An Island Christmas

by Nancy Thayer, Joyce Bean (Reading)

The second enchanting holiday novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Island Girls, in which family and friends gather on Nantucket for a gorgeous Christmas wedding with plenty of surprises for those both naughty and nice.

As the calendar counts down to Christmas, Felicia heads to Nantucket to marry the love of her life, Archie. The twinkling lights that beckon from every window, the snow dusting the beautiful streets, the gorgeous red and white satin dress-every detail is picture-perfect for a dream wedding. The only problem is, this is not Felicia's dream. Happier hiking in shorts than tending to hearth and home like her more traditional sister Lauren, Felicia has only agreed to a lavish winter wedding to make her mother Jilly happy. And while Jilly is thrilled her daughter's found love, she still has reservations about the brawny, bumbling Archie-especially when Jilly learns that he and Felicia plan to move far away to California after the wedding. To help take her mind off the impending move, Jilly's husband George brings home a charming but mischievous cat named Jock. But when Lauren shows up with high-spirited kids and plenty of judgments in tow, not even Jock's furry antics can keep the already-high family tensions from skyrocketing. Just when it seems like this family is fated to wake up on Christmas morning to stockings full of coal, a holiday surprise brings them together for a very merry celebration.

Genres: Christmas, Fiction, Romance, Holiday, Chick Lit, Womens Fiction, Contemporary

Audio CD

First published October 28, 2014

About the author

Nancy Thayer has published 35 novels, including Family Reunion and Secrets in Summer. She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for 38 years with her husband Charley Walters. They have two children and five grandchildren.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, meddling mothers, midlife crises, adopted cats who are terrified of house guests and so much more Christmas fun! This was a delightful tale of family and Christmas as everyone in Jilly’s family gathers on Nantucket for her outdoorsy daughter’s wedding to a groom who loves hiking and adventure as much as his bride… but Jilly isn’t excited about to say the least… she’d much rather her daughter be settling down with someone closer to home. So many funny moments!

[Katy O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎄+ 👰🏼 + ❄️ = ❤️

Ahhhhh, this was the PERFECT holiday book to cozy up with last weekend during our very first day of real snow that we’ve had this winter where I live in Wisconsin. It was a random library grab from the holiday display and I’m so happy I found it! Thayer has been a favorite of mine for sweet summer beach books, and now for Christmas books as well!

Set on Nantucket (a favorite setting of mine), this is a story of family homecoming combined with a wedding as well as an ode to the uniqueness of Nantucket itself. I adored it, in all of its sweetness and simplicity.

If you love Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter series and are mourning the end of that series, definitely give this one a shot!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars for this light hearted combo Christmas/Christmas wedding story on Nantucket Island. A quick, cozy, delightful read. It also was quite comical at times.

Jilly, mom to the almost perfect Lauren, and to the adventurous bride to be, Felicia, has always liked to be in control of things. Jilly’s husband, George and her have lived on the island for a long time and have decorated and furnished their home impeccably with antiques and cherished heirlooms.

We have many situations going on in a short period of time:

Jilly and George adopt a feral cat, Rex. There’s good and bad with this cat. You can’t blame him for going cat wild when they all leave the house and forget Rex’s Christmas stocking is still hanging up with catnip in it. You can’t blame him for stealing one of the kids’ tuna sandwiches and kid and cat both have a meltdown.

Felicia wants to come home from Utah with her outdoorsy, rugged kind of guy and fiancée, Archie. They want to get married on the island at Christmas! It is short notice, but Jilly wants her family home to the island for Christmas and now this event will make it even more memorable. Now it will happen! But oh, there’s so much to plan and do, and oh my, her expectations are high that everything be perfect. It doesn’t help that she feels Felicia is making a big mistake marrying this guy.

Lauren and her husband and two kids arrive on the island in a whirlwind. Lauren has made most of the wedding arrangements as well as the brides’ dress, sight unseen. Lauren carries the perfection gene, similar to her mother.

George and future son in law, Archie go island exploring and they get stranded; George comes home safe and invigorated and feels like a young buck again. They go out another day and George comes back home on crutches after a wipe out on an island moped. He’s actually beaming about his adventures, but it’s evident his older body is in pain. Much to his wife, Jilly’s dismay, its as if he’s having a mid life crisis, trying to keep up with the son in law and future robust son in law. Jilly is quite upset with him and his antics throw off her and her best laid plans. Now he’s going to walk his daughter down the aisle with a bandaged hand and in crutches??? What was he thinking? 🙂

Felicia and Archie agreed to not have kids - some thoughts of “saving the planet.” But after spending time with the two kids, the rambunctious niece and nephew, Felicia is having second thoughts about this decision before the wedding.

There’s a lot of planning and preparation going on what with the holiday and the wedding and daily life and it all does not go perfectly as Jilly would like it to;actually, there’s a lot of mayhem. But thanks to Rex’s calming demeanor and her letting others help instead of doing it all herself, she is able to let go of being in charge and overlooks the messes, the lopsided and broken ornaments on the tree, the gumbo spill on her beige rug, the smoking and burnt pan of broccoli, etc., they all manage to get through it all happily, wedding over, guests gone home, peace restored, love and family bonds made stronger.

There were more than a few family mishaps and life lessons to be learned from this story, as well as the true meaning of Christmas, all happening within a matter of several days, on a cold, snow covered island at Christmas!

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little dysfunctional Christmastime fun! This book makes me yearn to visit Nantucket! Jilly is a rather controlling empty-nester with two grown daughters. One is super organized with the perfect marriage and a little boy & girl. The other is Felicia. She's just off-handedly announced she's getting married on Christmas Day in a simple ceremony at home on Nantucket. That's like waving a red flag in front of a bull to Jilly. She wants to make it the perfect wedding with the perfect holiday... Of course hilarity & mayhem ensue. Hilarious and cute.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this heartwarming holiday story about family and love :) This novel was a clean, feel-good book that moved quickly and was funny and touching. I definitely felt the Christmas spirit while reading this. There was even a passage that had me on the edge of my seat a bit! At first I was a little irritated by the (sometimes) hokey dialogue and writing style... But after a while I was able to overlook that and the characters really grew on me. I have never been to Nantucket, but the author's descriptions made it come to life for me. I do wish some of the recipes mentioned in this book had been included at the end. I received a copy of this story from NetGalley for review.

[Myrn🩶 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Island Christmas captures the reader from cover to cover. It was an easy read and great for anytime you want a little chuckle or to get in the holiday mood! Jilly was my favorite character. She’s a hoot! I’d read another book about this family.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is was a dark and rainy December 1st and I needed some Christmas cheer quickly. On a stack of books nearby was this classic holiday book by Nancy Thayer that I picked up from my library’s Christmas display.
A warm and mushy read perfect for my mood. Family, sisters, a wedding and all on Nantucket at Christmas. Some small tribulations but of course everything turns out ok. Just like a 1934 movie! Happy, love and snow.
All tied up with a bow in a few hours and a cup of tea. (Saving the wine for later!)
Enjoy.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and enjoyable holiday story. This is the second holiday book, set in Nantucket, that I have read by this author. Since the author lives on Nantucket, you know the detailed description is accurate. It sounds like a quaint little place I'd like to visit. I'm sure it is charming at Christmas, but I think I would wait for the warmer weather to visit.

The characters were enjoyable and I liked how Nicole & Sebastian (from "A Nantucket Christmas") were mentioned in a few pages. As I said it was quick read, where everything is resolved and everyone is happy by the end and it only takes a little over 200 pages.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rex was my favorite character.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

As most Christmas novelettes do, this read like a Hallmark movie (and who doesn't like those? I know I do!). Characters were not developed well and hard to get a true feel for their personalities. The story though was heartwarming and if you need something to get you in the Christmas spirit, why not.

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story! All about family at Christmas with a daughter getting married. Loved the rescue cat❣️🐈

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Ballantine via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is October 28th 2014.

This was a really cute Christmas read in advance of the approaching Christmas season. For me their were two main highlights to the story which I will outline separately.

First it was the cat Rex. Let me explain that I do not like cats at all. I am now and will forever be a dog person with an above average disdain for cats. That aside I just loved Rex. His (in my mind) creepy cat personality added a lot of humor to the story. The way he contributed to the chaos of the household during the holiday's had me cracking up. It is not often I can appreciate a cat but it worked well in this story.

The second was the chaos of extended family converging in one household for the holidays. It reminded me of my family. My two sisters and I show up at my parents with husbands and children in tow and three large breed dogs. The ensuing chaos is something that I will always cherish. This story resembled my personal experience of trying to house all of these individual personalities under the same roof for the holiday's. I can only guess that Thayer has had a similar experience to nail it the way she did.

Overall this is a story to curl up to on a snowy day with a cup of hot chocolate in anticipation of the holiday season. Let's just hope that the snow holds off a little while longer.

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Island Christmas by Nancy Thayer was a quick read to get into the Christmas spirit. However, I felt I was reading more of a script for a Hallmark or Lifetime movie. The characters were a little flat; if it was a movie, at least the actors could demonstrate more emotions to draw the reader/viewer into the story. Some of the plot would be better viewed than read, i.e., Rex running around the Christmas tree and the Archie helping out Lawrence when Lawrence truly needs help.

All in all it was an ok read.

[Jennifer Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing

Was very disappointed in this book. Boring doesn't even begin to describe it unless you want to read about an older couple getting a cat during the holidays.

[Andrea Runde · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is sooooo dull! There is not one single interesting thing that happens in this story. I like a good fluff read as much as the next person but this is not even a fluff story.

[Susan Crowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, heartwarming Christmas story.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2*******



Felicia comes home to visit her family at Christmas, and get married.

I truly adored this book!

I loved the family, the humor, the love.

This was a feel-good story.

Lots of surprises in the book.

I really adored Rex and the laughter woke up my reading buddies.

I read this quickly and wish I had a sister.


Who would enjoy the book? Romance fans, fans who enjoy holiday or family stories, and people who like laughing especially in the brginning.





back cover
In this enchanting holiday novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer, family and friends gather on Nantucket for a gorgeous winter wedding with plenty of merry surprises in store.

As Christmas draws near, Felicia returns to her family’s home on the island to marry her adventurous, rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every detail is picture-perfect for a dream wedding: the snow-dusted streets, twinkling lights in the windows, a gorgeous red and white satin dress. Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her mother, Jilly, wants. Jilly’s also worried that her daughter’s life with daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving. Wondering if their handsome neighbor Steven Hardy might be a more suitable son-in-law, Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and the dashing stockbroker.

As the big day approaches and Jilly’s older daughter, Lauren, appears with rambunctious kids in tow, tensions in the household are high. With the family careening toward a Yuletide wedding disaster, an unexpected twist in Nancy Thayer’s heartwarming tale reminds everyone about the true meaning of the season.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your quintessential Christmas book. Not a lot of depth, and the writing is clunky. But it features in depth setting details to make you cozy, a beautiful locale, and a happy ending.

[AnnMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read Nancy Thayer in awhile but always an enjoyable read! I'm a sucker for all those Christmas....it was lovely!

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book on CD narrated by Tanya Eby


From the book jacketIn this enchanting holiday novel, … friends and family gather on Nantucket for a gorgeous winter wedding with plenty of merry surprises in store.

My reactions:
‘Tis the season for improbable holiday romances with ice skating, decorating a Christmas tree, hot cocoa, snow, at least one person who is “not into Christmas and/or kids,” and one or more missteps on the road to that happy-ever-after ending.

I have to admit that Jilly, the mother of the bride, irritated me no end with her histrionics. The bride, youngest daughter Felicia, knew how to handle her, especially with the help of her older sister, Jilly’s “perfect” daughter, Lauren. The men were less irritating, but also less present. They tended to go off on poorly thought-out adventures with resulting trips to the ER. But all’s well that ends.

If it isn’t already a Hallmark Christmas movie, it would make a good one. Fun, fast, holiday read.

The audio version is capably narrated by Tanya Eby. She has clear diction and set a nice pace. Once or twice I was a bit confused about who was speaking, but it didn’t take long to catch up.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jilly Gordon has worked hard for the perfect home, perfect holidays, perfect life - even the perfect daughters, Lauren already married living close enough with the seemingly perfect life and Felicia, the wild one, who wants to get married on Christmas at home to a wild man and live a wild and crazy life. This is a little more than Jilly can handle, so she comes up with a plan involving the perfect boy next door that Felicia once went out with.
Jilly begins the holidays changing her life, with a feral cat entering her life and home, her future son in law destroying her antique chairs, her normally careful husband 'wiping out' on a moped, and it's just the beginning of the chaos. Everything that she once thought perfect soon falls away.
Ms. Thayer has the reader enjoying another beautiful tale set in Nantucket. A gentle reminder what the reason for the season is all about and the gift of family, for all it's character makes the heart even bigger and brighter.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading a ton of thrillers, I was looking to read something light that would get me in the Christmas spirit. I definitely got what I was looking for with a light read.. nothing happens in this book. SO boring. Characters were one dimensional and incredibly irritating, (couldn’t stand the main character, Jilly), and entire chapters were devoted to talking about a stupid cat and debating what to make for dinner. Not sure what I expected going into this since this isn’t my preferred genre, but I think at this point I’ll stick to Christmas movies if I want something festive.

Rating 2 stars instead of 1 since the only redeeming quality this book had was the authors description of Nantucket Island. Meh.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though Felicia is about to marry Archie, her meddling mother, Jilly, thinks she should marry her high school sweetheart, Steven, who has recently returned to the island. What follows is an amusing and rollicking tale that is further enhanced by the cat newly adopted by Jilly and her husband, George. They named him Rex because he "wrecks" the house haha.

I read this book while traveling for the holidays and thought it was a fun, raucous, light read purrr-fect for the busy holiday season!

Location: Nantucket, Massachusetts

[BJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love Nancy Thayer's books, but the last one, I did not finish and this one, I finished, because it was short, but it was just OK. There was nothing that drew me in and made me a part of the story except the setting of Nantucket/Cape Cod. It was an okay holiday read with a Christmas wedding, a semi-psycho cat, and the characters were not that appealing to me. This was a bit of a disappointment.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about a middle aged couple whose youngest daughter is getting married in their home on Nantucket on Christmas day. There are a couple main threads: the parents are learning to let go and relax (and in the process the mother learns to let go of her perfectionism with the help of their new cat); and the daughter and son in law to be are working through some pre-wedding jitters. Some of the hijinks are reminiscent of A Christmas Vacation.

[Rita Nye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family

The holidays are meant to be spent with family and friends. A wedding on Christmas adds to the magic of the holiday. We not be able to predict what life has in store for us but we can enjoy the journey.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect Christmas book. All about family and not so perfect, perfect Christmases. Throw in a new pet and a wedding and it couldn't be better.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was it good? Questionable. Was it a Christmas book set on an island? Yes.

[Mary Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read! Way too many events happening in a short time span and way too silly.

[Emily Mayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every single member of this family in this book pissed me off. Was not a fan of the author’s writing style and could have done with a few less “magnificents” or “brilliants.”