My review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟


Cape May by Chip Cheek is set in New England in 1957, with Henry and Effie on their honeymoon to her childhood summer vacation spot, but they're visiting it in the off season, and so it's much emptier than she remembers.



Pretty soon, Effie's bored of the place, and wants to go home. It's not like she remembers, and whilst Henry feels hurt, he's willing to leave. And then they meet one of the neighbours, someone that Effie knew a long time ago.



This is a tale of an innocent couple, meeting bored, rich people, who open their eyes to a different life.



Can Henry and Effie's marriage survive the ride? You'll have to read to find out more!



This is Chip Creek's debut novel, and it's a stonker! It's so evocative, with the scene being set so well that you can believe yourself in a grey seaside town, the drizzle of rain, and the few people who would be there.



Cape May was published on 30th April 2019, and is available on Amazon to buy on Kindle and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!



I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Orion Publishing Group (the publishers) for this book.



Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

A naive ,newly married couple stay at Cape May on their honeymoon. A much more worldly-wise group befriend them and events develop which will affect their lives from then on. Compelling reading, well written.

I'll be honest, the reason I'm late with this review is because I had to sit this book aside for a while, then pick up on a later date.

Cape May gives us a glimpse into life in the 1950's era. Following youngsters, and naïve virgins, Effie and Henry on their two week honeymoon in Cape May - it seems they have the whole town and beach resort to themselves with it being off season. Until a light is spotted on in a house down the street where they find themselves lured in with this rich and privileged group of people...

What follows is a rather sexually explicit tale of lust, desire and sexual awakenings - a rather perfect book for summer days in the garden or on the beach with a G&T in your hand!

This book is full of atmosphere, Chip Cheek has nailed that aspect - you really feel you're part of it, but unfortunately for me where it fell short was the characters, I just didn't feel like I knew them enough therefore I never fully connected with the book - which is a shame, as I think that would of swung it and my enjoyment if I had of.

Honestly not the new Gatsby I was promised, but it was enjoyable for the most part. I have to say that I wasn't a fan of the last quarter of the novel though: the double standards, the restrictions of 50s marriage and the unhappiness they accepted. Not for me!

Fascinating coming of age novel about two naive virgins on their honeymoon drawn into a rich group. Parties and plenty of gin erode their inhibitions. The writing is good including some steamy sex. If I have one criticism, it is that some actions are not realistic. I will not elaborate further as that would spoil the plot.

Set in the 1950's, Cape May follows Effie and Henry as they embark on their honeymoon to the seaside town of the same name. As they learn how to co-exist with one another, learn each others bodies and their own desires, they soon discover Cape May to be a ghost town. It's off season - it's deserted - and as they're about to cut their trip short, they bump into some neighbours enjoying the quiet of the town - Clara, Max, and Alma.

As they spend more time with their new friends, they feel their inhibitions slip away, and discover there's more to married life than they first thought.

Cape May is pitched as 'erotic' and 'sexy' and I really just wanted a book that was both those things in copious amounts. And did Cape May deliver?

Sort of.

Cheek's writing was definitely luring and enchanting. I was there, on the beach, in the town, running through the rain. And it was sexy. There was something about the writing of Henry and Effie getting to know each other that was very touching, innocent, while also exciting and adventurous.

I did kind of want more though. More sex? More adventurous sex? A bit of both? The way I read the blurb was that this was going to be outrageously sexy, and I was a little let down by that. But that is on the pitch, and my expectations, and not the book itself.

However, I didn't really like any of the characters. There was nothing special about them, nothing to draw me to them, and I found them a bit 2D. There was also very little in the relationships between the characters, nothing that I could that drew them to one another.

On a whole, I did enjoy the read. At times I felt like I was waiting for something else to come into play which never did, but at no point did I think of putting it down or did I start to dislike it. It was a perfectly pleasant read, but some aspects just didn't click with me, so I rated it 3 out of 5 stars.

Cape May is out now.

In Cape May we follow the story of Effie and Henry, who in 1957 are newlyweds at eighteen and twenty, on their honeymoon together at Effie’s uncle home. Unfortunately it’s off season, and Effie didn’t realize how boring the town would be, so their marriage isn’t off to a very exciting start as they seriously consider heading home early. Things are turned on their head when Clara Strauss shows up. Clara is everything that Effie and Henry aren’t – as modern a woman as you can get in the 1950s. Clara likes to party and seemingly has no inhibitions. She’s certainly not held back by any social conventions of the time, and soon Effie and Henry are dragged into the lifestyle of drinking heavily and partying together, together with Clara’s lover Max, and his eighteen year old sister Alma.

What embarks is a few weeks of sexual awakening and exploration, coupled with a fair amount of guilt – culminating in an experience which change both Henry and Effie permanently. Each of the five core personalities stands out, with their own quirks and mannerisms, completely believable. The descriptions of the town, the scenery and the parties draw you in and make you feel like you’re really there, living these weeks with them. The story doesn’t have much substance or plot, but it was still a compelling read, with an interesting wrap-up at the end which gives us a glimpse into the future, and an idea of how much these weeks shaped the rest of Henry and Effie’s lives

Enjoyable and entertaining, a little slow to start, but will soon have you flipping the pages, desperate to see how it ends. Four Stars.

Ok, first things first......THAT COVER!!  Want it framed and on my wall!  Now!

Second, Chip Cheek.  What a fab name!

Right now I've got those two points of my chest onto the review.

This is the tale of two young newlyweds Henry and Effie, as they spend 2 weeks at Effie's Uncle's holiday house in Cape May on their honeymoon.  It is 1957 and both, still virgins, enter into the marriage young, innocent and a little naive about married life in general.

A little shy at first but as each day passes they become more comfortable around each other as they start to experience what married life can offer! However with Cape May almost deserted, as it heads into the out of season months, Effie finds the place a little disappointing and becomes bored and to Henry's disappointment they talk of heading home earlier than planned.

One day they notice lights on at one of the other houses a little way down the street and decide to head over to introduce themselves.  It turns out to be a lady called Clara who Effie remembers, not altogether fondly, from her childhood.  She is staying in the house with her friend/lover Max and his half sister Alma.  They are expecting more people to arrive and invite Henry and Effie over for a party.  After some thought the two of them decide to go and by doing so the pair of young lovers enter into an adult's world of hedonism, indulgence, and utter abandonment.

".........as they sneak into abandoned summer homes, go sailing, walk naked under the stars, make love, and drink a great deal of gin, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with irrevocable consequences that reverberate through the rest of their lives..."      Make love and drink gin???  By heck did they!!

OH MY GOSH!!  Loved this one loads.  It's fun, hypnotic and heady in all it's descriptions.  It felt like reading a Beatriz Williams novel with the dial turned up!!  Yes there is a lot of sex and a lot of gin drunk, yet none of it felt sleazy or cheap in anyway.  Even with all of the character's frivolity you still sense their insecurities, inexperience and loneliness. A lesson in how easy it may be for people to be taken over and lead astray into a world they are yet prepared for.

The setting is superb.  The slightly uncomfortable changeable weather, the ghost like feel to the out of season holiday town all accentuates and adds to the feeling, particularly for Henry, of being somewhere where things are different.  Where one can be hidden enough to be someone different to who they think they are or perhaps should be.

The ending felt a little different to the rest of the book as if it was added on.  However what this glimpse into the further made me consider is if the experience changed Henry to become the man he later went onto be within his marriage or if maybe he would have been that person all along? It also shows us a rather sorry sight of Effie in her later years. Yet we do only see these later years through the eyes of Henry.  Would the marriage have survived if this had happened in more modern times?



I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy. Cape May is published April 30th by W&N Books.  I'm off to buy a physical copy to get this baby on display!!!!

Cape May by Chip Cheek
Cape May is a good debut novel from Chip Cheek. The story revolves around events which take place Cape May, an off season resort. Effie and Henry are young newlyweds who are honeymooning there in 1957. They are both virgins and make the best of things by getting to know each other physically but they realize that Cape May is practically deserted. Attempting to make the best of things they initially stay then just as they have decided to return home they see lights coming from another house and decide to call in and introduce themselves.
Here they encounter Clara, a socialite, Max, her affluent playboy lover and his sister Alma. Effie and Henry find themselves inexorably drawn into their debauched and exotic lifestyle. Henry is soon drawn into sexual encounters and loses his innocence; Effie finds it harder to accept this behaviour. It is all about the sexual mores of the 1950’s and also how this encounter will impact on their married life together.
There are wonderfully evocative descriptions of the end of the season location and the characters are well drawn. A good superior beach read for the summer and the lightness of the book is demonstrated in the bright cocktail glass on the cover.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the chance to read and review this book.

I'm not sure quite what I was expecting, but this had much more spice to it than I had anticipated. It worked though as we saw the young honeymooners, Effie and Henry, from the deep south, swallowed up by cosmopolitan Clara and Max and their entourage. Set in the 1950s it takes the young couple from their innocence exploring life as a married couple on honeymoon, where they are disappointed by the quietness of the out of season holiday town they have come to, and throws them into a world of alcohol. music and debauchery with a constant house party at Clara's. They find there's more to each other than they'd realised, and Henry in particular makes the most of the newly exposed sensual side of himself. I was disappointed by his double standards in the end. It was a sexy rollercoaster though! The ending when they returned home from honeymoon and the summary of the rest of their lives seemed a bit of an add on, but it didn't really detract from the impact of the rest. #capemay #netgalley

A story of lust and seduction
A young couple who are on their honeymoon become embroiled in the racey goings on of an old school friend of the wife.
Very erotic in some parts.
The style of writing reminds me of the writing of Scott F Fitzgerald and the storyline has in places similarities to Ian McEwans On Chesil Beach.

Told from Henry’s point of view, this story explores his honeymoon with Effie as they discover marriage isn’t quite the fairytale they believed. Disillusioned they are swept away by a glamorous trio of people who they meet in the deserted jet-set resort. What follows changes their lives forever, and explores a way of life that is far removed from the clean, wholesome ideal of 1950s North America.

There are obvious and deliberate similarities between this story and ‘The Great Gatsby’. The glamour, the importance of money, the innocence of the young couple, and the ethos of desperate sadness.

Henry’s innocence and naivety, and the lack of reality he feels in Cape May make him easy prey. Full of sexual innuendo and passion, which highlight the differences between the young couple and their new friends. Most disturbing is the way Clara, Max, Alma, and ultimately Henry and Effie, treat other people’s houses and possessions. They are similarly careless of people’s feelings.

Whilst you may be taken in by their glamour, and their risque way of life, especially against the staid historical background of 1950s America. They also appear shallow, immoral and pathetic as they strive for something decadent to give them their next high.

Even though the characters are not likeable, the story is. I like its authenticity, sensuality and insight. The ending is poignant and full of lost opportunities for happiness. There is an undeniable question of what if they’d honeymooned on Florida?

I received a copy of this book from Orion Publishing - W&N Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Orion for an advance e-copy of this book.

Both the book’s blurb and other reviewers have done a good job of summarising the plot of this novel, so I won’t go over it again!

I did enjoy ‘Cape May’ - I got through it quite quickly (which, for me, is a good sign) and found myself wanting to make time to read it, and/or looking forward to my commute, as that’s my best opportunity to read. I thought Cheek did a good job at building an atmosphere, and introducing interesting and engaging characters. I can see why people think they’re unlikeable, but personally don’t think this is necessarily a negative point. However, I feel that the character development was lacking, and they’d often do/say things that felt jarring and mismatched to how they had previously been presented. The description makes it seem like you’ll get to know each of the five main characters, and - as someone else has mentioned - I was especially keen to get into Effie’s head. At first Cheek does switch perspectives quite frequently, but as you get into the novel, the action focuses almost solely on Henry - who really doesn’t have any redeeming features, and is therefore rather uninteresting. Whilst I didn’t find it slow, there is a very long build up; the main crux of the plot doesn’t happen until a good two thirds of the way through, and then it is all wrapped up rather quickly (almost hastily). This is especially true of the last chapter, which basically summarises the rest of Effie and Henry’s lives. It feels like the author thinks he owes you an ending, when it may have been more powerful (albeit frustrating; again, not necessarily a bad thing) to have ended it without this very specific conclusion. I also think that as the author went to the effort of tying up Effie and Henry’s stories, he may as well have told us what happens to the other three characters too, but they just disappear, never to be heard from again - which seems unlikely.

I would recommend this as a quick, fun, and light read - perhaps a good holiday choice. I am keen to see where Cheek’s career goes, and will be sure to pick up his next novel.

I found this book slow to start with the story of a honeymoon couple being captivated by the glamour and money of the what appears to be the only other people in the resort. How things turn out did seem slightly predictable but not perhaps in the way it happened. A good read and I liked the author's voice.

This is an erotically charged and seductive book, telling the story of a couple of innocent newlyweds on honeymoon getting caught up in the decadent lifestyle of the people they meet there. The book follows Henry’s sexual awakening, from the loss of his virginity on their wedding night to his experiences with lust and longing for the women they meet. Some of the female characters feel quite two dimensional as they are all viewed through Henry’s eyes and he is increasingly preoccupied with sex. The numerous sex scenes are graphic but well written enough not to feel too gratuitous - although you might feel a bit shy if someone looks over your shoulder while you’re reading this on the train! The characters are all appealing and interesting if not necessarily likeable, and the book is unexpectedly gripping, the unsettling mood of it lingering after you’ve finished reading.

This story slowly and meticulously leads us into the lives of five individuals in the period 1950s, two of whom whilst on honeymoon accidentally meet up with the group. Having nothing in common with the older, life weary couple but driven by boredom that their honeymoon has not fulfilled expectations, the young innocents are dazzled by the confidence, experience and wealth of these individuals. Intent on seeking new thrills and fuelled by unlimited alcohol, these amoral degenerates have fresh meat and obsessional fixation on anything or anyone to relieve the world weary monotonous existence of their lives. To do this they weave a hypnotic web of events which slowly lead these young innocent victims willingly into their sex and drink fuelled adventures. Add to this mix an elusive,, beautiful and mysterious fifth individual and the scene is set for a series of events that will change the honeymoon couple forever. The writing gives us a sense of place, and a sense of time reminiscent of a previous generation very much in the style of F Scott Fitzgerald particularly The Great Gatsby. Wealth and casual disregard for normal morals and conventions dazzle the honeymooners to the point that previous standards and beliefs in right and wrong struggle to survive in a group were instant gratification is all. Several of the chapters are sexually graphic not gratuitously so, but in a well written effort to demonstrate the invidious efforts used to bend the couple to their own ends. A swift if comprehensive conclusion demonstrated the reoccurring damage intentionally inflicted by selfish individuals on people's lives. I was bereft the story was over and left desperately wanting more.

Henry and Effie are the sweetest newlyweds going, when they travel to Cape May for a week for their honeymoon, they are happy to find they have the town to themselves, or so they thought.

Carla is Effie's nemesis from childhood, when Effie learns that Carla is staying down the street with her lover Max, she isn't all too pleased.

But when their invited round, Carla has no relocation of ever being this mean to Effie. With the drinks flowing, music playing and the elegant nights starting to set in, all is soon forgotten as the glamorous parties start to pull Henry and Effie in.

Though will their marriage last when temptation is just around the corner? As truths are exchanged, lies are told and secrets are kept under lock and key...Can everything be as smooth sailing in their new life as the couple hoped? Especially on New Hampton Avenue.

Cape May by Chip Cheek, is the first novel written by the author. I liked the sound of the book as I felt it had the same feel as Tigers in Red Weather that I read a couple years back.

Set in the 1950's I was drawn to the synopsis, I do love a book set in these eras and it was a good read. The story itself followed the lives of two newlyweds as they navigate through their first weeks of marriage and honeymoon on their own told by the young husband, Henry.

The first section of the book I really loved, the plot flowed and it worked, there are a few moments where I got a little confused on who is who but then it started to make sense. However, towards the end of the book, and I'll be honest here and its just out of preference, I did get slightly annoyed with one of the characters and the story started to seem like you had picked up an entirely different book.

With all that said though, I did enjoy the book and it was a quick enjoyable read. I would happily read more by this author in the near future.

Oh. My. God. What a book. Intoxicating. Heady. Dangerous. Sexy. All that and more. It is such a delicious read that I read it in one sitting unable to tear my eyes away.

It draws you in slowly. It is 1957 and Henry and Effie are on their honeymoon, getting to know each other outside of snatched moments on back seats of cars. It is a little awkward at first, they’re quite shy of one another and there isn’t much to do in Cape May to occupy them. They’re there at the tail end of September and the crowds have gone home leaving a ghost town in their wake. For Effie, Cape May represents summer holidays of her youth and she remembers the sparkling sea and sunny days but in blustery and cool September it has lost its shine somewhat. So much so that she suggests they cut their honeymoon short and return home to Georgia, but then, they spot a house across the street whose lights are on. There are expensive cars parked outside and music pouring from the open windows. Dressed in their Sunday best they visit one evening to say hello and there they meet Clara, Max and his sister Amla, and suddenly Cape May isn’t quite as gloomy.

This is an explosive read that takes a newlywed and quite innocent couple and throws them in the deep end. Their days are spent wandering the quiet town, popping into the few shops that are open and buying groceries at the local store. Their nights are spent exploring each other when they discover sex. But as time goes on Effie becomes more withdrawn. Henry doesn’t really know what to do and when she suggests they return to Georgia he is hurt and embarrassed at the thought of what people will say back home. These early days of their marriage, where they are almost playing at being grown ups and trying to work out what being a husband or wife is is beautifully drawn. It has a melancholy and haunting feel to it that contrasts wildly with what comes next.

The house across the street is a Pandora’s box of temptation and decadence representing everything that stiff and formal Effie and Henry are not. Clara is one of those brilliant female characters who is brash, insecure, glamorous, fragile, exuberant and brittle. She and Effie know each other from childhood and Clara is thrilled to be reunited but Effie isn’t that happy about seeing her again. Until she gets pulled into Clara’s orbit and before you know it she and Henry are spending days on Clara’s boat, working their way through bottle after bottle of gin and slowly, slowly, Max and Clara’s exuberance intoxicates this newlywed couple.

The contrast between Max and Clara and Effie and Henry is stark, with one couple representing fun and freedom and the other being stiff and uptight. Things change though, slowly, in increments and before we know something happens that turns everything on its head. From quiet and measured beginnings the newlyweds push their limits and find that they capable of more than they know.

This is a thrilling, heady book which I adored. Absolutely adored. It is sumptuous glamorous, an absolute page turner and one of my books of the year. I guarantee that this will be on every beach this summer and it is most definitely best read on a hot day with a cold drink, preferably a gin martini.

At times it was a bit odd and I couldn't decide whether to keep reading or not but overall it is ok. Not one I would read again though

If you loved "Fifty Shades of Grey" and generally enjoy this type of steamy literature (perhaps on holidays) - get "Cape May".
If you enjoy light erotica with loose storyline - get "Cape May".
If you are looking for a literary fiction book, a thought-provoking beach read - avoid "Cape May" at all costs.

Stylist, what are you talking about? Top 10 Books of 2019?!

"Cape May" follows newlywed country bumkins Henry and Effie, on their two-week honeymoon, when suddenly these very recent virgins get involved with a somewhat promiscuous set and "all hell breaks loose".

Chip Cheek (what a name) refers to "On Chesil Beach" and "The Secret History" as his inspiration. My God. Two weeks of poorly executed questionable sexual endeavours did not inspire me. I could almost feel Mr Cheek's (I am sorry to repeat myself, but what a name!) urge to describe certain things with unbound vigour and enthusiasm, while the characters of his book are lacking in everything else but escapades of a certain type. There is no real substance and dimension to Henry and Effie. We are always told what happens to them, but never shown, and no explanations are given for their behaviour (ah wait! too many gin and tonics!).

The last few chapters of the book left me a bit perplexed. Suddenly, Mr Cheek decided to go global and tell us about lives of his characters after the honeymoon. What was the point of that? Why the book? What was the reason? What was the idea? I don't know. Another steamy novel no real storyline.

I would not recommend "Cape May" because it is... It is about nothing. Or if there are some seeds (excuse the pun) of a real story, these are brushed aside in favour of X-rated adventures. I still think Mr Cheek can tell a good story - I enjoyed his language. It seems he just did not have any substantial story to tell and no ideas to develop. There is no development of characters, no coming of age, no philosophising.

I am not a prude, however "Cape May" is just tasteless. For a great holiday read (albeit less "sexy"), I recommend "Tigers in Red Weather" and/or "Villa America", both by Liza Klaussmann.