Nantucket Summer

by Melissa Hill

Deliciously escapist summer fiction set in beautiful Nantucket, from the USA Today bestselling author of the hit Reese Witherspoon romcom adaptation, Something From Tiffany's.
'Hill doesn’t disappoint.’ CLOSER

Three women check in to La Cucina di Nantucket, a renowned island cooking retreat which serves up more than just Italian cuisine.

Grace hopes the break will help her come to terms with the fact that she may never be a mum.
For Christine, the trip is a birthday gift from her children. With the family gone and nobody left to fuss over, she hopes to rediscover some of her zest for life.
Travel writer Nicole is there to write a feature on the popular getaway hosted by Italian chef, Sofia, at her beautiful seaside cottage. She is intrigued to find out what makes previous guests rave about La Cucina di Nantucket.

Is it the breathtaking scenery, mouthwatering food and taste of island life?
Or is there something about Chef Sofia and her instinctive way of knowing that her guests need not just culinary knowledge and Nantucket sunsets, but a balm for their souls...

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2025

About the author

Melissa Hill is a USA Today bestselling author living in Ireland’s beautiful County Wicklow. Her page-turning contemporary novels of family, friendship and romance are published worldwide and have been translated into twenty-six languages.

A Hollywood adaptation of her international bestseller Something from Tiffany's, by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine and Amazon Studios, was released worldwide in Dec 2022.

Other novels including A Gift to Remember and The Charm Bracelet have been adapted for screen by Hallmark Channel USA, with multiple other titles currently also in development for film and TV.

For more info, visit her website at www.melissahill.info

Facebook: facebook.com/melissahillbooks

Instagram: @melissahillbooks

Melissa also co-writes forensic thrillers with her husband under the pseudonym Casey Hill. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Reviews

[Karen Chiodo]

You had me at Nantucket and cooking, so I was destined to love this one. The story is light and engaging, with characters who each have something they need to change in their lives. Is it predictable? Sure. But it’s also relatable, and that makes a great easy summer read.

Throw in an evil bitch to stir the pot, wrap everything up in a satisfying ending, and you’ve got the perfect book to toss in your beach bag.

And yes…I absolutely made the basil frittata after reading about it. It had me drooling.

[Peg Derieux]

A Subtle Story

If you enjoy a slow, descriptive story intertwining people then this book is for you. I found it too wordy with the periphery while the story unfolded. I understand how and why it was written but prefer more bold zing to a story!

[N]

This book is as predictable as me hitting my second shot into the water on #18 at my country club. You can see where the book is going as soon as it is set up. I mean in this genre it is a given how it will conclude, the tension/drama is so low and you could finish it with your eyes closed. But what shocked me is I have really enjoyed Hill's previous works, especially as I honestly didn't know who the girl would end up with.
Maybe Elin Hilderbrand has ruined anybook set on Nantucket that is not penned by her. This lacked juicy scandal, hot chemistry and the hated (LOVED) name dropping we get in a Hilderbrand. I'm not saying I want more Hilderbrand, I am just saying this book was dull. Even the vivid descriptions of delicious food couldn't spice up the plot. It felt at times as though HIll was trying to be poetic with her language and give us deep thoughts by relating life to cooking. It didn't work. Next time I visit Nantucket I will make sure I have the Queen Elin as my guide. I don't think I can stomach finishing this series.....the cheese was just too much.

[Jeanne Chepko]

Sophia, owner of a cottage retreat with Italian cooking lessons on idyllic Nantucket. Christine reeling from empty nest syndrome is gifted the trip by her over needy adult children. Grace shattered by fertility issues,takes leave as a teacher to find herself and her relationship with her husband. Nicole travel writer for an upscale publication objectively and with cynicism takes her job too seriously. They create a bond thru Sophia’s wisdom and the incredible views from the island. Many side stories with interesting characters, Claudia who shows up late in the stay causes the groups confidence to falter with her biting remarks. Ben and Alex wonderful supportive male figures who love their home island. Will one sour apple ruin the whole bunch?
Thoughtful story about reclaiming something essential that often gets lost with life’s expectations. So ready for the next book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Cece]

When I read an Elin Hilderbrand novel about Nantucket it has me daydreaming for days about going to the island. Maybe crossing paths with blonde Sharon or people watching at the Chicken Box(I don’t dance, but I love people watching). This book did not give me that same yearning. I will see Nantucket but most definitely not for a cooking retreat. This book was boring. It wasn’t descriptive at all about the wonders of Nantucket like you get from a Hilderbrand story. And the references to Sofia’s Italian accent making her words melt like butter 🙄 and other such nonsense was getting on my nerves.

[Kimberly A Plesco]

Excellent Nantucket Story

I already miss Elin Hildebrand’s annual Nantucket fare and this was billed as similar to her. It did not disappoint on that front but also held its own distinctive Melissa Hill style. I was kept captivated about how it would end, the story stayed strong throughout and had a great ending including some surprises.

[Gloria L. Barnes]

Very emotional story about a Nantucket cooking retreat, its creator and her history, and the three women who come to this one week retreat for different emotional reasons. It also includes a bit of intrigue as a deceiving female interloper crashes into the retreat mid week and causes all kinds of havoc. This is book one in a stand alone six book series.

[Lee Anne Howard]

Great read!!

[Erica Marino]

3.5

[Lynn]

I just plain enjoyed this book! I was sad to have it end.

[Gail M Gonzalez]

Wonderful read! I now want to go to Nantucket and take an Italian cooking class with Sophia!!!

[Carlynpa]

Better than I thought. Tho getting to the resolution took way too long, had to skim a few pages towards the end!

[Carol Taylor]

Disliked immensely. Could not finish. Sorry.

[Sara Shepherd]

Nantucket delivers

As always I love a book based in Nantucket. I was not expecting several of the plot twists. I really enjoyed how the ladies offered pearls of wisdom.

[Danica]

Solid 3.5⭐️ Cute summer read!

[Georgia K. Tentas]

A great read

This story was very entertaining and fun to read. I enjoyed reading it and look forward to reading more of this author’s books

[Julianne Blackburn]

A Nantucket based novel about a woman & her cooking classes/retreat and the intersection of 3 other women’s stories and their struggles - easy and enjoyable read!

[Carol Webster]

Great start to a new series. Always love Elin, and these seems to be the next phase in great beach reads.

[Stephanie]

Light and fluffy just what I needed at this time

[Elizabeth]

This one was just eh but I’ll read about ACK any day

[Sheila Bell-Slattery]

2.5. I wanted this to be similar to an Elin Hilderbrand book where the writing takes you to Nantucket for a vacation, and it was not.

[Jaimie Carr]

3.5 ⭐️

[Amanda Johnson]

Italian cooking + Nantucket so this book had a lot going for it from the start for me 😮‍💨

[Alice 🌺]

Loved this: life rarely gives us the recipe we expect. Sometimes the most beautiful dishes come from little mistakes

[Marie]

Good beach read. Just wish the word "weathered" and cliche phrases like "his hand on the small of her back" weren't used so excessively in these books.

[Kim greene]

Loved this story and the complicated characters. 🩵

[Terri]

The characters just didn't grab me, and I really had,trouble in the beginning remembering who was who. I guess this just isn't my type of book.

[Suzanne]

Good summer read.

[Cara]

This was a good summer read. As stated, it has a similar flow to Elin Hildebrand books, although there was less of Nantucket and more of the characters in the story.

[Kathy]

A great beach read! This story embraced from the start as each character was introduced. I loved the idea of a cooking class retreat while on the island. The parallels of life and cooking were great! I felt part of the story. I loved the characters, the setting, the plot and how traps up. Well written and thoroughly enjoyed!