This is a debut book and a very good one.
Maren is a cadet nurse at Walter Reed Hospital. A girl from a farm in Minnesota. Just your average farm girl who wanted to make a difference. Maren is a very likable character. You will see her grow and become a strong force. Also a very caring and loving nurse. When she meets Dr Oliver Demarest her life is never the same. They are from different worlds but seem to compliment each other. While he is quite a few years older, ten, they seem to fit.

Timelines for this story are 1944, 1970 and 2008. It lets you meet many characters but centers around Maren and her granddaughter Skye. Maren is always there for Skye and her mother Anne. Though Anne vows to never return to Haven Point Skye is there quite a bit. You will love Skye. She's one of my favorite characters. I also loved Maren's strength when she was at Haven Point after her marriage. She's such a compassionate person and deals with her mother in law with lots of strength but also lots of love. I have to admit that I was not too crazy about Oliver's dad. He was a bit cold and seemed happy only if being complimented and on top of everything. He hated losing.

There are some ups and downs in this book that will have you tearing up. It has some very sweet parts that will make you smile. It's an all around good historical fiction book. One that will stay with you. Touch your heart. It's just a good book.

Overall this is an excellent book. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. Virginia Hume did a fantastic job with this one. The characters are well developed and the scenery pulls you in. The hospital scenes are heartbreaking. This is a book that you will truly enjoy reading. It has parts that will make you cry and laugh. You will have all the feels.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #VirginiaHume, #stmartinspress for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 stars and I do recommend it.

At the outset, I have to admit that there are few things I love more than the Maine coast and multigenerational family sagas, so HAVEN POINT would have to be pretty bad for me not to love it, But it's perfect, incandescent, with Maren the strong matriarch who infiltrates the snobbishness of Haven Point despite the tragedies she experiences.

Beginning during World War II in Washington, DC where nurse and Minnesotan Maren Larsen meets the WASPy orthopedic surgeon Olive Demarest and continuing to 2008 when Maren's granddaughter, Skye, falls in love with Ben, the grandson of Maren's archrival, HAVEN POINT is an unforgettable story of family, love, and midcentury history.

While the lack of diversity is problematic, it's an issue that Skye and her friends notice, too. Even Skye, despite having grown up spending summers at Haven Point, feels perpetually out of the loop. But this is a story more about a family dealing with trauma than a tale of snobbery. It's impossible to put down. I wish Maren were my grandmother. #HavenPoint #NetGalley

Haven Point is an exclusive island in Maine, and the book tells the multi generational story of the Demarest family and its relationship to their home there and the surrounding community. It contains dual storylines. The past one is of Marin and her husband Oliver from their meeting in the 1940's to the stories of their children in the 1970's. The contemporary one tells of granddaughter Skye, who is returning to the island to scatter her mother's ashes. Both storylines were intriguing, and the characters were relatable. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the location and following the trajectory of the family's history. Great summer choice for readers who enjoy Beatriz Williams. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Excellent Debut. First off, I have to thank a very particular PR person at St Martin's - they know who they are, I'm not going to publicly name them in this review. I had requested this book on NetGalley around the time I first saw it there, and after several weeks languishing in my "Pending Requests" queue there, I finally contacted a contact at SMP I've worked with on various other ARCs and Blog Tours in the past, and that person was able to approve my request for this book, and viola. I'm reading it. :D So while I normally don't even mention this level of activity in reviews, this effort was unusual and therefore it deserves this unusual step of thanking the person involved directly in the review.

Having told (vaguely) the story of how I obtained this ARC, let me now note what I actually thought about the book, shall I? :D

As I said in the title, this really was an excellent debut. There are a lot of various plot threads weaving themselves in and out of focus over the course of 60 or so years, and anyone of a few particular generations, particularly those from small towns, will be able to identify readily with many of these threads. In 2008, we get a grandmother waiting to reveal some secrets to her twentysomething/ thirtysomething grand daughter - this actually opens the book. Then we get both the grandmother's life story - up to a particular pivotal summer - interspersed with the granddaughter's life story - mostly focused on two summers in particular, but with some updates in between. The jumps in time are sequential, but not always evenly spaced, so for example we start the grandmother's tale during WWII when she is serving as a nurse and is courted - in the rushed manner of the era - by a charming doctor. When we come back to her tale after spending some time in the granddaughter's life, we may be days later or we may be years later, depending on how deep in the story we are at this point. Similarly, when we leave the granddaughter in 1994, we may come back to later that summer or we may come back to 1999. (Or even, more commonly for the granddaughter's tale, back to 2008.) 2008 serves as "now", and the histories of the two women remain sequential throughout the tale. The editing, at the beginning of the chapter, always makes clear where we are in the timeline, and yet this style of storytelling *can* be jarring for some. So just be aware of this going in.

But as a tale of generational ideas, aspirations, and difficulties... this tale completely works on so very many levels. Perhaps because I find myself of a similar age as the granddaughter, and thus much of what she lives, I've also lived - particularly as it relates to a small town home town and its divisions.

And, for me, Hume actually has a line near the end of the tale (beyond the 90% mark) that truly struck a chord: "Haven Point has its flaws, of course it does. But while it might not be the magic that some pretend, there was never really the rot she claimed either." Perhaps the same could be said of my own "small town" (it now has a population north of 100K) home town.

Ultimately, this was a phenomenal work that many will identify with but some may struggle with. I will dare compare it to The Great Gatsby in that regard and in this one: keep with the struggle. It is worth it. Very much recommended.

Loved this book! It goes back and forth between the past and present, young and old. The story discusses so many different issues in one family and how that different people see events from their life in different ways. Very well written and perfect amount of character background to establish personalities. Would recommend!

Thanks to #NetGalley @StMartinsPress for a complimentary eARC and @Macmillanaudio for a listening copy of #HavenPoint upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Originally from Minnesota, Maren works as a cadet nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center. The story begins in 1944 as she meets a handsome doctor who sweeps her off her feet. Oliver is from a prominent family who has a summer residence in a small, exclusive community on the coast of Maine. As a newlywed, Maren feels insecure as she tries to fit in with the tight-knit crowd of Haven Point residents. But Haven Point becomes part of their summer life and their children grow up for part of the year in Haven Point. In 1970, their oldest daughter Anne falls for a young man who doesn’t meet with the approval of Maren and Oliver. A tragedy occurs. In the present day (2008), Anne’s daughter Skye has a close relationship with her grandmother, Maren. In the end, Maren shares the whole truth with Skye about what happened in the summer of 1970.

The setting is vividly described and the writing is lovely in this heavily character-driven family story. The Haven Point narrative is easy to follow as it jumps between three time periods and two main perspectives (Maren’s and Skye’s). I love family stories, so this is an interesting, albeit quiet and reflective, read. The end of the story picks up the pace a little as secrets are revealed and reconciliation, acceptance, forgiveness, and understanding are explored. Haven Point is a poignant story that builds slowly and I noticed that I was gradually raising my star rating as I progressed. By the end, I was pleased to arrive at 4 Stars. I love satisfactory endings!

Haven Point is a quiet and reflective family story with a few thoughtful themes including keeping secrets, insiders and outsiders, small community helping each other in crisis, beautiful and seemingly perfect people have troubles, infidelity, reconciliation, forgiveness, grief, understanding, the role of grandparents, unstable home, second chances, friendship, and survival after tragedy. One important lesson I gained from the story is that it’s helpful when the older generation can be transparent and honest about events that occur in the family and in their lives so that a younger generation doesn’t make incorrect assumptions about the behaviors, actions, and choices of parents and grandparents. I think one observation about grief and tragedy is especially poignant: when you have suffered a tragedy, your job is to survive….it’s the job of family, friends, and community to take care of all the other arrangements and tasks. I love the community support that the family receives.

***may contain spoilers***
Trigger Warnings and Content Considerations: grief, loss of a young adult child, death of a parent, child neglect, alcoholism. All romance is closed door and there is a minimum of profanity.

I’m recommending Haven Point for fans of multi-generational, complicated family drama, for readers who love a heavily character-driven story, for those who might be looking for histfic that doesn’t involve war, and for book clubs.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Virginia Hume. It's a perfect summer read, with a beautiful Maine coastal setting plus lots of family drama and secrets. The beginning in stateside WWII was so interesting, and I loved learning more about these characters as we continued through the lives of 3 generations of women in the family. The theme of how easy it is to make assumptions and judgements when we don't know the whole story is powerful and poignant, and is the perfect undercurrent for the events of the novel. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

This one wasn’t for me. I found some of the characters to be boring and just didn’t love the predicaments they were in.

I found this very hard to get into but once I got through the first few chapters and figured out who the main characters were I found it easier to read. It is a massive story filled with emotions, heartbreak, a little happiness and generational point of view. I especially liked the story of how Maren and Oliver met and the slow build of the relationship between Skye and Ben. I wouldn't say I loved it but it was good and definitely something you could enjoy reading by the pool or the beach.

HAVEN POINT is a wonderfully heart-filling family drama about how we find ourselves within the constraints of family history and elitism. The story follows Maren, who marries Oliver, a physician and favored son of the crowd at Haven Point, an exclusive community in Maine. It is also the story of Skye, Maren's granddaughter and how her own life is shaped by Haven Point and her discovery of how Haven Point affected her mother's troubled life. Beautifully written with deep and realistic characters, this was an immense pleasure to read and I read it slowly because I didn't want it to end. I can hardly wait to read Hume's next work!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Haven Point by Virginia Hume.

Haven Point is a multi-generational book about a family's seaside house in Maine and 3 generations of women and the secrets they keep. Told through the three generations in 1944, 1970s and 2008. I loved the Maine setting and I felt transported to this seaside community and the wealth and insulr community feel.

This was a little slow to get into, but once you got into the characters you understand the complex emotions in this family saga. The characters are so well written and so many life struggles are brought up in the book. It was a little more character driven of a book than I usually like, but I was hooked on the beautiful writing.

Recommned this is you love multi-generational family sagas!

This is an amazingly emotional debut novel about mothers and daughters!!!!!!!!!! The love between mothers and daughters and what parents will do to ensure their child's happiness!!!!!!! I loved this novel so much I didn't want it to end. I look forward to what Virginia Hume writes for us in the future. I highly recommend this book.

This was such an incredible family saga. I loved the way it all came together in the end. Beautifully written and developed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Haven Point by Virginia Hume is a novel about the community of Haven Point in Maine. The Demerast family are our main characters. Maren and Oliver meet at Walter Reed Hospital during WW2.
We follow their family members through 2008.
The characters really stand out. They are very well written and we come to know them - the children and a granddaughter very well.
I enjoyed their story.

A beautiful Maine setting featuring multi-generations of characters, I delighted in this read from beginning to end. The saga that spans time had me turning pages and intrigued by the plot. I look forward to reading more by Virginia Hume.

Wonderful story of hope, forgiveness, and self reflection.
This novel is actually two generations of stories being told simultaneously. It takes a chapter or two to grasp, but once you get the characters straight, it flows smoothly.
The story takes place on Haven Point, an island town steadfast in its beliefs, traditions, and for most snobbery. Sky knows her mom has always hated Haven Point, but upon her death, Sky finally hears her story. Putting the pieces of her mom, Annie's, life together will be both painful and enlightening , and may just change how Sky sees her own life.
Powerful story, one that reminds you that there is so much more to everyone's life story than what is seen on the surface.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In HAVEN POINT, Virginia Hume achieves that ultimate challenge in telling parallel stories: she makes both of them equally compelling, forceful, and enjoyable. For generations, Haven Point has been that place apart for families to gather and create a strong community every summer, complete with the love, support, friendship, backbiting, petty, and long memories that shape lives for good and for ill. Set in coastal Maine, the story plumbs relationships, identity, class hierarchies, and love in a clear-eyed, generous way so even the secondary characters become treasured friends for the reader. I miss Haven Point and its extraordinary people as I miss reading further into a well-wrought, solid, compelling read about a place I have never been and people I don't know and that tugs me toward its heart and possibilities. It was such a wonderful escape to another time, another place that I am hunting down other work by this gifted writer. I received an early reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Virginia Hume has written a beautiful novel, one that will stay with readers for a long time. Hard to believe it's her debut; I will be waiting for more.

I have missed family sagas. This multi-generational story was one of strong women, hope, and heartbreak. I loved every word.

4.5/5⭐️

I enjoyed this debut about a family and their summer home on the coast of Maine. It’s told through alternating chapters featuring Maren and Skye (grandmother/granddaughter).

Spanning WWII, the Vietnam War and up to 2008, it speaks to how place/community memories shape us, how differently family members view these places at various times in their lives and how we sometimes focus on the negative in our families rather than the entire picture...missing the forest for the trees.

Poignant but enlightening, sad at times but yet also joyful, this was a wonderful multigenerational saga, and I won’t soon forget the Demarest family.

Many thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for providing me the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

A family saga of three multigenerational Demerest women set at the seaside community of
Haven Point, Maine.
It is also just as much a story of the elitist society of Haven Point where a line of rocks provides a visible and invisible line of a social class.
Spanning World War II, through the upheaval of the Vietnam War till 2008, we learn of matriarch Maren’s resilience, her daughter Anne’s loss of innocence and of her granddaughter Skye’s struggle to understand it all. A wonderful novel of heartache, betrayal and addiction. But most of all it is a story of family love, lasting friendships and a struggle to belong.
I received an early copy of this printed and audio book from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio/St. Martin’s Press. The thoughts, comments and review are my honest opinion.