I absolutely adored Colleen Oakley’s last book, You Were There Too , when I read it last year. It totally touched my heart and was exactly the book I needed to read at the time. When I heard she had a new one coming out this year I jumped at the chance to review it and was not disappointed. This newest one is everything I have come to expect from this author’s books and more.
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is a May 2021 release by Berkley Publishing
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.
About the Book:
Sometimes all you need is one person to really see you.
Piper Parrish’s life on Frick Island–a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay–is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her beloved husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom’s crab boat capsized and his body wasn’t recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper?
Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and cover their boring annual Cake Walk fundraiser, he stumbles upon a much more fascinating tale: an entire town pretending to see and interact with a man who does not actually exist. Determined it’s the career-making story he’s been needing for his podcast, Anders returns to the island to begin covert research and spend more time with the enigmatic Piper–but he has no idea out of all the lives he’s about to upend, it’s his that will change the most.
My Thoughts:
I gave this book 4.5 stars
Ahhh, what a wonderful book! Filled with hope, love, friendship and–dare I say?–insanity. (You have to read it to understand what I mean, and believe, me, I mean it in the best possible way)
This novel filled me with such wonderful feelings and a few tears. It’s everything we always hope humanity will be.
It’s the story of Piper, a resident of tiny Frick Island (population 93), whose husband Tom’s boat capsizes and his body is not found, but he’s presumed dead. Until one day she wakes up and there he is lying in bed next to her! No one else can see him, but they all pretend they do because they love Piper and want to protect her. Anders is a journalist with a fledgling podcast who comes to Frick Island to cover a puff piece, and finds so much more–a puzzle, a mystery, and a growing adoration for a group of quirky people.
This book is a love story. A love story about a couple separated too soon, but also the love story of a group of people who love their island home and the others who live there. It’s a novel brimming with emotion, and readers will not be able to stop rooting for the success of everyone involved.
I seriously cannot recommend this book enough. If you like emotionally impactful stories do not hesitate to pick this one up.
