Make me remember who I am: THE INVISIBLE HUSBAND OF FRICK ISLAND.

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Anders has big dreams of being a famous journalist. Instead, he's tasked to cover a boring Cake Walk in the tiny town of Frick Island, which has only 91 residents. While visiting, he starts to think there is more to Frick Island than meets the eye, as the little island--so resistant to change--will soon be lost to climate change. Drawn to Frick Island, Anders returns over and over, especially captivated by one resident, Piper Parrish. He soon learns that Piper lost her husband Tom in a boat accident. Devastated by the loss, Piper continues to act as if Tom is still with her, talking to him and eating lunch with him at the local diner. Even more wild? The whole town is pretending he is still alive to placate her. Fascinated by the situation, Anders starts a podcast about Frick Island and Piper, but cannot seem to tell Piper or the town as it gains a life of its own.

INVISIBLE was quite hyped around the book community. It was a bit slow to warm up, but was good once it did. I never fully liked Piper, but adored sweet awkward Anders. Still, I found myself frustrated that he would not come clean about Piper being the subject of his podcast. (The island, conveniently, does not receive reliable Internet for most of the novel.)

Oakley's writing is lovely and the characters of this little island pop before your eyes. The cast is full of charming and quirky folks. Still, this is a story of grief and it's often quite sad. The end result is a thoughtful and beautiful tale.




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There's no such thing as perfection: YOU WERE THERE TOO.

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Mia and Harrison move to tiny Hope Springs from Philadelphia, each hoping to escape their own problems. Here they have a picture-perfect house and a supposedly matching perfect life. But Mia is struggling with infertility and her husband has his own hidden demons. Plus Mia has a secret: at night, she has recurring dreams about another man. So imagine her surprise when she runs into him--in the flesh--in Hope Springs. Even more surprising? He tells her he dreams of her, too.

This was an odd and intense read--nothing like what I expected, though I'm not sure what I was expecting, really. In fact, it was so serious at times, I had to read it in chunks. It was too much to take in, Mia's miscarriages and her emotions, the dreams and what they could mean. I don't really mean this in a bad way, either. The feelings in this book are just strong and extremely well-done.

I really liked the idea of dreams in the novel and how they are presented. I mean, what would you do if you were suddenly face to face with your fantasy, with someone who had been in your dreams for over a decade? What a particular situation.


"It's only that--at times--he feels so real. And has for the ten or more years that he's been starring in my nighttime reveries."


For me, where this book went off the rails, is when it started to meander. Oliver--Mia's dream guy in real life--and Mia join forces to try to figure out what their dreams mean. Mia laments about the men in her life. And then the book takes a turn and is just so damn sad. I felt betrayed, honestly, by its outcome. While I feel that it was very well-written--the way infertility is portrayed is well-done in a lot of ways--I felt as if I read an entire book for nothing. Why, I wondered, did we go through all that?

So, while I found the book to be quite captivating and emotional, what was going to be a 4-star read fell down to 3. Alas.

I received a copy of this novel from Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley in return for an honest review. It is available as of 01/o7/2020.

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