I've read novels by J. Courtney Sullivan and have always liked them. The Cliffs has everything in a book I love, set in Maine, well-researched historical fiction segments, complicated interesting family stories, and themes of past lives and ghosts. There is a lot going on in the book, but it's very well written and easy to follow. I could not put it down. The character in the present and the past are all well-developed, complex, flawed, and interesting.

Jane returned home to begin the process of cleaning out her mother’s house. It’s not a welcome return due to her troubled relationship with her mother, sister, and the town she worked so hard to escape. Then, add to the fact that an incident led her to hide away in the first place; Jane is forced to deal with some stuff. As she returns home, she remembers a local abandoned house that always held her interest, and through an encounter with the new owners, she begins to unearth the house’s history and her hometown.

A lot was going on in this story. There were several changes in the narrator/point of view, and they often came suddenly and would never be narrated again. It also came late in the book and seemed slightly out of place. There was also a lot going on- the Native American history of Maine, the history of the house inhabitants going back to the Pre-civil war, the history of the spiritual movement. It all became overwhelming, and hard to stay engaged. I enjoyed Jane’s story and saw how all the other stories were supposed to add to the overall story, but it was so much that I think it just fell flat. I skipped through some of the “historical chapters and the chapter on the visit to the camp as it just felt extra. It took me longer to finish this book than I expected because there was so much going on, BUT I never wanted to quit or DNF because I was invested in Jane’s story ( and MariIyn and Genevieve learning what happened to the house). I think the writing and those characters kept me engaged.

Overall, it was a good book. A lot was happening, but I mostly enjoyed the story and the writing.

A contemporary novel with pockets of historical fiction. I think the story parts of the book were good - both the current storyline and the flashbacks to Shaker life in the 1800s. I also liked the inclusion of some of the background on Native American/Indigenous history - I love learning something even when I read fiction. But at some point it felt like the storyline got lost and was overshadowed by the history.... as if the author not only wanted to prove that she had done extensive research to prep for writing this novel, but almost as if she was trying to make up for every white person who had ever written a story that takes place in the USA and not taken into account the indigenous experience. The book would have benefited from a stronger edit, particularly the towards the end of the book, so that the plot and story and characters we are following from the beginning of the book -- which I really enjoyed -- could shine through.

note: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alongside the cliffs on Maine, stands an abandoned lavender home, a seemingly hidden time capsule frozen as if the owners vanished into thin air. For lonely teenager Jane, this home becomes a beautiful escape from the turmoil of her home life. As Jane leaves for college and adulthood, the house remains empty until Boston resident, Genevieve, renovates it into a seemingly brand new, and unrecognizable home. What follows that summer when the two women’s paths intersect is a beautiful and haunting tale. The Cliffs’ pages are filled with the search for healing amidst generational trauma and digging deep into the past to find answers. Are these women finally able to move past the unimaginable heartbreak and loss and find the hidden connections that offer hope and healing?

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be posted on Instagram in June closer to publication!

Thank you #NetGalley for this amazing ARC of The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan, in return for my honest review.
This is the first time I've read anything from this author, and I was hooked from the first page.
The characters were well developed and the descriptions of the landscapes and situations, left me feeling as if I were there at that time.
Jane Flanagan, the protagonist, falls in love with a beautiful, abandoned, Victorian house on a hillside overlooking the water. The house becomes her refuge from an alcoholic mother, and she spends every moment that she can there. Jane is intrigued with the fact that it looks like whoever lived there, just walked away one day, leaving clothing in the closets, plates in the cupboards, everyday items around the home and marbles on the floor.
Jane grows up and goes away to college, gets married and gets a prestigious job in a museum making her quite famous around the world, however, a black out drunk incident during a party may cost Jane her job and possibly her marriage.
Jane returns to Maine after her mother dies, to clean out her home, and learns that the Victorian home has been purchased by a wealthy couple.
Genevieve, the woman who bought the home, has done something she shouldn't have, and now her little boy is seeing ghosts in the home.
Jane is hired by Genevieve to research the home, to see what could be happening. As Jane begins her research, an unbelievable amount of history is uncovered about the women who lived there, and on the land even before the home was built.
We are taken through the history of Native American people, the Shakers, lost and stolen artifacts, also it delves into the aspects of alcoholism, infertility, family drama arms much more.
This book is beautifully written and I can not wait to read more from this author!

This is a first time read for this author. I am immensely impressed. The writing was good but it actually had several different stories within the story and I was able to follow each section without any problems. Many writers try to use this format but most fall short as they can not keep simple items current. J. Courtney had no trouble and I found it refreshing to read. I will be choosing more of this authors books in the future.

4.5 stars. A very interwoven tale centered around Jane and the house on a cliff that becomes her refuge during her teen years.
So many women's stories that Sullivan crafted into this novel. I loved learning about all their different lives and hope and dreams. The way they were written didn't make me confused as some other books had with many different narrators.
Jane herself was a prickly character. As her younger self it was easier to like her but she seemed pretty one dimensional. Then as she aged and you learned more about her life and her inner thoughts it was more difficult to like her and her choices (it probably was that she was more human.) My heart ached for David and I wished that would have ended up tied up in a bow with a happy ending, but the way it did was probably more realistic.

What an interesting read! I felt like Jane, the main character, was someone I knew all my life. She had a difficult childhood with an alcoholic mother, an absentee father, and a sister with whom she shared little. So she buried herself in academic pursuits. We meet her during a tumultuous time in her life, after she lost her mother and is starting to come to grips with her own drinking problem and the havoc it has caused in her marriage and career. The author does a good job of building suspense and not giving the reader all the details but instead spooning out tidbits as the story progresses.

At the same time we are exploring Jane’s life we also learn about a local historical house and the women from the past who lived there and left pieces of themselves and their lives behind. The plot jumps to and from different timelines in a way that is mostly easy to follow although from time to time it became confusing.

The author also explores many so many side stories that at times if was confusing. Native American issues, women’s rights, past lives and mediums that could see into a characters past/present/future, childhood trauma, alcoholic issues, and childhood friendships that are not always as simple as they seem. This sometimes confused things and some themes did feel over the top, but if you can either deal with that or look past it the story was engaging and well worth reading. It also made me want to take a summer vacation to Maine.

I thank NetGalley for an advance copy of The Cliffs in exchange for an objective review.

3.75 rounded up to 4.0. Great story set in Northern Maine in territory that once belonged to various Native American tribes. Story is around a young woman who returns home in mid-life after upending her own life and professional career through alcohol abuse. Story follows her family/ancestors as well as an old 'haunted' house on this seaside village. Story held my attention and I felt aligned with the protagonist's characterl. Somewhat unusual story line, with history well researched and credible. Some dips into Spiritualism and its role in the area's history. Some mysticism. I enjoyed the book, and I'm not usually a fan of mysticism. I recommend the book.

A beautiful and unexpected story with interesting subplots and side characters. Love the way this one delves into a past that many would like to brush under the rug. Riveting and heartbreaking, yet somehow hopeful. I've read several "Maine" and other New England set novels recently and this one is the most surprising.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Another engrossing novel from Sullivan! I'm a longtime fan. This novel had a LOT going on. Multiple narrators that dip into the past. Current struggles with family, grief, and alcohol addiction. The oft-forgotten or ignored history of the American Indigenous. Ghosts. I was absorbed in every minute of this novel. I wanted to cry in multiple spots. The ending was satisfying but at the same time felt abrupt. I wish I had gotten a little bit more at the end.

In The Cliffs, J. Courtney Sullivan skillfully weaves disparate elements--restless ghosts, the curse of alcoholism, Indigenous people, a Shaker or two, and a purple house with a drop-dead view and a story to tell--in a graceful novel that honors women who time forgot. #netgalley #thecliffs

I was intrigued with this book the moment I read the summary. What a great book Well written, complex characters and so many different plot twist and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish it didn't end. I want a book 2. There is opportunity and unanswered stories!! The book is told from so many POV's. I enjoyed each of the characters and how they developed over the pages. I loved the spiritual aspect of the book. The author did it in such a unique way that tied in so well with the story.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for a good read that they can get lost in and won't want to put down

The Cliffs is what I think of as an academic beach read with enough going on under the story to feel like you’re being exposed to credibly sourced information. Moments of history are woven throughout that might want you to do your own deep dive just like Jane, the archivist narrator. But The Cliffs also has friendship, loss, personal struggles, drama and enough mystery to make it hard to put down.

The Cliffs was a cozy, snuggle of a read. It takes place as the primary protagonist, Jane, hits rock bottom, and it follows her story as she discovers a mystery is unfolding around her. A house she felt drawn to as an adolescent resurfaces in her adult life as she is hired to research the history of its occupants through the years.

I don’t want to give anything away, but this book has a lot of thematic elements and explorations of the afterlife, spirituality, indigenous people, minority voices, alcoholism, trauma, strong women, mother wounds, grief, etc.

I did generally enjoy the book. I found it well researched on every storyline, and many portions were thought provoking. In my personal opinion, there were too many story lines to keep up with adequately and tie up nicely. I wasn’t expecting a ghost story, but when the story went there, I shifted gears and did have expectations. As a ghost story or a story of a recovering alcoholic, the resolution was lacking for me. The dark night of the soul seems to happen 85% in and then the last 20-30 pages are left to resolve every story line and plot hole left in the whole book. Some people have said it was tied up too neatly, but some portions were just forgot about completely. The result is kind of a frantic “and everyone lived happily ever after forever. The end.” That’s not precisely what happens, so don’t think it’s a spoiler. But after 300 pages of building to a certain finale, to have it race to a conclusion at a breakneck speed of the last 30 pages felt hurried. I was left with questions unanswered and itches I couldn’t scratch.

In any case, I’ll be excited when this one published so I can discuss it at a book club. It is the kind of book you’ll want to read and discuss with friends.

I’d like to thank Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have read many of J. Courtney Sullivan's novels and have enjoyed them all. Also, from a personal note this author lives in my town and has been very generous in support of our community! I hope to meet her some day!

This is a slow burn fiction/historical fiction novel. It has so many layers and you can tell Sullivan put in significant research, especially regarding Indigenous people.

The novel focus on a house set in coastal Maine and the women who lived in it - even the women who lived on the land before Maine was established! Full of heartbreak, drama and touches numerous issues, such as alcoholism, mother/daughter relationships, infertility, Alzheimer's - Sullivans gives us the kitchen sink of drama.

The book is told from many POVs - almost too many. Any one of the characters could carry an entire novel on their own. I particularly enjoyed Hannah Littlefield and Eliza's POV and wished they were introduced earlier in the book.

I did not love the spiritual elements of the book, esp. the Chapter on Camp Mira. Also, I wish Sullivan came full circle on identifying Benjamin's ghost, but loved how some parts of history were not discovered yet by the characters by the book's end [Hannah's ring].

I recommend this one for fans of Kristin Hannah. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

whoa!!!! riveting book!!! i would totally read this over vacation in one sitting. could not put it down for a few days!!!! 4/5 stars

I will read anything by J. Courtney Sullivan, and The Cliffs lived up to my expectations! What I especially love about her fiction are the nuanced, three-dimensional characters, which also fill this novel. I did not want to put this book down.

This was a book that I could not put down. I just loved it cover to cover. I have enjoyed every book I have read by J. Courtney Sullivan and was so honored to be chosen to read and ARC of her latest book. I have already recommended if for our book club read for next year.. I took me 2 days to read. I just couldn't put it down but it was so enjoyable. Yes there were sad parts but that is the way life is. This is a must read for anyone that lives in or just loves or want to find out more about the Northeast in a fictional readable way..

This book started off strong, but I agree with other readers that it veered off in several other directions, most of which were not as interesting to me as the beginning of the story. I enjoyed the descriptive Maine setting!

Thank you very much to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.