Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own. You know you're reading a good book when you hate to put it down, you think about it when you aren't reading it, and even after you've turned the last page you wonder about the characters. I really enjoyed this novel about family and belonging. Alternating between the past and the present, between New York City and Provincetown, between Park Avenue and Cape Cod beaches, Gilt tells the story of a family divided by their jewelry business-cum-empire. Now there are just two sisters left, and Gemma, a niece orphaned when the third sister tragically died in an accident over a decade ago. The third sister was given an extraordinary, unique diamond engagement ring - the Electric Rose - that was part of Pavlin Jewelry's advertising strategy. Gemma, now a promising jewelry designer, reaches out to her aunts in order to collect this personal memento, a legacy that was promised to her by her mother and grandmother. As the summer progresses, each of these women faces her fears. A P-town friend advises them that "we need to learn how to let go of the past in order to live fully in the present." And that sums up the story - but it's so much more than that. Relationships develop, grow, and mend. When Gemma first arrives in Provincetown and is welcomed to a casual dinner of family and friends, watching the banter she feels "an unfamiliar sensation, something like belonging or contentment. It was the feeling that there was nowhere else to be, no one better to be with. It felt like family." My heart went out to Gemma, who hadn't had that feeling since she was nine and her parents died. Even though Gemma doesn't have anyone she is close to after a major breakup with her photographer boyfriend Sanjay, she is determined not to be pitied. Apparently designing jewelry is in her genes as she has a growing following of affordable rings and necklaces. "Wielding the tool felt powerful. She might have lost Sanjay, but at least in this one small way she could control something. She could bend and shape metal. She could drill a hole. She could create. Jewelry was about transformation. Maybe that’s why Gemma found it so satisfying. It was easier to change base metals into something beautiful than fix something in real life." This is ultimately a heartwarming novel of family and forgiveness. If you're looking for a satisfying story with depth and a feel-good beachy atmosphere, this is the book for you.