The Light on Farallon Island
by Jen Wheeler

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to review!

I absolutely dislike writing negative reviews because isn't a novel much like art? It affects each individual differently therefore I will only say that as much as I tried, I could not get into this book. It was well written and it had a good sense of mystery. Just was not for me.

I love being swept away in stories like these especially debut novel such as this! I didn't want to come back.
I never knew about these islands so I learned something new from this author.
Yes, the book may have been slow at times but still enjoyed it.
Lucy is perfect example of what all of us have. Secrets, pasts. It's what we do with our future that counts.
I rather liked Lucy. She's definitely an interesting character.
I love a good mystery.
I felt that the author did well with this part.
5 stars for a job well done! I recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is an enjoyable read with a strong sense of place & history plus an intriguing mystery. Right away we wonder who Lucy Riley is and what she might be hiding.

As some other reviewers have noted, the beginning is a bit confusing, and it takes some time to settle in.

The romance is entertaining and seemed true to the time period.

The pacing is somewhat uneven and there are too many flashbacks.

The author does a fantastic job of showing what life on the island would have been like.

Ultimately, some pluses and some minuses, but overall, this is certainly an entertaining novel and I look forward to more from this talented author.

*author provided w/ free review copy; opinions are author's own

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this e-ARC.

3.5/5 stars, but this book deserves a rounding up!

I surprisingly enjoyed this novel! The beginning was a bit confusing, but once I got further into the plot, I found myself sucked in. The romance was an excellent amount of yearning and passion, but I do feel that some of it was a little too modern. The history was explored excellently and I enjoyed the detailed description of the islands.

My biggest concerns lie with the pacing of the plot. At times it felt too slow and at times it felt extremely fast. I think if certain events had been spread out from one another, then the pacing would have felt more even. I also struggled with the constant cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. It felt less like foreboding and more like a "stay tuned..." at the end of a TV episode. The ending felt rushed, but it kept me guessing where it was going!

For a debut novel, I really enjoyed this and I hope to see more of Wheeler's work in the future. I would definitely recommend this to a historical fiction lover.

This book is incredibly slow burning at times which didn't work for me as a reader at all and it was hard to read at times. However, I am glad that a persevered as the bits that I did like were enjoyable.

19th century literature is terrifying to indulge myself into. It’s so ruthless in its detail about women from the 19th century, the fears they had to over come and the challenges they had to face. This was a very interesting read. I found my heart pounding at numerous parts of the book. A compelling story.

I always enjoy reading debut novels but this was not one of them. I struggled to keep reading about a woman who assumes the identity of her friend and goes to teach on an isolated island off the coast of California. I thought that the book was too long and I kept getting lost in the back story of the character. The scenery descriptions however were beautiful. I will not be recommending this book.

“The Light on Farallon Island” is a debut novel by Jen Wheeler. For about a decade I lived on the mainland with a view of those lovely islands. I’ve always found their history interesting and I, too, watched for clear enough nights to see the lighthouse light. This book wasn’t quite what I expected. First of all, it’s a bit of a mystery - who is Lucy Riley, what is she hiding, and what is she running away from? The book focuses mainly on her life - past, recent events, and current life on the island. I never felt like I knew anyone in the book well - including the main character. Yes, living on the island had its difficulties - from the hired hands doing egging for a number of months, the cliffs, the weather - but, again, the scenes dealing with those things seemed more supporting. Even the other inhabitants of the island were supporting characters for the most part (excluding one character). I think that Ms. Wheeler’s sources were sound ones (I, too, have visited the blog she mentions), but honestly this story could’ve taken place on Ano Nuevo down the coast instead of on the Farallones and have been, basically, the same book. I must admit, at times the pacing was incredibly slow - to the point I nearly put it down. It did pick up a little bit at times, but I found myself skimming the story at times due to bits of nothing happening - or Lucy have a flashback to the past (seemingly out of the blue) or some past information needing to be expressed to the reader.

While well-written, I did not care for this. I gave it two stars for her talent as a writer, but I found the story bleak and filled with mostly repugnant characters. I also felt aspects were too modern for the time period — just my personal opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.