I thought this was a very tender kind of historical fiction. Beatrice is such an easy character to love with her wounded soul, blue collar roots, and having lost her way in the world. She was exactly the kind of heroine you see going down a path to ruin and you get it, you understand why she has to put the life she has on the line because though she thought she was living, she wasn't. I adored her and watching her grow. I also am such a huge fan of Dolly. Don't we all need a friend like her?

I thought all the characters were wonderfully complex which really suited the social climbing, high society vibe of life in the Manor at Montauk. Even the 'help' are well-rounded and I loved seeing the other side of Montauk through Beatrice's unique point of view of being a working class girl who married into high society because she has a pull in both directions.

The plot carries well as it centers around Beatrice and her rediscovery of herself. Though there were times the story was a bit predictable, the ending was a huge surprise. It took me a couple days to recover from it but in the end I think it's the best ending for the characters, if not the one I would've chosen to make myself happy.

I would categorize this as a 50/50 romance/historical fiction because while it offers a really great picture of both the haves and have nots of American society right before WWII, the time period was less a focus than Beatrice's own personal story. I'm not displeased with that though; usually I'm not a fan of mixed genre stories but I think it really works here. I couldn't put it down. It's such a sweeping, beautiful story, if a bit heartbreaking. Definitely would recommend it to both historical fiction and romance fans. I'm really looking forward to more from this author!


Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and the author Nicola Harrison for the opportunity to do so.

Really enjoyed the beautiful setting (so many lighthouses in literature these last couple of summers) of a luxury hotel on Montauk, LI, NY. The romances became somewhat sentimentalized, but that's ok. Just not my particular genre.

Montauk, Long Island, 1938. Once a humble fishing village and now it is serving as a playground for the New York City wealthy elite. When her husband approached her with the plan to summer in Montauk, Beatrice Bordeaux was delighted thinking it would be just the ticket to help reignite the passion in her and Harry’s marriage – that is until she understood that he would not be spending the weeks with her - just the weekends. But, soon Harry had excuses that he wouldn’t be able to make the weekends because of being so busy pursuing other interests in the city.

Raised as a country girl in Pennsylvania, Bea has never felt fully comfortable among these privileged women, whose days were devoted not to their children but to leisure activities and charities that seemingly benefit no one but themselves. Beatrice longs to be a mother herself, as well as a loving wife, but after five years of marriage she still remains childless while Harry is increasingly remote and distracted. In spite of the 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.

Exploring the town rather than joining the society women at the Manor Beatrice drifts further from the them and their preoccupations and closer toward Montauk’s natural beauty and community spirit. Along the way, Bea finds herself drawn to a man nothing like her husband –stoic, plain spoken and enigmatic. He inspired her to face a haunting tragedy of her past and take a good look at what her future might hold.

Time was racing and as the summer was coming to an end, Beatrice knew she had to make a choice to grasp what happiness she could. However with a major hurricane blasting out to Long Island, would anyone survive to have a future.

Marilyn Rondeau

I loved Bea's character and personality. I felt sorry for her many times, but love how she created friendships with others. I wish that her marriage to Harry had been better but it helped her grow as an individual which didn't always match up to what other women were doing in that time period. I enjoyed the summer setting and felt like I was also on Montauk at times!

Well-written romance set in 1938 New York. I had hoped for historical fiction with a romantic subtext. The writing was good enough that it kept my attention but there is nothing very unique about this tale. Wealthy, bored wives spend their summers at the beach while their husbands work in the city, joining them on weekends. Life in the Big City without wives is filled with illicit behavior. The ending is mildly surprising. This book is best for lovers of romance tales who yearn for poor girls to find pots of gold one way or another. I received my copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This one was just a little too slow for me... I usually like HF but had trouble getting into this one. Won't be recommending.

Bea’s husband, as many others in their circle go to Montauk for the summer. The women have activites during the day and the men come for the weekends. Bea was not brought up in the same environment as many of the other wives and sees some of the activities and personalities as quite frivolous. She’s more of a modern woman than she realizes. In an escape from these women, she often takes off for nature walks and spends some time reading and relaxing. As she makes friends with some of the employees of the resort, they seem to be more relatable to her than her contemporaries. Although she doesn’t realize it at the time, what Bea is actually looking for is herself. An interesting and enjoyable read – I’m looking forward to more from this author! This book gives a realistic view of women in the thirties era. They were often thought of as accessories to their husbands and their careers.


Also reviewed at B&N and Kobo under the name IrishEyes430

I loved this historical-fiction look at Montauk. I have not read many books set here despite spending time in Montauk. I enjoyed the look at the time period and the love story woven around it.

This is about Montauk, A small fishing town in New York that becomes the summer destination for the rich of New York City. This area has just been discovered as the place to be! Beatrice finds herself emmerced in the nonstop activities that are planned by all the other wives living in Montauk while their husbands work in the city during the week. Although most of the wives love the social climbing that comes with the summer in Montauk, Beatrice wants more. This book is more of a personal journey for Beatrice.

I struggled to get into this book. It has a slow start and kind of drags on a bit. Overall I really liked Beatrice and her journey though the book. She is kind and thoughtful. She is interested in those around her and not so self absorbed as the other women she encounters at Montauk. The story felt realistic for the time period. The second half of the book was much better as the story took a turn into more of a romance.

"You can only go so long pretending, acting as if you're someone you're not" (Montauk)

Montauk sweeps you into a world in 1938 where the Depression isn't affecting their lives in Montauk or New York City, the summer visitors continuing to live the same life of lavish extravagance they led before. Your social standing is what matters, and the only "regular" people you interact with are the shopkeepers and staff who serve you. Beatrice Bordeaux, the book's main character, doesn't come from this world but her marriage to Harry has catapulted her into it. Her background leads her to make decisions that change her life during that summer in Montauk. What began as a desire to improve her marriage and finally have a child ends up leading down a path she didn't expect. Here's where the book took a turn into more romance than I expected from the description, but I did see what could have led her to make the decisions she did. Her friendships were a nice addition to the main story line, and some of my favorite characters. The writing really set the scene, and made me desperate to find out what happened. I really enjoyed this book, though I have to give it 3.5-4 stars because of some frustrations with the story line during the last bit of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has everything; glamour, drama, romance. It is so well written and immersive. If I didn't have adult responsibilities, I would have finished in a day.

The characters in this book have so much personality, you as the reader get attached right away. I related to Bea in ways I didn't think I would when I first started the book. She is so well written she seems like an old friend.

The story is paced well and keeps you interested. There are a ton of moments where I felt like I was living the story. I was so emotionally invested in these characters and their lives, that this read was a great escape and an excellent experience. I totally recommend this book. It's a great summer read!

What I thought was going to be historical fiction ended up being more of a women’s fiction/romance novel, but I’m okay with that. This book starts out slow, as you’re introduced to the characters and the setting. It felt like the setting became a character, and that was very enjoyable.

Montauk gives insight into 1930s upper class society, and I can confidently say I am SO happy I was not growing up in the 1930s. I felt so bad for Bea and the fact that her husband was her controller and she did nothing without him. I think her character showed amazing strength through the last third of the book. I think the author did a wonderful job at writing the “high society” crowd, and wrote some very unlikeable characters into this mix. When an author makes you hate an imaginary person, that’s true talent.

I wish the book would have ended differently, as I felt it was a bit rushed and didn’t follow the path the rest of the book had made for it. I’m sure the author has good reason for this, and that’s all we can ask for.

I received an advance copy; all thoughts are my own.

*I was gifted an advanced copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. *

Ahh, summer. It's the time of year most people dream of (Not me. I hate to fucking sweat.) so when I saw the ARC for Nicola Harrison's "Montauk" come across my NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to pretend I am cool enough to go summering in Montauk. (Growing up we would weekend in Lake Placid. Year round. It's a beautiful place, don't get me wrong. But, damn, there was something so alluring about the idea of Montauk... taking the train out to the farthest reaches of the state of New York and just RELAX. You know, as opposed to driving to one of the highest peaks in the state of New York and, also, relaxing.)
I was thrilled with how ensconced in the atmosphere I was from the very first pages. Set in the summer of 1938, the aristocracy of New York City are still living in their Waterford Crystal bubble of bliss, ignoring the mounting troubles in Europe and championing FDR's decision to let them sort their own business out. The women packed up their children, and their nannies, and their maids, and full wardrobes and whatever else you might possibly find yourself wanting for, and lumber along the rails to fresh, pure bliss: Montauk. Recently "discovered", it is in the infancy of its development, and the men spend their weekdays toiling away in the city, then glide out on the weekends for some "family time" (read: playing golf while their wives watch their nannies watch their children on the beach.)

But our narrator doesn't have that same, idyllic happy scene. She and her husband haven't been able to have children yet. In fact, their marriage has seen better days. Beatrice heads out to the shore in the hope that this relaxing summer will turn the tide. She doesn't expect just what turn it will take, however...

I have a hard time writing this review because this was a good book. It was technically well written, the setting and atmosphere were created perfectly, the characters were well fleshed out, the story was beautiful and the ending was moving. But...
But I kept finding myself forgetting about this book. Could that be because I'm a moody reader, and a sweeping historical fiction wasn't what I was in the frame of mind for? Perhaps.
I have already recommended this book to several people who enjoy the genre, and I feel very certain that someone looking for a good time period romance will love it, it just wasn't for me at this moment in time.
The final breakdown:
The Book
🌹🌹🌹
I don't want my lackluster response to this book to take away from what an enjoyable read it could be. Maybe the fact that it was still cold and snowy when I started it made it difficult to latch onto? I don't know. But I strongly feel that if you think you might enjoy it you should give it a try!
The Writing
🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️
Harrison's writing is fantastic, her descriptions of the location and the time were enough to immerse you without being overbearing (you know that feeling when you're reading Les Mis and Hugo is going on and on for pages about the color red the bishop is wearing? It's the opposite of that.)
Readability
🕰️🕰️
Again, I hate to penalize a book because I wasn't in the mood for it. Please, give this book a try!

“𝙽𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎, 𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎.”

I thought that Nicola Harrison did a great job on this debut novel! It was lyrical and I loved the writing style. Of course I am a fan of all things Historical Fiction, but I loved the romantic feel to this story that takes place over the summer in the small fishing town of Montauk, Long Island.

1938 was a difficult time in history, with the upcoming war, the roles women played, as well as inequalities in class, from the affluent to the poor, and Harrison does a great job of taking notice of these factors.

Beatrice doesn’t feel part of the high society women who summer in Montauk. What with their glamour and privilege, she she longs to be an independent woman. I thought she was such a strong, fierce woman, yet held down by the times she was in.

Montauk is the perfect summer read by the lake or the beach. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars!!

*Thank you so much to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press and BookSparks for this free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

The year is 1938 and Manhatten's elite are summering in a luxurious resort hotel that was built in the humble fishing village of Montauk, Long Island. Beatrice Bordeaux was raised modestly but educated at Vasser. She is the young wife of Harry Bordeaux and she is the central character of Nicola Harrison's novel Montauk. Beatrice and Harry have been married five years and are childless. Their marriage is unhappy and Beatrice hopes that summering in Montauk will bring them closer together. Harry, like most of the other wealthy husbands, visits Montauk only on the weekends. This arrangement leaves Harry available for other pursuits. Beatrice becomes increasingly unhappy with her husband and most of the pampered women she is surrounded with at the resort. She decides to pursue her own happiness. Montauk is an entertaining story of deception and discovery, and a wonderful summer escape.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I was expecting more historical fiction and less romance. I also thought it was way too long. Some of the plot points felt like fillers for me. Once the romance started, I quickly guessed accurately where the story was going. In fact, I skipped a few chapters at the end to just read the ending because I knew that my guess was right. I think that some people may enjoy this book, but I wasn't one of them. However, I will read something else by Harrison in the future because her writing was well done.

This book was very interesting. It covers lots of issues (gender roles, religion, class, fertility etc.) Set in 1938 in Montauk, NY at the very tip of Long Island in a high end luxury resort, it highlights the issues of then that are still issues today. We don't learn very easily, do we?! The setting is to die for and the characters run the gamut from very entertaining to very boring to infuriating. There is romance, mystery and lots of subplots to keep you reading. All in all, a good piece of historical fiction.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

Montauk by Nicola Harrison is historical fiction at it's best , with a lot of high drama and romance. I was swept away by the descriptions of luxurious Montauk Manor, high society living, glamourous attire and gourmet dining. I stayed up all night to finish it. No spoilers. A perfect summer vacation read. I highly recommend it!
Thank you to St, Martin's Press for an ARC of this wonderful novel.

Montauk is a hauntingly beautiful novel. Beatrice is a young married woman in a hard situation, navigating a lack of a baby in her marriage, the difficulty of marrying into money, and still processing the loss of her brother some years ago. She is lonely and lovely, and does not fit into the posh vacation community of Montauk (or the NYC society that her husband Harry definitely does). Her relationships with her husband and her lover are a heartbreaking contrast... and while she knows her affair is wrong, she can't stop herself. I mistakenly thought this was more historical fiction than romance, but I was captivated by the story. The setting was exquisite and the characters were complex, though I do have a hard time reading about broken marriages and relationships. The ending was not what I was expecting but as I have had time to process, it fits the novel well. I look forward to reading more from Nicola Harrison!

Montauk is a beach on Long Island, a resort for the very wealthy to play and for the working class to work hard to please them. It is into this world that Beatrice Bordeaux is thrust when her husband Harry decides that they will summer in Montauk. Even before arriving there, Bea is dissatisfied with her marriage, yearning for a child who has never come and a husband with whom to share her frustrations and dreams. Harry is present in body only because it seems that he is always chasing a bigger profit somewhere. Beatrice is left alone a great deal of the time and expected to stay with the wealthy set, her “class.” But she finds that she is not comfortable with those who are arrogant and gossipy, those who demonstrate their non-acceptance of others who are not rich. Uncomfortable with the high society, Bea drifts away from them and toward the domestic help in the luxury hotel and the fishermen who provide the daily catch for the restaurants there. This historical women’s fiction depicts class inequalities as well as anti-semitism. Set in the late 1930’s, with war on the horizon, the descriptions are magnetic and beautiful. The characters are complex and mostly unlikable. I really did like Beatrice, but even she did not seem to make right choices often enough, although I continually rooted for her to do so. This novel is perfect for fans of domestic drama, mixed with history and a little bit of suspense. The author did a good job of involving me in the story so that I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to others.

Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”