to read a lot of books in this time period, but I really enjoyed reading Montauk! I was a big fan of Beatrice and instantly felt sorry for her over many things. I liked how the author tastefully introduced things such as infertility and adultery.

I'll be honest and say it took me a bit to get into, and I can't quite figure out why. I am super happy that I kept with it and finished the book. The ending left me shocked!

I am super thankful to NETGALLEY for the chance to read and review this book.

Montauk by Nicola Harrison is set on Montauk, Long Island in the summer of 1938. The country is bouncing back slowly from WWI and the depression. The wealthy have discovered the newly created elite vacation spot of Montauk where the locals are to be seen and heard from only when they are waiting on the guests. Beatrice has been sent to spend the summer on Montauk as a respite from her unhappy marriage. While there she meets and befriends several locals. This leads to a life-changing set of events that spiral to a stunning conclusion. Read and enjoy this perfect summer book!

Beatrice is to spend the summer on Montauk, a high society resort outside NYC. She is planning on reconnecting with her husband and hopefully becoming pregnant. Nothing goes as planned. She discovers her husbands infidelities and realizes her life is not exactly what she expected.

I enjoyed this time period and the setting. Who doesn’t like leisurely (entitled) ladies spending a summer at the beach? But, I understand why Beatrice started to expand her horizons. These society ladies would get on anybody’s nerves. Beatrice inserts herself into the life of the laundry lady. This leads her to the light house. And to an attraction she never expected.

I applaud Beatrice! She does not let society rule her thoughts and actions. She is smart and uses her abilities to change her stars.

I enjoyed this novel. I just felt it was a little wordy and moved a little slow. But, isn’t this cover wonderful!

I received this novel from St. Martin’s Press for a honest review.

EXCERPT: Something about the way Harry spoke to me that first night in Montauk gave me hope. We'd been married for five years but the last year or two had been difficult. I'd felt him pull away, distance himself from me, and I'd seen his eyes wander. But that night it was as if he wanted to come back to me fully, as if he wanted me to be an important part of his life again, for us to go back to the way we were when we first married, when it seemed that nothing mattered more than me and him. We were in love again. I felt this so strongly that I agreed to everything he proposed.

I had his undivided attention for the first time in months and was sure that something between us had changed. I slept in his arms that night and convinced myself we had turned a corner. I grasped at the possibility of a transformation, a shift, however small or insignificant, a new place for the summer, a new sense of partnership, something, anything different from our last year of marriage where I'd always felt he was just beyond my reach. A new beginning, I thought. I hoped.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Montauk, Long Island, 1938.

A simple town on the brink of a glamorous future.

A marriage drifting apart.

A life on the edge of what is and what could be...

For three months, this humble fishing village will serve as the playground for New York City’s wealthy elite. Beatrice Bordeaux was looking forward to a summer of reigniting the passion between her and her husband, Harry. Instead, tasked with furthering his investment interest in Montauk as a resort destination, she learns she’ll be spending twelve weeks sequestered with the high society wives at The Montauk Manor—a two-hundred room seaside hotel—while Harry pursues other interests in the city.

College educated, but raised a modest country girl in Pennsylvania, Bea has never felt fully comfortable among these privileged women, whose days are devoted not to their children but to leisure activities and charities that seemingly benefit no one but themselves. She longs to be a mother herself, as well as a loving wife, but after five years of marriage she remains childless while Harry is increasingly remote and distracted. Despite lavish parties at the Manor and the Yacht Club, Bea is lost and lonely and befriends the manor’s laundress whose work ethic and family life stir memories of who she once was.

As she drifts further from the society women and their preoccupations and closer toward Montauk’s natural beauty and community spirit, Bea finds herself drawn to a man nothing like her husband –stoic, plain spoken and enigmatic. Inspiring a strength and courage she had almost forgotten, his presence forces her to face a haunting tragedy of her past and question her future.

Desperate to embrace moments of happiness, no matter how fleeting, she soon discovers that such moments may be all she has, when fates conspire to tear her world apart.

MY THOUGHTS: If this is a debut novel, I am excited to see what Nicola Harrison has in store for us in the future!

Montauk has been described as a cinematic novel, and I have to agree wholeheartedly. I could hear the character's voices, see what they saw, experience their emotions....the whole gamut.

This is a beautifully written, evocative novel that certainly did not have the outcome I was expecting. I loved Bea's character...how many of us have not been swept off our feet into what we thought would be the marriage of our dreams, only to wake up to ourselves and, too late, realise what is really important in life; that it's not money and status, but love and happiness, sharing, contentment.

I have classed this as a coming-of-age novel, because Bea does come of age, like so many of us, rather too late.

Montauk is a lyrical, beautiful and emotional read. I wept, I laughed, I cheered Bea on.

4.5 absolutely brilliant stars!

THE AUTHOR: Originally from Hampshire, England, Nicola Harrison moved to California when she was 14. She studied Literature at UCLA and received an MFA in creative writing at Stony Brook University. She is a member of The Writers Room and has short stories published in The Southampton Review and Glimmer Train as well as articles in Los Angeles Magazine and Orange Coast Magazine. She was the fashion and style staff writer for Forbes and had a weekly column at Lucky Magazine. Nicola is also the founder of a personal styling business, Harrison Style. She has spent many summers in Montauk and currently lives in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. This is her first novel.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to St Martin's Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Montauk by Nicole Harrison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

This debut was a wonderful summer escape read. I felt transported to the summer vacation spot of wealthy New Yorkers by the author's vivid writing. The character of Bea had great spunk and I also enjoyed her friend, the hat designer. I found myself doing Google searches while I read to find out more about some of the places and things that were mentioned in the book. The sweet romance was just the right touch. Extremely well written for a debut. I'll be looking forward to more by Ms. Harrison. Thank you publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

I think this book will be very popular; it combines an engaging storyline and a compelling historical setting. A few of the characters could have been more nuanced and the plot lines less predictable. This would have significantly elevated the quality of the book for me. My favorite character was Dolly. The history of the Montauk Manor, the Lighthouse, and the town of Montauk was the best part of the book. I wish I could have been as enthusiastic about the rest of it. Overall, a decent read and will recommend it with some of these caveats.

Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down! The story takes place in 1938 alternating between Manhattan and Montauk, New York. The novel examines the contrast between the summer visitors and the townspeople. Beatrice, the main character, questions her place in society. The ending was a bit melodramatic and several questions remained unanswered (for me). Otherwise this would have been a 5 star read. Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

sᴜɴ. sᴀʟᴛ. sᴀɴᴅ. ᴍᴏɴᴛᴀᴜᴋ.

Nicola Harrison completely captivated me with this dazzling tale set against the backdrop of 1938 Montauk Long Island. The story had a great sense of place and time. You really got a good handle on the role of women and the class divide in the late 1930s. Sometimes a character would do or say something that would make me cringe and I had to put it in perspective and realize this was a different place and time. This was a romance with a historical setting. Beatrice is a strong smart savvy woman who finds her self in a loveless and childless marriage. Excited and a little hesitant to spend her summer on Montauk Beatrice is hopeful to rekindle things with her husband. When she finds out that he will only be spending the weekends with her she is less than thrilled how is she going to pass her time with these women that she has nothing in common with? Fortunately Beatrice be friends Dolly an older and wiser woman and Elizabeth a local who does laundry for the hotel. Beatrice finds herself more drawn to the locals and the natural beauty of Montauk rather than the socialites and the glitz. When she meets Thomas the lighthouse keeper there is an instant attraction. He is kind and caring and authentic the complete opposite of Beatrice‘s husband Harry. As the summer goes on Beatrice realizes that she is going to need to choose between a life of luxury and true love.

Beatrice was such a likable character I really wanted her to find her happily ever after even if she was technically cheating. Her husband was unfaithful, inattentive, and a misogynist, so I guess I gave her a bit of a pass. I could also see why she was drawn to a simpler life in this charming fishing village rather than trying to position herself all the time in society. Her friend Dolly was such a breath of fresh air. She was so spunky, so ahead of her time, and such a great support to Beatrice. And the hats! Oh the hats! Elizabith was also a great character a little quieter but just as supportive. The romance in the story was so sweet and tender, I could really sense the chemistry between Thomas and Beatrice. The ending to the story really took me by surprise, and I’m still not quite sure what to think. In the audiobook there was an interview with the author at the end and she said that she always knew that was how the book was going to end. This book is the perfect addition to your summer reading plans. A little romance. A little glamour. A little history. And a whole lot of goodness.

🎧🎧🎧 Erin Bennett narrates the audio and really brings life to the story. Bringing a voice to the character of Beatrice who this entire story is told through the eyes of. In the author interview on the audio Nicola Harrison mentions that she hears the characters voices in her head as she is writing. I thought that was so interesting and how exciting it must be for an author to hear their story brought to life through audio.

*** thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this book ***

Summer 1938

Harry and Beatrice Bordeaux are headed to the magnificent Montauk Manor hotel for the summer. Harry will work in the city during the week and join Beatrice on the weekend. Beatrice isn’t happy about that, but it seems it is the norm with all of the couples staying there. Harry wants Beatrice to befriend the other women there to help his career. After being married for 5 years, Beatrice has yet to become pregnant.

They soon get into the weekly routine. Beatrice tries to befriend some of the wives, but many of them are so pretentious and that is not who Beatrice is. However, she soon becomes good friends with Molly who has her own business of making hats. Molly is a happy and genuine person which is what draws Beatrice to her. When Beatrice discovers that Harry is having affairs, she is furious.

Beatrice wants to learn more about the town and the people who live there. She makes friends with Elizabeth, the laundress for the Montauk Manor. Through her, she meets the lighthouse keeper, Thomas. They enjoy one another’s company even if Beatrice has to be sure no one sees her with him. They soon fall in love but their lives are so different. How can there be a future for them? But when a bad storm hits, it decides the future of many people.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are perfectly created and Beatrice’s naivety is very well written. It’s impressive to see how she learns to stand up to the intimidation of Harry and the social climbing society women. The time period and the and the location are also very well written. This is an author I will be watching in the future.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced reader's copy of Montauk.  I managed to buckle down and read this (unfortunately after the release date) and HELLO HEAD TURNER!  Oooooo Nicola Harrison you sly, sly writer!

I am usually not a fan of historical fiction books, but I could not resist a book set in Montauk before it was "cool."  This book takes place in 1938 when the development of Montauk first started.  It became a summer town for the New York City elite.  

I loved the historically accurate characters and relationships.  Essentially Montauk was filled with wives and children (though they were hardly around because, nannies) living the leisure life while their husbands worked in the city and visited on the weekends.  They drank and smoke and planned events to keep them busy during the day.  People turned their backs when they saw people doing things they shouldn't, and everyone in their circles knew because they all gossiped!  Our main character, Beatrice, happens to be childless and is struggling with her inner happiness.

She is trapped in a marriage.  Her husband, Harry, made it a point to note that they could never get divorced.  It would destroy their reputations and embarrass their families (even though she did not come from New York elite).  She struggled with the death of her older brother and it was Harry who lifted her out of that funk.  Now it was harry who was bringing her down once again.  

I wanted to murder Harry with my own two hands.  Beatrice was different from the typical housewife and I am glad she found a true friend in Dolly.  Their conversations made me happy and I am glad that Bea could have someone like Dolly.  Beatrice also friended some locals, but had to be careful about her friendships with them because they could be fired for fraternizing with guests of Montauk!  Crazy!!  We follow Beatrice on her journey to making herself happy...I can't give away too many details or I'll ruin the read for you!

This is a must read, solid 4 star read.  The ending culminated into a shocking surprise.  I could not stop.  When I finished I realized it was 1:00am and I was wide awake.  That ending just came out of nowhere and WOW.  This was a picturesque read that I envisioned in my head; I could almost smell the salty sea air, that's how vivid it was.  This book will make you smile, angry, bring tears to your eyes, and then leave you a little heartbroken, yet whole.  You'll have to read this one this summer!

Beatrice Bordeaux is excited to learn that her husband has booked a summer of fun in Montauk, Long Island for her. She’ll spend the summer with the other high society wives in Montauk while her husband continues working in New York City during the week. The weekends, however, will be theirs, but it doesn't quite turn out as planned.

Bea wasn’t always part of a high society lifestyle. Growing up she did not live with the wealthy. So, she doesn’t quite feel comfortable socializing with the other wives. Instead, she begins to feel lonely while her husband grows further apart from her and cancels weekend trips. She had hoped she would have a child which would bring the couple closer, but that hasn’t happened yet.

She tries to fill her time with different activities but it hasn’t turned out the way she hoped. Loneliness envelopes her to the point where she finds herself drawn to another man. Someone very different than her husband.

Ohhhh…I couldn’t resist this one as the setting is very close to my home. Plus, I’ve been loving the 1930’s era lately. This book is no exception.

This is a well written, emotionally charged book that swept me back to another time. It’s filled with characters who are larger-than-life. The author paints a vivid picture of the time, the setting and the people.

I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

Montauk, by Nicola Harrison, is a surprisingly captivating novel about class differences in 1938. Beatrice, raised on a Pennsylvania farm, is now married to an ambitious businessman from a socially elite New York family. The summer of 1938 is to be spent at the Montauk Manor, the current popular summer “camp” for the wealthy elite of New York. Over the course of the summer, Beatrice learns disturbing truths about her husband, her marriage, and the social crowd to which she seems destined. In many ways, this is a coming of age novel as Beatrice also learns much about who she is and wants to be, and the kind of life she wants to live.
Harrison deftly weaves into this story the social mores of the time, class differences, and the expectations of a women’s role in society. She is amazingly underhanded in her treatment of these issues, letting character and plot propel the tale forward. Montauk is on the ocean. and you will hear the waves roll in, smell the salt water, and feel the breeze.

Although this has all of the elements of the prototypical beach novel, it is much more penetrating. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an electronic ARC. It was a pleasure!

This was an engrossing well written book that kept me up late into the night to finish it. Reminiscent of other great writers, the story practically shone.

You guys, this book was BEAUTIFUL! I LOVED Nicola’s style of writing. I am now a huge fan! I felt like I was catapulted into the late 1930’s and was sitting right along with Bea the entire time. The character development was truly exceptional and I pretty much want to be best friends with Bea and Dolly. I always felt like I should’ve been born in the 1940s and this book truly confirmed that for me, haha. ALL THE STARS!