*** Scroll down for the update --- 2021 marks the release of Book 3, reviewed below!
Sometimes love hurts--and sometimes it can heal in the most unexpected way.
Camden Grayson loves her challenging career, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. "Moving on" is Cam's mantra. But there's a difference, her two sisters insist, between one who moves on . . . and one who keeps moving. Cam's full-throttle life skids to a stop when her father buys a remote island off the coast of Maine. Paul Grayson has a dream to breathe new life into the island--a dream that includes reuniting his estranged daughters. Certain Dad has lost his mind, the three sisters rush to the island. To Cam's surprise, the slow pace of island life appeals to her, along with the locals--and one in particular. Seth Walker, the scruffy island schoolteacher harbors more than a few surprises.
Camden Grayson loves her challenging career, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. "Moving on" is Cam's mantra. But there's a difference, her two sisters insist, between one who moves on . . . and one who keeps moving. Cam's full-throttle life skids to a stop when her father buys a remote island off the coast of Maine. Paul Grayson has a dream to breathe new life into the island--a dream that includes reuniting his estranged daughters. Certain Dad has lost his mind, the three sisters rush to the island. To Cam's surprise, the slow pace of island life appeals to her, along with the locals--and one in particular. Seth Walker, the scruffy island schoolteacher harbors more than a few surprises.
★★★★☆
Retired sportscaster Paul Grayson buys 51% ownership in a small remote island community off the coast of Maine, the purchase driven mostly by the sentimental desire to own the campground where he and his late wife met as teens. Paul has a plan to renovate and reopen the now run-down campgrounds and hopes that the project will bring together his often-distanced three grown daughters: eldest Camden ("Cam"); middle daughter Maddie; and youngest (and maybe most difficult to pin down), Blaine.
The sisters move out to the island with their father, mostly out of concern that this island purchase might be a sign of early-onset senility. All the family together turns out to be an invaluable resource of manpower, when it soon becomes evident that the campgrounds are nowhere near being in the "turn key" condition that Paul claimed (having bought the property without having set foot on it in many years). Cam, who brings her seven year old son, Cooper, along on this adventure, is the first of the ladies to start falling for the island's slow-pace charms. Cam's eye is quick to fall on handsome school teacher Seth Walker.
Three Sisters Island seems to gently pull out the strengths of each of the Grayson sisters, often from the most unlikely sources. As they each find their own unique approach to problem-solving, not only will the Grayson family unit find a way to come together once more, but in the process an entire island community will be strengthened and revitalized as well.
"One thing I know for sure, you either get bitter or better
by what life throws at you."
* Peg Legg, manager of Lunch Counter Diner
The takeaway lesson for many of the characters here (and maybe some readers) is that there are all sorts of ways to define "family". And Cooper will unwittingly help solve a mystery that's been plaguing the island for some years!
Speaking of Cooper, it's not entirely clear what the story was trying to suggest about his behavioral struggles.... and the fascination with his ball of string.... does he have ADHD? Autism? Did he genetically inherit his great-grandmother's mental illness, as one character suggests? I guess this will be explored more in the sequel?
Three Sisters Island was certainly a lovely, homey place to escape to in these times, and finishing the chapters often left me craving fresh coffee and biscuits! As well as grateful that I've never had a cat throw up in my purse LOL
For Madison Grayson, life is good. Newly licensed as a marriage and family therapist, she can't wait to start her practice. Despite the unfortunate shortage of eligible bachelors on the island--they're all too young, too old, or too weird--Maddie feels like she's finally found her sweet spot. Not even one panic attack in the last year. Not one.
And then Ricky O'Shea drops in. Literally. Floating down from the pure blue sky, the one man in the world she hoped never to see again--the one who'd been her archnemesis from kindergarten through her senior dance--parachutes into town, landing on Boon Dock, canopy draping behind him like a superhero. Ricky O'Shea. Now Pastor Rick, the new minister on Three Sisters Island.
Time to panic.
With wit and a bit of whimsy, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to Three Sisters Island where family, forgiveness, and a second chance at love await.
And then Ricky O'Shea drops in. Literally. Floating down from the pure blue sky, the one man in the world she hoped never to see again--the one who'd been her archnemesis from kindergarten through her senior dance--parachutes into town, landing on Boon Dock, canopy draping behind him like a superhero. Ricky O'Shea. Now Pastor Rick, the new minister on Three Sisters Island.
Time to panic.
With wit and a bit of whimsy, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to Three Sisters Island where family, forgiveness, and a second chance at love await.
★★★1/2
Following the pecking order of Paul Grayson's daughters, eldest Cam largely got center stage in the first book of the series, so now it's middle child Maddie's turn for the spotlight. After about a year on the island, Maddie is now a licensed family & marriage therapist ready to start her own practice. She finds a cute little basement office space to rent under the town's church, but her enthusiasm for this new venture is dampened a bit with the arrival of an old acquaintance. Childhood nemesis to be precise --- Ricky O'Shea. Ricky quite literally parachutes into town and introduces himself to everyone as the new pastor of Three Sisters Island. That's right --- his office will be right above Maddie's, so like it or not, since both their professions are meant to bring peace to the soul...well, then, they themselves will have to work out old grievances.
As Maddie's story unfolds, there are also some periodic updates on Cam and Seth, featured in Book 1. Cam, from what we saw in that first book, is always in need of a major project to put her attention into. The all-consuming project of the moment this time around is her process of trying to earn grants to get the island switched over to wind power so the island won't have to remain dependent on spotty power service from the mainland's grid. Though certainly an admirable endeavor, the time commitment the process requires puts a definite crimp in Seth & Cam's relationship. There are also signs that her work is taking a toll on Cooper, who is beginning to show signs of regression with his anxiety and troubled behavior, when for awhile he was doing so well! So part of the story becomes Cam's emotional turmoil at the thought of being an inadequate mother.
There's a little glimpse into developments in Blaine's life, though I imagine we'll get the full scoop on her in the as-yet-unnamed third book in this series. But here anyway, we learn that she is now a full-fledged culinary student who comes back to the island during peak tourist seasons to help out not only at the campground kitchen but also the Lunch Counter Diner, swooping in to save the day for the laughably culinary inept Peg. But something must have happened back at school to darken Blaine's mood, because shortly after returning to the island this year she discovers that she has lost all sense of taste or smell. Even when she tries to follow recipes absolutely by the book, the results still come out funky. Blaine turns to therapist sister Maddie hoping she can offer some insight as to what's gone wrong inside her.
Though I imagine this is meant to be largely Maddie's story, to me it felt like she wasn't really getting enough "screen time", as it were. She often still plays a sort of background character used to help sort out the current emotional upheavals of her sisters. That, and the romance felt a little undercooked to me. Don't get me wrong, there was definitely a cute factor to their banter, and I was surprised about the incorporation of the troubling health diagnosis (I liked it, gave the story some extra depth, just didn't see that bit coming!), but for me it was just missing that extra level of zing this time around.
Though I didn't find the plot points in this one quite as entertaining as the first book, I can't fault it too much because I just really enjoy this island community as a whole. It's such a comforting environment with good, wholesome people... I'm just happy to visit, whatever is going on!
When we get around to Blaine's story in Book 3, I'm really hoping to see Artie finally get his chance to fully rise out of the friend zone (I mean, it certainly feels like Fisher is setting it up to head that way). He seems like such a good, supportive dude, he deserves good things!
FTC DISCLAIMER: Revell Publishing kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
*** UPDATE --- MAY 2021 --- Book 3 is now available! ****
Blaine Grayson returns to Three Sisters Island with a grand plan--to take Camp Kicking Moose to the next level. Her dream starts to unravel when she discovers Moose Manor's kitchen has been badly remodeled by her sister, Cam, who doesn't know how to cook. Added to that blow is the cold shoulder given by her best friend, Artie Lotosky, now a doctor to the unbridged Maine islands. As old wounds are opened, Blaine starts to wonder if she made a mistake by coming home. Little by little, she must let go of one dream to discover a new one, opening her heart to a purpose and a future she had never imagined. Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the coast of Maine for a story that reminds you to release what doesn't matter and cling to what does: faith, family, and friendships.
★★★★☆
**Potential Trigger Warning: One of the main characters temporarily struggles with suicidal thought.
Blaine's story is here! After two years of traveling around Europe and graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Blaine returns to Camp Kicking Moose ready to bring fine dining experiences to the island that's given her family so much. Ready to revitalize Moose Manor's kitchen, what she's met with is hardly the stuff of heartwarming homecoming dreams. Blaine comes home to discover that sister Cam has gone ahead with the kitchen remodel project without any input from Blaine. While the finished project is aesthetically beautiful, it's nowhere near the commercial kitchen Blaine will need to make her restaurant goals a reality.
To add to her frustration and the weight of dreams dashed, Blaine is also blindsided by her best friend Artie, now the island's resident doctor, giving her the iciest of cold shoulder treatments. What is going on??!
But Blaine has done some blindsiding of her own. She didn't come back home alone. Instead, she introduces her family to her French friend, Jean Paul. Blaine insists up and down that they are NOT dating, but she's also VERY tight-lipped about why she invited him to stay with the family for the summer, how they met.... any personal details about her connection to this man, really, are kept incredibly hush-hush for the majority of the novel. The only thing that's made abundantly clear is that whatever is going on here, the relationship is an incredibly important one to Blaine. Good on you, Madame Fisher, for keeping us reading!
At Lighthouse Point works through a lot of strong themes that will likely strike a note with any reader who has felt a little lost within their professional life or family relationships. Through Blaine's experiences, we're reminded that sometimes in life it's critical to take the time to really and truly do a deep dive into your soul to figure out what really speaks to you --- not what would make others happy to see you do, but what do YOU yourself want to see happen in your life? Blaine also teaches us that going through that process will sometimes mean giving yourself the courage to have faith in yourself and your strengths, trust in your faith (spiritually, that is), and remind yourself where you come from, where you've been, and how far you've come. Being the youngest in my family as well, I could definitely relate to Blaine's struggle with always being seen as something of an immature child who needs guiding, regardless of how much I age! But as Blaine is reminded, she has traveled all over a whole other continent, she graduated from a prestigious French cooking school despite the language barrier, she's working hard to battle her depression in a healthy way, she pushes herself to heal relationships damaged from past mistakes.... whatever life throws at her next, she's likely to bounce back just fine. And we can to! As Jean Paul instructs Blaine, "Just pray and release, pray and release."
Being three books into this series now, it's also nice to come back and see how the other characters have fared in the years that have passed. It was nice to sit and visit with Peg again (and to see that her coffee hasn't gotten any better!) as well as experience some redemptive moments go down between patriarch Paul Grayson and his own estranged father.
Bonus reading guide materials include a list of discussion questions for book groups to hash over as well as a recipe for Blaine's "Outrageously Fudgy Brownies".
FTC Disclaimer: Revell Publishing kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
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