Little Island by Katharine Britton

I love those books that you hate to put down; those that keep you up late at night because you just have to try to finish it. Well that’s exactly the kind of read Little Island by Katharine Britton was for me. I loved it! This is the second book of hers that I’ve read having read Her Sister’s Shadow a few years ago and loving it as well. I had hoped that this book would be as good for me and I wasn’t disappointed in the least. Little Island is a story of love, family, deeply buried secrets, and above all hope.

When she passed Grace’s mother wanted a memorial that celebrated her life so this weekend the family will gather to do just that at their inn on Little Island, Maine. However with Grace and her husband Gar along with their grown children Joy and the twins Roger and Tamar, a get together is usually anything but smooth. Why you ask? Well twenty years ago a tragedy occurred that the family has never been able to get past. It changed their lives then and has continued to do so in their adult lives. Can this weekend change anything for them?

Joy, the eldest of the kids has always felt that she was the third wheel with the twins Roger and Tamar being so close. Now with her son Rex heading off to college Joy is at a crossroads and not knowing what she wants from her life or her marriage. Not to mention that secret that has been eating away at her for years. As for Roger well he has a drinking problem that he can’t seem to shake and Tamar spends more time on her career than her family. Needless to say she doesn’t have a clue who her own young twin girls are and she’s hoping this weekend will rectify that. As for Grace and Gar time has taken its toll and Grace is reeling from the loss of her mother. She seems to have lost the joy she used to find in the simplest things and she wants to find it again. For this family this get together will finally be the reunion that will not only heal their family, but their very souls.

What an excellent novel! Katharine Britton has a way of weaving a story that so fully draws you into her character’s lives and their stories. I could feel the pain that this family was feeling, has felt, and hopes to move on from in all of their relationships. Joy was an easy character to like. Her son has grown up and moved on and she isn’t sure she has a life without him. Roger seems to be a good guy despite his drinking problem but Tamar is the one that you love to hate in the story and you hope that she will see the error of her ways. Ultimately I loved this family and the time I spent with them. I highly recommend Little Island for those that like stories centering around a family drama as well as those who enjoy books taking place on the Maine coast which sounded extra heavenly to me and I still wish I was there with them…

Katharine’s website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads

Buy at:  Amazon, Amazon Canada, B&N. and IndieBound

Source:  Review copy provided by the publisher.  No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

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