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Endless Summer: Stories from Days That Last Forever
The "queen of beach reads” ( New York Magazine ) presents nine captivating stories of summer on Nantucket—and days that last forever—to carry us through when those warm sandy days feel far off.
Bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand revisits her most treasured and iconic characters in this magical collection of stories. Collected in a single volume for the first time, Endless Summer ranges from fan favorites to original, never-before-seen works. In “The Surfing Lesson,” the marriage at the heart of Beautiful Day crosses uncertain territory when Margot Carmichael encourages her husband to reunite with his ex-girlfriend. The legendary weekend of a Harvard-Yale football game in “The Tailgate” recharts the course of Matchmaker Dabney Kimball’s first—and abiding—true love. And in a brand-new novella, “Summer of ’89,” we reconnect with the Levin sisters, whose distant adult lives collide once again at a tumultuous family reunion on Nantucket.
With exclusive, behind-the-scenes introductions to each story, this page-turning volume blends Hilderbrand’s irresistible love of Nantucket with her longtime affection for short stories. Endless Summer answers the prayers of both new and seasoned readers everywhere who “would rather be living in an Elin Hilderbrand novel” (Kirkus Reviews).
Bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand revisits her most treasured and iconic characters in this magical collection of stories. Collected in a single volume for the first time, Endless Summer ranges from fan favorites to original, never-before-seen works. In “The Surfing Lesson,” the marriage at the heart of Beautiful Day crosses uncertain territory when Margot Carmichael encourages her husband to reunite with his ex-girlfriend. The legendary weekend of a Harvard-Yale football game in “The Tailgate” recharts the course of Matchmaker Dabney Kimball’s first—and abiding—true love. And in a brand-new novella, “Summer of ’89,” we reconnect with the Levin sisters, whose distant adult lives collide once again at a tumultuous family reunion on Nantucket.
With exclusive, behind-the-scenes introductions to each story, this page-turning volume blends Hilderbrand’s irresistible love of Nantucket with her longtime affection for short stories. Endless Summer answers the prayers of both new and seasoned readers everywhere who “would rather be living in an Elin Hilderbrand novel” (Kirkus Reviews).
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2022
4105 people are currently reading
16185 people want to read
About the author
Elin Hilderbrand
94 books61.4k followersElin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.
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September 21, 2022Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand is a 2022 Little, Brown and Company publication.
I have accumulated a few of Elin's books, here and there, but didn’t know exactly where to start- so when I saw this book was a collection of short stories, I snapped it up, thinking it would give me a sampling of the author’s work and maybe point me in the direction I might want to go with her full length novels.
In a way, that is exactly what this collection did for me. I now have a list of books I’ll want to read, and will have this collection to compliment them.
On the other hand, I think this book was really meant for those who are already familiar with the books these stories are linked to, and because of that, I feared I would find out something I might not want to know in advance- and I also felt a little lost, because I wasn't already familiar with these characters, or their backstories. - and, yes, the blurb does mention that this collection has sequels and added chapters, etc. but, I didn't fully grasp the concept..
So, I decided to put this one aside for now and come back to it after I have read a few of the stories this collection adds to.
I will leave as star rating for it at a later date. All that said, I am looking forward to diving into Elin's work more than ever now!
I have accumulated a few of Elin's books, here and there, but didn’t know exactly where to start- so when I saw this book was a collection of short stories, I snapped it up, thinking it would give me a sampling of the author’s work and maybe point me in the direction I might want to go with her full length novels.
In a way, that is exactly what this collection did for me. I now have a list of books I’ll want to read, and will have this collection to compliment them.
On the other hand, I think this book was really meant for those who are already familiar with the books these stories are linked to, and because of that, I feared I would find out something I might not want to know in advance- and I also felt a little lost, because I wasn't already familiar with these characters, or their backstories. - and, yes, the blurb does mention that this collection has sequels and added chapters, etc. but, I didn't fully grasp the concept..
So, I decided to put this one aside for now and come back to it after I have read a few of the stories this collection adds to.
I will leave as star rating for it at a later date. All that said, I am looking forward to diving into Elin's work more than ever now!
October 22, 2022
I couldn’t even finish it and I usually love her books, but like others have said, it’s been months or even years since I’ve read these books that I don’t remember the main characters let alone the story. It almost seemed like Elin couldn’t come up with a stand alone idea for a book and just added a chapter or two to her previous novels.
October 9, 2022
OMG, the names of her characters. They are ridiculous, absolutely f*ing ridiculous. Exalta, Leland, Fray, Clendenin, etc. I could go on and on. I always think of this when I read Elin's books. Why doesn't she name people Jim or Mary (like everybody's grandmother was named, certainly not Exalta!!). I find it distracting and it really takes away from the story. Having one chapter for many of her books all in one place really made it unavoidable.
Otherwise, some of the stories were interesting, especially those in which I remembered the characters from the original books. And I always love reading anything about my old home of 9 years, Nantucket. But releasing a book of unpublished chapters from other books just seems like a money making venture. I don't think I'll bother to read one of these chopped up books again.
Otherwise, some of the stories were interesting, especially those in which I remembered the characters from the original books. And I always love reading anything about my old home of 9 years, Nantucket. But releasing a book of unpublished chapters from other books just seems like a money making venture. I don't think I'll bother to read one of these chopped up books again.
October 18, 2023
Catching up…
I can tell you on one hand who the most donated authors to my Little Free Library Shed are…
Jodi Picoult, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, John Grisham and….
Can you guess the last one?
Yes…
You are absolutely right…
Elin Hilderbrand.
What gave it away?! 😉
Of course…
This Little Free Library Shed does have an eclectic blend of many books and authors… (see picture on my profile page)
But…
These are typically, the most popular authors in and out of this library.
So…
Whenever, I am doing any kind of book exchange with other local Little Free Library friends, I will keep this in mind.
For this book, the author has provided herself an opportunity to “cheat.” She has created some short stories that either:
- Provide an alternative ending to a previously published novel
- Created a prequel to a previously published novel
- Created a sequel to a previously published novel; or,
- An extra chapter to a previously published novel.
In any case, she sees it as short fiction, a novella or an exclusive never published before edition to be read within these pages.
Fans of hers will enjoy her Nantucket settings, musical references, interconnected relationships, and references to food.
And…
Of course, if you know her characters, you may love revisiting them here.
If you don’t know them…
Well…
I think you might find yourself a bit lost or confused.
Actually, to be honest, after reading one of her novels, sometimes the story goes in and out so quickly, it becomes forgettable…
So…
It truly is hard to remember who is who.
But…
Each story is preceded by a note by the author with the reference to the novel.
So…
If you haven’t read the books, or it has been a while since you have…
Maybe the author’s notes will help…
Otherwise…
It may be hard to connect to the characters.
October 5, 2022
This fabulous collection of short stories by Elin gives us different takes on characters and tales from her earlier books.
Some are prequels and others are sequels; It was wonderful to see what could have happened to some characters after the initial book finished.
I enjoyed it all, but especially the 1979 and 1989 stories. It was like a virtual family reunion!
Another charmer from Elin Hilderbrand!
Thank you Edelweiss and Little Brown and Co.
Some are prequels and others are sequels; It was wonderful to see what could have happened to some characters after the initial book finished.
I enjoyed it all, but especially the 1979 and 1989 stories. It was like a virtual family reunion!
Another charmer from Elin Hilderbrand!
Thank you Edelweiss and Little Brown and Co.
October 12, 2022
I normally love Elin Hilberbrand’s books - I am a big fan. But this book just seemed like a money grab to me. And if you haven’t read all the books these lost chapters go with, they don’t mean that much. And some of these were already published as independent works I paid for previously. I only felt like I had to buy this one because I’m going to hear her speak in person in a few weeks and expect she’ll talk about this book.
November 26, 2022
This is a collection of short stories, which either is a prequel to a book she has written, or an extra chapter to a book that she has written. It is hard for me to remember the plots of all of her books, but some of the short stories were very familiar, and I remembered the stories. The names were all the same and of course the location was Nantucket. Some of the short stories were good, and some I had no interest in. I found it very hard to finish this book.
October 8, 2025
I didn’t read about this book before I started it. I have too many books to read to read make up, or left out parts of all her previous books. Over a 5 year period of reading via audio and Goodreads, and the majority of this authors books, I could not possibly keep track of each book in my head or remember what I have previously read.
October 27, 2022
I wasn't a fan of this book. I've read some of Elin Hilderbrand's books, but not all of them. However, even with the ones I've read, these extra chapters / endings/ novellas were lost on me. They might make more sense if you read them before the main book, or right after.
October 15, 2022
I hadn’t read some of these books in years so I struggled to remember characters and storylines.
October 29, 2022
Like many others have said, I don’t remember 90% of the books that these prequels or sequels were a part of. Hate to give a 2 to my favorite author!
October 12, 2022
Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand
13h 13m narrated by Erin Bennett, 368 pages
*previously released - related to
*The Surfing Lesson - Beautiful Day
*The Tailgate - The Matchmaker
*Barbie's Wedding - The Rumor
*The Country Club - The Identicals
Frank Sinatra Drive - The Perfect Couple
*The Sixth Wedding - 28 Summers
The Workshop - Golden Girl
*Summer of '79 - Summer of '69
Summer of '89 - Summer of '69
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Domestic Fiction, Short Stories
Featuring: Intros, Novellas, Short Stories, Nantucket, Cambridge, Massachusetts; New Haven, Connecticut; Family, College, Weddings, Songs, Drama
Rating as a movie: R for adult content
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⅓
My thoughts: 📱8% 1:02:10 The Tailgate - Just finished The Surfing Lesson, it was ⭐️⭐️⭐️ it's nice to be back in Nantucket but it was a lot of unecessary drama, I can see why this didn't make the book, although Beautiful Day was good book I didn't like the characters, this story is about Margot and Drum set a few years before. I'm looking forward to more, but I DNF The Matchmaker, twice, so I'm taking a break here.
📱16% 2:09:19 Barbie's Wedding - Just finished The Tailgate, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, it made me want to give The Matchmaker a third chance soon.
📱28% 3:39:00 Frank Sinatra Drive - I may be a little bias but I loved Barbie's Wedding, 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟, I wasn't crazy about The Country Club, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, but it was good overall.
📱55% 7:15:23 The Workshop - Frank Sinatra Drive, ⭐️⭐️, is the first previously unpublished material and I can see why. It starts off like an outline, lots of whatifs and let's says, then it goes into this awful storyline that reminds me why I never cared for Shooter. I skipped The Sixth Wedding, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, once was enough, I know I hate the ending and I remember why. I'm going to skip Summer of '79, ⭐️⭐️, too, I still have shudders about it.
📱60% 7:52:04 Summer of '79 - The Workshop, ⭐️⭐️⭐️, was okay. I enjoyed the insight about author's emotions but I can see why the original version was cut from the book. I'm skipping Summer of '79, I didn't like it last June, I thought it was cringey and a waste of my time.
📱75% 9:52:48 Summer of '89 - I was all set to start this but thinking of Summer of '79 brought back bad memories. I'll read it later.
📱78% 10:17:22 Summer of '89 Ch. 2 - I'm not surprised people requested this story, unfortunately I can't stand this family, it's like a soap opera. 😖 Will finish after dinner.
📱100% 13:10:42 Closing - So I was dreading it a little and there was a lot of cringey to me drama but it was actually kinda of good, so Summer of '89 ⭐️⭐️⭐️½. But I was irked by the Maury Polvich comment, that show premiered the end of '91. I remember that show starting, it also recently ended last month. 😞 maybe that's why she tool liberties, should have said Sally Jessy Raphael.
You know how Target has bonus tracks for CDs? Well, Target and B&N also have bonus chapters for books. This collection contains 2 of those exclusive bonus chapters, 3 short stories and 1 novella that previously were released via ebook, 2 unpublished chapters and 1 unpublished novellas, for a total of 9 stories. I could tell you tidbits about each one, but Elin gives an intro before each story so it's better if you hear it from her. Overall I'm glad I got to read this collection. I didn't know about the bonus chapters and obvious the copies have already been sold so my chances of reading them were slim. I wouldn't read this as an introduction to Elin Hilderbrand, but it could be a companion if you want to get to know her by reading the 8 novels that are connected to these stories, although I recommend publication order, she has a great universe.
The Surfing Lesson ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Tailgate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Barbie's Wedding 🌟🌟��🌟🌟
The Country Club ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Frank Sinatra Drive ⭐️⭐️
The Sixth Wedding ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Workshop⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summer of '79 ⭐️⭐️
Summer of '89 ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Recommend to others?: Yes. This is a great book for the Elin Hilderbrand fan. I can't believe we only have 2 books left.
13h 13m narrated by Erin Bennett, 368 pages
*previously released - related to
*The Surfing Lesson - Beautiful Day
*The Tailgate - The Matchmaker
*Barbie's Wedding - The Rumor
*The Country Club - The Identicals
Frank Sinatra Drive - The Perfect Couple
*The Sixth Wedding - 28 Summers
The Workshop - Golden Girl
*Summer of '79 - Summer of '69
Summer of '89 - Summer of '69
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Domestic Fiction, Short Stories
Featuring: Intros, Novellas, Short Stories, Nantucket, Cambridge, Massachusetts; New Haven, Connecticut; Family, College, Weddings, Songs, Drama
Rating as a movie: R for adult content
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⅓
My thoughts: 📱8% 1:02:10 The Tailgate - Just finished The Surfing Lesson, it was ⭐️⭐️⭐️ it's nice to be back in Nantucket but it was a lot of unecessary drama, I can see why this didn't make the book, although Beautiful Day was good book I didn't like the characters, this story is about Margot and Drum set a few years before. I'm looking forward to more, but I DNF The Matchmaker, twice, so I'm taking a break here.
📱16% 2:09:19 Barbie's Wedding - Just finished The Tailgate, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, it made me want to give The Matchmaker a third chance soon.
📱28% 3:39:00 Frank Sinatra Drive - I may be a little bias but I loved Barbie's Wedding, 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟, I wasn't crazy about The Country Club, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, but it was good overall.
📱55% 7:15:23 The Workshop - Frank Sinatra Drive, ⭐️⭐️, is the first previously unpublished material and I can see why. It starts off like an outline, lots of whatifs and let's says, then it goes into this awful storyline that reminds me why I never cared for Shooter. I skipped The Sixth Wedding, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, once was enough, I know I hate the ending and I remember why. I'm going to skip Summer of '79, ⭐️⭐️, too, I still have shudders about it.
📱60% 7:52:04 Summer of '79 - The Workshop, ⭐️⭐️⭐️, was okay. I enjoyed the insight about author's emotions but I can see why the original version was cut from the book. I'm skipping Summer of '79, I didn't like it last June, I thought it was cringey and a waste of my time.
📱75% 9:52:48 Summer of '89 - I was all set to start this but thinking of Summer of '79 brought back bad memories. I'll read it later.
📱78% 10:17:22 Summer of '89 Ch. 2 - I'm not surprised people requested this story, unfortunately I can't stand this family, it's like a soap opera. 😖 Will finish after dinner.
📱100% 13:10:42 Closing - So I was dreading it a little and there was a lot of cringey to me drama but it was actually kinda of good, so Summer of '89 ⭐️⭐️⭐️½. But I was irked by the Maury Polvich comment, that show premiered the end of '91. I remember that show starting, it also recently ended last month. 😞 maybe that's why she tool liberties, should have said Sally Jessy Raphael.
You know how Target has bonus tracks for CDs? Well, Target and B&N also have bonus chapters for books. This collection contains 2 of those exclusive bonus chapters, 3 short stories and 1 novella that previously were released via ebook, 2 unpublished chapters and 1 unpublished novellas, for a total of 9 stories. I could tell you tidbits about each one, but Elin gives an intro before each story so it's better if you hear it from her. Overall I'm glad I got to read this collection. I didn't know about the bonus chapters and obvious the copies have already been sold so my chances of reading them were slim. I wouldn't read this as an introduction to Elin Hilderbrand, but it could be a companion if you want to get to know her by reading the 8 novels that are connected to these stories, although I recommend publication order, she has a great universe.
The Surfing Lesson ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Tailgate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Barbie's Wedding 🌟🌟��🌟🌟
The Country Club ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Frank Sinatra Drive ⭐️⭐️
The Sixth Wedding ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Workshop⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summer of '79 ⭐️⭐️
Summer of '89 ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
Recommend to others?: Yes. This is a great book for the Elin Hilderbrand fan. I can't believe we only have 2 books left.
October 20, 2022
I loved this end of summer read. The Novellas were all so much fun to read. My favorite part of the book was at the beginning of each chapter was a little letter from Hilderbrand about that novella. I would love to spend the day with her, so this book was like sitting with an old friend, I have read every one of her books. I HIGHLY recommend this one.
October 9, 2023
Better than I expected - a mix of screwy family stories with the typical Nantucket restaurants, shops, beaches, affluence, etc.
October 24, 2022
Charming, lighthearted, and generous!
Endless Summer is a nostalgic, heartwarming short story collection that takes us back into the lives of some of the most memorable characters from Hilderbrand’s previous novels and gives us a special glimpse into how all those relationships and storylines all began, what followed next, or in some cases just a little bit more.
The writing is layered and sweet. The characters are complex, engaging, and fun. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, loss, family, friendship, secrets, drama, history, chemistry, betrayal, romance, and small-island living.
As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Elin Hilderbrand and have read almost all her novels, so it will be no surprise to anyone that Endless Summer was a delightful treat and pure indulgence for me to be able to pop back into some of my favourite tales and revisit some of my most beloved main characters and spend just a little bit more time immersed in those worlds.
Thank you to HBG Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Endless Summer is a nostalgic, heartwarming short story collection that takes us back into the lives of some of the most memorable characters from Hilderbrand’s previous novels and gives us a special glimpse into how all those relationships and storylines all began, what followed next, or in some cases just a little bit more.
The writing is layered and sweet. The characters are complex, engaging, and fun. And the plot is a delightful mix of life, loss, family, friendship, secrets, drama, history, chemistry, betrayal, romance, and small-island living.
As most of you know, I’m a huge fan of Elin Hilderbrand and have read almost all her novels, so it will be no surprise to anyone that Endless Summer was a delightful treat and pure indulgence for me to be able to pop back into some of my favourite tales and revisit some of my most beloved main characters and spend just a little bit more time immersed in those worlds.
Thank you to HBG Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 19, 2022
You will be able to read and enjoy each of these stories, even if you can't remember the books they are based on -- the true standouts are the two novellas following up on characters from SUMMER OF '69 and 28 SUMMERS.
July 20, 2022
Endless Summer is a short story collection, expanding on Hilderbrand’s other novels by writing bonus chapters or novellas about her previous characters. It was an easy and breezy way to get back to Nantucket!
November 29, 2022
Elon Hilderbrand usually has me captivated. But, this group of ‘add-on stories’ to previously published books was confusing, particularly the number of different characters involved. Give me her everyday fiction any day!
October 18, 2022
Short stories went nowhere. Way to sell more books without any content.
October 25, 2022
I couldn't finish this book. I found it confusing and boring.
September 11, 2024
Wish I read the synopsis as this had prequels and other information from some books I have yet to read. Interesting concept.
October 30, 2022
I’ve read all of her books. This short story compilation is boring and disjointed. It’s not my favorite of her writing. I stopped reading it halfway through.
November 6, 2022
So good to catch up with these favorite characters and their storylines. My favorite was Barbie’s Wedding. Having a 1979 and then a 1989 chapter were great sequels to 1969. Hope Elin does this with the Winter stories.
January 5, 2023
This was not a novel, but rather a collection of short stories that connect to EH novels. I enjoyed going back to some old characters from novels I have read. However, I needed to look up summaries because I have read some of the books years ago. Overall, it was enjoyable!
January 25, 2026
I thought this was a standalone book! It's a bunch of short stories.
They are okay, but really just additional chapters of some stories she already wrote. If you're a big fan of her work, this is probably a great read. I didn't enjoy it all that much though.
They are okay, but really just additional chapters of some stories she already wrote. If you're a big fan of her work, this is probably a great read. I didn't enjoy it all that much though.
December 4, 2022
I enjoyed revisiting some of my favorite characters from Elin Hilderbrand’s previous books in the short stories of Endless Summer! I, especially, enjoyed Summer of ‘89!!!
February 10, 2023
4 stars:
The Surfing Lesson (Beautiful Day) - August 18/Nantucket
The Tailgate (The Matchmaker) - November 1986/New Haven, CT
The Country Club (The Identicals) - December 22, 1968-June 22, 1969/Boston, MA
Frank Sinatra Drive (The Perfect Couple) - Summer/Palm Springs, CA
The Workshop (Golden Girl) - August 1992/Vermont
3 stars:
Barbie's Wedding (The Rumor) - August-October/Nantucket
Summer of '79 (Summer of '69) - June/Nantucket
Summer of '89 (Summer of '69) - July/Nantucket
1 star:
The Sixth Wedding (28 Summers) - Summer 2023/Nantucket
These stories are either prequels or sequels. They are mostly fun additions to their books but aren't needed to enjoy their books. I hated 28 Summers, and I hated the story that went with it. I just don't like those characters. The other stories were much more enjoyable. I still don't like all of the characters, but I liked seeing what happened before or after the books. Some of the stories are romance based, and others are family centered. Not all of them have a happy ending.
The Surfing Lesson (Beautiful Day) - August 18/Nantucket
The Tailgate (The Matchmaker) - November 1986/New Haven, CT
The Country Club (The Identicals) - December 22, 1968-June 22, 1969/Boston, MA
Frank Sinatra Drive (The Perfect Couple) - Summer/Palm Springs, CA
The Workshop (Golden Girl) - August 1992/Vermont
3 stars:
Barbie's Wedding (The Rumor) - August-October/Nantucket
Summer of '79 (Summer of '69) - June/Nantucket
Summer of '89 (Summer of '69) - July/Nantucket
1 star:
The Sixth Wedding (28 Summers) - Summer 2023/Nantucket
These stories are either prequels or sequels. They are mostly fun additions to their books but aren't needed to enjoy their books. I hated 28 Summers, and I hated the story that went with it. I just don't like those characters. The other stories were much more enjoyable. I still don't like all of the characters, but I liked seeing what happened before or after the books. Some of the stories are romance based, and others are family centered. Not all of them have a happy ending.
October 20, 2022
Was hard to follow considering the original book was read years ago to months ago. Took me longer then normal to read.usually love her books but sure didnt this time I quit reading it a fourth of the way through
October 16, 2022
I’ve read all of her books but can’t remember them well enough to identify the characters let alone remember the nuisances of the plots. I don’t care enough to finish but the parts I read are only 2 stars. Very disappointing.
June 11, 2022
9 stories that allow you to visit old characters and spend sometime in Nantucket. Elin also gives you insight to how it connects.
Queen of summer!!
Queen of summer!!
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