It was ok ??? But im not sure how to feel about it maybe it was not the right book for me??? I don’t even know if I loved the characters or the drama im going to think about it

📚: The Vineyard Remains by Addison McKnight (@addisonmcknightofficial)
⭐️: 4.5/5 (rounding down on #goodreads)

Wow. This left me speechless.

Two estranged cousins, Angela and Kiki, find themselves living parallel lives that are dictated, brought together, and torn apart by tragedy, abuse, and circumstance on Martha’s Vineyard over the course of 2 decades. Despite their separation, they find themselves intertwined by their love for the same man (honestly, he’s a man-child boy if there ever was one), and diverged journeys to motherhood.

A brilliantly written family drama, this book covers a lot of ground (seriously, a lot of plot points) in under 400 pages. The end result is an impressively cohesive story that could have been so very confusing with weak writing, that feels full of pain, heartbreak, and trauma.

Minus half a star and a rounded down score for frustrating moments around 70% of the way through, when I found myself rooting for no one but the children involved. The characters are human, and with that, are so incredibly very selfish.

A big thank you to Lake Union Publishing via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Vineyard Remains comes out tomorrow, 3/5.

Angela and Kiki are cousins and wow is there family drama here. You might not like ether one of them. This moves around in time and between the two of them to tell an implausible (or is it?) story that I eventually put aside. Over to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was an interesting book. I thought it was a good read. Not amazing, not horrible, but good. I would consider reading another book by Addison McKnight in the future. I could see this being picked as a celebrity book club pick potentially.

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This women’s fictional story about estranged cousins is by authors I haven’t read before. The cousins were good friends as kids, grew up to dislike and avoid one another from high school on. It stems from a long-standing family feud going back to prior generations. One girl comes from wealth, one doesn’t. One was raised by an abusive father after her mother left. Everyone assumed her mother died swimming in the ocean. The other girl is raised by her grandmother after her mother killed her father. The story alternated between them through different years of their lives. Both girls mature with emotional scars, damaged perceptions, no self-worth and dependence on a man’s love to define them. It was painful to read about their struggles, mistakes, poor choices and the consequences of one act that forever defined their paths. They both love one man, one for spite, the other with her whole being. Much like real life, not all stories end happily ever after. The story was well paced, the characters are dripping with heartache, joy, secrets and revenge. I kept cheering for them to overcome the misfortunes life threw at them. Nothing surprising happened for me and I was left saddened by their lives, wishing someone, anyone would have encouraged and cared more for each girl. A life lesson about the consequences of inaction.
An uncorrected proof of “The Vineyard Remains” by Addison McKnight, Published by Lake Union, was provided by NetGalley. Expected publication date March 12, 2024. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

The Vineyard Remains by Addison McKnight is the story of two women, cousins who grow up together. Both are on the island because of tragedy. Angela lives with their rich grandparents, while Kiki lives with her abusive father. They grow up together, but almost compete with each other for everything.

Their biggest commonality...Bo Brooks, a baseball star who is sure to make the majors. He facilitates between the two women. In a 'twist' that defines the book, both women are pregnant and go into labor at the same time.

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This is a bit of a challenging book to read. It's hard to read about two women who are basically sisters who are struggling together and apart. I didn't particularly like either person, but I still wanted better futures for them.

I think this is going to be a book club book and many readers will like the reality of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a book about recovering from tragedy and finding a way to let the past go and start anew. I was expecting great things from the blurb and the way the story starts but was a bit let down and found that at times the story seemed to go nowhere.

I think this could be a great story and read with a bit more work. The scenery and descriptions were great, the twist was somewhat predictable and it was somewhat entertaining. Overall I'd give it a 2/12 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really loved the writing in the beginning of this book, and felt super hooked to see what would happen with Kiki and Angela. With the synopsis mentioning how a box of bones found on the island as a main plot driver, I expected to get to that "thrillery" part of the plot around 20%, but at 51%, there was still not much plot happening, and definitely no bones.

I really do feel like McKnight is great at bringing you into a character's mind, and if you like more slow burn, contemporary-esque fiction, you may enjoy this, but I think if you're looking for thriller pacing, you will be left feeling like you are still in the exposition at the 50% mark.

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I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review to my blog. I found the story lacking but also incredibly dark and did not wish to continue. Thank you for the opportunity.

I loved the setting of this book, Martha's Vineyard.

The story begins when the cousins, Kiki and Angela are children and goes from there. Those two go through a lot over the years. Honestly, it was hard to know who to root for and sometimes I just wanted to see it all play out without rooting for any of them.

There were a few secrets that were reveled during the book. Some you were able to figure out beforehand and others were more of a shock.

There was a lot of trauma as the characters do go through a lot of difficult situations. Sometimes this did feel like a little too much.

But overall this book was an interesting read and I kept wondering how it would all play out in the end. Especially since you learn one of the secrets early on, way before the characters do.

Thank you to Netgalley and the authors for a free copy for review!

This was a minimally thrilling thriller. The climax didn't come until about 70% in, but I figured it out at 40%. A slow read and I ended up skimming the last 30%. Just about every trauma that can happen, happened to Kiki and Angela.

This was a very well written book and the scenery and depictions of Martha's Vineyard were just beyond beautiful. However, I really felt that is where it ended for me - this was just really heavy and I never fully connected with the characters or story, unfortunately.

This is by far the worst book I have ever read.

I mean honestly... there is no goodness in it. The plot is absolutely unbelievable, especially given it takes place on Martha's Vineyard, a small community. The alternating points of view are fine, but in reality, this book is just bad, bad, bad. If I could give it a zero star, I would.

I read this book solely because it took place on Martha's Vineyard. This is also the first time I've read anything by this author. This was a fantastic novel about dysfunctional families, lies and deceit. The characters were well developed and I found myself rooting for the underdog. The plot twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy and introducing me to a new author!

This book is everything a domestic thriller should be: twisted, dark, relatable Compulsively readable

I couldn’t stop reading because I cared for these characters

No sophomore slump for this duo!

For many years of childhood, cousins Angel and Kiki were inseparable when Angel and her brother TJ came from California to stay with their grandparents for 2 weeks every summer on Martha's Vineyard—two weeks of fun, joy, and love. Kiki lived on Martha's Vineyard year-round. That is their history on the island.

Angel King became Angela Miller, and TJ King became Thomas Miller—name changes orchestrated by their grandmother, who brought them to live year-round on the island with their grandparents for a fresh start. Kiki's life had changed too. The differences in the changes to Angela and Kiki's lives severed their friendship.

The majority of the story is told from 2 POVs, Angela and Kiki; the novel divided into 2 parts. Part 1 gives a glimpse of the backstory in 1998 and 1999, moving forward to May 2006-Labor Day 2008. Part 2 moves forward to September 2012-January 2018, a glimpse back to December 2006, followed by an Epilogue.

Visions of Martha's Vineyard retain idyllic summer visits from my memories. But this story doesn't focus on idyllic sights and sounds of summer delights and adventures tourists enjoy. This story unearths a darker side of reality. Children trying to navigate their way through family secrets, some in their awareness, some hidden. Even as they've grown older, they are still part of the drama and broken. It takes a long time for the cousins to realize that they have remained a part of each other's story, and through that time, the conflicts widen the gaps between them. To heal from the past, they must learn each other's secrets. But being in sync came to a halt a long time ago. It may be too late for understanding and forgiveness.

Family drama, family secrets, lies, silence, twist, turn, and detour, and there is a wonder if Angela and Kiki will ever evolve or if the only way they know how to live is to let the past control their present and future. Will they ever realize the truth or learn the truth? A story of survival. This is a story filled with decisions, some made with knee-jerk reactions. It is a story of women trying to find a way forward, but sometimes, they get in their own way. Forward doesn’t always mean "Happily Ever After." Forward sometimes means acceptance, forgiveness, and inner peace.

I never would have guessed if I had not known the writing was by 2 individuals before reading the book. The book is well-written and flows smoothly. The book’s format with the years clearly indicated allows the story development to be realistic as navigating forward when the past clouds the women’s thoughts, actions, responses, and relationships take time.

Reviewer's Note: Addison McKnight is the pseudonym created by Nicole Moleti and Krista Wells.

Thank you to Addison McKnight, Lake Union Publishing, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

This was a very hard read. The topics werent easy at all for me too read.

I think the only reason why I finished it was the writing and the descriptions of Martha's Vineyard..

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union for this arc.

All thoughts and opinions are my ownand aren't influenced by anyone else

I'm so lost on how I feel about this book. It's... difficult.

When Angel and her brother TJ are brought to live with her grandparents on Martha's Vineyard, their world has been turned upside down. Their father has just been murdered by their mother. Their grandmother changes their names to Angela and Thomas, to give them a new life.

Angela had always been fond of the island; they would spend summers there with their grandparents, and she was close to her cousin Kiki, who was only a year younger. Upon moving, Kiki's father (their father's brother) warns Kiki away from Angela, and it's almost easier to Kiki to hate Angela, who she'd been jealous of. Angela had gotten away from the island, and now that she's back, she gets to live with her rich grandparents, while Kiki is stuck alone with her abusive alcoholic father.

Both girls fall in love with Bo Brooks, the island's baseball star who's sure to make it to the major leagues. Angela dated him first, but when she moves away for college, Kiki move in. Bo loves Kiki and can't imagine leaving her, but he can't resist carrying on an affair with Angela when she's in town. Both girls end up pregnant with his child, and as luck would have it, both go into labor the same stormy night. Kiki well before her due date, due to her father's abuse when he found out she was pregnant. Angela's grandmother Kathleen is the only doctor available, and she opens the closed hospital, hoping help with arrive in time. None does, and when Kiki arrives later, Kathleen is forced to deliver both babies, leaving the girls alone and struggling more than she'd wished to. One girl goes home with a baby, one girl is sent to the psych ward convinced she'd heard her stillborn baby's cry.

The years that follow, Kiki struggles as a single mother. She's finally free of her father, but life is not good. She's still stuck on the island, left with Bo's indifference and his parents' cold disapproval. She spends years in a shed with the daughter she can't seem to feel close to. Angela struggles with her memories of the night, with the fear she'd done something awful to her child that she can't remember. Just like she can't remember clearly the night her father died.

I'll be honest - I struggled through the middle of this book. While the trauma they were raised with, and their continued experiences trying to survive, were dealt with expertly... I just didn't like them. Was I sympathetic to the trauma they faced? Did I wish for them to find better lives, absolutely! Instead, they were caught up on both wanting to keep Bo - who was in no way an ideal boyfriend. How either of them were attracted to him was beyond me, and the years they wasted in that pursuit, the pain caused by it... it made all three of them toxic.

One of the books I was close to not finishing, it might come as a surprise to why it's getting a 4 star rating from me. I think, in the end, it came down to the fact that while their problems didn't all magically go away, things did take a turn for the better. We did get answers - not ones that made everything ok. I severely disliked actions that were taken, to the point that I gave up on characters and thought them beyond redemption. Why should I care, when they instigated so much of their own suffering? However... I did find it very realistic. What both girls experienced, the trauma that shaped them, and their struggles to survive. To just be ok. Real life doesn't always have happy endings. You can't just wish things better. Instead, you have to work at it daily - and you're going to need help along the way.

If you enjoy realistic stories, stories of people who live with trauma and struggle to find their way. Of people who don't make the right choices, who some how seem to make that wrong step at every turn, this one is for you. If you like stories of the women who survive, who find themselves wanting to give every opportunity to those who come after them, this one is for you.

I've visiting Martha's Vineyard so liked the idea of reading a book set on the island. I enjoyed the book and the intertwining stories of the families and how fractures can open up and misunderstandings can linger and make things worse for everyone.

You were rooting for it to all turn out well in the end but not sure what that ending looks like. Gave a different side to the island than the shiny tourist one.

Im using this book for next months book club. Its a feel good page turner about perseverance and love how the island becomes a chatacter.