wp-1587661307593.jpgToday I’m excited to have a review of my first Lisa Duffy book, My Kind of People! A big thank you to Atria Books for the invitation to the tour!

About the Book:

From the author of The Salt House and This Is Home comes a profound novel about the power of community and a small town’s long-buried secrets as a group of New England islanders come together for a recently orphaned girl.

On Ichabod Island, a jagged strip of land thirteen miles off the coast of Massachusetts, ten-year-old Sky becomes an orphan for the second time after a tragic accident claims the lives of her adoptive parents.

Grieving the death of his best friends, Leo’s life is turned upside down when he finds himself the guardian of young Sky. Back on the island and struggling to balance his new responsibilities and his marriage to his husband, Leo is supported by a powerful community of neighbors, many of them harboring secrets of their own.

Maggie, who helps with Sky’s childcare, has hit a breaking point with her police chief husband, who becomes embroiled in a local scandal. Her best friend Agnes, the island busybody, invites Sky’s estranged grandmother to stay for the summer, straining already precarious relationships. Their neighbor Joe struggles with whether to tell all was not well in Sky’s house in the months leading up to the accident. And among them all is a mysterious woman, drawn to Ichabod to fulfill a dying wish.

Perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Ann Leary, My Kind of People is a riveting, impassioned novel about the resilience of community and what connects us all in the face of tragedy.

My Thoughts:

Gosh, I loved my first Lisa Duffy book. What drew me in immediately was the writing. It took me right into the story without any fluff. Next, it was the characters.

Let me tell you about them. On Ichabod Island, we meet a neighborhood of characters, but don’t worry. It’s not too many. It’s just enough for you to feel the strong sense of community these characters also feel.

At the heart of it all is Sky, a charming ten year old girl, newly adopted by Leo, whose friends passed away and named him guardian of Sky. Leo is an architect married to Xavier.

Maggie, Sky’s fourth grade teacher, also lives on Winding Way, along with her husband, Pete, and her best friend, the cranky school nurse, Agnes. There’s also the lovable Joe, who’s recently had an injury leaving him home all the time. And I can’t forget Frankie, Sky’s best friend.

Things happen during this summer on Winding Way, life events big and small. I never disconnected from this story. From the very first chapter, I knew it was just my kind of story.

A story of love- love for child, love for others, love for self, maybe a little romantic love. It’s a story of friendship and community, and it’s beautiful.

I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

About the Author:

Lisa Duffy is the author of This is Home and The Salt House, named by Real Simple as a Best Book of the Month upon its June release, as well as one of Bustle’s Best Debut Novels by Women in 2017, a She Reads Book Club selection and Refinery 29’s Best Beach Reads of 2017.
Lisa received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Massachusetts. Her short fiction was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and her writing can be found in numerous publications, including Writer’s Digest. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and three children.

Have you read My Kind of People, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR