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What a great read! I had high expectations going into this one because I really enjoyed “This Is Home”. Ms. Duffy has written another wonderfully character driven novel set on an island off of Massachusetts. She does it all right, the atmosphere, the characters, the intricate plotting, I loved it all.

Sky is a precocious ten year old who is trying to figure out what her life will be now that her parents are both gone, killed in an automobile accident. She was an orphan, adopted as a newborn and no one knows her background, or do they?

Leo has been a friend of Sky’s father since they were young, they both grew up on Ichabod island. Sky has known him all of her life and now her parents have appointed him her legal guardian. He had been living off of the island with his husband but is definitely willing to step up. He loves Sky, he’s just not sure if he will do the right things as a parent. His husband Xavier has no desire to move to the island, the city is his home. Leo goes through a lot of changes throughout the novel, parenting, finding a job he can do from home, living without the husband whom he loves. I enjoyed the way the character evolved.

There is so much going on that I flew through the pages. Maggie, Sky’s neighbor, has been a part of her life growing up. She has two grown sons who are not around and a husband who has already cheated on her once. She is realizing for the first time that she has the ability to change what is making her unhappy. She has always been a good friend to Ann and Brian, Sky’s parents and thinks that Leo will be a great dad.

Agnes is the town historian and into everyone’s business. Her ancestors were some of the first on the island and she’s very proud of that fact. Agnes and Maggie have been friends for 20 plus years but lately Agnes’s opinions are beginning to corrode their friendship.

Joe is a local construction company owner who is sidelined because of a fall. He sees and hears a lot of what is going on in the neighborhood while he is out tending his garden. He seems to be always ready to lend a helping hand and is holding a secret which he’s not sure should be revealed.

Frankie is Sky’s best friend and together they will weather the storm of changes.

Then there is the mystery person, whose thoughts are flowing throughout the book. This person is troubled and ill but has returned to the island for a purpose, we will find out what that is.

Whew, I’m ranting, but the characters have embedded themselves in my mind and this is one of those books that I just didn’t want to end. I found the characters to be believable and well developed and I found myself rooting for them all. In this case a community really is ready to help raise a child -- Sky.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written drama. Small towns often hold big secrets!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.

The novel is set to publish on May 12, 2020, watch for it!all-time-favorite book-from-publisher literature183 s Meredith (Trying to catch up!)862 13.6k

“...Sometimes the strongest friendships come from loneliest despair.”

My Kind of People is a character-driven story about a group of people who live on an island off of the New England coast who are brought together by a tragedy. Through their relationships, they not only heal but also discover the true meaning of love and self-acceptance.

Sky, a 10-year-old girl, lost both of her parents in a tragic accident. She now lives with Leo, her guardian, and Xavier, Leo’s husband. Sky’s neighbor Maggie, who also happens to be her school teacher, helps Sky and Leo, overcome their heartache, while at the same time deals with her own fractured relationships.

Told through the eyes of Sky, Maggie, and Leo, I enjoyed each of their narratives equally.

While the plot isn’t wholly original, I was talking to a friend who read a book recently with a similar plot, the characters have heart and bring this story alive.

The characters made this book for me; I loved all of the characters and enjoyed their narratives in different ways. In addition to the characters, I also loved the setting of Ichabod Island. Duffy transported me to New England, and I was able to escape while reading this. Overall, this is a heartfelt and emotional read with lovely characters and a lovely message!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
netgalley174 s Debra2,721 35.8k

My kind of People is My kind of book!

If you enjoyed This is Home by Duffy....you'll enjoy this.

Thirteen miles off the coast of Massachusetts, on Ichabod Island, ten-year-old, Skye has become an orphan for the second time in her life when her adoptive parents die in an accident. Not only does Leo learn that his best friend died in the accident, but he has been named Skye's guardian. Back on the Island, he is trying his best to make it work, while his husband, is struggling with island life and having a child in their life.

Maggie is a constant in Skye's life and is more than supportive of Leo and helps whenever she can. She's a loving woman who is struggling with her marriage and a local scandal which has opened her eyes.

Agnes is a busy body who happens to be Maggie's best friend. But can their relationship survive when Agnes steps over the line?

Joe, another neighbor, is quick to welcome Joe and his husband to the island. He is recovering from a bad fall and burdened with the knowledge that something wasn't quite right in Skye's home months leading up to the accident.

Lastly, there is a mysterious woman who is on the island who has come to Ichabod to fulfill her dying wish.

Community, love, tragedy, relationships, friendship, addiction, mental illness, family, hope, starting over, secrets, inappropriateness, and talent. This book has a little bit of everything. The characters are likable, flawed, relatable and have depth.

Duffy has a gift of transporting readers to her locations. I felt as if I were a member of this Island Community watching as this group of people rallied together even while having their differences. I loved the use of the mysterious character and was trying to figure out how she fits into the story and once I knew it just made the book even more enjoyable for me.

Fans of Duffy will enjoy this book. For those who have not read her, have your eyes out for this book and while you are at it, check out her other books (The Salt House, This is Home) as well.

I found this book to be well written, engaging, thought-provoking end endearing. A must read!

Thank you to Lisa Duffy and Maudee Genao and Atria Books who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
136 s Angela M 1,350 2,160

3.5 stars rounded up.
Life isn’t perfect. Things happen that cause grief and loss. Sometimes people lose themselves to alcohol or drugs or mental illness or lose their way in relationships, marriages and friendships. All of these things happen in this novel and it’s the characters with their imperfections and the mistakes they make along the way, the assumptions they have about each other, the assumptions that we as readers have about them, that make them so relatable. No one is perfect, but people can sometimes find their way when they are surrounded by people who love them.

There’s a lot packed into this story which takes place on a small New England Island with the feel of a small town and all of the dynamics that come from the proximity of people and houses and a shared history. At its heart, the novel is about a little girl named Sky, suffering grief and a terrible loss. It’s also about those around her - friends and family who try the best to care for her while dealing with their own personal burdens.

I found this to be predictable and had guessed some of the things that weren’t apparent to the characters until the end and there were a couple of things that felt a little dramatic. Having said that, it’s a lovely story reflecting on what brings people together or back together, sometimes back to the people they were and what home really means. I have to round up to 4 stars because these characters were “my kind of people “ - sometimes a little lost, but filled with love for family and friends. I’ve read all three of Lisa Duffy’s books and found all of them to be solid, moving stories reflecting on the bonds of home and family and love, things we can all relate to.

An advanced copy was provided by Atria Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.netgalley-130 s Susanne1,174 38.3k

5 Heartwarming Stars!

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might just happen to read a book at the exact perfect moment. It’s a book that brings you comfort and peace and makes you feel completely content. A book you just want to curl up with. (My cat, in fact, did exactly that!)

For me, that book was “My Kind of People” by Lisa Duffy. As soon as I started reading it, a calmness enveloped me, almost the warmth of a cozy blanket on a cold snowy day.

“My Kind of People” centers around a community: family, friends and neighbors, who live on Ichabod Island in New England. People whose lives who’ve been torn apart by tragedy and secrets.

First, there’s Sky, whose life is in shambles after her parents are killed tragically. Though life has dealt Sky the worst possible cards in the deck, somehow, Sky is able to believe. Then there’s Leo, Sky’s Legal Guardian. Kind, intuitive, sweet Leo who simply wants to make everything ok, for Sky and for his husband Xavier. If only it were that easy. Maggie, Leo and Sky’s next door neighbor, has recently had a few struggles of her own. Marital troubles - which Maggie’s best friend Agnes seems happy to fixate on. Tsk, tsk. Then we have Joe, neighbor to both Leo and Maggie, who has troubles of his own, though he is always there for everyone in their time of need.

“My Kind of People” is a character driven novel which includes a stellar cast. Each character is multifaceted and full of heart and incredible depth. I loved the characters of Sky, Leo, Maggie, Joe and Frankie (Sky’s best friend) and felt completely engulfed in the storyline from the get go. I could say that it’s because I grew up in New England and could imagine myself in the picturesque town, though in truth it’s entirely due to Lisa Duffy’s writing style and her brilliant characterizations.

Even before I started this book I had a feeling. I mean, how could I not? The title itself made me think the book would be pretty darn special. “My Kind of People” - what’s not to ? When I meet someone, I can tell almost immediately, if they are “My Kind of People” so I was pretty sure this was my kind of book! That said, last year when I had read Lisa Duffy’s “This is Home” and I felt much the same way. That book made it on to my Goodreads Best of List for 2019 and this book struck a chord with me early on and from that point, I knew that this book was just as special and would appear on this year’s Best of List. For those of you who wonder if you should read this, the answer is a resounding yes! It will fill your heart with peace and love and give you that warmth that you so desperately need.

Thank you so much to Lisa Duffy for filling that Void.

Thank you to Maudee Genao at Atria Books for the Galley, NetGalley for the e-arc.

Happy Publication Day!

Published on Goodreads, Amazon and NetGalley on 5.12.20.
Excerpt to be published on Insta.2020-five-star-books direct-from-publisher favorite-authors ...more117 s Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader2,363 31.5k

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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.

Many of my can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreadermaster-270 s Christine616 1,307

Last year I really enjoyed Lisa Duffy’s second novel, This is Home, so I jumped at the opportunity to read her new book, My Kind of People. This one revolves around Sky, who in her 10 short years has already lost 2 sets of parents, and her guardian Leo. Leo is black and gay (Sky is white), which to my delight, was not at the center of the story. What is at the center are the relationships amongst neighbors and amongst family members and how out of these relationships come pain, loss of love, resilience, strengthening of bonds, acceptance and joy.

There are a number of characters here to . Not only Sky and Leo, but also their neighbors Maggie and Joe. Maggie is a school teacher, a very kind woman who deserves more than she has. Joe is a jack-of-all-trades who is always willing to help whoever needs it. I even d Lillian, a woman with a bad reputation, almost from the get-go. Sky, Leo, and Maggie all struggle with the issues of who they are and where do they belong. Their journeys make for some fine reading.

Of note, the setting is Ichabod Island, a fictional island off the coast of Massachusetts. The author does a nice job conveying the atmosphere and feel of the location.

I had to deduct a star as I pretty much guessed the crux of the revelations at the end of the book early on. Nonetheless, the story captivated me enough mark Ms. Duffy’s first book, The Salt House, the only one I haven’t read yet.

I highly recommend My Kind of People for all readers of contemporary fiction looking for a satisfying character-driven novel.

My thanks go to Atria Books, Net Galley, and Ms. Lisa Duffy for an advanced copy. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
contemporary-fiction ebooks net-galley64 s Brenda ~The Book Witch at Witch Words860 904

My Kind of People is all about the characters here and their relationships with each other while exploring home, family, loss and community. I enjoyed the dynamics between the knit community here that comes together after a tragedy to care for 10-year-old Skye after the loss of her parents. The characters are endearing, diverse and relatable, each with their own voice and conflict. Some with conflicts with each other and Lisa Duffy keeps the drama low between them. I cared about them and was invested in what happens to them from start to finish.

While Lisa Duffy explores themes here with loss, grieve, addiction, mental illness, belonging, judgement she keeps it light while creating depth, and growth in the characters. She writes with understanding and hope.

I loved the setting here and it brought a warm feeling to the story for me and added to the sense of community with the characters. I wanted to visit this community with a book and nothing to do but read on Ichabld Island and these characters who were my kind of people. I highly recommend for an endearing read

I received a copy from the publisher

63 s Larry H2,666 29.6k

What makes a family? What sacrifices should you have to make to have one?

Leo’s life is turned upside down when his best friends Brian and Ann die and name him the guardian of their 10-year-old daughter, Sky. He temporarily moves back to his childhood hometown on Ichabod Island, just off the coast of Massachusetts. His new responsibilities threaten his job and his marriage to Xavier, who doesn’t want to have kids and wants to continue living in NYC.

"How do you build a new life? Leo wonders. How do you fill shoes so goddamn big?"

From the outside looking in, Brian and Ann seemed to have the perfect marriage. But were secrets taking their toll?

When Agnes, the island’s resident busybody, invites Sky’s maternal grandmother, whom she has never really known, to stay on the island, it causes a great deal of friction among longtime friends and neighbors, not to mention Leo and Xavier. What are her intentions toward Sky? And what does Sky want?

My Kind of People studies relationships of all kinds: romantic, marital, parental, friendships, and those which fall somewhere between the two. How do we protect someone else from getting hurt while keeping our own guard up at the same time?

Lisa Duffy has a magnificent way of immersing you in her books. Only a few pages in and you feel you’ve known these characters forever. Despite the tensions, the island itself seemed so welcoming.

This story took a little longer to click with me than Duffy’s other books. There’s a lot of angry people in this book, and it wasn’t fun to process all of that early on. But Duffy’s storytelling is so beautiful that I started caring about the characters and what happened to them. One storyline was a little more melodramatic than it needed to be, but it still worked within the confines of the plot.

Duffy is definitely an auto-buy author for me and I can’t wait until her next book! You really should read her books if you haven't already. This is Home is my favorite.

Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.

Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.

See all of my at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.57 s Berit Talks Books2,057 15.7k

My kind of book. Fabulous well developed characters, quaint small town setting, uplifting heartwarming storyline. Lisa Duffy is a beautiful and vivid storyteller who touched my heart with her words. Leo has returned to Ichabod Island after the death of one of his closest friends. He is now guardian to a lively 10-year-old girl Sky. Leo is not sure he’s ready for fatherhood, and his husband Xavier definitely is not. Luckily neighbor Maggie is always there to lend a helpful hand. Maggie has known Sky all her life and now that her two boys are away from home she is more than happy to help with Sky. Maggie is also going through a bit of a personal crisis trying to figure out what she’s going to do about her cheating husband and her nosy Bestie. Leo, Maggie, along with another neighbor Joe are all charmed by Sky and want to make this transition as easy as possible for her. A gorgeous character driven story about love, loss, and community.

I loved every minute I spend with these wonderful characters on this charming island. The story is narrated from multiple perspectives: Leo, Sky, Maggie, and A mysterious narrator with a past connection. Sky was probably my favorite character I loved her friendship with Frankie and how wise yet innocent she was when it came to reading people. Leo was also a great character. Imagine being thrown into parenthood without a warning, I loved his character’s growth and how his relationship with his husband evolved. Maggie was a character I related to The Best as a mother with adult kids, I loved the decisions she made because she really deserved happiness. A wonderful assortment of characters who gave me all the feels. This was my first book from Miss Duffy but it will 100% not be my last.

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