The Castaway by Stephanie Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a lovely book that hit me right where I needed it. I didn’t realize I had to read a girly, not quite romance-y, book…But I did. And “The Castaway” was perfect for that.
I loved how the main character was NOT a vapid young 20-something, suffering a “mid-life crisis” that required her to run away to Shipwreck Key and start over. No. Our protagonist is in her late 40s, and a widow to the late President of the United States. Ruby loves books and decides to open a small bookstore on the island; a far cry from being the “Stepford Wife” of her late husband who worked his way up the political ladder to become President before suddenly dying; a death that reveals he had a completely unknown life to Ruby and their daughters.
Her two daughters, both in their 20s, suffer their own crises in Washington, D.C. and New York City, and join their mother on Shipwreck Key. The support and love for one another is strong, and is referenced quite a lot in this book, as is the amazing friend network Ruby already has and then creates on the island.
The book club is an unlikely group of characters who don’t realize it at first, but they all complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses…traits that are desperately needed when Ruby finds out a famous author is angling to write a tell-all about her late husband.
All in all…I really enjoyed this book, and now I’m going to have to add in the other books in the Shipwreck Key series to my rotation, because I’m invested in these women and can’t wait to see where their stories take them.



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