Summer on the Bluffs

The entertaining but uneven first novel from The View cohost Hostin (after the memoir I Am These Truths) chronicles the relationship between Black power couple Omar and Ama Vaux Tanner and their goddaughters Perry Soto, Billie Hayden, and Olivia Jones, each of whom the Tanners began supporting as young children in New York City. In their late 20s, the three women continue to spend their summers at the Tanners’ majestic house in Oak Bluffs, the affluent Black community of Martha’s Vineyard. After Omar dies, Ama rekindles a connection with a former lover and plans to pass on the house to one of the goddaughters. Perry, who longs to have a baby, has a fling while she figures out whether to take back her often-absent doctor husband, who hangs out with his med-school party crowd. Olivia takes a chance on dating a white comedian. Biologist Billie debates whether to accept a job that would separate her from her girlfriend, Dulce. As Ama considers which goddaughter will receive the house, secrets are revealed about the Tanner marriage and how the couple came to take care of the three children. Some of the plot points hinge on avoidable misunderstandings, particularly between Billie and Dulce, but Hostin nicely captures the Vineyard’s social nuances. This messy beach book packs plenty of drama. (May)