This was a multigenerational novel of Maren who grew up in Minnesota and joined the Cadet nurses where she met her husband, Dr. Oliver Demarest, during WWII while they were serving together in Washington, D.C. This story takes place over many years and goes back and forth over the years in telling the story and we learn about Annie, their daughter, and her daughter Skye, who brings her mother's ashes to Haven Point to scatter after her death. We learn so much in the telling of the story of why Annie left Haven Point to never return and how she turned out they way she did. This really was a lovely story but not my cup of tea (so to speak).

Haven Point is a great read told from different points of view. It's a story told over a few generations where the "glue" is the location. Although lives change, the characters can come back and rely on it not changing. Even hurricanes couldn't change the integrity of the island.

I enjoyed learning about the lives of Marren and Skye. Secrets that were kept, perhaps unintentionally, and how the interpretation of circumstances led to assumptions. Those skewed assumptions shaped the characters and the story.

Not sure if I missed it and perhaps it's not integral to the story, but I wanted to know who Skye's father was....I kept guessing as the characters developed.

A story with multiple settings, timelines, family secrets and a beautiful home in the Maine coastal town Haven Point. The stories of Skye and her grandmother Maren unfold their lives in different time periods and then in modern day. The tragedies that changed their lives and learning to forgive, trust again and love a fulfilled life after loss.

I felt the the character development was spot on, but the storyline didn’t peak my interest as much as I wanted it to. The novel fell flat for me
towards the middle, but I did enjoy many parts. I think the author has great potential! A different narrator could have also brought more to this audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this copy of Haven Point.

Haven Point is the incredible debut novel by Virginia Hume. It is a multi generational novel covering three time periods: 1944, 1970, and 2008. In 1944, Maren Larsen is working as a nurse cadet at a military hospital in Washington DC, away from home in the midwest. There she meets Doctor Oliver Demarest. He is immediately taken with Maren. Despite their differences in class, Oliver and Maren get married. The Demarest's, along with other similar families, summer at #HavenPoint. Fast forward to 2008, and Annie, Maren and Oliver's daughter, is drinking too much.. Her own daughter, Skye, is shipped off to Haven Point to spend time with her Grandma, so her mother can go to rehab. Gradually, Annie's backstory is revealed, as the history of the family is unraveled.

The audiobook is fantastic. Narrated by @cassandracampbell, it brings the Haven Point story to life. I just loved it, This is Virginia Hume's #debut novel, and I look forward to reading and listening to more books by her. Thank you #netgalley and @Macmilllanaudio for my complimentary copy of #havenpoint #5stars.

This was such a complex character driven novel that was told through several decades and multiple generations. I loved the character development throughout this novel. It felt like you were really watching them grow up, learn and experience life, family, loss, and love.

I did have an issue with some pacing, some sections felt like they dragged on and others I was so invested in and they flew by. I ended up really enjoying this book overall and would recommend Haven Point to fans of historical fiction. The audiobook was very pleasant to listen to so bonus points for all the audio fans!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

3.9 stars

Haven Point tells the story of three generations of women with their summer home in Maine as a common point.

I liked the matriarch Maren’s story line the best. Her daughter Annie is the least fleshed out character and Skye is in the middle. Virginia Hume does a great job building the world of Haven Point.

Narration was excellent by Cassandra Campbell.

I received the audio of Haven Point from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
Haven Point is a perfect beach read. Set on the coast of Maine, the novel follows the Demarest family through the joys and sorrows of their lives.
Cassandra Campbell is my favorite narrator. Her voice is so soothing. My onl complaint is it was too long. The ending is too drawn out. Maybe it should be edited. I think there should bea sequel.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook version of Haven Point, read by Cassandra Campbell. This narrator was a perfect fit for this multi-generational family drama set on a remote and exclusive point on the coast of Maine. This character-driven saga stretches from 1944 through 2008, following the lives of Maren, her daughter Annie and granddaughter Skye. The timelines bounce back and forth from present day with Skye returning to Maine to scatter her mother’s ashes near the Demarest family cottage to 1944 when Minnesota born nurse Maren falls in love with Dr. Oliver Demarest at Walter Reed Memorial in Boston.

The pacing feels slow as we get to know Maren and Oliver in their early years but this foundation helps to draw the reader into their summer beach community and how events at Haven Point shape the lives of generations to come. Within these close knit families are the many themes of friendships, rivalry, betrayal, addiction, grief and forgiveness with Maren anchoring her family through good times and bad. Once the foundations are laid the pace of the story picks up and the reader is pulled into the lives of the Demarest family with enough understanding of the past to appreciate the life of an outsider.

Impressive debut.

I was able to review Haven Point by Virginia Hume Narrated by Cassandra Campbell and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.
It's an easy, fast summer listen. It spans three generations of a family, highlighting the women in each generation. It has drama, humor, romance, heartbreak and goodness.

Haven Point is the story of three generations of a family that summer at the seaside enclave of Haven Point in Maine. It's 1944 and Maren Larsen is a cadet nurse from a small Minnesota farming town. She wants to do her part for the war effort and see something besides the farm. She meets handsome Dr. Oliver Demarest, a rich Bostonian, whose family is well off and part of the insular community of Haven Point. They fall in love, marry and have a couple of children. All should be well, but Maren is always an outsider and struggles with Oliver's life. 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 and Anne never returns to Haven Point again. Anne as a child, Skye, who 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.

I enjoyed much of this character driven story. The setting was wonderful, with all the cliques and activities that go with it. Skye is not welcomed by the Haven Point kids, but she continues to spend time with her grandmother and tries to fit in when she can. My biggest complaint with this book is the way it jumps around between the three time frames. I would have much preferred a linear story, it would have been easier to keep track of the stories. This is not an action packed story, but a slow, quiet, family drama. There are secrets that finally come to light and there are themes of acceptance, forgiveness, reconciliation, grief and understanding throughout. There were times that I was angry with the choices the adults made and how they affected the lives of their children. Family secrets will haunt you and affect others, until you come to grips with them and share them honestly with others. I do recommend this story, but if you get bogged down in the middle, be patient. The end of the story picks up the pace as all the pieces come together and the secrets all come to light. If you enjoy a good, poignant family drama, then pick this one up. Cassandra Campbell narrates this audiobook. She is one of my favourite narrators and I was not disappointed with this performance. She used expression and intonation to give emotion to the characters and her voices were well done. A very enjoyable listening experience.

Oh how I love a generational family novel! I have not fallen so in love with a book since The Most Fun We Ever Had. I was captivated by the storytelling, and the narrator was fantastic. I enjoy when the narrator adds to the story and does not distract me from good writing by being a poor storyteller. This narrator really made it feel like a friend familiar with the people in the story was telling you about everything. Wonderful! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook for an honest review.

This book has so much to offer from the multigenerational story to the characters who each have secrets that slowly unfold at the family home in the wasps coastal town.
More than a beach read, this book is an emotional portrayal of three generations of women and their love for each other and those around them.
We had so much to talk about in our amazing Book talk with Virginia Hume. I still cannot believe that this was her first book. It has the depth and writing of a seasoned author. The narration was on point and added the perfect seasoning to this already wonderful book.
I absolutely loved this book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own

Haven Point by Virginia Hume is a multi-generational story that centers in Haven Point, a coastal Maine town full of families who have summered there for generations. The story is told in three separate timelines: Maren, a nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center who falls in love with a doctor from a prestigious family who spends summers in Haven Point; Annie, Maren's daughter, who falls in love with a boy her family doesn't approve of vows to never return to Haven Point; and Skye, Annie's daughter, who does not like Haven Point but has returned to help scatter her mother's ashes.

This story is intricate and well-written with descriptions that bring the Haven Point setting to life. I thought that the three main characters were very well developed and I thought that each of the timelines was interesting. I loved that they were all connected with Haven Point, and I appreciated the ongoing theme of feeling out of place in an area that is tightly-knit. At times, sections of the story seemed a little long, and some details could have been omitted in the interest of moving the story along. The overall story was emotional, and I very much enjoyed the conclusion of the book which really brought the story together.

The audio narration for this title was performed by Cassandra Campbell and ran for just under 14 hours. I thought the narration was excellent for this title, and the narrator did a nice job differentiating between the three different characters/timelines.

I would recommend this title to readers who enjoy historical fiction, emotional reads, and multi-generational stories.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of this title, and to St. Martin's Press and The Book Club Cookbook for the complimentary finished copy. This did not affect the contents of my review. All opinions are honest and my own.

3.5 stars. Let me start by saying I enjoyed this book. It was a decent read, and it held my attention. I enjoyed the settings as well.

What I did not like was that 90% of the plot was just women thinking they're not good enough for the men they're interested in and making poor decisions because of it. I would just rather read about strong women who believe in themselves, than women who don't know their own worth. That's not to say there isn't value in both kinds of stories.

As for the narration, Cassandra Campbell is one of my favorites, so no complaints from me there!

I enjoyed the sense of place this book had. The coastal home was the center part of the story and the women in it's life revolved around that place. A person looking for a comforting family saga with a great sense of place would really enjoy this book. The narrator was perfect for this type of dramatic novel.

Secrets across three generations and a few decades. This story has the feel of a historical fiction with a little romance and some family drama.

I had a difficult time getting into this one. I felt like I was half way through before things started to happen and pick up. Be prepared for a lot of characters to remember and some flipping back to check dates. Overall a good read but definitely a slow burn.

After reading the description of this I really thought I was going to love it but I had a really hard time getting into it and just kept waiting for the drama to ramp up. I liked that this told the story from the perspective of three different generations and really liked how it kept referring back to the past to explain the actions of the current characters but found myself getting bored listening to this several times. I did enjoy it more towards the end but really struggled to get there. It wasn't a terrible story and had some really nice lessons woven in but I need a bit more drama to stay interested.

The exclusive coastal community of Haven Point, Maine has always been insular. When Maren marries Dr. Oliver Demarest in the 1940s, the community is not quick to welcome her, but she eventually finds her place. As the family and community change over decades, a tragedy prompts Maren’s daughter Annie to vow never to return to Haven Point. After Annie’s own tragic death in 2008, her daughter Skye goes to spread her ashes at Haven Point–and finally learn what happened.

This sweeping family story told in alternating timelines over decades is perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand. Haven Point is both dreamy and suffocating. Excellent summer historical fiction.

I’ve never been to the coast of Maine and this new novel by Virginia Hume has definitely inspired me to add it to my list of places to visit. The audio, narrated by Cassandra Campbell, was a pleasurable listen.

The novel centers around Maren, a farm girl from Minnesota who ends up working as a nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center during World War II. While there, she meets her future husband who is from a Boston family who spends their summers vacationing in the small coastal community of Haven Point.

Maren, as an outsider, takes years to feel like she belongs, but as the years go by she realizes she underestimated the people in Haven Point. When a tragedy occurs that involves her children, Maren’s daughter Annie vows to leave and never return to Haven Point.

In adulthood, Annie was troubled by alcoholism, either hereditary or a result of her dealing with her tragic past, possibly both. Skye, Annie’s daughter is often rescued by her grandmother and taken to Haven Point while her mother stays in a treatment center. Skye has adopted her mother’s dislike of Haven Point.

It isn’t until her mother dies and Skye returns to Haven Point to scatter her ashes, that she learns the truth about her mother’s dislike of the charming coastal community. As a storm bears down on the coast, Maren tells Skye of the tragic summer and the accident that drove Annie away.

The story moves at a languid, thoughtful pace that seems just perfect for lazy summer days by the sea. The characters were interesting and nuanced. I loved Maren’s mother-in-law. She was a hoot!

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audio book and give an honest review.

A multigenerational story told by the Demarest women of Haven Point. There is personally nothing I love more than big family dramas, and this book hits all the high points.

Maren meets Oliver during WWII while working at Walter Reed Hospital. They fall madly in love and get married. Oliver’s family home is in Haven Point, Maine. When Oliver brings Maren back there, she realizes there is an assortment of family problems, plus that town is not supportive of “outsiders”.

Oliver and Maren spend their summers there, raising their three children, Billy, Annie and Charlie. Annie eventually succumbing to the same issues as Oliver’s Mother.

Skye is introduced as Annie’s daughter. Annie had Skye by herself. She is the apple of Maren’s eye and helps Skye when Annie continually falls back to her old ways.

The story takes place over multiple timelines and culminates to a most satisfying ending. There are a lot of dark secrets, that the author expertly peels away the layers of each one. If you like family dramas, put this one high on you TBR list.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.