A masterful blend of suspense, emotion, and intricate storytelling. I loved the setting of Martha’s Vineyard and the writing gives vivid descriptions. The story explores complexities of family, secrets, and the enduring impact of past traumas.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Angela and Kiki are cousins who were best of friends as children. But when Angela's mother stabs her abusive husband, Kiki's family can't forgive anyone connected with their brother's murder. Angela's mother is in prison and Angela and her brother come to live with their grandparents on the island. In theory the story is great but I was a little disappointed in the interaction between the women and Bo, the father of both their children. The story is complicated and the writing isn't always clear.

This book was about two estranged cousins who live on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Both girls had to deal with very hard lives due to their abusive fathers. The story really starts at the end of their high school years and continues into young adulthood. They share a love of the same boy and the book follows the love triangle over the years. The book was like a soap opera with many unexpected twists and turns. Although it was entertaining, I found it a little far fetched and rather convoluted

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

This one was a fast paced one because I did not want to put it down. The family drama and cast of characters made me wanting more.
Definately give this one a try.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. What an incredible family drama! The story and characters were very well done.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Really good family drama. I loved the authors writing style and really enjoyed this book. I was hooked from the first chapter and finished it pretty quickly.

A family drama with an ending enveloped in the forgiveness of one's self and how to move on from events of the past. Addison McKnight writes a compelling family drama with realistic characters and a believable plot. In the end, one must face the choices they make and forgive themselves and others to move on. A rich plot that flowed throughout the story with strong characters. Thanks to Lake Union publishing and NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

The Vineyard Remains is the sophomore effort from Addison McKnight, following their 2023 debut An Imperfect Plan. Much like the previous novel, The Vineyard Remains focuses on the lives of two women inextricably connected through childhood trauma that reverberates into their adult lives. McKnight is adept at weaving secrets and psychological drama with a very realistic look at the way women are judged both by society and each other, regardless of whether the things they are being judged for are within their control or not.

Cousins Angel and Kiki were pre-teen long distance best friends, seeing each other in person for only a few weeks each summer when Angel’s family visited family on Martha’s Vineyard, both her mother’s parents and her father’s brothers, one of whom was Kiki’s father. That all changed the year Angel’s mother killed her abusive husband (a night Angel has only hallucinatory memories of). Angel and her brother TJ are taken in by her mother’s parents, renamed Angela and Thomas, but Kiki’s father refuses to let her be friends with Angela anymore. Things are never the same between the girls, despite the similarities in their upbringings and the personalities of their fathers. As they age, the girls become rivals for the same boy – high school baseball phenom Bo Brooks – and unknowingly both become pregnant by him at the same time. This sets them on a lifetime course of bitter, and increasingly hostile, interactions.

There are several underpinning mysteries that propel the narrative: what happened the night Angela’s father was killed? where did Kiki’s missing mother go? and what occurred the night the babies were born? McKnight peppers clues about each throughout the decade-plus-spanning chapters, and thus throughout Angela and Kiki’s lives. It’s definitely a slow burn to the final reveals. Perhaps too slow. If I have one complaint about the book, it’s that the third quarter of it feels like the narrative is spinning its wheels in place – all the complications have been introduced, revelations should be imminent, and yet they don’t come for another 70 pages or so. It reminded me of when dramatic television series were 22-24 episodes long and 3-4 of those episodes were usually filler material because the season’s big mystery couldn’t be solved until the final episodes.

On the other hand, where McKnight really excels is at showing the difficulties of recovering from trauma and the circular thought patterns and recurring unhealthy habits that come from that trauma. And maybe that’s the point of those “wheel spinning in place” chapters I felt were so slow. Both Angela and Kiki are locked in patterns both emotional and physical that directly tie back to their different but shared childhood traumas. Every breakthrough, every attempt to change the pattern, is followed by backsliding as old habits and emotions rear up.

I try to avoid spoiling big reveals, so the most I’ll say about the final quarter of the book is that all the mysteries of the past are revealed, and all the roadblocks and complications of the characters’ adult lives are resolved (if not necessarily happily for everyone involved).

Also, it only occurs to me as I’m posting this that the title of this book can be read (interpreted) more than one way. Very cool playing with words, Addison McKnight!

I received an advance reading e-book of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I can’t say enough about this book, I thought it was a fantastic read! I was first attracted to the cover which is absolutely stunning, and the stories location being on Martha’s Vineyard, my dream destination spot, perfect! The Vineyard Remains by Addison McKnight, which is actually 2 authors writing together under that name, is a thriller that reads more like women’s fiction. It’s the story of 2 cousins, Angela and Kiki, who start off as childhood friends but end up becoming rivals. They both experienced similar losses, are both victims of domestic abuse and both fall in love with the same guy. This story had so many twists and turns to it that it kept me glued to my kindle. Not many books have that effect on me. I felt a love-hate relationship with both of the main characters throughout the whole book. I really had an issue with Angela’s grandmother for doing what she did until I learned the truth about what actually happened towards the end of the story. You’ll just have to read the book to understand and you’ll be so glad you did. I’ve already been recommending it to other readers, it’s that good! I’d like to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the arc that I obtained off the Read Now section. This is one of my favorite books that I’ve read so far this year and I’m giving it a 5 star rating. It was my first time reading a book by Addison McKnight, which is a pen name for Nicole Moleti and Krista Wells, and I now look forward to reading both their backlist and any future books that they decide to write. Great job ladies!

This was an amazing read!
It was gripping, and had me hanging onto to every word! It was written perfectly and was super easy to follow. The characters were extremely well-developed and easy to love. The plot is also very unique! I highly recommend this is a MUST READ!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and I’m so glad I did! This book is so good and fun to read, I was addicted from the beginning. It’s written in alternating chapters between 2 main character, which I really liked. I honestly didn’t know if I loved the characters and wanted certain things for them, or if I hated them!! Personally I love when a book is like that because I need to keep reading and see how it turns out. Follow these 2 main characters along as the figure out how to break the cycle of bad things happening to them. Can they figure out how to trust each other or does the hurt and betrayal run too deep?
I definitely recommend this one!

Kiki and Angela are cousins living on Martha’s Vineyard. Both have had tough childhoods filled with abuse from parents. Kiki was abandoned by her mother who is now presumed dead, Angela’s mother is in jail for killing her husband, a crime she did not commit but it was either killed or be killed.

It left both girls insecure, and when they both fell pregnant at the same time by one man it meant a cycle of mistrust, secrets and cover ups going well into their adult life.
The story complicated by a change of babies at birth, bitter jealousy over them both in love with one man, Kiki wanting security above everything else for herself and her children, and Angela determined to get Mila the baby who was changed back to herself alone.

The story was drama personified, the characters unlikeable but it was a strongly provocative read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for the book #TheVineyardRemains by #AddisonMcknight. This book is about cousins that love and get pregnant by the same man, one baby lives-one dies. The tragedy and struggles they all went through and the outcome of everything. I would recommend this book.

Can two young women overcome the trauma of their pasts?

Angela and Kiki are cousins who have been very close since they were young. Each summer, Angela and her little brother TJ come to stay with their grandparents on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, and during those weeks the girls are inseparable. All that changes when a tragic event sends Angela and TJ to live with their grandparents permanently, an event that also turns the two girls’ families and ultimately the girls themselves into bitter enemies ….and things only get worse in the following years. Year round life on an island known as a summer playground is not, as it turns out, as much fun as spending a summer holiday there. One parent is abusive, another disappears, yet another is in prison; alcoholism and poverty take their toll, While one girl is raised with a financially comfortable lifestyle, the other’s existence is hardscrabble. Both girls fall in love with the same boy, looking for love and stability at any cost. With the toxicity of their family histories and the many losses each has suffered, will either be able to claim the life she wants?
Told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Kiki and Angela, The Vineyard Remains was not exactly the book I was expecting….it was more a family drama with a mystery mixed in. As someone who knows and loves Martha’s Vineyard well, I felt that while the novel definitely did a good job of describing the island from the point of view of the year round residents who eke out an existence, I wish that more time had been taken to describe the island and the many locales mentioned. For someone who is not familiar with the island, it may be frustrating to have a place mentioned but without description be unable to envision it. What befalls both Kiki and Angela is heart-wrenching, and while I wished for each to survive and overcome the unfortunate hands they were dealt, I didn’t like them (or more specifically the choices each made), which also was an impediment to loving the story. If you like family dramas, then The Vineyard Remains may appeal to you….just don’t expect a Vineyard mystery à la Philip Craig or Cynthia Riggs. Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me access to an advanced readers copy.

The Vineyard Remains by Addison McKnight was such an amazing journey!
The author does a good job of creating very strong and well written characters.
The story flows so well with lovely descriptions and fabulous character development.
I couldn’t put the book down I was so engaged from the very beginning.
A great novel with drama, secrets, family and motherhood.

Thank You NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Cousins Angela and Kiki grew up together but after a murder in the family, their sides of the family have nothing to do with each other.

This was a great story that will make a thrilling beach read. It has a lot of drama and so much to it. It’s soap opera ish, but in the best way. There’s always some new action and drama. It has a bit of romance, suspense, and even thrills.

“There was not one beautiful thing that this island had offered her. And she had every intention of leaving it all behind and never looking back.”

The Vineyard Remains comes out 3/12

Special thanks to NetGalley, Addison McKnight and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this incredible novel.

I absolutely enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was evident from the first few pages that this book would not disappoint. Definitely comparable to the infamous “Where the Crawdads Sing.” Highly, strongly recommend.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5.

A women’s fiction tale, The Vineyard Remains (2024) by Addison McKnight is the tale of two cousins, Angela and Kiki and their lives at Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The highlight of childhood for Angel(a) was her summer holidays spent at The Vineyard with her grandparents as she got to spend them with Kiki too. However, her father’s murder causes a rift and despite Angela moving in with her grandparents, the cousins become estranged. Narrated alternatively by each of the cousins, their lives, tragedies and the impact of past events, play out across the decades. Their love for the same man has consequences beyond their animosity to each other, as the secrets from the past overshadow their lives. A story of two female protagonists, their unknown family secrets, the impact of motherhood and the seeming inescapable past that binds them. A disappointing two and a half stars read rating due to the obvious, unsurprising revelations and predictable saccharine conclusion. With thanks to Lake Union Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

I like the premises in this book. The Vineyard is always shown as the place to be, or to me, quite frankly a tourist hell, but in this book we get to see what life can be like for people actually living on the island. It is not always easy, nor is it fair. Although where would life be like that? Two cousins grow up loving the same boy, which of course will not end well.

This is a story about family, the good but mostly the bad, as well as trust, friendship, and betrayal. There is a lot going on in this book, maybe even a bit too much, but otherwise it is an entertaining read, and I most definitely wanted to see how it will end. The book also, very strongly, shows the reader the harsh truth of life. We naturally live our lives from our own points of views. We do not know what is going on in other peoples' lives (even though we might think so). Sometimes the one who gets what she wants really end up being the one who lost the most.