World War II historical fiction meets summer beach read set on Martha’s Vineyard. As someone who vacations on the Vineyard every year, I thought I knew a lot about the island; however, I was completely unaware of the island’s history during the 1940’s. I found this aspect of the story fascinating.

The novel moves along with multiple POVs - predominantly with those of two sisters who live on a farm during the war. The book packs in a lot - a love story, a secret Nazi spy, a possible murder, neighborhood gossip and country club drama, and a family that readers will fall in love with.

I received this book as an advanced copy, and I predict that it will be a popular summer read for 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review

“The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club,” the latest by Martha Hall Kelly, is so much more than a delightful historical fiction novel involving a Book Club—it is also a fast paced spy thriller. Set primarily at Martha’s Vineyard in 1942, the book focuses on the lives of Cadence, her younger sister, Briar, their grandmother and Cadence’s friend Bess, who live in a cottage on Martha’s Vineyard. The soldiers at a nearby Army post, Peaked Hill, perform maneuvers on the nearby beaches while preparing for war in Europe and Japan. Briar often spots German U-Boats, but her claims are dismissed by the locals, who refer to her as “Briar the Liar”. When Pete, a disaffected German medic, washes ashore, Briar’s suspicions regarding U-Boats are confirmed. Pete informs them that the U-Boat is waiting to take a spy back to Germany. The women suspect a variety of locals not knowing who they can trust.

Interspersed with the 1942 narrative is the present day story, taking place in 2016, involving Mari Starwood, who arrives on Martha’s Vineyard to meet Mrs. Elizabeth Devereaux, a famous local artist who Mari pretends to seek out for private art lessons, when instead she is trying to find out why she found Mrs. Devereaux’ name amid her mother’s belonging after her mother’s recent death. As Mrs. Devereaux shares the story of the women who lived in the cottage during the war, Mari wonders what their lives have to do with Mari and her late mother.

Full of intrigue, this captivating historical fiction thriller is filled with witty dialogue and well drawn, nuanced characters. Although I have read many World War II novels in recent years, this one adds a new twist, with its focus on U-Boats in American waters, spies and a present day mystery involving links to the past. I highly recommend this book to historical fiction fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

What a beautiful story that combines historical fiction, a mystery, and a love story. The characters were well developed and appealing. The story was primarily set on Martha's Vineyard during WWII when there was a great fear of German submarines invading the east coast. The interwoven relationships between the characters was deftly written and gradually revealed. The story also deals with the pain of loss in a beautiful way. I throughly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it.

I couldn’t put this book down! The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club combined all of my favorite elements of historical fiction, romance, and mystery.
Every character was intriguing and well-formed. The robust plot kept me turning page after page, eager to find out what would happen next.
Martha Hall Kelly was so illustrative with her words, it felt as if I were breathing in the salty ocean air and living in the cozy farmhouse right along with the characters.
A few of the transitions between past and present were slightly abrupt, but easily forgiven.
Very enjoyable read!

I really liked this book. I like books that go back and forth between time periods WHEN I can keep the periods straight. I was able to do this with this book. While it's based mostly in the 1940's, I did wonder how it would connect to the current time and story. It was nicely tied up in the final chapters, which I liked, as it was not too predictable. I love historic fiction and found this book to have a fiction base with historic references thrown in. The characters were likable and relatable for the most part, with a couple bad guys thrown in to keep it interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone and look forward to reading more from Ms. Kelly.

This book took me a while to get into but once I did I fell in love with the characters. I felt like I was there with them during wartime and how they must have felt getting along on their own as well as having their brother shipped off to war without any information. The dual timelines kept my interest piqued and the retelling of the story was superb.

What a great book! I loved that there were so many mysteries all entwined, all unfolding together and then so suspenseful and satisfying at the conclusion.

It's such a skill of an author to have so many plotlines, timelines, character views, and mysteries going so believably at one time. It was flawless, and I loved the relationship between the girls and the men surrounding them.

Can't wait for the author's next book!

The story moves from 1942 during the war while on Martha's Vineyard, and 2016. Mari visits MV with the name of a person living there, while dealing with her grief of her mom's passing. Mrs Devereaux shares the history of the Smith girls and what they experienced during the war while living with their grandmother. The story moves along quickly and easily, with suspenseful moments. At the end, the both stories come together and Mari finds a way to move on. Love Ms Kelly's writing and look forward to reading more by her in the future. Thanks to NetGalley, Ms Kelly and Random House-Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been recommended books by this author before but this is my first time reading Martha Hall Kelly. It had a sentimental ending but I think most readers will find it satisfying. It made me surprisingly emotional. I wish side characters were more developed because they either felt like caricatures or were indistinguishable from each other. But the two main perspectives in the novel (Cadence and Briar) were distinct and compelling.

This book is set against two time frames. 1942 when the US Army sets up camp on MV as German subs patrol the waters off the coast, and 2016: when Mari Starwood arrives on island to find Elizabeth Devereaux, the reclusive painter who knew the Smith Sisters who founded the book club. Secrets are revealed and Mari learns about a potential spy on the island. I found this book an interesting view point on WW II history. Recommended for all public librsries.

Martha Hall Kelly writes fantastic historical fiction and The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club is another feather in her cap.

Alternating between present day and 1942 MV, we follow Mari and the Smith women as they navigate grief, family struggles, and secrets that could destroy everything. I loved the interweaving of the dual timelines & multiple character perspectives as well as romance and mystery often against the backdrop of war. I truly couldn’t stop reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. World War II fiction about a book club set at the beach!?? That’s my type of book. This one is written by the author of The Lilac Girls. Dual time zone book about two sisters living with their grandmother on Martha’s Vineyard. One dreams of escaping the island while one prefers her own company. Their brother ships out overseas, and the ladies pool their resources to share books. In the present day, we meet Marigold who is on the island to solve a mystery. In 1942, the reclusive sister is certain that she spots German U boats off shore but the military men who are there training for don’t want to hear her nonsense. Could there actually be a Nazi spy there on Martha’s Vineyard?! This story kept me interested until the very end! #bookstagram #netgalley #marthahallkelly #bookgram #whatiread #marthasvineyard #books #reading

A very sweet and satisfying read. This is the kind of book that you start reading and feel totally immersed in both the story and the setting. It's a feel good book because there's going to be a character who you identify with and you'll be cheering for her all the way. There's some amount of nostalgia for older readers and younger readers will discover an era that was both challenging and comforting.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's just plain lovely to read a book like this!

I just loved this story. I loved all the characters in this book. It was filled with strong women holding down the home front while their men were at war. I loved learning about the mini books they made for the soldiers to carry with them during the war and how they used Martha’s Vineyard beaches to train soldiers. Hearing about U boats off shore and German soldiers sending spies onshore just reminded me that this really was the greatest generation. A great story for lovers of historical fiction especially about World War 2. Also loved the authors note that gave so much background information about how this story was based heavily on the authors family. Definitely enjoyed this one and now have to put Lilac Girls on my TBR. Also nice to read a book that I can recommend to my teenage daughters that they would enjoy as well

“If we can’t move heaven, we’ll just raise hell”

Sometimes it can feel like I’ve read every way you can tell a WW2 story but this one felt completely unique.

I really enjoyed the different paths explored between all of the different women in this story. With headstrong and inquisitive Briar, to the fabulously interesting Winnie.

There were a few twists that I enjoyed and felt like they played out really well.

It was so fun to be traveling in NYC at the time of reading this book and two different places I visited were mentioned, Argosy bookstore and the Grand Central Oyster Bar.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly is such an amazing, intriguing and enjoyable story. It's a dual timeline story based mostly during 1942, World War II, on Martha’s Vineyard and the 2016 visit to the island, of a young woman, Mari, looking for answers about her family’s history.
In 1942, the story focuses on the Smith sisters, Cadence and Briar Smith, living with their Grandmother on the island struggling to keep their land and their home. Their brother Tom is shipped overseas, leaving the two sisters, the Grandmother and Tom’s fiancée, Bess to carry on with the family farm. There's a lot going on in Martha's Vineyard during the tumultuous time early in the war. Soldiers from all over are on the island doing training exercises. The sisters decide to form a book club to keep spirits up.
I enjoyed all the nuances of their book club. They also come up with a brilliant idea to get books to the soldiers in a size that will fit in their packs. I really loved this idea!!
This book also has subplots involving interesting characters, historical fiction, and the friendship and support these women had for each other. There's a bit of mystery which made this story extra fun.
I loved these characters so much. I will miss them and I will highly recommend this book.
I always appreciate the Author's Note where the author gives details about the story and the real people she based her characters on. I think this was one of my favorite chapters in this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set against the tranquil yet turbulent backdrop of Martha's Vineyard during World War II, The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club is a heartwarming and thought-provoking novel about sisterhood, friendship, and the power of books in times of crisis. The story follows two sisters and their best friend, whose lives become intertwined in ways that reflect the era's challenges and the resilience of the human spirit.

The novel explores the close-knit bond between the three women, who, despite the war raging across the world, find solace and strength in each other's company and their community. As they navigate the personal and collective upheavals brought on by the war—ranging from family separations to difficult choices on the home front—they come to realize that family is the most important thing and the books they read together serve as both an escape and a tool for understanding the world around them.

The characters are well-drawn and relatable, with each woman facing her own struggles and growth throughout the novel. The two sisters, Candice and Briar, in particular, offer contrasting perspectives on love, duty, and personal ambition, and Bess provides the perfect balance of humor, wisdom, and loyalty. The small, intimate setting of Martha's Vineyard provides a unique contrast to the global conflict unfolding, offering a sense of community and connection amidst the chaos.

The Martha Hall Kelly does an excellent job of capturing the mood of the time, blending the personal with the historical in a way that feels authentic and engaging. The themes of friendship, courage, and the importance of supporting one another are poignantly explored, making this an emotionally resonant read. The book club serves as a symbol of how stories—whether fictional or real—help us make sense of our own lives and the world around us, especially in moments of hardship.

Overall, Martha's Vineyard B&BC is an enjoyable, moving, and beautifully written novel that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, character-driven narratives, or stories about the enduring power of friendship. It’s a wonderful reminder that even in the darkest of times, human connection and a shared love of books can provide light and hope.

Thanks to Netgalley, Martha Hall Kelly, and Random House Publishing for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! I loved this book and was transported back in time to Martha’s Vineyard during WWII times ! The writing flowed well and felt so connected with the characters This should be a must read and loved all her books !

I loved this story, family drama, small towns and intrigue I wasn't ready for it to end. And of course I cried.

This was a very unique book. It had a dual timeline in someways however, most of the book takes place during World War II. I was unaware of there being so much military action off of Martha’s Vineyard during the war so I found this book Very interesting. There are a lot of female characters to keep track of initially, I did find myself very engaged with the story and interested to see where things went. This was a women’s novel, as well as a commentary on how things were during the war.