When I first started the book I thought much to my dismay, that it was going to be a fantasy. I kept going and read a story of a grieving widow, an extremely supportive community and a journalist who is intrigued by the whole situation. Perhaps something he can use for his nascent podcast. A most satisfying read.

I loved this sweet book about loss, love, and a charming little island. Anders is a wannabe podcaster looking for the right subject, when he happens across the story of a lifetime: The entire population of a small island in the Chesapeake Bay is pretending to see (and speak to) the dead husband of a young widow, Piper, who hasn't come to terms with her loss. Anders works to get to the bottom of the story before the island finally gets the internet and the locals learn about the real subject of his project, but he doesn't count on his heart getting in the way. Fans of small towns and quirky characters will adore this book.

Just in time for summer comes this year's perfect beach read. On the remote Frick Island in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, Piper Parrish had a perfect life - until her husband died. But Piper kept carrying on, acting as if he was still alive, and the townsfolk decided to play along with the grieving widow. When an ambitious podcaster arrives in town, he feels like he has the story of a lifetime, until he starts to fall in love with Piper. With quirky characters, a cute love story, and thoughtful plot twists, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is a poignant story about grief and the things we'll do for those we love.

A sweet story with a surprising twist and quirky characters. Oakley's writing style and pacing will lend itself to easy book club selection and her name recognition will move this book off the shelves and into the hands of readers.

I'm a huge Colleen Oakley fan: She has the BEST premises behind her books—and the instant I heard about this one, I knew it would be right up my alley too. The very idea of a young widow imagining her dead husband beside her, and all her friends and neighbors going along with it, is so simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming: Throw in an isolated island that time seems to have forgotten, and an awkward, struggling (and quickly smitten) young journalist, and you have a truly irresistible story. You'll smile, laugh, cry, cheer, get angry at all these beautifully flawed characters and forgive them just as quickly. An endearing, memorable read, perfect for book clubs.

What a fun romp. You won't know what to believe; is he dead? Is she crazy? Is the entire island crazy or is it just you? So much fun.

I adored this title and have already told so many of my reading friends about it. I can't say too much without giving too much away. The characters were wonderful and the community is somewhere I'd like to visit! Grief and persuasion are powerful emotions...

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island was a joy to read as I spent many a summer at Rehoboth beach, which is near this fictional island. This book was a like recipe with equal parts of sweetness, sadness, hope and heartbreak.

Anders, the male protagonist of the book, had always dreamt of being the reporter Clark Kent, not the kryptonite fearing, superhero version. He was more complicated than I thought he’d be as he uncovered so much about himself while discovering Frick Island. Piper was a one-of-a-kind character – beloved, maybe crazy, lost and lonely. She was hiding and grieving until Anders started poking holes in her shield of protection.

The island was a character in itself – completely resistant to change, solitary, unyielding, warm, helpful to the locals, dry as a bone and utterly small. Watching how the townspeople grew and began to open themselves up to new ideas was done quite well. All of Oakley’s books have a sense of magic to them and this one was no exception. Her writing is smooth and enjoyable. Nothing fancy or erudite, just regular conversations and thoughts for her characters. Reading this during the cold, winter months made me itch for a warm beach where I could dip my toes in the sand, dine on crabs and read a book. It really was a fine escape and unique storyline.

This is a sweet and quirky love story with an unusual premise. Young Piper has lost her husband Tom, a fisherman who drowned. In her grief, she seems to believe that Tom is still alive and living with her. What is even more strange, the entire community of their small Frick Island is going along with her delusion. When ambitious reporter Anders comes to the island to do a story on the annual cake walk, he finds an even more compelling one - why is the entire island acting like Tom is still around? He decides to record a podcast about it, which gives him the recognition he's been wanting in his career. But as Anders falls for Piper, he has to face the cost of what bringing fame to Frick Island means - for him, for Piper and for the entire town.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is part tragedy, part mystery, and a whole lot of heart.

When a small-town reporter stumbles upon the story of a lifetime on a tiny island in the Chesapeake Bay, he can't help but pursue it. But what happens when he falls in love with the island and its inhabitants?

This is a sweet read.

This was a cute and light hearted story.

Piper Parrish has lived on Frick Island since she was a young teenager and married the love of her life, Tom. Then one day Tom is lost at sea, and everyone fears the worst. Piper is devastated until one morning she wakes up and Tom is back – well sort of.

Anders Caldwell wants to be the next Clark Kent (who needs Superman!). All he needs is to find that career breaking story for his blog. When he assigned to cover the Frick Island Cake Walk, his path crosses with Piper. When he realizes that though Tom is presumed dead by the authorities, the whole island is pretending that Tom is alive along with Piper, he thinks he has found that golden story.

This was such a cute story. Anders isn’t the typical hero, he’s more Jimmy Olsen than Clark Kent, but his character grows more confident and assertive. With help from Piper and the other islanders Anders begins to understand what is truly important to him. I enjoyed the story’s messages of hope and love.

An interesting premise, executed poorly with bland characters and a sluggish pace. While I was interested enough to keep reading and uncover the motivations of the characters, overall it was a disappointment and not what I was expecting.

After losing her husband to a boating accident, Piper can't let him go and continues to act as though he is still alive. Others on the island continue the charade much to the dismay of a reporter, Anders. As he reports on the woman with the invisible husband, he becomes intrigued with Piper. It's a charming story of loss and love. With a cast of characters and a wonderful small island setting, this book is a sweet story with enough intrigue to keep you turning the page.

The best part of this book in my opinion was the message. To me, there is nothing ever wrong with taking the time to slow down and really learn about some body, some thing, or some place. People grieve in their own ways and there is nothing wrong with slowing down to understand that. I felt like this book was a great exploration of how the workings of coping and grieving can be perceived by different characters.

As per the usual– I am a super fan of Colleen Oakley’s writing. As if You Were There Too didn’t make me love her writing enough, this book amplified said love. I don’t think I would classify this book as a romance though, so if that is the type of read you’re looking for in this book I don’t think you will find it. I do however think that you will find so much more given the chance.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island was a super cute, feel good, small town charm read that really had my attention. I really enjoyed my journey to and from Frick Island and the people that I met along the way. Colleen really took a charming little setting and town and turned it into a big time story that had big time meaning.

What a delightful story, with charming witty characters and about finding out how to save Frick Island folks from serious climate change, or was that the main theme? You will just have to read this book to find out. Anders is a reporter sent here on assignment to learn about the ways of this island.
How will Anders who is a "come here" person to Frick Island manage to do his Podcast interviews.?
It is no surprise he tangles with the set in stone way things have always been with the folks here. Perhaps the biggest hurdle he finds is with Piper who still believes her husband is right along side of her, although he is really dead and the craziness of the folk who go along with Piper's delusions. It clearly looks like he has a bigger assignment than he set out to do - I loved this book and recommend it highly for its heartwarming tale written with love and compassion.

This would be a good pick for a book club. I just finished it and would like to discuss it with someone! It's a character-driven story told from several viewpoints that focuses on grief and relationships in a small town.

The premise of this story has great promise. I was halfway committed to the characters. The 'mystery' was okay, but it felt like the author got to the 'reveal' and decided it wasn't quite enough, so she threw in another subplot that was unexpected but also not hinted at quite enough to buy it all.
I wanted to like this, and I did, but it wasn't quite as well crafted as I really hoped it would be.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

Every once in awhile I just want to read a story that is easy on my heart. This was such a story. I felt so bad for Pipe and can't imagine losing my partner. It was hard to think about to be honest.

I really enjoyed Anders and even though it started as a story I like how it all unfolded between the two of them. A very enjoyable read.

This was a rather odd book honestly. Almost half of the book I just could not get myself engaged in at all. There are a ton of characters and the main character Piper seems to think her dead husband is still alive and with her. The town goes along with it and it was just hard to grasp the ridiculousness of it. But about 3/4 in the book takes a turn and I finally felt like I was reading an actual believable story at this point. But then the end left something to be desired as well. I just don't know how to feel about this one.