I couldn’t wait to read Martha Hall Kelly’s newest novel The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club inspired by true events. Written in dual timelines 2016 and 1942, a fascinating story about 2 sisters trying to hold down the family farm during World War II. Tying the present into the past is Mari, mourning the death of her mother and drawn to the island by her mother’s plan to visit. Full of interesting facts about German Uboats' proximity to the East Coast of New England during the war and the training exercises on the beaches of Cape Cod. A mix of history, mystery, romance and suspense. This novel is well researched and informative adding new insight into the crowded WWII historical fiction area. This title is sure to appeal to historical fiction lovers and a great pick for discussion in book clubs. I had a hard time putting it down and will be highly recommending it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the advanced reader’s copy.

Fantastic story about two very different sisters on Martha's Vineyard tried to adapt and save their family farm in different ways. All of the islanders had to adapt to having soldiers on the island during 1942 in preparation for invading France in the coming years. The sisters, Briar and Cadence, each had their experiences with the soldiers, and possibly spies, during this challenging time. The other story line was from 2016 and shared how Mari ended up on the island after following the trail of a name. This name didn't mean anything to her but it was a final connection to her mom who recently passed away. Mari was not sure what she would find, but she found some surprising answers she didn't know she needed.
I love learning new things from historical fiction and I didn't know that the military used Martha's Vineyard for exercises. I didn't realize how close the German U-boats had gotten to the shores of the East Coast. Briar was my favorite character because she had a personality that was unique to her and her likes, not what was expected of teenage girls at the time. She enjoyed history, spies, and boating. Some of the secondary characters were fun to read about, such as Winnie and her connections to publishing that helped Cadence and her love of books. The author has done a fabulous job bringing these characters and settings to life. Best of all, I love when an author uses personal connections and the island has been a part of her family lore for a long time. You could feel the love of the island in this story. She explains it all in the very detailed author notes.
If you are looking for an engaging dual timeline historical fiction during the 1940s, I highly recommend this one.
#TheMarthasVineyardBeachandBookClub #historicalfiction
Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
I posted to my review to Goodreads, Bookbub, Storygraph, NetGalley on 3/19/2025 and will be sharing to Amazon, Barnes and Noble when it is published.
I will also share to Twitter/X and Instagram as well as some Facebook groups before the pub date.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Kelly offers a delightful blend of friendship, romance, and self-discovery, all wrapped in the breezy charm of a coastal setting. The book club dynamic adds a fun and relatable layer, with the characters bonding over books while navigating their own personal chapters of love, loss, and second chances. Kelly’s vivid descriptions of Martha’s Vineyard make you feel like you’re right there, with the salty air and sand between your toes.

While the plot follows some familiar women’s fiction beats, the heartfelt moments and well-drawn characters make it feel fresh. The friendships shine just as brightly as the romance, giving the story an added layer of warmth. It’s the perfect beach read—light but meaningful, with a dash of bookish charm. Four stars for its feel-good vibes and captivating setting, even if it doesn’t break new ground.

Mari is a grieving woman on a quest to obtain information about her family. She travels to Martha’s Vineyard where she encounters a relative who recounts a story of the Smith sisters during WWII. Flashback..these two women, Cadence & Briar, fight to keep their family farm thriving while their brother is away at war. They cherish their family and friends above all and will do anything to protect them. Add a little forbidden romance, a box of mysterious objects and a lot of self discovery.
Pretty good story although I thought it moved a little slow.

This was 3.5 for me, a 4 being generous and rounding up. This historical fiction (loosely inspired by real events) provided me a new perspective to both WWII and life on Martha’s Vineyard. Now, if only my pockets could afford a quick getaway to explore.

Martha Hall Kelly once again delivers a captivating historical novel with The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, blending the charm of a seaside setting with the tension of wartime intrigue. Told in dual timelines, the novel follows Mari Starwood in 2016 as she unravels family secrets on the shores of Martha’s Vineyard, and the Smith sisters in 1942, who form a book club while navigating love, loss, and espionage during World War II.

Kelly’s masterful storytelling brings the Vineyard to life, immersing readers in the resilience of women who found solace and strength in books during uncertain times. The novel’s blend of historical detail, romance, and suspense makes it both a thought-provoking and heartwarming read. Fans of historical fiction and bookish communities will be enchanted by this powerful tale of courage, literature, and the enduring bonds of sisterhood.

Martha Hall Kelly’s latest is a work of historical fiction set in Martha’s Vineyard during WWII. One family of women must do everything in their power to make ends meet on their Vineyard farm while forces beyond their control threaten to wreak havoc. This has a satisfying mix of history, mystery and women’s fiction that will appeal to a vast array of readers. Martha Hall Kelly’s masterful prose will make this a popular pick for book clubs and fans in general.

Martha Hall Kelly’s latest novel, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, masterfully blends historical fiction with elements of espionage, mystery, and family drama. Set in a dual timeline—1942 and 2016—it explores the lives of two sisters struggling to maintain their family farm during World War II while forming a wartime book club, juxtaposed against a present-day woman searching for answers about her past.

The 1942 storyline follows Cadence and Briar Smith, who, with their brother off at war, must keep their Martha’s Vineyard farm afloat. Cadence dreams of becoming a writer, while Briar, fascinated by military strategy, keeps a close watch on the island’s waters, where German U-boats have been spotted. Their book club, initially formed for soldiers stationed nearby, grows into something much bigger—bringing literature, friendship, and even danger into their lives when a mysterious man washes ashore, and whispers of espionage begin to circulate.

In 2016, Mari Starwood arrives on the island searching for answers about her late mother. She meets Elizabeth Devereaux, a reclusive painter with deep ties to the Smith sisters’ past. As Elizabeth recounts the sisters’ wartime struggles, Mari starts to unravel a personal connection she never expected.

Kelly’s ability to weave gripping historical details with deeply human stories shines in this novel. The depiction of life on Martha’s Vineyard during WWII—especially the lesser-known U-boat threats and the island’s role in military preparations—is particularly compelling. The characters are richly developed, with strong female leads facing both internal and external conflicts that keep the narrative engaging.

While some plot twists are predictable, the novel remains captivating, with well-paced tension and emotional depth. The combination of a war-era book club, an espionage subplot, and a modern-day family mystery makes for a unique and absorbing read. Fans of historical fiction, especially those drawn to stories about WWII’s impact on American soil, will find this book both enlightening and entertaining.

What a lovely reintroduction to historical fiction for me! I used to devour books like this (WWII era, female centric, dual timeline, family trauma epics) all the time but it’s been a few years. This was such a delight, I was fully sucked into the story!
Briar and Cadence’s opposing personalities made the story exciting to follow. They viewed things so differently, seeing each other in ways they didn’t see so much themselves. Briar seeing Cadence’s romantic inclinations toward Gil so obviously; Cadence trusting Briar’s gut even when she disagreed. Very sisterly to argue so much.
I really couldn’t put this down.
I will say that I wasn’t very interested in Mari’s side of the story. Felt like it was only there to give a “reason” to tell Briar and Cadence’s story, when I would have been just fine with the Smiths’ timeline. Mari was in her thirties, but to me she read like she was in her twenties, and that threw me too. I get being a mess, I’m almost thirty and I am a mess, but she seemed very naive, fresh out of the house. Briar and Cadence, teenagers, seemed more mature.
I also felt like every character, even those whose first-person perspectives we saw, was fairly flat. Or that I couldn’t actually tell what they were feeling. I could see what they were doing and put myself in their shoes, but I still managed to feel detached from their emotions. So that slowed me down a bit.
Plus, we only actually spent a few pages with Tom, so I honestly couldn’t believe everyone when they spoke so highly of his character. Where was the evidence!
The ending felt a bit abrupt, because we never get to be back with Briar and Cadence, so filling in the gaps was like hm, okay then.
BUT despite the issues with character and interiority, I really really enjoyed reading this. It was exciting and sweet yet still tense and mysterious. The pacing was excellent, and the writing rolled along so smoothly I never felt like putting it down. Get me to Martha’s Vineyard!

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the ARC. Martha Hall Kelly writes such great historical fiction novels, along with the "sister theme" and this one didn't disappoint. In this story, Mari goes to Martha's Vineyard to meet a talented artist and spend the day with her. Mrs. D begins to tell the story of how she came to live on the large farm. The book is written in two timelines, bouncing between the story Mrs. D is telling, from 1942, and the present day.

It was a quick read because I wanted to find out the connection between the timelines.

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club was an easy 5-star read for me. Martha Hall Kelly is the queen of the "sister" themed narrative and she covers all the bases in this multi-faceted story taking place, for the most part, in 1942. The dual timeline which includes the present day is minor and only serves to create the framework for a happy ending. The numerous subplots involving first love, wartime intrigue and questionable identities kept my interest throughout. I've learned to read the author's notes before jumping into the book and find that always enhances my reading experience. In this case, I found the notes as compelling as the book itself as some characters and events in the story are based on real life family members. All in all a memorable read.

This book was hard to put down. I was thoroughly invested in these women’s lives and wanted to know how the present and past would match up.

Brief chapters of modern day Mari lead us to the happenings of 1942 Martha's Vineyard. This was a little bit about a bookclub, but really so much more. The impact of war on this area was very interesting. Two sisters, their brother, their gram, and friends and new acquaintances made for wonderful reading. And that cover! I loved it. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

In The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club we have a dual timeline piece of historical fiction. Mari Starwood, in 2016, is visiting Martha's Vineyard to meet Elizabeth Devereaux, trying to trace a bit of information left behind after her mother's recent death. The Smith girls, Briar and Cadence, in 1942, are helping to run the family farm on the island for their Grandmother Ginny with the help of their older brother's girlfriend Bess. The preponderance of the book takes place in the 1942 timeline and also alternates between Cadence and Briar as narrators. The island is being used by the military to train for the coming invasion of France by the Allied forces, and Briar is positive she is spotting German U-boats off the coast, but no one takes her seriously.
The premise of the "beach and book club" from the title is not a large focus of the book itself, with most of the plot showing the girls day to day life in the summer of 1942 as they try to keep the farm running, while dealing with the "war games" of the military and balance other stresses as well. In the 2016 timeline about Mari, Elizabeth is telling her about that summer and slowly Mari comes to understand how her and her mother are tied to these women from the past.
This was a lovely and heartwarming piece of historical fiction. There's not a whole lot of action, but it was an enjoyable exploration of a place and time in history while also developing the characters of Briar and Cadence and their lives.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review

In The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, past and present intertwine as a woman’s journey to uncover family secrets leads her to an island steeped in history. After her mother’s passing, Mari Starwood arrives on Martha’s Vineyard with little more than a name—Elizabeth Devereaux, a reclusive painter who holds the key to Mari’s past. Under the guise of taking a painting class, Mari meets Elizabeth, who begins sharing the story of two sisters who lived on the island during World War II. As Mari listens, she realizes that the past isn’t as distant as she once thought and that her connection to this place runs deeper than she ever imagined.

In 1942, sisters Cadence and Briar Smith struggle to keep their family’s farm afloat as war reshapes their world. With soldiers arriving on the island, rumors of spies circulating, and a mysterious stranger washing ashore, their quiet lives take an unexpected turn. Amidst the uncertainty, Cadence and her best friend create a wartime book club, offering a sense of escape and connection. But as tensions rise, the sisters must navigate love, loss, and the risks that come with standing up for what they believe in.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. This is one of the most engaging books I’ve read in quite a while! The alternating timelines kept me hooked, and each chapter ended in a way that made it impossible to stop reading. The writing was so immersive that I felt like I was right there on the island—feeling the ocean breeze, walking through the Smith sisters’ farm, and uncovering long-buried secrets alongside Mari. The way the past and present intertwined was beautifully done, and I loved how the book club became a symbol of resilience and hope. I couldn’t put it down!

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club is a story told with alternating time lines; one in present day and the other during WWII. Mari’s mother has died and she travels from California to Martha’s Vineyard to find a woman, Elizabeth Devereaux, who may have had ties to her mother.
Elizabeth tells her the story of 3 woman, Cadence, her sister Briar, and Bess who is engaged to their brother, on Martha’s Vineyard during WWII. Cadence and Bess start a book club and they connect with women who come to the island during the summer. The military is doing training sessions on their beach and the women take books to the men for them to read. The story really isn’t so much a story about a book club but about the 3 women and their relationships with each other and their families. It is a very enjoyable book and easy to read and follow. Although it seems to veer off in a few directions it does come together at the end with Mari finding out how she fits in to all of it.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The past meets the present in this novel of a WWII wartime storyline.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. I have read other books by this author and enjoy her work. This book focuses on a group of young women on Martha's Vineyard during WWII and has a smaller jump in time to present day. The women: Briar, Cadence, and Bess are the main characters IMO. They are all vastly different, but are committed to family whether by blood or friendship. I didn't always agree with the women's decisions, but obviously I am not them or in their positions. I found it to be an exciting book with lots going on and mysteries abounding throughout.

This book is A dual time line told in 1942 and present day 2024. A story about two sisters during World War II and their love of books while they create a wartime book club in Martha's Vineyard with Uboats and soldiers' presence. In 2024, a woman travels to Martha's Vineyard under the premise of taking a painting class. The stories intertwine beautifully.

I would highly recommend to readers that like of historical fiction, WWII era stories, and sisterhood.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was so very excited to be offered an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. I have read every book by Martha Hall Kelly and this is an excellent addition, it is quite a bit lighter than her other books but very enjoyable. Having lived on The Vineyard for many years (although still considered a Wash A Shore) I found the author was very true to the locale and the community. I wish I had read the Author’s Notes before I read the book as it really gave context to the novel. As with all her books they are somehow linked to her family history, and specifically the strong women who preserved in the face of unimaginable circumstances. I also learned quite a bit about The Vineyard during WWII and am always impressed with the level of research and detail you find in her books. I look forward to where she will go next!