I had this book on the TBR shelf for awhile and it was a nice easy read, let me down at the end a bit. I thought it would get to be a little more sinister, but the background to the island was very well described! ( )

Prepare to be swept away to the private and exotic Mustique Island in the Caribbean. The story is set in the 70’s, however, the warmth and depth of the writing and storyline this could have been written in multiple eras.
A mother’s love will always remain, no matter the circumstances or the age and differences of their children.
Tender, tenacious and filled with vivid imagery, this is a must read to take you away this summer. ( )

Fictitious story is loosely based on a real-life Texan woman named Billy Ray Mitchell. Willy May Michaels, a beauty queen, meets and marries a wealthy Brit and heads to England in 1943 at age 16. Soon after the couple has 2 daughters, but her husband is unfaithful and they divorce. After receiving her settlement, he dies, and she sails the world. Eventually, a friend asks her to come to Mustique Island, the playground of the rich and famous. In the 70s, Willy May tries to reconnect with her grown daughters, Hilly and Joanne. Hilly is wilder than Joanne, takes drugs, becomes pregnant. Joanne is more reserved, musical, and falls in love with Tim, who she met when Mick Jagger came to the island. This story follows these 3 women through their loves, their mistakes, their commitment and dedication to each other - once lost, but found again.
This book is getting a lot of hype. ( )

Willy May is searching for a place to escape. She has had her fill of marital scandals and failed relationships. Once she encounters Mustique Island, she knows this is the place for her. She decides to put down roots and build a new home. She hopes this will encourage her daughters to visit and to build a strong mother-daughter relationship.

Ok first off, this book was prefaced too me as being like Jessica Anya Blau…ugh…NO! Not even close. This book really had no plot. Took forever for anything to happen. And yes…I know I am in the minority. It has some really good reviews. Now, I did enjoy the escape. It is a great escape read. I enjoyed learning about the island and I could just picture the landscape and the ocean. But, nothing really happened in this book until near the end.

The name dropping made the book for me. I especially enjoyed reading about Princess Margaret. She was a partier first class!

Need a good escape read…this is it! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. ( )

It's January, 1972, when Willy May's boat arrived on Mystique Island. It was a private island owned by an eccentric Englishman who carefully choose the people he allows to build homes on the island. Willy May is a rich recently divorced (and then made a widow) and is looking for quiet place to spend some time. She is a former Texan who ended up married to British nobility and has two daughters. She's soon caught up in all of the drama and extravagance that exists on the island and decides to build a house there.. The land that's picked out for her is directly across the bay from Princess Margaret's house. Princess Margaret is Queen Elizabeth's younger sister and she was well known as a party-girl back in the 70s. Her home on the island was her place to have fun out of the eyes of the British press and her sister.

Willy May also wants to rebuild her relationship with her two daughters. Hilly is a well known model who is on the back side of her career. As she gets older, the jobs are doing to younger women. She's also good about avoiding reality and using pills to get her through her day. Joanne is a musician and is finishing college. Hilly and Joanne quickly get pulled in to the extravagances and drama that takes place on the island. Willy May soon learns that it isn't money that's the most important part -- it's family that is worth more than any amount of money.

Many of the characters in this book are based on real people - from the owner of the island to Princess Margaret to Mick Jagger. The author does a great job of making them part of the story while making sure that Willy May and her daughters aren't overshadowed. Also, the scenery on the island is described so well that you can imagine being there on vacation. I did some searching on goggle to see if you can rent houses on the island and found out that you could but you'd need lots of money. Princess Margret's home rents for $34,000 a week.

I definitely enjoyed this book about the lives of the rich and famous during the early 1970s. I didn't like Willy May at first but I began to enjoy her character once her daughters were on the Island and I could see what a caring person she was. The three women realized that their family was more important than all of the partying and celebrities on the island. ( )