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Summer Love
"Old secrets come to light when four friends gather on Nantucket for a life-changing reunion in this heartwarming novel of love and self-discovery by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer. When four strangers rent bargain-basement rooms in an old hotel near the beach, they embark on the summer of their lives. First there's Ariel Spencer, who has big dreams of becoming a writer and is looking for inspiration in Nantucket's high society. Her new friend Sheila Murphy is a good Catholic girl from Ohio whose desire for adventure is often shadowed by her apprehension. Then there's small-town Missourian Wyatt Smith-who's immediately taken with Ariel. The last of the four, Nick Volkov, is looking to make a name for himself and have a blast along the way. Despite their differences, the four bond over Wednesday night dinners, trips to the beach, and all that Nantucket has to offer. But venturing out on their own for the first time, with all its adventure and risks, could change the course of their future.... Twenty-six years after that amazing summer, Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick come together again at the hotel where they first met. Now it's called The Lighthouse and Nick owns the entire operation with his wife and daughter. Ariel and Wyatt, married for decades, arrive with their son, and Sheila's back too, with her daughter by her side. Life hasn't exactly worked out the way they had all hoped. Ariel's dreams have since faded and been pushed aside, but she's determined to rediscover the passion she once had. Nick has the money and reputation of a successful businessman, but is it everything he had hoped for? And Sheila has never been able to shake the secret she's kept since that summer. Being back together again at last will mean confronting the past and finding themselves again. Meanwhile, the next generation discovers Nantucket, exploring the island together, experiencing love and heartbreak, and forging lifelong bonds just as their parents did all those years ago. It's sure to be one unforgettable reunion. This delightful novel from beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer explores the potential of dreams and the beauty of friendship"--
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2022
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About the author
Nancy Thayer
54 books4,069 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 714 reviews
May 3, 2022
Summer Love by Nancy Thayer is a women’s fiction novel. The story in Summer Love is one that is told in two timelines, one from the past, twenty six years ago, and one from the present. This is also a novel that changes the point of view between multiple characters in the past and present.
Twenty six years ago in Nantucket four strangers came together for the summer that shaped their lives. Ariel Spencer had come to work in Nantucket for the summer dreaming of one day becoming a writer. Wyatt Smith had his future plans of becoming a scientist. Sheila Murphy was planning her wedding to her longtime sweetheart and Nick Volkov had big dreams of one day owning the world.
Now, those same four friends are now returning to Nantucket all these years later with their children. Nick has made his dreams come true and became a businessman who is now opening a hotel in Nantucket so he invited the others to return. Ariel and Wyatt did marry after their summer together and Sheila went on to become a mother and wife herself and now all four have come to celebrate that summer that started it all.
I’ve read many a novel by author Nancy Thayer and have enjoyed each and every one including Summer Love. Immediately upon beginning to read I feel like I’ve stepped right out onto the island of Nantucket myself and got caught right up into the characters lives. The story unfolded in the past and present simultaneously with the children of the original four having their own coming of age summer right along with their parents before them and I was just as engaged by both timelines. Definitely an author I will continue to return to time and time again.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Twenty six years ago in Nantucket four strangers came together for the summer that shaped their lives. Ariel Spencer had come to work in Nantucket for the summer dreaming of one day becoming a writer. Wyatt Smith had his future plans of becoming a scientist. Sheila Murphy was planning her wedding to her longtime sweetheart and Nick Volkov had big dreams of one day owning the world.
Now, those same four friends are now returning to Nantucket all these years later with their children. Nick has made his dreams come true and became a businessman who is now opening a hotel in Nantucket so he invited the others to return. Ariel and Wyatt did marry after their summer together and Sheila went on to become a mother and wife herself and now all four have come to celebrate that summer that started it all.
I’ve read many a novel by author Nancy Thayer and have enjoyed each and every one including Summer Love. Immediately upon beginning to read I feel like I’ve stepped right out onto the island of Nantucket myself and got caught right up into the characters lives. The story unfolded in the past and present simultaneously with the children of the original four having their own coming of age summer right along with their parents before them and I was just as engaged by both timelines. Definitely an author I will continue to return to time and time again.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
April 23, 2022
I’ve been reading Nancy Thayer’s books since 2015 and this was #12 for me. I’m definitely in the minority with my 2 star rating but this story fell flat for me and I could not connect with any of the characters. I will be looking forward to her next book though. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my review.
dnf
April 30, 2023This is a Women's Fiction book. I gave this book several tries, and I really wanted to love it. I just could not make myself care about any of the characters, and I could not get into this book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
May 25, 2022
No, Ma’am. This is no Elin Hinderbrand Nantucket story. Get off the island with this fraudulent summer book. No Chicken Box- no likey. Love, Mo.
January 27, 2024
This was a slow read for me. Switching between this summer and that summer we meet up on Nantucket.
Years ago 4 college students lived together in a run down hotel while they worked on the island for the summer. Now, they are called back to Nantucket by one of the original 4. Nick now owns a hotel on the island and he basically wants bragging rights. They all return with children in tow. And their children develop a love for the island just as they did.
I didn’t get it. They did not appear to be that close of friends. Like they almost found each other annoying. I didn’t see much of a plot and it just didn’t hold my attention.
Years ago 4 college students lived together in a run down hotel while they worked on the island for the summer. Now, they are called back to Nantucket by one of the original 4. Nick now owns a hotel on the island and he basically wants bragging rights. They all return with children in tow. And their children develop a love for the island just as they did.
I didn’t get it. They did not appear to be that close of friends. Like they almost found each other annoying. I didn’t see much of a plot and it just didn’t hold my attention.
May 19, 2022
This book was a bit boring. The characters were so flat and there wasn't much of a plot. The best part was the setting. I loved reading about Nantucket. Definitely not my favorite of Nancy Thayer's books.
February 16, 2022
SUMMER LOVE follows the story of Nick, Ariel, Wyatt and Shelia. Each of them travels to the island of Nantucket for the adventure of a lifetime. They all become fast friends despite having some big differences. The story is told in past and present summers. The current summer, they all return to Nantucket to reunite with their families. Nick is now the hotel owner of the hotel now called, The Light House, where they all met twenty-six years prior. Their children all become friends and explore the island where there is romance and life-long bonds to be made just as their parents had done years ago.
I always enjoy Nancy Thayer books and SUMMER LOVE was no exception. This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the past and present summer timelines. I quickly became invested in wanting to see how the characters changed over time. This is a great book that you can easily get lost in for several hours. If you love a good beach read, I would highly recommend reading this one (or any of the author’s back catalog).
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
I always enjoy Nancy Thayer books and SUMMER LOVE was no exception. This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the past and present summer timelines. I quickly became invested in wanting to see how the characters changed over time. This is a great book that you can easily get lost in for several hours. If you love a good beach read, I would highly recommend reading this one (or any of the author’s back catalog).
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
May 25, 2022
I don’t usually take the time to review books, but I had to post something for this one. There’s just no substance. How many characters in a book can fall in love at first sight? Spoiler alert… all of them 🙄🙄🙄 I’ll stick with Elin Hildebrand when I want to transport myself to the magical island of Nantucket.
June 4, 2022
I can only imagine the conversation Nancy Thayer had with her agent:
Agent: Nancy, you have to finish a book per your contract.
Nancy: Jeez, I just don't have any ideas.
Agent: Doesn't matter, your loyal reader will read any shit you produce. You're the summer beach read queen!
Nancy: Okay, let me flesh out this grocery list.
Her grocery list would have been more interesting. Worst. Summer. Beach. Read. Ever.
Agent: Nancy, you have to finish a book per your contract.
Nancy: Jeez, I just don't have any ideas.
Agent: Doesn't matter, your loyal reader will read any shit you produce. You're the summer beach read queen!
Nancy: Okay, let me flesh out this grocery list.
Her grocery list would have been more interesting. Worst. Summer. Beach. Read. Ever.
May 9, 2022
Such a fun summer read. I loved the then and now chapters and the four friends going back to Nantucket with their kids 25 years later. It was a fun read and a must read. I am honored to always get to go to Nantucket with Thayer.
May 23, 2022
These may be the least likable characters I’ve ever come across in a beach read. I really didn’t like one character, found one too greedy, and found others too easily dominated. We are supposed to believe they become friends; i don’t think they really liked each other.
May 2, 2022
Wow wow wow what a book this was!! I loved this fun little escape to the sunny shores of Nantucket.. giving me all those summery feels!!
Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick all become fast-friends as they are chosen to be summer tenants in the basement at the Nantucket Palace hotel. Twenty-five years later, Nick now owns that hotel renaming it The Lighthouse. He invites the group back to where it all began. From there they renew that bond, also bringing their grown children into the mix—where they themselves find love, and learn how to make their own life choices.. regardless of what’s expected by their parents.
This impeccably sweet story of a reunion between the original four friends, their spouses, and the next generation to discover the magic of Nantucket has so much heart, it filled my soul with happiness. 💕
*Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my
Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick all become fast-friends as they are chosen to be summer tenants in the basement at the Nantucket Palace hotel. Twenty-five years later, Nick now owns that hotel renaming it The Lighthouse. He invites the group back to where it all began. From there they renew that bond, also bringing their grown children into the mix—where they themselves find love, and learn how to make their own life choices.. regardless of what’s expected by their parents.
This impeccably sweet story of a reunion between the original four friends, their spouses, and the next generation to discover the magic of Nantucket has so much heart, it filled my soul with happiness. 💕
*Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my
May 26, 2022
Summer Love
by Nancy Thayer
Ariel, Nick, Sheila, and Wyatt recently graduated college and rent rooms in an old hotel in Nantucket.
They spend the summer working and getting to know each other.
The story switches from their stories to the future where it tells their children's stories.
Ariel was my favorite, maybe because she came first in the story.
A nice beach read for the summer.
Who would like this book? Someone who enjoys books that are quickly read, family and friendship stories. And a book that feels like summer.
4***
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
May 9, 2022
I don't think I can ever truly write the review this book deserves.
I hung on every word this book dripped. I could not get enough. At times I forced myself to slow down, I just didn't want it to end. I don't think I will ever forget this unbelievable story and I will forever recommend this to everyone I know.
This book just pulls you right in by the heart strings. I was instantly captivated and fell in love with the characters. I felt as though I knew these people in real life. If you are looking for a book that is raw, emotional and give you all the feels, look no further, Summer Love, is the perfect book for you.
Nancy Thayer, is a true storyteller and nothing can compare to the perfect narration.
I am still left in awe after concluding this book last night. Wow, just wow.
5 stars.
I hung on every word this book dripped. I could not get enough. At times I forced myself to slow down, I just didn't want it to end. I don't think I will ever forget this unbelievable story and I will forever recommend this to everyone I know.
This book just pulls you right in by the heart strings. I was instantly captivated and fell in love with the characters. I felt as though I knew these people in real life. If you are looking for a book that is raw, emotional and give you all the feels, look no further, Summer Love, is the perfect book for you.
Nancy Thayer, is a true storyteller and nothing can compare to the perfect narration.
I am still left in awe after concluding this book last night. Wow, just wow.
5 stars.
June 6, 2022
Last summer I said I was giving up on this author. I got sucked in again and next summer I definitely won’t purchase her new book.
It was okay…nothing to get excited about. Hi hum all the way. Late in the book it seemed as if something big was going to happen, and then it just fizzled.
Another disappointment…in to better things.
It was okay…nothing to get excited about. Hi hum all the way. Late in the book it seemed as if something big was going to happen, and then it just fizzled.
Another disappointment…in to better things.
June 11, 2022
Love Nantucket and appreciated the dual timelines but this fell flat and honestly all three couples were kind of depressing by the end—and Wyatt—was THE worst!
May 1, 2022
Summer Love by Nancy Thayer is a story about friendship, summer fun, and secrets. Ariel, Nick, Sheila, and Wyatt have just graduated from college. The four of them have jobs on Nantucket Island for the summer. They are the lucky four who have obtained accommodations in the basement of a hotel under renovation. They work during the day and enjoy the island during their free time. Twenty-six years later, the four reunite at the same hotel that is now owned by Nick. They bring their children who are now in their early twenties just like they were when they first came to Nantucket. Their “children” become friends and set off to enjoy Nantucket Island. Summer Love is told in alternating chapters of this summer and that summer. The point-of-view alternates between the characters. We get to see the four roommates get to know each other and enjoy their summer on the island. The four were from differing backgrounds. Personally, I felt that they were not that close. The only reason they spent time together is because they were roommates. They even found each other annoying at times. The pacing is mixed in Summer Love. There are times it flew by and others when it moved at a snail’s pace. I found the story to be predictable and I thought the characters lacked development. The ending was just the end (anticlimactic). It did not feel like everything came together. Summer Love is the type of book you read when you want an uncomplicated book. It is a good vacation story (a beach read). I did feel that Nancy Thayer brought Nantucket Island alive. I could envision the island with its quaint shops, the beach, the ocean, and the dingy basement rooms. She also shows the diversity between the rich people who inhabit the island in the summer and the working class. Summer Love is reminiscent of those essays we had to write at the beginning of the school year that detailed what we did over the summer. Summer Love is a lighthearted tale about the scattered sand, the hot summer sun, the open ocean, plethora of parties, boastful bragging, a sinful secret, unsatisfied visions, and summer reunion.
August 11, 2022
Nancy, I’ve read 15 of your books now, since 2009. I look forward to your books every summer. I was particularly looking forward to this one, since I’m spending the week on Cape Cod, and I brought it with me to read sitting on the beach (which I did, on my first full day of vacation.) I also grew up in Missouri and initially appreciated the Mizzou/Columbia references.
However, you have a pretty significant prejudice, which I have noted once before, and it has reared its ugly head again. You clearly don’t like fat people.
In one of your previous books (The Island House), every time you mentioned a particular character, you couldn’t help but comment upon his weight. This time, it was Sheila. It’s like Sheila didn’t have a personality at all: every time you mentioned her, you had to comment about her weight and large breasts. And you emphasize her shyness and envy of Ariel’s beauty, like that was all related to her weight and it was appropriate for her to be self-conscious.
Sure, a couple of different times you tried to emphasize that she really wasn’t *that* fat or that guys liked the voluptuousness of her figure. That does not make up for your prejudice. In fact, it accentuated it, implying that if she were larger than she is, guys wouldn’t like her or she *would be* that fat. I’m not going to saying anything that would require a spoiler alert. But it doesn’t feel like a coincidence that the worst thing to happen to one of the characters happened to her.
The book also ended with some unfinished business. I hope there’s not going to be an unannounced sequel. Because I don’t want to read any more about these characters. The next generation seems like they’ll be way better human beings than their parents, but you’ll probably spend the next book emphasizing Penny’s body type. And I’ve really had enough of that by now.
However, you have a pretty significant prejudice, which I have noted once before, and it has reared its ugly head again. You clearly don’t like fat people.
In one of your previous books (The Island House), every time you mentioned a particular character, you couldn’t help but comment upon his weight. This time, it was Sheila. It’s like Sheila didn’t have a personality at all: every time you mentioned her, you had to comment about her weight and large breasts. And you emphasize her shyness and envy of Ariel’s beauty, like that was all related to her weight and it was appropriate for her to be self-conscious.
Sure, a couple of different times you tried to emphasize that she really wasn’t *that* fat or that guys liked the voluptuousness of her figure. That does not make up for your prejudice. In fact, it accentuated it, implying that if she were larger than she is, guys wouldn’t like her or she *would be* that fat. I’m not going to saying anything that would require a spoiler alert. But it doesn’t feel like a coincidence that the worst thing to happen to one of the characters happened to her.
The book also ended with some unfinished business. I hope there’s not going to be an unannounced sequel. Because I don’t want to read any more about these characters. The next generation seems like they’ll be way better human beings than their parents, but you’ll probably spend the next book emphasizing Penny’s body type. And I’ve really had enough of that by now.
did-not-finish
May 31, 2022DNF the audio at 15%. Just could. not. care.
February 15, 2022
Is it a romance? A coming of age summer story? A true Nancy Thayer written picture of Nantucket in the summertime? Yes to all of the above!
Nick, Sheila, Arial, and Wyatt are each coming to Nantucket to work and save money for the summer. They're the four chosen inhabitants of whats left of Rockers Hotel, or as they refer to it The Sand Palace. Coming from different locations and uobringings, they come together after each searching out cheap accommodations on the island. Becoming known as the Sand Palace Four, they each grow up, find love, and make life long connections that summer. Told in alternating timelines of that summer and the current one, we meet not only the Four but also their children and families.
,
I usually leave a Nancy Thayer book googling Nantucket and the particular places she mentions while nursing a book hangover. While this story was no different, it was also truly her very best yet. We get to see not only the summer that shaped each character, but we then get to see where they are today. We get to see how they've all spent the past two decades while also meeting their children and watching them navigate their first summer on the island. This book is truly one of the very best if not the best book of the summer! I loved every single page.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Thank you to NetGalley, Nancy Thayer, and my favorite Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Nick, Sheila, Arial, and Wyatt are each coming to Nantucket to work and save money for the summer. They're the four chosen inhabitants of whats left of Rockers Hotel, or as they refer to it The Sand Palace. Coming from different locations and uobringings, they come together after each searching out cheap accommodations on the island. Becoming known as the Sand Palace Four, they each grow up, find love, and make life long connections that summer. Told in alternating timelines of that summer and the current one, we meet not only the Four but also their children and families.
,
I usually leave a Nancy Thayer book googling Nantucket and the particular places she mentions while nursing a book hangover. While this story was no different, it was also truly her very best yet. We get to see not only the summer that shaped each character, but we then get to see where they are today. We get to see how they've all spent the past two decades while also meeting their children and watching them navigate their first summer on the island. This book is truly one of the very best if not the best book of the summer! I loved every single page.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Thank you to NetGalley, Nancy Thayer, and my favorite Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
August 7, 2022
Aestas terribilium librorum.
Yes, it's been a summer of terrible books for me. Add Summer Love to the top of that list.
I'm in a quandary as to whom we should give the prize for the 'Best Writer of a Visitors Guide to Nantucket', Elin Hilderbrand or Nancy Thayer.
At least Hilderbrand's The Hotel Nantucket had a plot. Summer Love does not. Finally, three-fifths the way through the book, there is a hint of some drama.
I fervently object to much of Summer Love. The characters are overwrought, they are high schoolish and phony. Their thoughts and conversations are trite and usually selfish. They certainly didn't expand their vocabulary in high school, much less college. They fall in love after about 3.5 seconds. BUT the thing that offends me the most is the difference in the way the wealthy are portrayed compared to the working and/or middle class. From fly-over country? The character is a rube. Never been to Paris or go to boarding school? 'I can't roll my eyes low enough to look down upon you.' "Wait, you people in Missouri and Ohio actually sail?"
I'm shocked and disappointed with how utterly awful these characters are, and this book is. I make it a point to never read reviews before beginning a new book. I may have to change that.
I'm saddened that this offering by Nancy Thayer is as bad as it is. Summer Love is the second Nantucket book of hers with which I've had the same complaints. A lovely island can't save awful characters and bad writing.
1 gracious Star for Summer Love, Aestas horrida liber.
Yes, it's been a summer of terrible books for me. Add Summer Love to the top of that list.
I'm in a quandary as to whom we should give the prize for the 'Best Writer of a Visitors Guide to Nantucket', Elin Hilderbrand or Nancy Thayer.
At least Hilderbrand's The Hotel Nantucket had a plot. Summer Love does not. Finally, three-fifths the way through the book, there is a hint of some drama.
I fervently object to much of Summer Love. The characters are overwrought, they are high schoolish and phony. Their thoughts and conversations are trite and usually selfish. They certainly didn't expand their vocabulary in high school, much less college. They fall in love after about 3.5 seconds. BUT the thing that offends me the most is the difference in the way the wealthy are portrayed compared to the working and/or middle class. From fly-over country? The character is a rube. Never been to Paris or go to boarding school? 'I can't roll my eyes low enough to look down upon you.' "Wait, you people in Missouri and Ohio actually sail?"
I'm shocked and disappointed with how utterly awful these characters are, and this book is. I make it a point to never read reviews before beginning a new book. I may have to change that.
I'm saddened that this offering by Nancy Thayer is as bad as it is. Summer Love is the second Nantucket book of hers with which I've had the same complaints. A lovely island can't save awful characters and bad writing.
1 gracious Star for Summer Love, Aestas horrida liber.
March 3, 2022
I got about 3/4 of the way through this book before completely giving up. I had high hopes because I’ve read other Nancy Thayer titles and enjoyed them.
The characters seemed disjointed and not real. Their dialogue, their mannerisms, and their personalities seemed like something you’d see in a Hallmark movie on steroids… Hallmark movies being more believable than this.
While the premise was interesting, I couldn’t get past how the kids acted. Teens and early twenty-something’s have nothing in common with the young adults portrayed in this book. It was jarring to read about these characters… they seemed like they belonged in the 1800s.
I think this novel could have been truly amazing because the plot was so interesting but it fell so flat I just couldn’t bring myself to finish the novel.
Giving two stars because I enjoyed the setting a lot and certain scenes reminded me a bit of my teen years.
The characters seemed disjointed and not real. Their dialogue, their mannerisms, and their personalities seemed like something you’d see in a Hallmark movie on steroids… Hallmark movies being more believable than this.
While the premise was interesting, I couldn’t get past how the kids acted. Teens and early twenty-something’s have nothing in common with the young adults portrayed in this book. It was jarring to read about these characters… they seemed like they belonged in the 1800s.
I think this novel could have been truly amazing because the plot was so interesting but it fell so flat I just couldn’t bring myself to finish the novel.
Giving two stars because I enjoyed the setting a lot and certain scenes reminded me a bit of my teen years.
May 18, 2022
Nancy Thayer books always scream SUMMER to me, and this one was no exception. I loved the beach setting. The friendships were amazing, and I loved the dynamics between them. However- the plot moved at a snail pace. I kept waiting for something to happen! When finally it did, it was lackluster and towards the end of the book. While not my favorite of hers, it won't stop me from reading her next book!
December 7, 2022
it was a good summer read! but somehow took me 8 days to finish, so i don’t think i enjoyed it as much, it was kinda boring sometimes. and i guess it’s because it’s from the third person, we follow along ALL of the characters in the same time in both: past and present. too much for my lil head 🙂
but still i liked the summer vibes! i should keep some summer reads for winter, just to keep me warm 🧊
but still i liked the summer vibes! i should keep some summer reads for winter, just to keep me warm 🧊
September 27, 2023
The most boring, unlikable characters and the most unnatural dialogue. I’m so glad I finally finished this book 😂
May 28, 2022
I really liked this book. It’s a romance but also women’s fiction, and it’s beautifully written and plotted.
Without repeating the plot, four kids out of college end up living together in the basement of an old hotel. They have varied backgrounds and different values but they form a tight unit by necessity.
As adults, the four of them, their spouses and some of their adult children get together at the now beautifully restored hotel, owned by one of the original four. As they reminisce, their kids are off having adventures and romances the same way their parents did.
The characters are so well described, I felt like I knew them personally. I could follow this group and their lives in future books for sure. The descriptions of beautiful scenery, restaurants, and shopping of Nantucket bring the island alive.
I highly recommend this book, 5 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Blurb:
When four strangers rent bargain-basement rooms in an old hotel near the beach, they embark on the summer of their lives. First there's Ariel Spencer, who has big dreams of becoming a writer and is looking for inspiration in Nantucket's high society. Her new friend Sheila Murphy is a good Catholic girl from Ohio whose desire for adventure is often shadowed by her apprehension. Then there's small-town Missourian Wyatt Smith, who's immediately taken with Ariel. The last of the four, Nick Volkov, is looking to make a name for himself and have a blast along the way. Despite their differences, the four bond over trips to the beach, Wednesday-night dinners, and everything that Nantucket has to offer. But venturing out on their own for the first time, with all its adventure and risks, could change the course of their lives.
Twenty-six years after that amazing summer, Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick reunite at the hotel where they first met. Now it's called The Lighthouse and Nick owns the entire operation with his wife and daughter. Ariel and Wyatt, married for decades, arrive with their son, and Sheila's back too, with her daughter by her side. Life hasn't exactly worked out the way they had all hoped. Ariel's dreams have since faded and been pushed aside, but she's determined to rediscover the passion she once had. Nick has the money and reputation of a successful businessman, but is it everything he had hoped for? And Sheila has never been able to shake the secret she's kept since that summer. Being back together again will mean confronting the past and finding themselves. Meanwhile, the next generation discovers Nantucket: Their children explore the island together, experiencing love and heartbreak and forging lifelong bonds, just as their parents did all those years ago. It's sure to be one unforgettable reunion.
This delightful novel from beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer explores the potential of dreams and the beauty of friendship.
Without repeating the plot, four kids out of college end up living together in the basement of an old hotel. They have varied backgrounds and different values but they form a tight unit by necessity.
As adults, the four of them, their spouses and some of their adult children get together at the now beautifully restored hotel, owned by one of the original four. As they reminisce, their kids are off having adventures and romances the same way their parents did.
The characters are so well described, I felt like I knew them personally. I could follow this group and their lives in future books for sure. The descriptions of beautiful scenery, restaurants, and shopping of Nantucket bring the island alive.
I highly recommend this book, 5 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Blurb:
When four strangers rent bargain-basement rooms in an old hotel near the beach, they embark on the summer of their lives. First there's Ariel Spencer, who has big dreams of becoming a writer and is looking for inspiration in Nantucket's high society. Her new friend Sheila Murphy is a good Catholic girl from Ohio whose desire for adventure is often shadowed by her apprehension. Then there's small-town Missourian Wyatt Smith, who's immediately taken with Ariel. The last of the four, Nick Volkov, is looking to make a name for himself and have a blast along the way. Despite their differences, the four bond over trips to the beach, Wednesday-night dinners, and everything that Nantucket has to offer. But venturing out on their own for the first time, with all its adventure and risks, could change the course of their lives.
Twenty-six years after that amazing summer, Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick reunite at the hotel where they first met. Now it's called The Lighthouse and Nick owns the entire operation with his wife and daughter. Ariel and Wyatt, married for decades, arrive with their son, and Sheila's back too, with her daughter by her side. Life hasn't exactly worked out the way they had all hoped. Ariel's dreams have since faded and been pushed aside, but she's determined to rediscover the passion she once had. Nick has the money and reputation of a successful businessman, but is it everything he had hoped for? And Sheila has never been able to shake the secret she's kept since that summer. Being back together again will mean confronting the past and finding themselves. Meanwhile, the next generation discovers Nantucket: Their children explore the island together, experiencing love and heartbreak and forging lifelong bonds, just as their parents did all those years ago. It's sure to be one unforgettable reunion.
This delightful novel from beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer explores the potential of dreams and the beauty of friendship.
Want to read
May 5, 2022Nancy Thayer is a master when it comes to writing about Summer Love. Four friends that go on vacation and speak of their dreams and come back together years later to find their lives turned out differently than they expected. In the second reunion of the group, they bring their children with them and they two experience some of what their parents did.
Nancy Thayer is a fantastic author and writes with such hope and honesty that the reader is pulled into each and every one of her books.
Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishing-berkley for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.
Nancy Thayer is a fantastic author and writes with such hope and honesty that the reader is pulled into each and every one of her books.
Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishing-berkley for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.
February 5, 2022
4.5 stars
Two women and two men just graduated from college, end up on Nantucket for the summer, living in a broken-down hotel basement that they nickname the Sand Palace. It wouldn't be summer without some romance and of course, some drama. Written in alternating chapters, Thayer weaves the stories from "that" summer to "this" summer when the Sand Palace Four are invited back to Nantucket to stay in a hotel that one of them owns.
The Queen of the Beach Read does it again with this one-make sure to leave space in your beach bag it!
Two women and two men just graduated from college, end up on Nantucket for the summer, living in a broken-down hotel basement that they nickname the Sand Palace. It wouldn't be summer without some romance and of course, some drama. Written in alternating chapters, Thayer weaves the stories from "that" summer to "this" summer when the Sand Palace Four are invited back to Nantucket to stay in a hotel that one of them owns.
The Queen of the Beach Read does it again with this one-make sure to leave space in your beach bag it!
March 28, 2023
I read both good and bad reviews about this book but it was simply a good beach read that kept me reading and I enjoyed it.
July 27, 2022
Maybe slight spoilers, IDK?
Wow, where do I even begin with this one? This is my first Nancy Thayer novel so I have nothing to compare it to. I've only just gotten into "women's fiction" (which BTW, I hate that term -- we don't have "men's fiction"; it's just fiction) in the past two years or so but I've found myself reading more & more books like this as I look for a mental escape from the state of things.
SO I don't know a lot of the standby "women's authors" (yuck) yet, but I adored the cover of Summer Love as soon as I saw it & couldn't wait to read a summer beach book by someone who everyone seemed to hold in such high esteem.
First, since I feel like I'm always too critical, the good -- I absolutely loved the world of Summer Love. I adore the beach & so I gravitate toward "beach books," but sadly, I've found in many of them, the setting is immaterial & I don't get that "whisked away" feeling I'm looking for. I didn't have that problem here! The entire time I was reading, I felt like I was there; everything was described wonderfully & you couldn't go 10 pages without being taken back to the sand or boardwalk shops & ice cream stands. I felt like I could practically hear the gulls & feel the hot sun on my sandy skin. It was really lovely!
But wow, the rest was a big disappointment to me. The way the characters talked was very odd. It read like something set in the 1950s (which would have been OK!), but being as the story started in 1995, I had a hard time believing in these characters. The dialogue was extremely hokey & outdated, wow. I LOL'ed when one character tried to come to terms with the size of her "bosom," holy crap!
The writing was also very odd? Like most sentences were only a few words long & felt very...stilted? Like (& this is just an example -- not actually from the book, although it might as well have been) "I'm glad to be here. I'm having such a good time. I love you. Let's get married," & that would all be one character's dialogue, just like that. It got to the point where I heard the characters' voices like robots in my head while I was reading. I just found it so, so strange.
Most of the characters sucked, wow. The husbands were controlling & codependent, the women were naive & had no backbone, many of the characters were classist, just what? Not to mention these women who all give up their careers & dreams to get married & have families. And all of that -- giving up on the freaking Iowa Writer's Workshop for pete's sake! -- was supposed to be so romantic. Ick. I'm only a little younger than the older characters in this story & I knew few, if any, women who acted like Sheila & Ariel & Jade-whatever-her-name-was.
Not to mention Sheila's story has this whole drama that pops up out of nowhere three quarters of the way through & then just...nothing? And then there's this dramatic connection to the present &...wow, yeah, nothing again. I'm struggling to even understand what the point of that plot point was?
All in all, I got what I wanted -- I spent the longest heatwave of this summer feeling like I was at the ocean late in August eating ice cream on the sand (dream!). But as for everything else, what a mess!
Wow, where do I even begin with this one? This is my first Nancy Thayer novel so I have nothing to compare it to. I've only just gotten into "women's fiction" (which BTW, I hate that term -- we don't have "men's fiction"; it's just fiction) in the past two years or so but I've found myself reading more & more books like this as I look for a mental escape from the state of things.
SO I don't know a lot of the standby "women's authors" (yuck) yet, but I adored the cover of Summer Love as soon as I saw it & couldn't wait to read a summer beach book by someone who everyone seemed to hold in such high esteem.
First, since I feel like I'm always too critical, the good -- I absolutely loved the world of Summer Love. I adore the beach & so I gravitate toward "beach books," but sadly, I've found in many of them, the setting is immaterial & I don't get that "whisked away" feeling I'm looking for. I didn't have that problem here! The entire time I was reading, I felt like I was there; everything was described wonderfully & you couldn't go 10 pages without being taken back to the sand or boardwalk shops & ice cream stands. I felt like I could practically hear the gulls & feel the hot sun on my sandy skin. It was really lovely!
But wow, the rest was a big disappointment to me. The way the characters talked was very odd. It read like something set in the 1950s (which would have been OK!), but being as the story started in 1995, I had a hard time believing in these characters. The dialogue was extremely hokey & outdated, wow. I LOL'ed when one character tried to come to terms with the size of her "bosom," holy crap!
The writing was also very odd? Like most sentences were only a few words long & felt very...stilted? Like (& this is just an example -- not actually from the book, although it might as well have been) "I'm glad to be here. I'm having such a good time. I love you. Let's get married," & that would all be one character's dialogue, just like that. It got to the point where I heard the characters' voices like robots in my head while I was reading. I just found it so, so strange.
Most of the characters sucked, wow. The husbands were controlling & codependent, the women were naive & had no backbone, many of the characters were classist, just what? Not to mention these women who all give up their careers & dreams to get married & have families. And all of that -- giving up on the freaking Iowa Writer's Workshop for pete's sake! -- was supposed to be so romantic. Ick. I'm only a little younger than the older characters in this story & I knew few, if any, women who acted like Sheila & Ariel & Jade-whatever-her-name-was.
Not to mention Sheila's story has this whole drama that pops up out of nowhere three quarters of the way through & then just...nothing? And then there's this dramatic connection to the present &...wow, yeah, nothing again. I'm struggling to even understand what the point of that plot point was?
All in all, I got what I wanted -- I spent the longest heatwave of this summer feeling like I was at the ocean late in August eating ice cream on the sand (dream!). But as for everything else, what a mess!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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