Mickey returns to Beech house to try to figure out how to let her boyfriend know that she is in danger of losing their restaurant and to attend her Grandmothers wedding. While her mother is still mourning the loss of her father and isn't ready to replace him with her mothers new husband. While Cora is enjoying getting together with her daughter and granddaughter, it is bittersweet, knowing that this could be the last time they are all together at Beech House.

A great story with wonderful characters! A fast read that gives you all the feels.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

This was the perfect summer read and quickly became one of my favorites. I enjoyed the focus of the three generations of women and the two timelines in which the story was told. And the grandmother getting her second chance at romance made this book truly enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pub date: 6/12/23
Genre: family drama, beach read
Quick summary: Cora, Hedy, and Mickey represent three generations of strong women with secrets. As Cora prepares for her second marriage at Beech House on Nantucket, will their secrets bring them together or pull them apart?

I love a multigenerational family drama, and this book was the perfect choice for my beach vacation! Each of the women were well-drawn and complex; I especially enjoyed Cora's arc taking place in 1948 during Beech House's kitchen renovation. Like Elin Hilderbrand's books, this is a love story to family, food, and Nantucket. The 1999 timeline came together so well at the end and gave me all the feels!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted on 8/23/23

Cora Campbell is a fish out of water in 1948 as a newly married woman on Martha's Vineyard. She grew up in a blue-collar community, worked as a waitress, and has nothing in common with the people that live on the island. They are rude and judgy, and she isn't comfortable with their behavior. Her husband, while sweet, is often gone for business, and is, essentially, one of them. He desperately wants her to fit in and leave her past behind her. Cora worked at her uncle's restaurant and is an expert cook, so when her husband renovates their beach house, she is excited to revamp the kitchen. Enter contractor Max Dempsey, who attends to Cora's needs and understands her like no one else. They form a bond as he builds the kitchen of her dreams. Fast forward to 1999, and Cora's husband is dead and she is remarrying none other than Max Dempsey at their family home on Martha's Vineyard. Her daughter, Hedy, isn't quite sure how she feels about this, and her granddaughter, Mickey, is coming along for the wedding but is hiding secrets of her own. Erika Montgomery's Our Place on the Island captures the story of three generations of women, and family secrets; it's a sweet summer romance.


Our Place on the Island is a dual timeline story taking place in 1999 and 1948. I really enjoyed how Montgomery tied the story together slowly and readers could see what happened in the future with Cora and Max, but I enjoyed the journey to get there. I think Montgomery developed the 1948 timeline very well; in fact, I gravitated to that timeline a bit more than the other. Also, Montgomery brought to life Martha's Vineyard nicely - the beautiful beach, the expansive homes, the country club, the parties, etc. I felt like I was there! I think Our Place on the Island would be a perfect book to curl up with Labor Day Weekend, especially if you love a charming romance as well as a story about families.

I love multigenerational family novels, and this one was no exception! I loved the characters in this one and thought it was a very satisfying read! So so good!

This was an awesome read from the beginning to the very end. I enjoyed the relationship between three strong women, who were the main characters. It was interesting to read from the two time lines and see how woman's expectations have changed.

If you have not packed your beach for the summer yet, I would definitely put this one in your bag. It is deeper than a fluffy beach read, but would be enjoyable with your toes in the sand as it is set on the beach.

There were a few surprises along the way, but in general it ended the way I would have wanted it to. Now I am looking forward to her next book.

Reading "Our Place on the Island," was like taking a bite of Cora's famous lemon meringue pie; rich, delicious and truly satisfying. Erika Montgomery proves to be a fantastic storyteller, with every word woven perfectly, and descriptions so vivid that it all seemed real.
In "Our Place on the Island" we meet Cora, Hedy, and Mickey, three generations of women who are still finding their place in the world. Whether a woman like Cora in the 1940s going from running a restaurant during the war to running her ‘husbands’ household, or like Hedy navigating the aftermath of divorce and dealing with familial guilt, or like Mickey achieving things that previous generations did not have the opportunity to do and still struggling to keep her head above water, being a woman at anytime is a tumultuous journey. From the food and drink, to Cora’s famous kitchen, or the time periods the author balances effortlessly between, this story is worthy of five stars!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an early release copy of this book.
"Our Place on the Island" is being released June 13th 2023-mark your calendar!
**Added to Goodreads 4/30/2023
** Added to Amazon 8/1/2023

The story unfolds during two time periods, 1948 and 1999, on Martha’s Vineyard. Cora is a grandmother, getting ready to remarry after her husband’s death. I was engrossed in her story, as a young bride postwar, having to give up her job to marry and accept a different lifestyle. Michelle is Cora’s granddaughter, a great cook like her grandmother; keeping secret the financial problems her restaurant is having from her boyfriend Wes. And Hedy, the mother and daughter who envies the relationship between Michelle and Cora. Will this be the last summer on Martha’s Vineyard? Recommended as a good summer read, for fans of women’s fiction. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A super quick and cute beach day read. Nothing unique or anything that really sets it apart but again, cute.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is the quintessential feel-good summer read and perfect for foodies! Yum!

This was very cute and charming!! I loved the writing and all the nods to food. This felt like an Elin Hilderbrand with the multi-generations and coastal settings

Our Place on the Island is a quintessential summer read. Taking place on Martha's Vineyard at the family home, Beech House, chef and restauranteur, MIckey, heads back to her favorite place for her grandmother's wedding. The grandmother, Cora is marrying Max, who happened to be the man who designed and built her entire kitchen in the summer of 1948.

This is such a beautiful story about family, relationships, and finding your place in the world. I loved that it bounced between the two timelines of 1948 when Cora was married to her first husband Harry, and spending her first summer on the Island and then in 1999, leading up to her wedding. Cora felt more at home in her kitchen than out at the country club or with her fellow neighbors on the Island.

The entire plot just gave me all the feels and left me with the warm fuzzies. I loved the ending too, but wished there was an epilogue about what happened next. Otherwise, it's a great book.

Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Our Place on the Island was a supremely enjoyable read for summertime. I relished my time at Beech House on Martha's Vineyard with the Campbell women. This story has two timelines and both were great. I loved Cora's timeline the most, as she settles into married life and a new way of life on the Island while attempting to maintain her strong sense of self. The current timeline with Cora's daughter and granddaughter back on the island was so interesting too. I enjoyed reading about the varying relationships between the 3 generations and seeing them all change and grow over the course of the book. I thought Erika Montgomery's writing was wonderful and got me right into the setting with these striking women. I'll be reading more of her books in the future!

Our Place on the Island is out now and I really recommend for love story and historical fiction readers looking for a New England set summertime read. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my e-arc!

Oh how I loved this book!! It was such a wonderful summer read. It felt like a total escape. I love the way Erika Montgomery writes multi-generation stories. This is one you'll want to read for sure!

This book was pure. I loved the writing style. It was crisp, clear and made it so easy to get lost into. A perfect beach read in my opinion

Thanks to St. Martin Griffin for my copy of Our Place on the Island.

This was a book about family and cooking set in Martha's Vineyard in a dual timeline told by a grandmother and her granddaughter in 1948 and 1999. I loved all of the cooking descriptions and of course the beautiful setting.

It was a little boring at times, but a nice beach read!

I have loved Erika Montgomery’s books since she wrote Little Gale Gumbo as Erika Marks. Long time fan and she always asked about my kitty cats ( I think she was equally devastated when Jerry went missing as I was!)

Our Place on the Island was my 2nd read of 2023 and it was delicious. Characters I could love, a cover that was SO gorgeous, and a story that gave me all the feels.

What I liked:

The cover is GORGEOUS.

Cora and Mickey. I loved both these characters with a fierceness that is hard to describe.

The mother/daughter dynamic. Spot on.



Bottom line: This is a book that can be enjoyed by the pool or beach or a long bubble bath with a LARGE glass of wine. There is angst and drama and feel good moments. And food! Put this on your to read list.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

Our Place on the Island is the story of three generations of women, Cora, Hedy, and Mickey. The novel primarily goes back and forth between Cora's story set in the 1940's and Mickey's set in 1999. Hedy's story is weaved into the 1999 current day. I enjoyed both storylines but found it distracting how frequently they flipped back and forth. I found that it slowed down my engagement in either story though I ultimately did enjoy the stories.

A bit of a mixed bag for me--enjoyed the stories so ultimately 4 stars despite the distracting chapter set ups.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Our Place on the Island is available now.

This was my first book by Erika Montgomery. It was an enchanting story of love, friendship, and food. I love a story with dual timelines and dual POVs. I was sucked into Cora's storyline. I couldn't put this book down so I could read her story. I felt less of a connection with the other characters. I enjoyed the Martha"s Vineyard setting. Overall, this was a great summer beach read!

This was such a charming tale of three generations of women on Martha's Vineyard. Told in dual time-lines, each woman recalls their struggles within themselves and societal expectaions of living on the island. I loved how the plot revolved around food and independence. Post WW2, Cora and her new husband, move into the family home on this island. Cora left a restaurant job to be a wife and in return, she got her dream kitchen. Both Cora and Mickey have a passion for cooking and through this connection, many memories were made and traditions passed down. Mickey learned so much from her grandmother so when she is called to the island by her mother, Mickey is ready for a break. She runs a popular restaurant but has made poor financial choices that may lead to her losing the restaurant. When she arrives to the island she tries to hide her dileama with the restaurant but learns that her grandmother plans to remarry and Mickey will be cooking for the wedding. Heddy and Mickey learn that Cora and the man she is engaged to have known each other for decades which stirs up a big batch of emotion. This was a just the type of read I needed to feel the power of family connections and support.