An interesting take on a WWII novel . Kelly writes such good books and this another one . It is filled with a well researched plot and the characters are well rounded. I have loved all her books
That’s to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I am a huge Martha Hall Kelly fan and she once again provides a great novel while also adding in fascinating historic details. Set in World War II in Martha's Vineyard, Kelly's most recent book weaves together characters from current day and from the past. She also includes some fascinating historic information about US troops using Martha's Vineyard as a practice sight for amphibious attacks (think D-Day at Normandy Beach attacks) as well as some frightening details about Nazi supporters in the US, especially in Long Island. I am a lifelong northeast person- and I didn't know about either of those things!
I love the intertwining stories of the strong and interesting women of the Smith family. No one can match Hall's ability to write about strong women from strong families. The reason for not giving this five starts- I wish there had been a little more about Bess in the current day story or more about how Mari spent her childhood years with her mom. But, this was a great book that I highly recommend to fans of this author, anyone interested in Martha's Vineyard (either past or present), historical fiction fans and to anyone who just likes a great and interesting read!
Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for providing this free ARC e-book for me to read and review.

If you like a historical fiction book set around World War II and interested in Martha’s Vineyard then this is the book for you. I was able to read it thru NetGalley. Interesting aspects are those describing the war maneuvers that took place on the island and descriptions of the Vineyard in the past and present. I also appreciated the author's notes on who and what she based characters on in the novel

I believe Kelly is one of the finest authors at this point. She has proved it definitively with this beautiful novel. I found myself engaged in the lives of Briar, Cadence and Bess to the point of refusing to do anything except read this book to its’ ending. I was even fascinated by the Afterword.

When a stranger comes to Martha’s Vineyard to learn about her connection to the island, she is greeted by an elderly woman who narrates the tale of the women who created the BEACH and BOOK CLUB, in the midst of WW II and the shocking entanglement of the island in preparation and training efforts for the D-Day Invasion.

This is not only a lovely novel but an incredibly engaging social history of intrigue and strength on this island. The author has done a fine job of research in bringing the story of those left at home to fight the war. I was especially impressed by the role of women and the social strictures and mores that surrounded their lives.

I simply LOVED this novel and I highly recommend it. The story of Bess is especially chilling during the present war on women and their rights.

Thank you Netgalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing another extraordinary novel by Martha Hall Kelly.

This is a dual timeline between 2016 and 1942 set on Martha's vineyard. In 1942 Cadence and Briar live with their grandma and Bess, who is their brothers fiancee. They are trying to make a go of it farming the land. In 2016, Mari is headed to the vineyard for a quick trip to learn why her deceased mother had the name of a famous painter on her. This story gets interesting fast and includes spying, books, and a little bit of romance. A great historical fiction novel!

I read everything Martha Hall Kelly reads so was excited for a chance to review “The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club.”

Like many of Kelly’s books, this novel has a dual timeline. The present story of Mari is meant to frame the past story of sisters living during the WWII area while their brother is deployed to fight. Part of the novel focuses on the book club that the sisters form while the other focus on the two sisters’ happenings—Candace is a journalist focusing on community activities while Brie discovers what she believes to be a German spy.

The present story does connect with the past one in a nonpredictable way. Most importantly, the author does an awesome job of creating well-rounded characters and dropping them into historical areas. So much has been written about WWII, but this storyline was certainly both unique and interesting.

Four stars.

Thanks to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read this captivating novel.

This review will post on Goodreads and Instagram (links below) on May 13, 2025 as per publisher request:

This was the first time I have read a book by Martha Hall Kelly (I know I am late to the party) but Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club is an incredible read about the power of female relationships, strength of family bonds. I highly recommend this for your summer read, especially if taking a trip to Martha's Vineyard or the beach. While I knew there were German U-Boats off the shores of the US including Long Island and had a plan to attack in New York, I did not realize how close they actually came to Martha's Vineyard.

This book is dual timeline taking place in 2016 and 1942.

It's 2016 and under the guise of taking a painting class with Elizabeth Deveraux, Mari arrives on Martha's Vineyard looking for answers after the sudden death of her mother and discovering Elizabeth's name written on the back of an envelope. Elizabeth begins to tell Mari a story about the farm Elizabeth is living on, and which Mari becomes a character.

Rewind to 1942 we meet the Smith sisters Cadence and Briar, their grandmother, their brother Tom, and Bess who is Tom's fiance. Cadence and Briar could not be more opposite, Cadence dreams of leaving Martha's Vineyard and having a career in publishing, while Briar is a tom boy and war obsessed, even doing her part for the war effort by building model replicas of enemy military craft. Bess has joined the Smith family living on their farm, and helps take care of it when Tom is deployed as part of the Army Rangers.

In an effort of maintaining a sense of normalcy, Bess and Cadence start a book club dragging Briar and their grandmother along, which becomes popular when they meet Winnie who has connections to the publishing world. Their life and dreams are put on hold though when a German washes ashore on their beach, and rumors start rippling through their beach town that there is a spy in their midst with the FBI on the hunt.

*Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for providing me with this ARC and the opportunity to review*

What a lovely World War II dual timeline historical fiction novel set in Martha's Vineyard! It seems that most current WWII historical fiction novels take place in Europe, so this was a quite welcome change.

The teenaged Smith kids, Tom, Cadence, and Briar, are being raised on the family farm by their grandmother following the untimely deaths of their parents. The kids, along with Tom's fiancé Bess, work tirelessly to keep the family farm from going under. In an effort to stay busy and share their love of books, Cadence and Bess create the Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club that meets in Grandma's kitchen or on the beach near their farm.

In present day, Mari Starwood, searching for answers following her mothers death, finds herself in Martha's Vineyard, with the reclusive painter Elizabeth Devereaux. The story of the Smith sisters unwinds over the course of a weekend. Mari is shocked to find she has personal ties to the island despite her mother's denial that she had never lived anywhere but California.

This is the story of love and loss, war and suspicions, and so much more. It is sure to be a bestseller!

A very interesting story about WW2 told through the eyes of sister’s on Martha’s Vineyard. The author’s notes at the end really added to the book. It was interesting to learn about the U-boats off the island and how Martha’s Vineyard was used as a training ground for soldiers. It is a pleasant story based on real people.

I was fortunate to read an ARC of this book. I could not put this book down! Great wholly developed characters, surprising plot. If you like very good historical books, I believe you will like this!

So I thought this book was OK, not great. I found some of the characters a little hard to follow and the story a bit disjointed. The end was fairly predictable. Putting that aside, the book did get me to the finish line feeling slightly satisfied and I can see this as a summer beach read.

Title: The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club
Author: Martha Kelly Hall
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine
Genre: Women's Fiction

I loved how this story was written! It was a dual timeline between WWII (1942) and present day. A woman named Mari visits Martha's Vineyard after her mother' funeral - leaving behind a non-committed boyfriend and not-so-great job in CA - to visit a famous painter named Elizabeth Devereux who agrees to private painting lessons for Mari. When Mari arrives she realizes that she may be there for more than just painting. This is where the story starts. Elizabeth begins telling Mari a story about the Smith sisters and how they started a wartime book club on the island during WWII. Their brother Tom was shipped out and the two sisters, Briar and Cadence, along with their friend Bess, are left to care for their family farm with their grandmother. Attempting some kind of normalcy, Cadence and Bess start a book club that grows popular quickly, while younger sister Briar is war-obsessed and calling the coast guard daily about seeing U-Boats. Then a mysterious man washes ashore - a spy? A German? No one knows....

As Elizabeth continues to tell the story, Mari quickly learns that she may have more ties to the island of Martha's Vineyard than just painting.

This book flowed easily between the two time periods, and was written beautifully. Be sure to read the Author's Note in the back, as she tells you how her ties to the island inspired this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC! This is sure to be a best seller!!

It all started with the Smith Girls.... When Mari travels to Martha's Vineyard in 2016 to find out more information about an artist who her late mother was planning to visit, the story of Briar and Cadence during WWII is unraveled.

I loved this book! Reading an historical WWII novel, set on Martha’s Vineyard, was truly unique and the fact that many of the events actually happened, makes the book even a more valuable read. The author’s extensive research is commendable. I learned about the German U Boats sitting offshore from Martha’s Vineyard and the commandos that practiced on its shores as the terrain was comparable to Normandy’s terrain. Since my father was an Army Ranger and was part of the Normandy invasion at Pointe du Hoc, I wish I knew if he had trained on Martha’s Vineyard. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #TheMartha’sVineyardBeachandBookClub,, #Ballantine Books, # Netgalley

This was such a great story about two sisters, it had that overall feel that I wanted and worked with the story being told. The characters were what I was looking for and felt like they belonged in this. The plot has that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the historical setting going on. Martha Hall Kelly was able to create a unique story that I enjoyed reading about.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book club was a very enjoyable novel. Most World War II historical fiction novels are set in Europe. It was interesting to read a very well researched and informative novel set on Martha’s Vineyard. It is a very common tool of authors to switch back and forth between characters and time periods, often the two story lines seem incompatible. Not the case here. Although I enjoyed the story set in the 40’s more than the modern counterpart, both threads were interesting and believable.
I think this novel was clever, unique and unpredictable. Its fast pace held my interest and the sympathetic characters held my heart. I know the readers in my book club would enjoy this novel.

Loved this! Absolutely beautiful! Highly recommend this to anyone. Sometimes the “right” thing isn’t black and white and the story of Cadence and Briar shows just that.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!

Really great story of life on Marthas Vineyard during 1942. The Smith sisters start a bookclub to help each other during the war . Tales of what happened when the military has war games and practices for the invasion of Europe. Ships, spies, and intrigue keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. A new book by Martha Hall Kelly is always a welcoming surprise and this book does not disappoint. This dual timeline story based mostly during World War II on Martha’s Vineyard and the present day visit of a young woman, Mari Sherwood looking for answers about her family’s history to Martha’s Vineyard is an excellent read. The story focuses on Cadence and Brier Smith living with their Grandmother on the island struggling to keep a roof over their heads during the war, their brother Tom is in the service and she shipped overseas, leaving the two sisters, the Grandmother and Tom’s fiancée to carry on with the family farm.The sisters form a book club to keep spirits up and also donate books to soldiers stationed on the island. This book also has a few subplots involving interesting characters, this book has a little bit of everything going for it, historical fiction, the friendship and support these women had for each other, some romance and some mystery. The dual timeline story comes together in a nice, heartwarming finish.. I would highly recommend this book.

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club
By: Martha Hall Kelly
Pub Date: January 1, 2025
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine

Don’t forget to read the author notes, which shows Kelly’s ties to Martha Vineyard. 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.

Love how the soldiers were getting books. The girls, Briar and Ginny brother was in the war and they were trying to take care of the family’s property on Martha’s Vineyard.

A German U-boat is spotted in the waters as there is an army base close by. Briar is the younger sister and Ginny has hopes of being a writer in NY.
Created the book club proves to be a challenge as they want to get the books in the hands of soldiers.

A beautiful novel which I ADORED. I come from a long line of military and love books, so this one TOUCHES my heart. I would love to think that my ancestors were able to get their hands on some books.