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A review by momsreadingera
Under the Stars: A Novel by Beatriz Williams

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm happy to say I finally read a Beatriz Williams book and I really enjoyed it! Under the Stars was an intriguing cross-genre story. I know dual timelines are relatively common in historical fiction, but this book gives the reader three timelines all centered on fictional Winthrop Island: a shipwreck in 1846, future actress Meredith Fisher as a young adult in 1991, and Meredith back for rehab under the supervision of her adult daughter Audrey in 2024. Considering how much ground there was to cover I thought the book did a great job of keeping the reader engaged with the events of each timeline. 

I went into this book knowing very little about the plot, so I'm going to leave out most of the details here too. I really enjoyed the sense of mystery throughout the story along with the emotional family dynamics, especially in the most modern storyline. Meredith and Audrey do not have a traditional mother-daughter relationship at all. I liked that the account of that relationship included quite a bit of nuance and wasn't painted in broad strokes based entirely on stereotypes. Meredith was selfish in a lot of ways, but the reader also got to watch her evolve both between 1991 and 2024 and within the 2024 timeline itself. 

Lately one way I measure how much I like a book is how quickly I read the second half. Some of my recent favorites are the types of books that, once I get to 50-60% I'm thoroughly engaged and I need to finish as soon as I can manage. That definitely happened here as I felt the threads of the story coming together and needed to see how everything played out. 

I also felt some personal connections to the setting of this one. I grew up in Connecticut and spent time along the southeastern shore of the state with my parents when I was a teenager. It was fun to see lots of geographical references to places I know and to learn in the author's note that Winthrop Island is loosely based on a real island I remember seeing (but not actually visiting) in Long Island Sound. 

Finally, I know that other Beatriz Williams books, including Husbands & Lovers, are set at least partially on Winthrop Island. In an ideal world I would have read H&L first to pick up on some of the Easter eggs I've heard about, but I can say as a newcomer that this absolutely works as a standalone. I can't wait to read more Beatriz Williams books soon! 
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