The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore

Hi, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Meg Mitchell Moore's latest, The Islanders.

It's summer on tiny Block Island. Anthony Puckett, son of famed thriller writer Leonard Puckett, is spending his summer house sitting on the island. It's a chance to get away from the shadow that's been hanging over him. A chance to try to put his life and career back on track. 

For Joy Sousa, Block Island is home. It's where she runs her whoopie pie shop. But her business is threatened when a new food truck rolls into town affecting her usually booming summer sales, and just when her landlord has decided to raise her rent astronomically. 

Lu Trusdale and her family are renting a cottage on Block Island for the summer, thanks to her in laws. While her husband is away working in the city, Lu is supposed to be the perfect stay at home mom, which is why she keeps her side gig a secret from absolutely everyone. 

These three, strangers to one another when the summer begins, become inextricably tied together as the weeks roll by. And by the end of the summer, they're linked by a secret bigger than any they'd ever imagined. 

Set during summer and on a beach resort island, The Islanders is a summer beach read if ever there was one!

Although some of her backlist is in my TBR, this is actually my first read by Meg Mitchell Moore. Trust me, after this one those previous titles have been catapulted to the top of my list, The Islanders is that good!

This is a more character driven novel than I claim to enjoy, but the characters here are the kind that immediately draw me into a story.

First off, there's an author, a baker, and a stay at home mom who's clearly longing for more, characters that touch on interests of mine in every way.

Second, there are secrets. From the outset, it's clear that Anthony is hiding from more than just the expectation that he'll be as successful an author as his father. Something's happened. Something big. Something that's left him bereft and intent on keeping his identity secret while he's on Block Island. The desire to see his story play out was enough alone to keep me reading. But there's more! Let's secret is fairly easy to figure out, but waiting to see what would happen when everyone else found out... yeah.

The pacing is great, the story progressing in a way that never felt bogged down or slow. It's tightly woven and moves along quickly, holding your attention through every single line.

Obviously I was sold within the first few pages, readers. And I think you will be too! If The Islanders wasn't already in your summer reading plans, I hope it is now!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Meg Mitchell Moore and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble