What do you think?
Rate this book
Family Reunion
A grandmother-granddaughter duo are eager to spend their summer together on peaceful Nantucket, but the season that unfolds brings about unforgettable surprises in New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer's magical, multigenerational novel.
Eleanor Sunderland loves living on the Nantucket cliffside, in a charming home that has been in her family for decades. Now widowed, she looks forward to the arrival of her children and grandchildren for an annual family reunion, eager for the life and laughter that will soon fill the air.
But Eleanor's island idyll is shattered when her money-driven children suggest she sell the house and move to a retirement community. She finds a lone ally in her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, Ari, who moves in with her for the summer. Ari longs for a change of scenery, to stray from the path her parents have set for her. What she does not expect is an electric romantic spark with a Nantucket local, Cal, whose kind heart and charisma have her absolutely smitten.
With plenty of her signature Nantucket magic, Nancy Thayer brings both Eleanor and Ari on a summer beyond their wildest imaginations, filled with exciting connections, old and new.
Eleanor Sunderland loves living on the Nantucket cliffside, in a charming home that has been in her family for decades. Now widowed, she looks forward to the arrival of her children and grandchildren for an annual family reunion, eager for the life and laughter that will soon fill the air.
But Eleanor's island idyll is shattered when her money-driven children suggest she sell the house and move to a retirement community. She finds a lone ally in her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, Ari, who moves in with her for the summer. Ari longs for a change of scenery, to stray from the path her parents have set for her. What she does not expect is an electric romantic spark with a Nantucket local, Cal, whose kind heart and charisma have her absolutely smitten.
With plenty of her signature Nantucket magic, Nancy Thayer brings both Eleanor and Ari on a summer beyond their wildest imaginations, filled with exciting connections, old and new.
305 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2021
799 people are currently reading
7975 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Thayer
51 books4,039 followersNancy 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 823 reviews
February 13, 2022
This a Women's Fiction book. I love the cover of this book. It took me awhile to get into this story, and there was times I had to make myself pick this book up. I did not love the beginning of this book. I did find the middle more enjoyable, and I liked the middle. The ending I just found ok. I enjoyed some of the characters, but I hated other of the characters. I just overall wanted a little more from this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Ballantine Books) or author (Nancy Thayer) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
May 28, 2021
This book was a disappointment and at 20% I came close to calling it quits.
I am so tired of books where woman in their 20's and 30's who are sexually active are not using a form of birth control and end up pregnant. And how many of these pregnancies the fathers want nothing to do with the woman or child. Ari is a smart young woman, studying early childhood and wasn't using birth control?
Then for Phillip to have an affair on Nantucket Island where his mother in law and daughter are living was absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable. Someone should have told Phillip that Nantucket is small and more than likely he would be seen. Here again, Phillip is an intelligent surgeon and doesn't know enough to be discreet?
I won't even bother about Alicia other than she was one heck of a witch. Cliff was just there. I liked Eleanor however she let Alicia walk all over her.
If this were my Family Reunion I definitely would not have gone.
I am so tired of books where woman in their 20's and 30's who are sexually active are not using a form of birth control and end up pregnant. And how many of these pregnancies the fathers want nothing to do with the woman or child. Ari is a smart young woman, studying early childhood and wasn't using birth control?
Then for Phillip to have an affair on Nantucket Island where his mother in law and daughter are living was absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable. Someone should have told Phillip that Nantucket is small and more than likely he would be seen. Here again, Phillip is an intelligent surgeon and doesn't know enough to be discreet?
I won't even bother about Alicia other than she was one heck of a witch. Cliff was just there. I liked Eleanor however she let Alicia walk all over her.
If this were my Family Reunion I definitely would not have gone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2022
Longtime Nantucket resident Eleanor Sunderland loves living in her large cliff side home that has been in her family for decades. She is living on her own since her husband Mortimer died a few years earlier. Her best friend Martha has gone off on a cruise and Eleanor feels rather adrift without her company and chats. Eleanor decides her 70th birthday will be a time to gather the family together. She sends our invites to her daughter Alicia, son Cliff and granddaughter Ari to help her celebrate her birthday. Lately it seems that Cliff and Alicia in particular only contact Eleanor when they want money and want to badger her into selling her home and sharing out the proceeds. Eleanor hopes this is not the news they are expecting when she invites them to Nantucket as they are gong to be sadly disappointed as she had no intention of selling her home. Her granddaughter Ari is a huge joy to Eleanor. Over the years they have enjoyed spending time together.
After her graduation from college Ari decides to stay on Nantucket for a while and takes a job working with children. This is what she wants to do with her life, to operate a child care centre. Her parents do not agree and are always urging her to rethink. She seems to always disappoint them. They are happy about her upcoming wedding to Peter but her mother is upset when Ari decides she doesn't love him and maybe never has. While on Nantucket Ari works with Beach Camp, a free camp for families who cannot afford child care and who are struggling just to keep their families clothed and fed. She also meets the brother of a friend and is attracted to him but life has more than one surprise in store for Ari that she feels ill equipped to deal with. Her grandmother is the one who is there to help her rather than her parents. The relationship between Eleanor and Ari is beautiful. Eleanor has a far better relationship with her granddaughter than she does with her own daughter, which I found sad but understandable as though in her late forties Alicia is still rather a spoiled brat.
I rarely feel drawn to read novels about the privileged rich but the setting and story line sounded interesting. The setting of course is very picturesque but it was the characters that made me want to keep reading, even when I didn't agree with or understand some of their decisions or relationships. I liked that Eleanor entered into a new relationship too.
After her graduation from college Ari decides to stay on Nantucket for a while and takes a job working with children. This is what she wants to do with her life, to operate a child care centre. Her parents do not agree and are always urging her to rethink. She seems to always disappoint them. They are happy about her upcoming wedding to Peter but her mother is upset when Ari decides she doesn't love him and maybe never has. While on Nantucket Ari works with Beach Camp, a free camp for families who cannot afford child care and who are struggling just to keep their families clothed and fed. She also meets the brother of a friend and is attracted to him but life has more than one surprise in store for Ari that she feels ill equipped to deal with. Her grandmother is the one who is there to help her rather than her parents. The relationship between Eleanor and Ari is beautiful. Eleanor has a far better relationship with her granddaughter than she does with her own daughter, which I found sad but understandable as though in her late forties Alicia is still rather a spoiled brat.
I rarely feel drawn to read novels about the privileged rich but the setting and story line sounded interesting. The setting of course is very picturesque but it was the characters that made me want to keep reading, even when I didn't agree with or understand some of their decisions or relationships. I liked that Eleanor entered into a new relationship too.
May 5, 2021
Family Reunion by Nancy Thayer is a contemporary novel with a touch of romance falling firmly in the woman’s fiction genre. This is a multigenerational tale encompassing the family of Eleanor Sunderland, the seventy year old matriarch along with her children and granddaughter.
Eleanor has a beautiful family home on Nantucket and even as she has her seventieth birthday approaching she has no plans of leaving her home or Nantucket. Eleanor’s children has other plans in mind for her though and jump at the opportunity for a visit to try to talk Eleanor into selling when an offer for millions of dollars is on the table.
Eleanor’s granddaughter Ari on the other hand decides that she would love nothing other than spending the next few months on the island with Eleanor. Air’s life is rather up in the air after a break up with her long time fiance so a summer working at a local children’s camp and spending time with her grandmother is just what Air finds that she needs.
When I see a book such as this one with such a beautiful cover I am immediately drawn in and sometimes that doesn’t always work out for me. However, having read a few books by Nancy Thayer previously I had high hopes that this would be as nice on the inside as it was on the outside. This one was definitely full of family drama that pulled me in making the pages fly by as I read although I would warn that some of this family was not so likeable but I did enjoy Eleanor and Ari as they figured out their lives. Not sure I agree on how things wrapped up but that was alright as I still enjoyed reading enough to merit the four stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Eleanor has a beautiful family home on Nantucket and even as she has her seventieth birthday approaching she has no plans of leaving her home or Nantucket. Eleanor’s children has other plans in mind for her though and jump at the opportunity for a visit to try to talk Eleanor into selling when an offer for millions of dollars is on the table.
Eleanor’s granddaughter Ari on the other hand decides that she would love nothing other than spending the next few months on the island with Eleanor. Air’s life is rather up in the air after a break up with her long time fiance so a summer working at a local children’s camp and spending time with her grandmother is just what Air finds that she needs.
When I see a book such as this one with such a beautiful cover I am immediately drawn in and sometimes that doesn’t always work out for me. However, having read a few books by Nancy Thayer previously I had high hopes that this would be as nice on the inside as it was on the outside. This one was definitely full of family drama that pulled me in making the pages fly by as I read although I would warn that some of this family was not so likeable but I did enjoy Eleanor and Ari as they figured out their lives. Not sure I agree on how things wrapped up but that was alright as I still enjoyed reading enough to merit the four stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
March 12, 2023
Special thanks to NetGalley and Nancy Thayer for sharing this arc copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Pros:
The cover is just stunning.
cons:
This was the first Nancy Thayer book I've ever read and It will be my last Nancy Thayer book..
The Story follows Eleanor Sunderland is about to celebrate her 70th birthday on June 3 and looking forward to being with her family and friends, My Problem with the book is the charcters, All of them were so whiny and so unlikable.
Here's an example : Eleanor's best friend can't make her birthday party because she will be on a cruise with her husband and Eleanor who is almost 70 throws a temper Tantrum.. It was laughable and just really badly written..
Another example was when Eleanor was complaining how much a bitch her daughter, Alicia is.. In the story Eleanor gives Alicia a check for 1 grand and Alicia who is 46 by the way, says UGH, This isn't enough for a birkin bag, than berates her mother into selling her family home and suggesting Eleanor takes a Reverse mortgage on her home...
at this point, I was like How does Nancy Thayer has any fans? Seriously.. her Characters are so unlikable and just down right repugnant...
Pros:
The cover is just stunning.
cons:
This was the first Nancy Thayer book I've ever read and It will be my last Nancy Thayer book..
The Story follows Eleanor Sunderland is about to celebrate her 70th birthday on June 3 and looking forward to being with her family and friends, My Problem with the book is the charcters, All of them were so whiny and so unlikable.
Here's an example : Eleanor's best friend can't make her birthday party because she will be on a cruise with her husband and Eleanor who is almost 70 throws a temper Tantrum.. It was laughable and just really badly written..
Another example was when Eleanor was complaining how much a bitch her daughter, Alicia is.. In the story Eleanor gives Alicia a check for 1 grand and Alicia who is 46 by the way, says UGH, This isn't enough for a birkin bag, than berates her mother into selling her family home and suggesting Eleanor takes a Reverse mortgage on her home...
at this point, I was like How does Nancy Thayer has any fans? Seriously.. her Characters are so unlikable and just down right repugnant...
May 3, 2021
*** Pub Day May 4, 2021 ***
Nancy Thayer is master storyteller, especially about family dilemmas set on the beautiful island of Nantucket. The family will gather for their annual reunion on June 3rd to celebrate Eleanor’s seventieth birthday. As with any family, there will be characters we like, a few we love, and one or two we’ll actually dislike. That’s okay, it makes the story fun when we have an unpopular character.
We start out on a high cliff on Nantucket overlooking the ocean in a home, built decades ago, that has passed through several generations to Eleanor Sunderland. Eleanor loves this house and its location and has been living here year-round since her husband died three years ago. She feels safe and secure here with a busy life and good friends.
Her adult children, daughter Alicia, and son Cliff, feel otherwise. They want their mother to sell the house and move into a retirement home, so they won’t have to worry about her. Don’t believe that for a second, they want the money her house and premium location will bring. Eleanor is a smart and independent woman who wants to live her golden years on her terms. Neither of her children actually need money since they both live comfortably with successful lives.
Her daughter Alicia, the eldest, is married to Philip, a surgeon, with one child, Arianna (Ari), twenty-two years-old who just graduated from college. Ari and Eleanor have a wonderful relationship, better than either of them has with Alicia. When she was young, Alicia’s father indulged her with whatever she wanted to relieve his guilt of not having spent time with her. Alicia is now an adult brat wanting everything and more, be prepared to dislike her, it’s expected.
Cliff, younger than his sister, wasn’t so much as indulged by his father, as he was ignored. He was well-cared for, of course, but never really sure if his father liked him or not. He’s a decent guy, working as a real-estate salesman in the premium markets of Boston. He’s still single, which is fine with him, but seems to annoy everyone else. He’d like his mother to sell her home as well, only because he knows how valuable her property is and feels it would be a smart business decision. In fact, he’s had an offer from a developer to buy her house and land on the cliff for fifteen million dollars.
Finally, we have Ari, Eleanor’s only grandchild, who wants to spend the summer with her for several reasons. She’ll be going to graduate school in the fall, so she wants to earn money working a summer job on the island, which usually pay well. She also broke her engagement to her longtime, college boyfriend, who she realized she doesn’t want to marry and doesn’t love. A summer with her grandmother and working on Nantucket would be ideal.
Naturally, there are other characters you’ll meet that play interesting and supporting roles that affect the outcome of the story. An old friend of Eleanor’s and her husband, Silas Stover, reconnects after his wife passes away. You’ll really like Silas. Ari will meet a new guy while also finding out life-changing news, that could impact her future. And, of course, the big decision of selling the house continues to loom over the family until they’re forced to decide.
The ending is my personal favorite, it makes smile just thinking about it. It’s not all neat and tidy, but it’s good and right for Eleanor, who you’ll grow to love.
I very highly recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley, Random House – Ballantine, and Nancy Thayer
Nancy Thayer is master storyteller, especially about family dilemmas set on the beautiful island of Nantucket. The family will gather for their annual reunion on June 3rd to celebrate Eleanor’s seventieth birthday. As with any family, there will be characters we like, a few we love, and one or two we’ll actually dislike. That’s okay, it makes the story fun when we have an unpopular character.
We start out on a high cliff on Nantucket overlooking the ocean in a home, built decades ago, that has passed through several generations to Eleanor Sunderland. Eleanor loves this house and its location and has been living here year-round since her husband died three years ago. She feels safe and secure here with a busy life and good friends.
Her adult children, daughter Alicia, and son Cliff, feel otherwise. They want their mother to sell the house and move into a retirement home, so they won’t have to worry about her. Don’t believe that for a second, they want the money her house and premium location will bring. Eleanor is a smart and independent woman who wants to live her golden years on her terms. Neither of her children actually need money since they both live comfortably with successful lives.
Her daughter Alicia, the eldest, is married to Philip, a surgeon, with one child, Arianna (Ari), twenty-two years-old who just graduated from college. Ari and Eleanor have a wonderful relationship, better than either of them has with Alicia. When she was young, Alicia’s father indulged her with whatever she wanted to relieve his guilt of not having spent time with her. Alicia is now an adult brat wanting everything and more, be prepared to dislike her, it’s expected.
Cliff, younger than his sister, wasn’t so much as indulged by his father, as he was ignored. He was well-cared for, of course, but never really sure if his father liked him or not. He’s a decent guy, working as a real-estate salesman in the premium markets of Boston. He’s still single, which is fine with him, but seems to annoy everyone else. He’d like his mother to sell her home as well, only because he knows how valuable her property is and feels it would be a smart business decision. In fact, he’s had an offer from a developer to buy her house and land on the cliff for fifteen million dollars.
Finally, we have Ari, Eleanor’s only grandchild, who wants to spend the summer with her for several reasons. She’ll be going to graduate school in the fall, so she wants to earn money working a summer job on the island, which usually pay well. She also broke her engagement to her longtime, college boyfriend, who she realized she doesn’t want to marry and doesn’t love. A summer with her grandmother and working on Nantucket would be ideal.
Naturally, there are other characters you’ll meet that play interesting and supporting roles that affect the outcome of the story. An old friend of Eleanor’s and her husband, Silas Stover, reconnects after his wife passes away. You’ll really like Silas. Ari will meet a new guy while also finding out life-changing news, that could impact her future. And, of course, the big decision of selling the house continues to loom over the family until they’re forced to decide.
The ending is my personal favorite, it makes smile just thinking about it. It’s not all neat and tidy, but it’s good and right for Eleanor, who you’ll grow to love.
I very highly recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley, Random House – Ballantine, and Nancy Thayer
May 4, 2021
I love all the family drama Family Reunion had to offer. It was such a fun spring/summer read. You are going to love all the happy endings and you are going to want to go spend the day with Eleanor. I gave this family drama lots of drama 4 stars and I recommend it. You will want to add this one to you pile and put it on top.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.
May 14, 2021
Unfortunately, I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. Usually, women's fiction ends up being disappointing for me, mainly because the characters are insufferable. That was the case here too. I liked Elanor and Ari, but the rest of this crew are awful people with very few redeeming qualities. It was hard to get through the book for that reason.
The positives were the Nantucket setting and how sweet Elanor was.
Thank you, Net Galley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
The positives were the Nantucket setting and how sweet Elanor was.
Thank you, Net Galley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2022
Thayer specializes in family dramas set on Nantucket. As per usual there is at least one troubled marriage, a grandchild that relates more to grandma than to parents, a possible new romance (or two), and at least one pet too cute for words.
And in this case, there is also a major decision regarding whether to keep the home that’s been in the family for generations or sell out to developers willing to pay millions of dollars for prime ocean-front land. Eleanor Sunderland is a widow who loves living in her family’s large home. She cherishes the memories of coming there when she was a child, and of bringing her children to the island when they were younger. She’s now one of the year-round residents and though the house is large and drafty and needs maintenance it is HER family home. Her adult children, though, think she should sell and move to a retirement community near them in the city.
Eleanor decides to invite her family to the island to help her celebrate her seventieth birthday. It will be a family reunion like they had in the old days! Well, not exactly … The majority of the drama comes from Eleanor’s daughter, Alicia, who is married to a surgeon and lives in Boston, and Eleanor’s only grandchild, Ari, who has just graduated from college and broken off her engagement to the scion of a wealthy family. Alicia is one of the most spoiled and self-centered characters I’ve come across in all my years of reading. Hard to believe that a woman like Eleanor could have raised a woman who is so shallow and money-grubbing. No wonder Ari wants to spend the entire summer with her grandmother!
Eleanor’s wonderful son and confirmed bachelor, Cliff, makes several appearances, though his contributions to the story are minimal. And the subplot involving a day camp for disadvantaged kids adds a nice touch (and a respite from Alicia’s self-made drama).
As is true of the other works by Thayer I’ve read, this was a quick read full of mostly likeable characters in recognizable situations. Perfect choice for a vacation read.
And in this case, there is also a major decision regarding whether to keep the home that’s been in the family for generations or sell out to developers willing to pay millions of dollars for prime ocean-front land. Eleanor Sunderland is a widow who loves living in her family’s large home. She cherishes the memories of coming there when she was a child, and of bringing her children to the island when they were younger. She’s now one of the year-round residents and though the house is large and drafty and needs maintenance it is HER family home. Her adult children, though, think she should sell and move to a retirement community near them in the city.
Eleanor decides to invite her family to the island to help her celebrate her seventieth birthday. It will be a family reunion like they had in the old days! Well, not exactly … The majority of the drama comes from Eleanor’s daughter, Alicia, who is married to a surgeon and lives in Boston, and Eleanor’s only grandchild, Ari, who has just graduated from college and broken off her engagement to the scion of a wealthy family. Alicia is one of the most spoiled and self-centered characters I’ve come across in all my years of reading. Hard to believe that a woman like Eleanor could have raised a woman who is so shallow and money-grubbing. No wonder Ari wants to spend the entire summer with her grandmother!
Eleanor’s wonderful son and confirmed bachelor, Cliff, makes several appearances, though his contributions to the story are minimal. And the subplot involving a day camp for disadvantaged kids adds a nice touch (and a respite from Alicia’s self-made drama).
As is true of the other works by Thayer I’ve read, this was a quick read full of mostly likeable characters in recognizable situations. Perfect choice for a vacation read.
June 14, 2021
There was a time when I loved Nancy Thayer’s books, but that was decades ago. Now the Nantucket setting and an appealing character or two fails to compensate for the unbelievable characters (Alicia!), the stilted dialogue, and the unbelievable plot.
To be fair, if you’re looking for a light beach read, Thayer delivers.
To be fair, if you’re looking for a light beach read, Thayer delivers.
March 4, 2021
This was my 11th book by Nancy Thayer and I really enjoyed this light hearted book. Family Reunion is a family drama that was a fun story about a 70 year old grandma and her family. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Can’t wait for her next book!!
May 28, 2021
I read Family Reunion for book club this month and it was my first time reading Nancy Thayer. This was a hard story for me to decide how to rate it. I loved the setting, some of the family drama, and Eleanor. There were a few characters I really, really didn't like - and at least one that I didn't feel was redeemed by the end of the story, so I still don't like her. Eleanor was fantastic - she was witty and smart. I admired her. The setting of Nantucket was a character in itself and I loved learning about it. I definitely want to read more books by Nancy - and I'm hoping to find some more books set on Nantucket as well.
I checked this book out of the library to read for book club and am voluntarily sharing my honest review. My thoughts are not influenced in any way.
I checked this book out of the library to read for book club and am voluntarily sharing my honest review. My thoughts are not influenced in any way.
February 5, 2021
I absolutely loved everything about this book- started it in the morning and finished it later the same day. Nancy Thayer writes beautiful family stories with heart and characters that feel so real, I'd like to be friends with them. Highly recommend for your "summer" fix on Nantucket.
October 9, 2021
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest opinion. I requested this book because I have read other books by this author and really liked them...and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. I loved that the main characters were of different ages but both starting over in different ways. You have Eleanor who is the matriarch...she is getting up their in age and is living alone in her big rambling house, which has been in her family for decades and you have her granddaughter Ari who has recently broken up with her fiance and wants to live with Eleanor for the summer. To me, those were the main characters, although other parts of the family were involved too. I just didn't really care for them :) Ari's parents have their own issues and I never did learn to like her mother...I guess not enough growth for me. Eleanor and Ari both find new loves at the same time and I just loved reading about how they got to talk to each other about their lives and what was happening. There was SO much growth for these two that I didn't want to put it down towards the end. Not to mention that the description of the city had me googling Nantucket and adding it to my list of places I want to go. :)
March 31, 2021
Eleanor lives in her family home by the beach in Nantucket. The house has been in the family for generations. She’s in her 70’s now and widowed but she’s pretty happy with her life. She’s especially happy that her granddaughter Ari is coming to spend the summer with her. There’s no doubt that Eleanor is closer to Ari than anyone else in the family. She loves her children Cliff and Alicia and feels that she always did right by them but she’s not that close to them.
I need to say that I definitely would have enjoyed this book more if Alicia wasn’t so awful. It’s hard for me to enjoy any time spent on a character who is just one sided and bad. If there’s a redeeming quality in Alicia, it is minor.
Alicia seems to care more about money than her mother. Cliff finds out that Eleanor could sell her beloved home for $15 million dollars. When Alicia learns this, her new mission in life is to get her mom to sell the house. She, of course, expects her mom to split the money between her and Cliff.
I just could not stand Alicia. She isn’t in dire straights, she’s not barely hanging on, she’s just greedy. She wants her mom to sell the house just so she can have more in life herself.
Alicia is also having some troubles with her husband. But that seems like less of a concern to her than the house.
I really liked Ari, Eleanor’s granddaughter. She has just graduated college and left her fiancée. She wants to spend the summer with her grandmother before she starts graduate school. She also devotes her working hours to a summer camp for children.
I loved the setting. Nantucket is always a wonderful place to set a story, especially a summery book.
I really liked Eleanor too. She’s always trying to help her family and she also knows it’s important that she’s happy too.
This would be a good book to throw in your bag to take to the beach or to enjoy in your yard this summer.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thank you! I was beyond thrilled to get approved for a Nancy Thayer novel!
I need to say that I definitely would have enjoyed this book more if Alicia wasn’t so awful. It’s hard for me to enjoy any time spent on a character who is just one sided and bad. If there’s a redeeming quality in Alicia, it is minor.
Alicia seems to care more about money than her mother. Cliff finds out that Eleanor could sell her beloved home for $15 million dollars. When Alicia learns this, her new mission in life is to get her mom to sell the house. She, of course, expects her mom to split the money between her and Cliff.
I just could not stand Alicia. She isn’t in dire straights, she’s not barely hanging on, she’s just greedy. She wants her mom to sell the house just so she can have more in life herself.
Alicia is also having some troubles with her husband. But that seems like less of a concern to her than the house.
I really liked Ari, Eleanor’s granddaughter. She has just graduated college and left her fiancée. She wants to spend the summer with her grandmother before she starts graduate school. She also devotes her working hours to a summer camp for children.
I loved the setting. Nantucket is always a wonderful place to set a story, especially a summery book.
I really liked Eleanor too. She’s always trying to help her family and she also knows it’s important that she’s happy too.
This would be a good book to throw in your bag to take to the beach or to enjoy in your yard this summer.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thank you! I was beyond thrilled to get approved for a Nancy Thayer novel!
June 9, 2021
Wow, the characters in this novel were horrible people and the situations were ludicrous, even for a beach read. Never reading this author again.
June 13, 2021
What can I say about this book? First of all, I'm a little prejudiced. Nancy Thayer is one of my favorite authors! However, each book is different, but I have to say I devoured this book as quickly as time would let me.
The first thing I noticed was the cover! It wowed me. Secondly, I was drawn to Eleanor, a 70 year old woman who has lived a good portion of her life in her home on Nantucket. Her problems begin with her children who want her to sell the house so they can get their inheritance. Hm, I didn't think that was a good idea, so I was intrigued! The story continued as well as the conflicts. I loved the back and forth of the unfolding plot.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book. It's a great summer read!
The first thing I noticed was the cover! It wowed me. Secondly, I was drawn to Eleanor, a 70 year old woman who has lived a good portion of her life in her home on Nantucket. Her problems begin with her children who want her to sell the house so they can get their inheritance. Hm, I didn't think that was a good idea, so I was intrigued! The story continued as well as the conflicts. I loved the back and forth of the unfolding plot.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book. It's a great summer read!
March 12, 2021
I admit it. The phrase “women’s fiction” generally makes me shudder. I don’t quite equate it with the phrase “bodice ripper,” but almost. Maybe it’s because I took over as manager of a nice suburban branch library from a woman who had done everything she could to run it into the ground (like getting rid of all Spanish language books — in a California county. With a huge Spanish-speaking population, which seemed to bother her.) She read only “women’s fiction,” mostly paperbacks with Fabio on the cover, and I disliked her so much I came to dislike the genre. Unfair? OK, I’ll admit it. But still. In my effort to read in the genre to broaden my awareness of popular fiction, years ago I did read Nancy Thayer’s Three Women At The Water’s Edge, and I found it to be like cotton candy: soft, fluffy, designed to satisfy without offending and to make the reader feel comfortable. When I recently had the chance to read Thayer’s 2021 offering, Family Reunion (thanks to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review, I jumped at it, thinking it might be perfect to brush off pandemic fatigue?
The protagonist, Eleanor Sunderland, lives on Nantucket Island year-round (as does Ms. Thayer).She is rattling around alone in her huge old cliffside home three years after the death of her husband. The home has been in her family forever, and she has loved it — it is now her permanent home, and it is where her family has gathered summers and holidays for generations. As the book opens, her best friend has skipped town, leaving Eleanor lonely and nostalgic . Her children contact her sporadically, mostly to complain and to beg her to sell the house so they can begin to enjoy their inheritance. She’s only 70, but they treat her like she is senile and incapable of living alone. Eleanor knows they want to persuade her that selling her home is a good idea, and she decides her seventieth birthday is the perfect occasion for a family reunion and discussion of her options.
Eleanor’s family members include her son Cliff, an unmarried uber-successful Boston realtor, her daughter Alicia and her husband (generally referred to as “Ari’s father”), and Eleanor’s beloved granddaughter Ari. Ari has just ended her engagement with Peter, shocking her mother Alicia, who is a truly unlikeable woman for whom money and appearances are paramount. Ari and Alicia aren’t exactly close, as Ari “… reminded herself to thank her, if she ever found a moment in her life when she wasn’t mad at her.” Ari is well aware that she isn’t the daughter Alicia wanted: “You wanted Janis Joplin and you got Jane Austen.”
Ari moves in with her grandmother for the summer before grad school, taking a job at the local beach camp (which horrifies Alicia). “Summer was always a difficult time on the small island,” when 30,000+ summer visitors arrive. Both grandmother and granddaughter fall into a carefree routine, each immediately finding a potential new romance. You can guess where this all goes. It’s fluffy, nice, and incredibly full of first world, white people issues. Like whether or not Eleanor should sell the house (for the offered FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS) and allow her children to get on with spending their inheritance. Cliff makes a fortune, and Alicia’s husband is a highly successful physician, so no one in this family is hurting for money. They are just greedy. It isn’t until Ari’s interactions with the less fortunate children at the charitable beach camp where she is a counselor that why even become aware that not everyone on the island is a rich white person.
So reading It really was like a warm blanket and a cup of tea. Comforting. So that was the good. On the other side, didn’t really relate to any of the characters, in fact I pretty much couldn’t stand anyone! Or at the very least I was annoyed by them. Nancy Thayer’s fans will love it. The woman who worked in that library before me will love it. Tons of people will find it a comforting escape from their daily challenges in this extremely challenging year of the pandemic. I can only go three stars, but that’s just me.
The protagonist, Eleanor Sunderland, lives on Nantucket Island year-round (as does Ms. Thayer).She is rattling around alone in her huge old cliffside home three years after the death of her husband. The home has been in her family forever, and she has loved it — it is now her permanent home, and it is where her family has gathered summers and holidays for generations. As the book opens, her best friend has skipped town, leaving Eleanor lonely and nostalgic . Her children contact her sporadically, mostly to complain and to beg her to sell the house so they can begin to enjoy their inheritance. She’s only 70, but they treat her like she is senile and incapable of living alone. Eleanor knows they want to persuade her that selling her home is a good idea, and she decides her seventieth birthday is the perfect occasion for a family reunion and discussion of her options.
Eleanor’s family members include her son Cliff, an unmarried uber-successful Boston realtor, her daughter Alicia and her husband (generally referred to as “Ari’s father”), and Eleanor’s beloved granddaughter Ari. Ari has just ended her engagement with Peter, shocking her mother Alicia, who is a truly unlikeable woman for whom money and appearances are paramount. Ari and Alicia aren’t exactly close, as Ari “… reminded herself to thank her, if she ever found a moment in her life when she wasn’t mad at her.” Ari is well aware that she isn’t the daughter Alicia wanted: “You wanted Janis Joplin and you got Jane Austen.”
Ari moves in with her grandmother for the summer before grad school, taking a job at the local beach camp (which horrifies Alicia). “Summer was always a difficult time on the small island,” when 30,000+ summer visitors arrive. Both grandmother and granddaughter fall into a carefree routine, each immediately finding a potential new romance. You can guess where this all goes. It’s fluffy, nice, and incredibly full of first world, white people issues. Like whether or not Eleanor should sell the house (for the offered FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS) and allow her children to get on with spending their inheritance. Cliff makes a fortune, and Alicia’s husband is a highly successful physician, so no one in this family is hurting for money. They are just greedy. It isn’t until Ari’s interactions with the less fortunate children at the charitable beach camp where she is a counselor that why even become aware that not everyone on the island is a rich white person.
So reading It really was like a warm blanket and a cup of tea. Comforting. So that was the good. On the other side, didn’t really relate to any of the characters, in fact I pretty much couldn’t stand anyone! Or at the very least I was annoyed by them. Nancy Thayer’s fans will love it. The woman who worked in that library before me will love it. Tons of people will find it a comforting escape from their daily challenges in this extremely challenging year of the pandemic. I can only go three stars, but that’s just me.
February 4, 2021
Nantucket....the beach....the ocean....what could be better. We follow the life of Eleanor and her children and granddaughter. Families have obstacles they must overcome and this one is no different. Infidelity, pregnancy, broken hearts, and demanding relatives are all mixed in there. We get a look at the young, the old and the in-between.
A loving story, this ARC was a delightful read. I related a lot to the family squabbles and the closeness of members. My favorite was the relationship of Ari and her grandmother, Eleanor. In these chaotic times of the pandemic, it was a great feeling to get lost in a book about a family reunion. #fivestars #Netgalley #ARC due to be released May 4, 2021
A loving story, this ARC was a delightful read. I related a lot to the family squabbles and the closeness of members. My favorite was the relationship of Ari and her grandmother, Eleanor. In these chaotic times of the pandemic, it was a great feeling to get lost in a book about a family reunion. #fivestars #Netgalley #ARC due to be released May 4, 2021
June 29, 2021
I used to love Nancy Thayer books in the summer. The beautiful setting, the easy to follow plots that made for light summer reading. Unfortunately, I think this will be my last. One dimensional (unlikeable) characters, ridiculous dialogue, unbelievable plot that is paced terribly. So disappointing. Skip this one.
August 24, 2021
I liked the two main characters, and the plot moved along at a nice pace, there was always something happening - mostly in a quiet kind of way, but still eventful. Plus most of the characters grow as the book develops
February 15, 2021
You can choose your friends but can't choose your family. That adage rings true in Nancy Thayer's #FamilyReunion. Eleanor Sunderland has a house with a view overlooking Nantucket's blue-green waters. With her 70th birthday looming, her children are plotting to sell her home.
To celebrate her milestone birthday, she invites her children and granddaughter, Ari for a family reunion. Ari is at the crossroads of her life after breaking up with her fiancé and graduating college. She moves in with Eleanor to save money before graduate school. While living together, Eleanor and Ari impart words of wisdom that leave each other stronger for their union.
Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for an honest review. Nancy Thayer pens summer escape reads with substance. Readers needing a trip to the shore will indulge in the scenic setting while sympathizing with Eleanor's decisions. While grappling with her family's finances, Eleanor must reunite with past mistakes before building a new future.
To celebrate her milestone birthday, she invites her children and granddaughter, Ari for a family reunion. Ari is at the crossroads of her life after breaking up with her fiancé and graduating college. She moves in with Eleanor to save money before graduate school. While living together, Eleanor and Ari impart words of wisdom that leave each other stronger for their union.
Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for an honest review. Nancy Thayer pens summer escape reads with substance. Readers needing a trip to the shore will indulge in the scenic setting while sympathizing with Eleanor's decisions. While grappling with her family's finances, Eleanor must reunite with past mistakes before building a new future.
May 4, 2021
***Family Reunion has a good story buried within it’s ponderous wordiness. Centered on grandmother, Eleanor, her two children, Alicia and Cliff, and her granddaughter, Ari, the story focuses on the summer Eleanor turns 70. This reader disliked being told something over and over as foreshadowing before being told again in dialogue. Eleanor’s family, with the exception of the granddaughter, are not particularly likable...especially the daughter. I usually love books by Nancy Thayer, but this was a book that was easy to put down and difficult to pick back up. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.
July 2, 2022
This was my first book by Nancy Thayer and definitely will be my last. I was looking for another Nantucket beach read but this was not it. It was just so bad. The 22 year old Ari speaks like she’s either 62, or maybe 22 but living in 1962. Definitely not the way a 22 year old speaks today so it was very hard to believe. The lack of editing was apparent. In one scene, Eleanor and Phillip are talking and waiting for Ari and the author says “it was just after four o’clock” but then Ari arrives and Phillip and Ari make plans to be somewhere at 4 o’clock the SAME DAY. And on top of that, they have time to take a 45 minute flight to this destination and THEY ARRIVE RIGHT AT 4 O’CLOCK. Didn’t know we had time travel in this book.
May 26, 2021
Disappointing
May 29, 2021
Eleanor Sunderland loves living on Nantucket, in a gorgeous cliffside home that has been in her family for decades. Yet this year she can’t help but feel a bit isolated, even as the island begins to come alive with summer tourists and travelers. Her best friend has skipped town on a last-minute cruise, leaving Eleanor feeling lonely and nostalgic about her family’s weekend trips to the island, made less frequently in the years since her husband’s passing. Now, her money-driven children contact her mostly to complain and to beg her to sell her beloved home for a steep payout. Hoping to kick the season off on a good note, Eleanor decides her seventieth birthday may be the perfect occasion for a much-needed reunion.
Fresh off the heels of her college graduation, Eleanor’s dear granddaughter, Ari, has just ended an engagement that felt less like true love and more like a chore. She longs for a change of scenery and to venture far from her parents’ snobbish expectations. Taking advantage of her newfound freedom, she heads to Nantucket to clear her head before graduate school, moving in with her grandmother and taking a job at the local beach camp. As she watches Eleanor begin to form a bond with an old acquaintance, Ari herself becomes completely smitten with a friend’s charming older brother. But just as grandmother and granddaughter fall into a carefree routine, a few shocking discoveries throw them off course, and their ideas of the future seem suddenly uncertain.
Eleanor and Ari make exciting connections, old and new, over the course of an unpredictable, life-changing few months, and learn to lean on each other through every new challenge they face in life and love, in this tale filled with Nancy Thayer’s signature Nantucket magic.
My Thoughts: From the very first page of Family Reunion, I was caught up in the family moments, especially those surrounding Eleanor, the matriarch, and her granddaughter Ari.
Alicia, Eleanor’s daughter, was not a favorite of mine. Selfish and narcissistic, her purpose seemed to be bringing her mother and her daughter down. And placing her mother in an assisted living facility.
Her selfish desire to sell Eleanor’s house on Nantucket for a payoff she and other family members could divide between them, made me cringe. I was reminded of how families sometimes make decisions for the elder family members, despite what those characters want.
But Eleanor, with the help of her granddaughter, stands up to her adult children. What will they decide to do? I rooted for both Eleanor and Ari throughout. There were some unexpected surprises along the way, so I kept reading and loving this story. 5 stars.
Fresh off the heels of her college graduation, Eleanor’s dear granddaughter, Ari, has just ended an engagement that felt less like true love and more like a chore. She longs for a change of scenery and to venture far from her parents’ snobbish expectations. Taking advantage of her newfound freedom, she heads to Nantucket to clear her head before graduate school, moving in with her grandmother and taking a job at the local beach camp. As she watches Eleanor begin to form a bond with an old acquaintance, Ari herself becomes completely smitten with a friend’s charming older brother. But just as grandmother and granddaughter fall into a carefree routine, a few shocking discoveries throw them off course, and their ideas of the future seem suddenly uncertain.
Eleanor and Ari make exciting connections, old and new, over the course of an unpredictable, life-changing few months, and learn to lean on each other through every new challenge they face in life and love, in this tale filled with Nancy Thayer’s signature Nantucket magic.
My Thoughts: From the very first page of Family Reunion, I was caught up in the family moments, especially those surrounding Eleanor, the matriarch, and her granddaughter Ari.
Alicia, Eleanor’s daughter, was not a favorite of mine. Selfish and narcissistic, her purpose seemed to be bringing her mother and her daughter down. And placing her mother in an assisted living facility.
Her selfish desire to sell Eleanor’s house on Nantucket for a payoff she and other family members could divide between them, made me cringe. I was reminded of how families sometimes make decisions for the elder family members, despite what those characters want.
But Eleanor, with the help of her granddaughter, stands up to her adult children. What will they decide to do? I rooted for both Eleanor and Ari throughout. There were some unexpected surprises along the way, so I kept reading and loving this story. 5 stars.
May 3, 2021
Eleanor adores her Nantucket beach front home, but her money-hungry children have begun to pressure her to sell. She embraces the opportunity to have her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, Ari, live with her for the summer, and both women experience a summer they will never forget.
While I myself have unfortunately never been, the Nantucket setting is one of my favorite book settings! Nancy Thayer always does an incredible job capturing the Nantucket scene perfectly, and her detailed, descriptive writing makes you feel fully immersed in the setting. I enjoyed both Eleanor’s and Ari’s stories, and this feel-good book is sure to warm your heart. This novel was a quick read, and it would be the perfect book to binge on a sunny beach day!
Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing my with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
While I myself have unfortunately never been, the Nantucket setting is one of my favorite book settings! Nancy Thayer always does an incredible job capturing the Nantucket scene perfectly, and her detailed, descriptive writing makes you feel fully immersed in the setting. I enjoyed both Eleanor’s and Ari’s stories, and this feel-good book is sure to warm your heart. This novel was a quick read, and it would be the perfect book to binge on a sunny beach day!
Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing my with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
June 29, 2021
A heartfelt story…some parts seemed a little far fetched for me but THIS is fiction! For example, Beck asking Ari to marry him only after a few months and her being pregnant with another man’s baby! And what’s the importance of Ari and Beck becoming vegetarian at the end of the book? Just an interesting tid bit the author added…
Loved the relationship Ari had with her grandmother, Eleanor, loved every minute of that! I actually love Eleanor, thought It was cool how she raised her kids and her laid back attitude about life , maybe that’s why she is still living independently! I actually was okay and agreed with her selling her home and moving into town to something smaller and closer to Silas! I thought the amount of money she got for her Nantucket home was exorbitant! I mean how many people have a family home passed down from generations worth millions of dollars?!
I did enjoy the ending and gave some reflection to forgiveness! Good read!
Loved the relationship Ari had with her grandmother, Eleanor, loved every minute of that! I actually love Eleanor, thought It was cool how she raised her kids and her laid back attitude about life , maybe that’s why she is still living independently! I actually was okay and agreed with her selling her home and moving into town to something smaller and closer to Silas! I thought the amount of money she got for her Nantucket home was exorbitant! I mean how many people have a family home passed down from generations worth millions of dollars?!
I did enjoy the ending and gave some reflection to forgiveness! Good read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2021
A good multi-generational story about the changes that naturally occur in our lives and the hope that the next generation offers. Eleanor’s semi-romance was a little strange at first, but since she and Silas were good friends, I was okay with it after a while. Lots of plot twists and a beautiful setting!
I own a copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review.
I own a copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review.
May 28, 2021
Eleanor lives in a beautiful cliff side home on the island of Nantucket. It's been in her family for generations. She is a widow, so the winters on the island can be very isolating. This has her adult children, Cliff and Alicia, worried about her. They want her to sell her home to developers who have been chomping at the bit for her property for years. It doesn't hurt that her children will receive one-third of the sale money, which thrills her children, especially Alicia who is obsessed with money despite never having worked a day in her life. But Eleanor doesn't want to sell her family home. She's happy on Nantucket and things become even more exciting for her when her one-and-only granddaughter, Ari, decides to spend the summer on the island with her. Ari just graduated college and could use some time to clear her head. Where better to do this than on beautiful Nantucket? Well, things aren't so calm this summer. Ari's parents hits some major bumps in the road, Eleanor's son, Cliff, can't seem to settle down with one woman, and Ari finds out some life-changing information this summer. Eleanor can kiss her boring life goodbye since this summer there's plenty of family drama including some of her own. Nancy Thayer's Family Reunion is a decent family drama set on idyllic Nantucket. All of the drama is nicely balanced out, so it's a refreshing story about family and taking the next step to a new chapter of life.
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
Read the rest of my review here:
http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 823 reviews