This frolicsome novel set on the idyllic island of Martha’s Vineyard is witty, heart-warming, and perfect for any beach bag.Schuyler Harrington has fallen apart: her ex-fiancé is a serial philanderer, her beloved Grams has died, and she’s quit her job. Escaping her city life, Sky seeks refuge on Martha’s Vineyard. She hires Nate Batchelor, local Island goatscaper and scion of one of the Island’s … scion of one of the Island’s oldest families, to clear a view of Tisbury Great Pond with his herd of unruly goats.
Nate knows better than to get involved with a summer person—and a rich one at that—but the attraction for both is instant and undeniable. Sky’s new life quickly collides with her old, and she must make some tough decisions.
Runaway goats, quirky characters, and a comedy of errors set the stage in this sea-breezy novel that proves that love will find you—whether you want it to or not.
“Goats gambol by the seashore in this very funny and sly 21st-century twist on the classic marriage plot.”
— HOLLY HODDER EGER, award-winning author of Split Rock: A Martha’s Vineyard Novel
”Goats in the Time of Love is a delightful romp of a novel that will transport you to summertime island life, complete with sandy beaches, sun-warmed skin, briny oysters and tangy wild blueberries, ocean sunsets, and, of course, romance. And the romance is the best kind, the this-may-not-be-right-for-me-but-it-feels-so-good-I-can’t-think-about-anything-else kind of romance with all its thrills and pitfalls.”
— KATHLEEN McCLEARY, author of Leaving Haven, A Simple Thing, and House & Home
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I had this paperback sitting down on my shelf for months. The moment I started reading I thought “Why on earth I didn’t read this sooner?”
The setting of the story is located on the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The book instantly transported me to the place I’ve never been but I definitely have it on my bucket list, the beautiful writing gave me the descriptions I needed to picture the entire movie in my head.
I loved the contrast between Nate and Sky’s personalities and backgrounds. Him a small town Goatscaper who everyone in town loves and defends and her a city rich girl who’s been discovering the life she’s been used to doesn’t make her happy. They were completely different but it was exactly because of that they were so compatible.
Although I can’t relate to Sky’s situation, I was able to connect with her need for a peaceful place to reflect on her priorities and relax after a lifetime of irrational social expectations and overwhelming family pressure. I admired her determination to pursue the life she wanted to have although she didn’t know how that life looked like at the beginning of the story. She truly hung onto her grandmother’s advice, that’s why I believe she was genuine from the very start, far from the conceited rich girl she believed she was.
I really loved Nate, a different type of hero from most romance novels. His uncomplicated, reserved personality and shy demeanor combined with his sweetness, passion, and love for his dog and goats attracted me from the first scene. The development of their relationship felt natural. I enjoyed seeing him giving himself the chance to know Sky without the labels his own social group had already put on her.
I believe the fact that they were honest from the start on the expectations about their relationship, allowed them to enjoy each other’s company without caring too much about what people said or not and enabled them to understand how irrational and manipulative society’s rules can be. I understood their doubts and hesitations throughout the number of situations they had to face but made me fall in love with them as I saw them having their own realizations about life and love.
I rooted for this couple from start to finish! The ending moved me in a different way from other books it’s a romance, we know the couple will end up together but I think it was the maturity and honest happiness they reached as the story ended that made it so real and emotional to me! They weren’t happy just because they had each other, but because they learned valuable lessons about what’s really important in life and found the place where they belonged.
A cozy, swoon worthy and fun love story with a lot of yummy food and adorable animals.
A big shout out to Nan the cute dog and all the goats! They definitely made this story memorable!