Play 2026 Book Bingo
Books That Take Place On an Island
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.Whether you found this post searching for books set on an island, or are participating in our Book Voyage reading challenge, we hope you find your perfect armchair travel getaway on our list below.
From the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, and from the tropical South Pacific to books set in cooler temperatures off the east coast of the USA, our list of recommended books offers a wide variety of island vibes.
We’ve compiled a great list of island novels ranging from historical to contemporary. If you prefer lighter island books, you’ll find some great rom com books and escapist fiction on our list (and even more on our list of the best beach reads of all time), but our recommendations also run the gamut from mysteries to epic family sagas, with a few non-fiction picks mixed in for good measure.
Other lists you might want to browse for more island titles: Mysterious Thriller Books Set on Islands; Summertime Reads for Historical Fiction Fans; Books Set in the Greek Islands; Highly-Rated Books Set on the Outer Banks; and Books Set in the U.S. Territories.
There are a lot of classic tropical island adventure books – like Swiss Family Robinson, Treasure Island, and Robinson Crusoe set on fictional islands. For our list, however, we’ve selected books set on islands that you can pinpoint on a world map. Additionally, we have focused primarily on islands that are not already covered by another region in the Book Voyage Challenge.
Highly Rated Books Set on Islands
Under Water
Book Summary
Marissa was just five years old when she lost her mother. Her father, determined to complete his wife’s marine biology research, moves he and his grief-stricken daughter across the globe to an island off Thailand. There, she becomes good friends with Arielle, a young girl whose parents own a resort. During the week, the girls live at the resort, and on the weekends, they join the community of researchers on the nearby island, where they learn about the fragile wonders of the reefs, forests, and beaches.
Together, they learn to dive deep, swim their way out of danger, hold their breath for minutes at a time, all as effortlessly synchronized as the manta rays they come to know by name. But when there is a wave that Arielle can’t outpace, Marissa is gutted by the loss.
Years later, Marissa is back in New York but still haunted by the memory of her friend. Over the course of two fateful days, as with a hurricane approaching, the past comes flooding back to her. She’ll have to discover how to sustain herself in a precarious world.
More About This Book & the Author
The majority of this debut novel takes place on an island off the coast of Thailand, while the 2012 timeline unfolds in New York City.
Author Tara Menon was born in India, grew up in Singapore, and frequently vacationed in Thailand. She was living in this region of the world when the Indian Ocean tsunami hit in 2024. Everyone she knew knew someone affected by the tragedy. She later spent a decade living in NYC, including during Hurricane Sandy. She drew on those experiences in writing Under Water.
Tara works as an assistant professor at Harvard University. While Under Water is her first published fiction, her prior academic writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review and the Paris Review.
The House of Hidden Letters
Book Summary
Needing a change from her life in London, Skye enters a lottery for a chance to win a cottage on a Greek island for just one Euro. She is thrilled to win, but when she arrives at the cottage, it is even more run-down than she expected. Nonetheless, she immediately feels at home.
She finds her place among a community of other lottery winners who have taken over other cottages on the island, which haven’t been occupied since the 1940s. Her new, found family provides the support she needs to stand up to her abusive ex-husband, allowing her to embrace the hope of new beginnings.
When Skye begins renovating the cottage with the help of local contractor, Andrewas, they find a bundle of mysterious letters hidden in the wall. Through the contents of the letters, they begin to unravel the history of the prior residents and the truth about Katerina’s life on this picturesque island during WWII.
More About This Book
This book is described as an emotional rollercoaster, both beautiful and devastating, with plenty of suspense and surprises across both timelines. Be aware that it deals with some heavy topics, including rape and domestic abuse, though readers say nothing is described graphically.
Folegandros is a Greek island in the Cyclades, regarded as an unspoiled alternative to nearby Santorini, with similarly dramatic cliffs, whitewashed architecture, and pristine beaches along the bright blue Aegean Sea.
About the Author
British author Isabelle Broom has written many contemporary fiction novels with gorgeous settings throughout Europe. We’ve included a few of them on our lists, but not all are easily available in the US. When we saw this new release from Izzy Broom, we immediately researched to confirm if it was the same author, and sure enough, we learned that she’s adopted this new pen name to coincide with a shift in genres. The House of Hidden Letters marks her first work of dual-timeline historical fiction, and we’re excited to see it receive a US release!
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Anna and West didn’t have much in common in college. He was a buttoned-up heir to a grocery chain, and she was a free-spirited artist. Their college marriage was a sham to get her access to subsidized family housing at UCLA. She thought their divorce was finalized at graduation.
Three years later, Anna is a starving artist, while West is a Stanford professor. He has little interest in joining the family business, which he views as a heartless corporation, but he is interested in receiving his inheritance.
When it turns out that a clause in his grandfather’s will requires him to be happily married for five years before receiving one hundred million dollars, Liam thinks his marriage to Anna puts him in the home stretch. But now his family is pressuring him to meet his mysterious spouse. First, Liam worries about how his family will react to paint-splattered, foul-mouthed Anna. Then, he begins to worry that introducing her into his toxic world of wealth will corrupt his pure-hearted fake wife.
Other Titles by This Author Duo
We fell in love with the writing duo of Christina Lauren after reading The Unhoneymooners years ago. This Hawaii-set rom-com is another perfect choice for a book set on an island. And if you’ve already read The Unhoneymooners, you may also want to listen to the Amazon Audio Original sequel, The Honeymoon Crashers.
If you love the fake relationship trope, be sure to check out our list of the best fake dating rom coms.
A House for Miss Pauline
Book Summary
At 99 years old, Miss Pauline Sinclair feels her house is speaking to her. Decades ago, as a fierce young girl in rural Jamaica, she salvaged the stones of a ruined “backra” mansion and used them to build a home of her own—setting off a village tradition of stone houses and a life carved from grit, wit, and hustle.
Now, with time running short and memories pressing in, Miss Pauline wants to set the record straight about the white stranger who came to her with documents in 1987 and vanished soon after.
With help from Lamont, a motorcycle-riding teen who tutors her on Skype, Facebook, and email, she begins reaching out to far-flung kin and ghosts from the island’s past. What she uncovers is less a whodunit than a reckoning: with secrets kept for love, the costs of survival, and the heavy legacy embedded in those stones, built to last, but fraught.
Thoughts On This Book
Readers say that the past and present are woven together seamlessly and that the narrative is beautifully crafted. Several readers specifically mention the audiobook being particularly well narrated.
Black Cake
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This novel opens in present-day California shortly after Eleanor’s death. She has left behind a voice recording for her two adult children – Byron and Benny. She’s also left them a traditional Caribbean black cake that she tells them to share “when the time is right.”
Her children, it turns out, only know a small part of their mom’s life story. Posthumously, Eleanor is finally ready to share her truth so that Byron and Benny can truly know and understand their family history.
As the story unfolds, everything that her children thought they knew about their lineage and themselves will be rocked to the core, and by the time they finally share the black cake, another person will be joining them at the table.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Although Eleanor has already died when this novel begins, through her voice recordings, it traces the story of her life, beginning in the Caribbean, and shows how the choices she made over the years impacted not only her future but also those of everyone in her family.
Angela rated this book five stars and highly recommends the audiobook version because the accents really bring the story to life.
Black Cake has been adapted into a streaming television series on Hulu.
The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
Book Summary
Three women in different timelines are unexpectedly linked in this historical mystery, described as an ode to book lovers.
In 1900, Eva, a teacher from Cuba, travels to Boston to participate in a cultural exchange program at Harvard. It’s the perfect opportunity to represent Cuba as they prepare their bid for democracy while also working on the book she is writing. However, it’s a chance encounter with a stranger that changes the course of her life and legacy.
In 1966, Pilar works as a librarian in Cuba by day, but by night she fights Fidel’s regime in her own way and hopes for her husband’s release from unjust imprisonment. When she is entrusted with a book published sixty years earlier, she must decide how much she is willing to risk to protect it.
In 2024 London, American expat Margo is hired to source a book that’s more than one hundred and twenty years old. She has no idea she’s on a quest with deadly consequences. Along with her unlikely ally, she’ll have to confront the ghost of her own past to move forward.
Connection to Other Cleeton Novels
While this novel incorporates Cuban history, it is a stand-alone and not connected to the author’s popular Perez Family series.
Daughter of Ruins
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
90% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This is a sweeping historical novel that intertwines the lives of three resilient women across different eras, each striving to control her destiny amidst the rich tapestry of Greek culture and mythology.
Maria, living in a poor Greek mountain village in 1921, is sent to America as a picture bride to marry a stranger, a journey filled with fear and uncertainty as she leaves her family behind.
During Italy’s occupation of Cephalonia, Elena entertains soldiers, experiencing fleeting happiness until the German invasion in 1943 brings unforeseen challenges.
Born in America but raised on the Greek island of Cephalonia after her mother’s death, Demitra grows up envisioning her mother among the goddesses of her mythology books. In the post-WWII era, Demitra defies societal expectations by rejecting an arranged marriage, pursuing her passion for painting, and engaging in a forbidden love affair.
Geographic Notes
Greece has several island groups, each located in different parts of the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Cephalonia and Corfu are part of the Ionian island group, west of mainland Greece. These islands are known for their lush greenery and Venetian architecture.
Where the Wandering Ends is another historical fiction novel set on Corfu in the 1940s. This novel, which centers on the children’s villages established on the brink of a civil war in Greece, layers in the history of the Greek royal family and Greek mythology.
River Sing Me Home
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Newly freed from slavery in Barbados in 1834, Rachel embarks on a courageous journey to find the five children who were taken from her and sold across the Caribbean. Though emancipation has been declared, Rachel realizes true freedom remains elusive, and she refuses to accept the possibility that her children are lost forever.
Her journey takes her from Barbados’s sugarcane fields to British Guiana’s forests and Trinidad’s canals. Along the way, Rachel encounters fellow survivors, uncovers deep scars of colonial oppression, and finds strength, love, and resilience in unexpected places.
Welcome to Glorious Tuga
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Charlotte has just qualified as a vet in London but is leaving the island of England to study the endangered gold coin tortoises on the tiny South Atlantic island of Tuga de Oro. While she outwardly claims she’s there to save the turtles, in reality, she’s trying to solve the mystery of her connection to Tuga.
When she arrives, she has little time to investigate because she’s overwhelmed by helping more than tortoises. The island’s dogs, goats, donkeys, and even the islanders themselves seem to need her. Luckily, there’s another new doctor in town as well, and he is distractingly handsome.
More About This Book & the Series
Unlike the other books on this list, this one is set on a fictional island. However, readers say it includes a strong discussion of the idea of self-governance for island territories, which we felt made it a good fit for the Book Voyage Challenge.
While this novel has a romance storyline, it’s also a story of conservation, female friendship, and the realities of life on a small island. The second book in the series, Island Calling, picks up six weeks after the end of the first book, and a third book is anticipated to conclude the trilogy in the future.
The God of Good Looks
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Bianca Bridge has always dreamed of becoming a writer, but an affair with a married government official has derailed her prospects. It’s not the career path she envisioned, but she nonetheless accepts when she’s offered a job at a magazine run by a notoriously tyrannical entrepreneur in the island’s beauty scene.
Bianca begins to suspect that Obadiah may not be the elite tyrant everyone believes. But Obadiah, who was born in one of the poorest parts of Trinidad and has clawed his way up society’s ladder, doesn’t want anyone to see past his facade.
When Bianca’s ex threatens to jeopardize the career she’s rebuilt, she’s determined to fight back and finds support from the most unlikely ally.
More About This Book
This novel alternates between Bianca’s diary entries and Obadiah’s first-person narrative. Beyond providing an inside look at the beauty scene, this book portrays the rigid class system in Trinidad. It balances elements of romance with heavier topics, including prejudice and patriarchy.
Book Summary
This page-turning thriller is also a heartfelt story about siblings that will quickly draw you out of your own life and into the lives of the well-written characters.
The main characters in Castaways are two sisters, Lori and Erin, who are traveling together to an island resort in Fiji after Lori separates from her husband. The night before their flight to the resort, the sisters get into an argument, and Erin doesn’t show up when it’s time to board.
Lori gets on the plane anyway, but something feels off beyond her MIA sister. Her gut was right…the plane disappeared before reaching its destination. When Erin hears this, she uses her experience as a journalist and tries to figure out what happened to Lori and the other passengers.
Another Title Set in Fiji
If you’d prefer a historical mystery set in Fiji, consider A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao. You’ll find more historical mysteries set on islands on this list.
Book Summary
In this memoir, Safiya tells the story of her struggle to break free of her rigid Rastafarian upbringing. Her childhood was ruled by her father’s strict patriarchal views and repressive control. He was a volatile reggae musician and militant adherent to the strict Rastafari sect obsessed with purity. Concerned with the threat of what Rastas calls Babylon, the corrupting influences of the outside Western world, her father values obedience above all else and worries that womanhood would make Safiya and her sisters morally weak and impure.
While her father banned everything from pants to jewelry and makeup, her mother gave her daughters the gift of books. Safiya latched on to poetry and, in time, used her education to find her voice and to eventually break free.
Thoughts on This Memoir
This memoir is recommended for fans of Educated and Born a Crime. We highly recommend listening to this memoir narrated in Safiya’s own voice to fully appreciate her lyricism.
If you’d prefer to read a novel set in Jamaica, we recommend Augustown by Kei Miller, which is a magical and haunting historical fiction.
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
A domestic worker from Sri Lanka mysteriously disappears from her employer’s home on the island of Cyprus. To her employer, Petra, Nisha was little more than a caregiver for her daughter, but to Yiannis, a local poacher and Nisha’s secret lover, she was the love of his life. As they both struggle to understand what happened, Petra realizes how little she knew about Nisha’s world.
Through alternating perspectives, the novel explores the exploitation of migrant domestic workers, the emotional and physical sacrifices they make, and the inequalities they face.
Inspired by true events, Songbirds is set against the backdrop of Cyprus’s beauty and complexity and sheds light on injustice, loss, and the overlooked lives of those working in the shadows.
Geography Note
Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an independent island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Turkey.
Float Plan
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Float Plan takes you to the sunny Caribbean with Anna as she sets off on the boat that she inherited after the loss of her fiancé. While Anna initially begins her adventure alone, she quickly realizes that she’s in over her head. She hires Keane, a professional sailor who is dealing with his own struggles as he faces a future that looks much different than what he had planned.
This book is both an enjoyable beach read and, ultimately, an uplifting story about grief and second chances. Anna originally intends to follow the exact sailing route that she and her fiancé had planned to take together, but along the way, she discovers that she’ll have to chart her own course – both aboard the boat and in her life. Likewise, Keane is navigating rough waters both aboard Anna’s boat and as he struggles to put his life back on the course he had mapped out for himself.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
We both love a good beach read, and our readers rated this one of the all-time best beach reads! But this book really took Angela by surprise because it has so much more depth than she expected. Both main characters are authentic, flawed, and well-developed.
Throughout the book, the author paints vivid descriptions of the islands visited, with attention paid to what makes each island unique rather than just generalizing the entire region as nothing more than a tourist playground. There’s an excellent map on the author’s website that shows the sailing route and all of the islands visited.
Miss Benson’s Beetle
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
94% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Forty-seven-year-old teacher Margery is fed up with her hard life in the post-WW2 years. It’s 1950, and London is still dealing with rationing and shortages. Despite barely being able to afford basic life at home, Margery decides to take her future in a brave new direction. She posts an ad for a French-speaking assistant to join her on a trip halfway around the world.
Margery is looking for the fabled golden beetle of New Caledonia that her father told her about when she was a young girl. No matter what obstacles she faces, Margery pushes forward in this cross-ocean historical adventure that takes an unlikely duo to the South Pacific.
One Night on the Island
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
94% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
London dating columnist Cleo hadn’t planned to spend her 30th birthday alone, but her boss insisted that she take a brief sabbatical to explore the trending concept of self-coupling (or dating oneself) as a way to re-energize herself and bring something fresh to her column. She’s booked a luxury cabin on a remote Irish island.
Mac is also looking forward to some alone time. His marriage is falling apart – something he doesn’t want to admit – so he leaves Boston behind with the plan to soul-search on the same Irish island.
Due to a mix-up with the bookings, it turns out that both Cleo and Mac have booked the same cabin. The two are instantly at odds, but since the ferry only comes once a week, they are stuck with one another. As the week goes on, they find that they don’t mind each other’s company as much as they thought.
What to Expect in This Book
Some classify Silver as a rom-com writer, but One Night on the Island is much more of a life story than a love story. The characters are genuine and flawed, yet also resilient. Be sure to grab the box of tissues before you curl up to read this book!
The Not-Quite States of America
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Four million people inhabit the US island territories, spread from the Caribbean to the Pacific. While these lands don’t have the benefits of statehood, like representation in the US Senate, they do have everything from US Post Offices to Little League teams.
When the author of this book realized that he (and most other Americans) knew very little about these territories, he decided to visit each one. After covering 30,000 miles and spending time with locals on each island, he was uniquely equipped to write a book about how the territories are an interesting and important part of America’s story.
Why We Think You’ll Love
Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands each have a distinct culture and history, and they each have a different relationship with the United States. Through Doug Mack’s travels to each island, we learned more than we expected and often wished we were alongside him.
While this book is non-fiction and Mack digs into the details of the different government structures and unique challenges of being a territory, neither of us found the content to be dry. He infused enough personality into the book to keep us coming back for more! We think anyone interested in how and why the US has territories, and how they differ from states, should add this to their TBR list.
If this title inspires you to read some fiction books set in the five inhabited US Territories, we have a full list of highly rated titles that you’ll want to check out.
Bridesmaid for Hire
Book Summary
Maggie is enjoying a well-deserved vacation from her wedding planning business. She’s determined to relax and not think about work. But that’s before she hears that the wedding of the century is happening right here in Bora Bora. If only she had an in, this could help her take her business to the next level.
Unfortunately, that ‘in” comes in the form of the absolute last person she wants to bump into on vacation. Brody is her brother’s best friend and her sworn enemy. It turns out his boss’s daughter is the one getting married. He’s in Bora Bora for the wedding in hopes that it will earn him brownie points toward a big promotion.
Maggie and Brody decide to put their hate for each other aside and pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend for the sake of the wedding. What could go wrong?
Thoughts on This Book
While some readers compare this book to the ever-popular Unhoneymooners, others find the characters immature and frustrating. Many reviewers say that the audiobook, with dual narration by Jason Clarke and Erin Mallon, adds to the hilarity of the situations that Maggie and Brody find themselves in.
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Teenagers Kostas & Defne have a growing love for each other, but it’s forbidden because one of them is Greek Cypriot, and the other is Turkish Cypriot. In the taverna where they meet, a fig tree grows through the roof. The tree survives war, the capital’s destruction, and the teen couple’s disappearance.
Decades later, when Kostas returns, he’s now a botanist searching for native species and his lost love.
The Book Girls Say…
This book, by the most widely read female author in Turkey, was originally recommended to us by one of our readers. She said that while it was heavy, it also beautifully showcased the inhabitants, flora, and fauna of Cyprus. Since adding it to our list, it has proven a popular choice for island reading.
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In the summer of 1942, at the height of WWII, 21-year-old Anne joins the Army Nurse Corps and is sent to serve in the South Pacific on the island of Bora Bora.
She has a fiancé back home that was chosen for her from birth, and whose father has paid to ensure that he won’t be drafted. After arriving in Bora Bora, she finds herself drawn to a soldier named Westry. Together, they spend many blissful hours under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow. But they are driven apart when they witness a crime, and then Westry is redeployed to Europe.
Years later, back home in Seattle, Westry is never far from Anne’s mind. When a letter arrives, she hopes that maybe they’ll finally be reunited.
Thoughts on This Book
This historical fiction is perfect for fans of WWII romance, and though it may be a bit predictable, readers say it’s a joy to read.
Meet Me in Paradise
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Marin has lived life as safely as possible, never even setting foot outside Tennessee. Her concern started after her journalist mother was killed on assignment, but the tragedy had the opposite effect on her sister, Sadie, who travels the world as a photographer.
After returning from a tough assignment, Sadie convinces Marin to join her in a spa weekend on the island of Saba. She’s skeptical about leaving home, even for a girls’ weekend, but agrees. Her long-time fear of travel is confirmed when Sadie misses the flight, a stranger steals her sister’s seat, and Marin’s luggage is mixed up with another passenger’s.
Luckily, the seat-stealer is handsome! Lucas ends up being the perfect travel mate around Saba, and Marin begins to discover more about herself through each adventure.
Deeper Than the Cover Suggests
Although the cover of this book looks like standard rom-com fare, this book is a blend of romance with heavier themes. Reviewers describe this book as an enjoyable rollercoaster of emotions, but warn that you’ll want to keep the tissues within reach!
Wish You Were Here
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Diana has her life all planned out – marriage, kids, and climbing the professional ladder in the art auction world. And it all starts with getting engaged to her surgical resident boyfriend, Finn. They are about to head out on a romantic getaway to the Galapagos for her 30th birthday, and she just knows he’ll propose on the trip.
On the eve of their departure, a virus that previously seemed a world away has made its way to NYC, and Finn’s hospital needs everyone on-call. He doesn’t want their nonrefundable trip to go to waste, so he convinces Diana to go without him.
After she arrives, the whole island is forced to quarantine, and she finds herself stranded until the borders reopen. Isolated and alone, Diana begins to form a connection with a local family. Through the experience, she finds herself re-evaluating her priorities.
This is a thoroughly researched novel. Some say it starts out a bit slowly, but soon, you’ll find it going in unexpected directions. Readers say the story contains surprises that you won’t see coming!
Consider This Before Reading
Many readers may not yet feel ready to relive the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, so despite the great reviews of this book, don’t push yourself if it’s not the right time.
If you’d like to visit the Galapagos but need a total escape read, we recommend picking up Shipped by Angie Hockman. Fans of The Hating Game and Unhoneymooners will enjoy this enemies-to-lovers rom-com that places two cruise line colleagues aboard a ship, battling it out for their dream promotion in the marketing department. The vivid descriptions of the Galapagos will have you adding this destination to your travel bucket list! We’d give Shipped a PG rating, making it perfect for those looking for a rom com without the steam.
Winter in Paradise
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Irene gets a shocking late-night phone call that her husband has been found dead on the island of St. John, far from their suburban life. When she travels to St. John to figure out what happened to her husband, Irene discovers much more than she expected – including his entire double life.
Consider This Before Reading
This is book #1 in a 3-book series, which means it ends without a fully satisfying ending, and you’ll want to keep reading. We enjoyed all three, but it’s a time commitment, so we wanted to make sure you knew what you were in for!
Why We Think You’ll Love It
If you love Elin Hilderbrand’s books set in Nantucket as much as we do, consider heading to the Caribbean with her. She is a bit of a local celebrity on St. John. Within this story, she drops the names of many local business owners, bar dwellers, and locations that you may recognize if you’ve traveled to this US Virgin Island. Although, as she says in her author’s notes, some of these businesses did not survive Hurricane Irma.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Island Queen
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
91% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This historical fiction epic will transport you back in time to the colonial West Indies of the late 1700s and the early 1800s.
The story centers around Doll, who was born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat and later bought her freedom (as well as that of her mother and sister) from her Irish planter father. She became an incredibly successful entrepreneur, merchant, and hotelier.
Along the way, she leveraged the competing attentions of the men in her life as she built a legacy of wealth and power that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to the South American continent.
Based on a True Story
This novel is based on the true-life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the West Indies. This is a long read at nearly 600 pages, but one that will stick with you!
An Untamed State
Book Summary
Mireille Duval Jameson is living a fairy-tale life as the privileged, youngest daughter of a wealthy Haitian construction magnate. She has an adoring husband, a precocious infant son, by all appearances a perfect life until she is kidnapped outside her parents’ home in Port-au-Prince. Her captors demand a ransom, but her father—believing that paying would invite more violence—refuses to negotiate.
For thirteen days, Mireille endures brutal treatment at the hands of her kidnappers, forced to confront the fragility of safety, privilege, and identity. When she is finally released, she struggles to reclaim herself, haunted by the violence, betrayal, and psychological scars left behind.
Spanning Haiti and the United States, the novel explores trauma, resilience, and the cost of survival, examining the stark contrast between Mireille’s past and the woman she has become.
Other Titles to Consider
Rosane Gay is also the author of Ayiti, a series of short stories that blend fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Some are set in Haiti, but all revolve around the experience of being Haitian.
If you are looking for more stories set in Haiti, consider Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat. This collection of short stories was a Reese’s Book Club pick, but be warned that it contains some explicit and violent scenes and deals with many heavy issues, including AIDS, Alzheimer’s, postpartum depression, and more.
Hula
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Spanning three generations in Hilo, Hawaii, this expressive literary work explores the tradition, culture, family, and history of Native Hawaiians. Hi’i is the youngest daughter of the Naupka dynasty. Her grandmother, Halali, is the Hulu matriarch on the Big Island. Hi’i mother, Laka, disappeared when Hi’i was a child.
As the youngest member of the family, Hi’i struggles with her identity and connection to the past, but hopes to heal the rifts within her family by becoming the next Miss Aloha Hula, just like her mother was. Hula is the perfect way for her to demonstrate that she still has a devotion to her culture. But people still want to know why Laka disappeared. Then, a revelation about Hi’i comes out and leaves the community with a huge decision that will impact the course of Hi’i’s future.
What to Expect in This Novel
Readers say the writing is beautiful and steeped in history, but at times, this book can be difficult to follow and a slower read, especially in the first half. Hula has been referred to as a blend of There, There and Sharks in the Time of Saviors, so if you love literary dives into the meaning of heritage, it could be a great pick. The novel is partially told from the collective tribal “We” point of view, so don’t pick it if you’re looking for more standard historical fiction.
Some reviews recommend the audiobook so you can experience the accents and cadence of the Hawaiian pidgin language.
For an excellent historical fiction set in Hawaii, we also recommend Moloka’i by Alan Brennert, which tells the tragic history of a real leper colony in the 1890s.
Family Reunion
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Eleanor lives in a charming home on a cliffside in Nantucket. The house has been in her family for generations. She loves life on the island, but now that she’s in her 70s and widowed, she does feel a bit isolated and lonely at times. That’s why she is looking so forward to the annual family reunion with her children and grandchildren.
Once they arrive, however, things don’t go as Eleanor envisioned. Her children want her to move to a retirement community and sell the house to a developer who’s been eager to acquire the property for years. Her children have concerns about her wintering on the island at her age, but they are clearly interested in getting a share of the money as well.
Eleanor’s lone ally is her 22-year-old granddaughter, who moves in with her for the summer. Together, they enjoy an island summer beyond either of their wildest imaginations.
Other Nantucket Books to Consider
Nancy Thayer has a large catalog of Nantucket-set books. Family Reunion is her newest and highest-rated, but if you love this setting, check out her other titles as well! And of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t also recommend the full catalog of Nantucket-set books by Elin Hilderbrand!
The Price of Paradise
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Old Havana comes to life in this historical fiction novel. In 1947, Patricio flees Spain with nothing more than the clothes on his back and his dreams. Once in Havana, he lands a job at El Encanto – one of the most luxurious department stores in the world that caters to Hollywood stars and other rich and famous clientele.
It is here that Patricio meets and falls in love with Gloria, the young wife of notorious mobster Cesar Valdes. Within the walls of El Encanto, it’s easy for them to believe that anything is possible.
Patricio and Gloria’s love affair spans over half a century, as the stories of their lives are intertwined time and time again. Each time, Patricio knows that loving her could be suicide. Still, he can’t help but be drawn to this beautiful woman who has a penchant for both Christian Dior clothes and Einstein’s theories.
Clap When You Land
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This is the story of two teenage girls – Yahaira, a chess prodigy in NYC and Camino, an aspiring doctor in the Dominican Republic.
Camino lives with her aunt and looks forward to her father visiting each summer. On the day he’s supposed to arrive, she goes to meet him at the airport but finds a crowd of mourners and learns that her father’s plane went down.
That same day, Yahaira is at school when she’s called down to the principal’s office, where her mom is waiting to tell her that her father has died in a plane crash.
This book will transport you from Queens, New York, to the colorful homes of the Dominican Republic as these two girls discover the secret their father left behind – each other.
Notes About Format
This YA novel is written in poetic verse, but don’t let that intimidate you! You may need to start reading slowly to get into the rhythm of the writing, but it will be worth it!
This book is told from alternating perspectives. Both girls’ names appear at the top of each chapter, but the airplane symbol points at the narrator of that chapter, so be sure to take note of that to avoid confusion.
We love audiobooks, but reviewers say that the two narrator’s voices sound very similar, making it hard to distinguish between the girls when listening, so we’d recommend reading this one in paper or ebook form. Additionally, this book includes some Spanish words and phrases without translation. Most readers say that the meaning can generally be understood from the context, but you may also want to consider keeping Google Translate handy.
This story is based on the true events of American Airlines Flight 587 that was bound for the Dominican Republic in November 2001, but crashed shortly after taking off from JFK International Airport in NYC. The tragedy claimed 260 lives, and nearly 90% of the passengers aboard were of Dominican descent.
Bermuda Blue
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
When Jerry, a reporter from Boston, is assigned to cover a Bermuda yacht race. While he’s traveling for work, he’s staying with a former classmate from Boston College who now has a luxurious home. Plus, he runs into a childhood friend, who works on the US Army Base.
The trio of young veterans are enjoying the island’s nightlife as everyone tries to resume normal life after the war. However, everything isn’t as easygoing as it looks on the surface. While people have flocked to Bermuda to forget the past, the war and its consequences can’t be ignored for long.
More About This Book
This book is listed as the second in a series, but each is a standalone novel with different characters in a different setting.
You are welcome to choose any book that you’d like to read for the challenge, but we hope that this list of books has given you a good starting point.
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Printable Version This Book List
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists. As we update each book list throughout the year – following the monthly reading challenge schedule – each list will be available in a single-page printable format for our BMAC members.
We offer two membership levels. Both our BFF members and our Inner Circle members get access to the single-page printables for the year-long reading challenges. Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level.
Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!
Book Recommendations for Other Regions
Find more recommendations for other regions of the world using the links below.
- Books Set in Africa
- Books Set in Western Europe
- Books Set in South America
- Books Set in Antarctica and the Arctic
- Books Set in North America (By Country & Region)
- Books Set in the Middle East
- Books Set on a Form of Transportation
- Books Set in Asia: Northern Countries
- Books Set in Asia: Southern Countries
- Books Set in Australia and New Zealand
- Books Set in Eastern Europe & Russia
- Books That Take Place On an Island
- Books that Span Multiple Continents
Thank you for yet another amazing list!
A couple of new(er) releases Ive been super excited about that are set on islands:
Loyalty- Lisa Scottoline
Other Birds- Sarah Addison Allen
River Sing Me Home- Eleanor Shearer
Re: Book Set on an Island – There are remarkable writers from Newfoundland, Canada, with such incredible stories. Would you consider including some titles from there?
We always welcome suggestions! We also have a North America list as part of Book Voyage that would include Newfoundland.
I know it’s heavy, and with the description in the April email we’re trying to get away from heavy for a bit, but I was disappointed that Island of the Missing Trees by Elif Shafak was not on the list. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and the island of Cyprus – both its inhabitants and its flora and fauna – are central to the novel. Would love to see it added, so others can find it like I recently did.
I just happened to pick One Night on the Island for the 30 year-old challenge. Now I can also read it for an Island this month. Thanks!
When I clicked this post I was like ” oh I hope they have some recommendations based in Greece! “. My expectations were met lol Lots of great recommendations here overall too!
Molly, I honeymooned in the Greek Isles so it took some restraint on my part for this whole list not to be set in Greece, haha. We hope you enjoy some of our recommendations!