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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0 stars
HIGHLY recommend
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
As an avid reader of Beatriz Williams's books, this was a wonderful departure and is one of my favorites written by her. The strong amount of cursing and "spicy" sexual situations is different from her other books, but these are VERY different characters from her other books.
This is a three-part storyline with three strong female protagonists (which I adore) in 1846, 1993/1994, and 2024. The way Beatriz weaves it all together is perfection with a mystery and resolution.
The writing, character development, and storyline are great!
If you like historical fiction, read this book! Also, this is technically a stand-alone novel. But if you want more back-story, you can read the other books based on Winthrop Island. I don't think it is necessary. Enjoy!
For a more detailed review, check out my blog - booksbydorothea:
https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2025/05/review-under-stars-earcebook.html
HIGHLY recommend
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
As an avid reader of Beatriz Williams's books, this was a wonderful departure and is one of my favorites written by her. The strong amount of cursing and "spicy" sexual situations is different from her other books, but these are VERY different characters from her other books.
This is a three-part storyline with three strong female protagonists (which I adore) in 1846, 1993/1994, and 2024. The way Beatriz weaves it all together is perfection with a mystery and resolution.
The writing, character development, and storyline are great!
If you like historical fiction, read this book! Also, this is technically a stand-alone novel. But if you want more back-story, you can read the other books based on Winthrop Island. I don't think it is necessary. Enjoy!
For a more detailed review, check out my blog - booksbydorothea:
https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2025/05/review-under-stars-earcebook.html
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug use, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think once again I'm an outlier with this one. UNDER THE STARS is the newest historical fiction from bestselling author Beatriz Williams. Like many of her novels, she again uses what I personally consider a much overused literary device (other authors use it too). If you're a reader of contemporary fiction, you'll likely recognize it - three women, three stories, three different time periods. All three eventually connect, but their connection is only revealed piece by piece. While I generally look forward to picking up a book by Beatriz Williams, this one disappointed me.
Different chapters are narrated by different characters, which means each time you get involved in one character’s storyline, you are forced to leave it at the chapter’s end to pick up a different story thread. I find this kind of construction winds up limiting my emotional involvement in and concerning for characters - because each of their stories is revealed in interrupted bits and pieces.
So now that you are aware of my overall reaction and prejudices, let me describe a bit about the three main characters:
• Providence Dare - a fictitious character the author has placed onboard the Atlantic, an actual steamship that sunk during a storm near Fishers Island in 1846. Providence was employed as a servant in the home of an American artist, Henry Lowell Irving, also fictitious. Her contribution to UNDER THE STARS comes in the form of a written account of the disaster, filled with details of what happened on the ship as it floundered.
• Meredith Fisher - an aging film star who needs to “dry out” before she begins shooting a new movie that offers the kind of juicy part that could resurrect her career. Her back story takes place in 1993.
• Audrey Fisher - Meredith’s adult daughter who has agreed to supervise her mother’s detox, even though the two of them don’t get along all that well. Audrey is a talented cook whose husband recently disappeared under suspicious circumstances, leaving Audrey with a pile of debts from their joint restaurant business. Her story takes place in 2024.
The stories of all three women take place around Winthrop Island, a creation of the author that's based on Fishers Island, close to where the author lives. All three stories get more and more complex as the book progresses. To the point where I felt the plot took a few turns that seemed far-fetched to me. And I was eager to finish.
I still recommend UNDER THE STARS, because I expect many readers of historical fiction don't share my prejudices about plot construction. And there's certainly enough drama to keep you turning pages. Including a murder charge, uncertain parentage, and numerous romantic obstacles. I think I was just hoping for something more substantial rather than just another formulaic bestseller. Which this will no doubt be.
Different chapters are narrated by different characters, which means each time you get involved in one character’s storyline, you are forced to leave it at the chapter’s end to pick up a different story thread. I find this kind of construction winds up limiting my emotional involvement in and concerning for characters - because each of their stories is revealed in interrupted bits and pieces.
So now that you are aware of my overall reaction and prejudices, let me describe a bit about the three main characters:
• Providence Dare - a fictitious character the author has placed onboard the Atlantic, an actual steamship that sunk during a storm near Fishers Island in 1846. Providence was employed as a servant in the home of an American artist, Henry Lowell Irving, also fictitious. Her contribution to UNDER THE STARS comes in the form of a written account of the disaster, filled with details of what happened on the ship as it floundered.
• Meredith Fisher - an aging film star who needs to “dry out” before she begins shooting a new movie that offers the kind of juicy part that could resurrect her career. Her back story takes place in 1993.
• Audrey Fisher - Meredith’s adult daughter who has agreed to supervise her mother’s detox, even though the two of them don’t get along all that well. Audrey is a talented cook whose husband recently disappeared under suspicious circumstances, leaving Audrey with a pile of debts from their joint restaurant business. Her story takes place in 2024.
The stories of all three women take place around Winthrop Island, a creation of the author that's based on Fishers Island, close to where the author lives. All three stories get more and more complex as the book progresses. To the point where I felt the plot took a few turns that seemed far-fetched to me. And I was eager to finish.
I still recommend UNDER THE STARS, because I expect many readers of historical fiction don't share my prejudices about plot construction. And there's certainly enough drama to keep you turning pages. Including a murder charge, uncertain parentage, and numerous romantic obstacles. I think I was just hoping for something more substantial rather than just another formulaic bestseller. Which this will no doubt be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Lush, layered, and laced with secrets across centuries
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the ARC of Under the Stars in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is classic Beatriz Williams: dual timelines, generational secrets, and women searching for their place within their family stories. Set against the salt-kissed backdrop of Winthrop Island, Under the Stars blends the emotional weight of a mother-daughter reckoning with the thrill of a historical mystery at sea.
The contemporary timeline follows Audrey, a determined chef trying to navigate her mother Meredith’s chaotic descent from stardom, and Meredith, whose glamorous image masks deep emotional scars. Their return to the island, and the discovery of a long-hidden chest of paintings, sets off a chain of questions tied to the past.
Meanwhile, in 1846, Providence Dare boards the doomed steamship Atlantic in a desperate bid to outrun her past. Her storyline was absolutely gripping, filled with tension, stormy seas, and the lurking threat of exposure. Williams writes the historical chapters with such vivid urgency that I could practically feel the cold spray of the Atlantic as Providence tried to stay one step ahead of the man chasing her.
The threads between past and present come together with elegance, and while some reveals felt a touch predictable, the emotional payoff was still worth it. The exploration of legacy, artistry, and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters gave the book real heart.
Also: shoutout to the island itself, which feels like a living, breathing character. The setting had just the right amount of windswept beauty and whispered history.
If you enjoy immersive historical fiction with rich female characters, atmospheric detail, and just enough mystery to keep you turning the pages, Under the Stars is a rewarding journey.
Lush, layered, and laced with secrets across centuries
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the ARC of Under the Stars in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is classic Beatriz Williams: dual timelines, generational secrets, and women searching for their place within their family stories. Set against the salt-kissed backdrop of Winthrop Island, Under the Stars blends the emotional weight of a mother-daughter reckoning with the thrill of a historical mystery at sea.
The contemporary timeline follows Audrey, a determined chef trying to navigate her mother Meredith’s chaotic descent from stardom, and Meredith, whose glamorous image masks deep emotional scars. Their return to the island, and the discovery of a long-hidden chest of paintings, sets off a chain of questions tied to the past.
Meanwhile, in 1846, Providence Dare boards the doomed steamship Atlantic in a desperate bid to outrun her past. Her storyline was absolutely gripping, filled with tension, stormy seas, and the lurking threat of exposure. Williams writes the historical chapters with such vivid urgency that I could practically feel the cold spray of the Atlantic as Providence tried to stay one step ahead of the man chasing her.
The threads between past and present come together with elegance, and while some reveals felt a touch predictable, the emotional payoff was still worth it. The exploration of legacy, artistry, and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters gave the book real heart.
Also: shoutout to the island itself, which feels like a living, breathing character. The setting had just the right amount of windswept beauty and whispered history.
If you enjoy immersive historical fiction with rich female characters, atmospheric detail, and just enough mystery to keep you turning the pages, Under the Stars is a rewarding journey.
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Pregnancy
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment
Minor: Suicide, Abortion
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I will need Beatriz Williams to write at least one book a month for the rest of my life because I cannot get enough of her work! It was wonderful to return to the ever-mysterious Winthrop Island and see some familiar faces. The balance between careful historical research and page-turning stories is what I love about a Williams novel. The intricacy of the fictional family trees and the societies they inhabit is so intricate and so wonderfully well done.
The Fisher family once again provides the heroines for our tale; this time, it's Meredith and Audrey who return to Greyfriars for a summer of mystery. Dreamboat Sedge Peabody is back, and his friends Monk and Mallory make appearances as well. The historical perspective is told as a written account of the sinking of The Atlantic -- a very real event that has been moved to the shores of the fictional Winthrop Island for this story. I loved the art history mystery and the time spent at the Mohegan Inn for our characters.
This book was so close to being 5-stars for me but it's a 4.5 for two reasons.
First, I'm struggling to keep up with how all the characters of Beatriz Williams novels are connected. I often referred to the Schulyer family tree she has on her website. I think we need one for the Winthrop Islanders. I'm sure we'll be learning more about Monk Adams and Meredith Fisher's connection in an upcoming novel and I need a way to keep track of it all.
Secondly, as a massive fan of William's novels, it was a little jarring to me that Meredith's movies were all titles of other William's novels. She even plays Pepper in Along the Infinite Sea? Isn't Pepper her second cousin -- by marriage? Anytime I read one of those titles it sort of took me out of the story.
Make no mistake -- I LOVED Under the Stars. And I will certainly be recommending it all summer long.
The Fisher family once again provides the heroines for our tale; this time, it's Meredith and Audrey who return to Greyfriars for a summer of mystery. Dreamboat Sedge Peabody is back, and his friends Monk and Mallory make appearances as well. The historical perspective is told as a written account of the sinking of The Atlantic -- a very real event that has been moved to the shores of the fictional Winthrop Island for this story. I loved the art history mystery and the time spent at the Mohegan Inn for our characters.
This book was so close to being 5-stars for me but it's a 4.5 for two reasons.
First, I'm struggling to keep up with how all the characters of Beatriz Williams novels are connected. I often referred to the Schulyer family tree she has on her website. I think we need one for the Winthrop Islanders. I'm sure we'll be learning more about Monk Adams and Meredith Fisher's connection in an upcoming novel and I need a way to keep track of it all.
Secondly, as a massive fan of William's novels, it was a little jarring to me that Meredith's movies were all titles of other William's novels. She even plays Pepper in Along the Infinite Sea? Isn't Pepper her second cousin -- by marriage? Anytime I read one of those titles it sort of took me out of the story.
Make no mistake -- I LOVED Under the Stars. And I will certainly be recommending it all summer long.
slow-paced
I received this ARC through NetGalley - due for release July 29
This is the first Beatriz Williams book that I am not head over heels in love with. I felt the story dragged on a bit in places and could've been brought to conclusion without some of the filler. And, some of the twists were not completely resolved or clearly explained 🫤
