nanal63's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lissydizzy's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
madiclaire814's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
phebsr's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
crafalsk264's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Five Islands Cove is made up of five small islands (Bell, Diamond, Sanctuary, Pearl, Rocky Ridge) linked by ferries and families. And there are five Sea Faring Girls—Robin Glover, still living on the Islands and master organizer, Alice Keller, a Hampton’s trophy wife raising twins with little involvement from her husband, Eloise Hall, an unmarried Boston University professor , Kelli Thompson, a devoted mother of an only child, and AJ Proctor, former professional athlete now a sportscaster. These five women bonded in their teens when Kristen Shields served as their group leader and mentor.
Now Joel Shields is dead and it is Robin’s chance to bring all five friends together again on the Islands. Their first agenda is to rally around Kristen and help her sort through a lifetime of books, journals, files, papers and secrets. As they sort through Joel’s things, they find secret after secret and each one more shocking than the last. Kristen discovers that the man she thought had loved her completely had betrayed her and hurt people around him in constant large and small ways. But the bonds between this group of six women is stronger than old fears, angers, and complex emotions. The more they deal with their hurts and wounds, the closer they find themselves.
This is the first of six books in the Five Islands Cove series. The five women (formerly the Sea Faring Girls) were strong, intelligent, talented and loving women. Mentored by another strong, maternal figure, they create an extended family. I liked the characters and the plot was engaging enough to keep me reading. Recommended for readers of contemporary women’s fiction, romance and family sagas.
izmirlimelike's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I found the book too long and a bit tedious at times. That is understandable since there are five close friends that are reunited plus the newly widowed Kristen that we follow. We get to learn about each character's lives, but not with a lot of depth. Secrets get revealed, however, most of them were predictable. Even though the book didn't work well for me, fans of chick-lit may want to give it a try for the themes of friendship and family.
I found the book too long and a bit tedious at times. That is understandable since there are five close friends that are reunited plus the newly widowed Kristen that we follow. We get to learn about each character's lives, but not with a lot of depth. Secrets get revealed, however, most of them were predictable. Even though the book didn't work well for me, fans of chick-lit may want to give it a try for the themes of friendship and family.
monkeymouse113's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
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