The May House

 Jillian Cantor

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

The May House by Jillian Cantor follows three sisters (Julia, Emily, and Nora) who reunite for one week at their family home every May to spend time together. This was a promise they made to their grandmother in order to inherit the beach house there. One year, Julia doesn’t show up, so the story takes off from there, alternating between present and past.

The concept is really strong and quite engaging. The idea of three estranged sisters coming back together in a place loaded with emotional history has a lot of weight to it, and the novel taps into that well. There’s a constant sense that the house holds more than just memories, and I felt that there is some kind of underlying mystery that helps carry the narrative forward.

One of my favorite things about the book is the relationship between the sisters. It felt real to me—messy in a believable way, not overly dramatic but still emotional. Each sister has her own personality and baggage, and you can really feel that in how they interact. The story switches between their perspectives (in third person), which worked well in showing how differently they see the same past. As their history slowly comes out, their bond feels more layered, and some of their conversations are very relevant.

The author did a great job with the atmosphere of the book. It is excellent throughout. The setting of the May house has its own mood with an almost cozy but at the same time mysterious backdrop, which helps a lot in enhancing the emotional tone of the story. There’s a quiet intensity to the writing that keeps you immersed, even in slower moments.

Now, for what didn’t work for me—I think the main problem was with the non-linear timeline. There is a lot of back-and-forth between different points in time, which felt scattered and, at times, confusing. I have no idea why the author chose this method instead of the simple present and past periods. This sometimes made it harder to stay oriented within the story.

Overall, the book is still worth reading, so I’m giving it a solid 3.5 stars. The concept is compelling, the sisters’ relationship is well developed, and the atmosphere is a real strength. But the disjointed timeline holds it back from being as impactful as it could have been.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Key Themes

• Sisterhood
• Friendship
• Grief & Loss
• Hidden Truths