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No matter what’s going on in the May sisters’ lives, the one thing they can rely upon is seeing each other for one week in May at their grandmother’s beachside home in gorgeous Coronado. As adults, Julia, Emily, and Nora aren’t particularly close, their homes spread out across the country and the sisters busy with careers, relationships, and the minutiae of life, but their promise to return each year keeps them anchored together.
Until one May when Julia, the oldest and most dependable sister, doesn’t show. Suddenly Nora and Emily start to question how much they truly know about their sister’s life. Told in alternating points of view, spanning from their time together with Grandma Vera as kids into their adult lives, The May House explores how a decades-long family secret has unknowingly shaped each sister and, ultimately, how it brings them closer together.
Funny, poignant, and brimming with heart, The May House is an irresistible story about the special bond between sisters who are figuring out what matters most in life, in all its ups and downs. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)
I have read and enjoyed many of Jillian Cantor's historical and contemporary novels. Her latest, The May House, is different from her previous writing, but still wonderful in so many ways.
I loved getting to know Julia, Emily, and Nora over the many years this story takes place. The annual setting in Coronado was cozy and beautiful. I also liked seeing what was happening for them outside of their yearly gathering. During an author chat on Facebook last week, I had asked Jillian what influenced her to pivot from her darker novels to one of a lighter nature. She said that The May House has some darkness too. I see where she's coming from in terms of certain aspects (see the trigger warnings), but her previous novels went from historical to suspense. This one is more of a cozy read following the lives of three women, but they do face their share of sadness.
This was an enjoyable story overall and I like this new direction Jillian has ventured into with her writing. I was engaged the entire time, wondering what would happen for the sisters. All three have interesting lives that include problems to resolve. There's even a small mystery to figure out, when Julia doesn't show up for the annual week at the house.
The May House is now available and it's perfect for your summer reading list! (Be sure to have all the fixings for s'mores available, as you'll be craving them.) Fans of 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand will especially enjoy this novel.
(Trigger warnings below. May contain spoilers.)
Thanks to Atria for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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