I have sent this review to New York Journal of Books where it will be posted the evening before the release date!


Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer
Ballantine Books
July 2, 2019
10-152479872X
978-1524798727
Contemporary Women's Fiction
320 Pages

Publicity Contact: NetGalley download

Reviewed by: Nancy Carty Lepri

“Nancy Thayer, recognized for her enchanting beach reads, goes above and beyond with Surfside Sisters by offering a compelling and more spirited book than the usual summer novel.”

Nantucket Island holds allure for many for its mystery and romanticism of the sea, and also because many celebrities either have homes there or visit often. Keely Green and her folks, born and raised on the largest of the Massachusetts' islands, are far from being rich or famous; but this is home.

In preschool, Keely meets Isabelle Maxwell, and from the onset they are inseparable. Though Isabelle's family is wealthy, the two girls share much in common, and Keely loves being at Isabelle's beautiful, luxurious home by the ocean. As an only child with both parents who always work, Keely relishes the bustling with activity at the Maxwells’. Also, from a young age, she has been smitten with Isabelle's older brother, Sebastian, though she'd never reveal this to her friend.

The girls study hard in school with the ultimate dream of attending college and becoming novelists. Further education is not a problem for Isabelle whose parents can well afford her tuition to Smith, but Keely needs to and does receive a full scholarship to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst—happy, for the two schools are close by so they can maintain their friendship.

Keely enjoys her classes and is informed she has a promising future. Her professor advises her to apply to the prestigious Berkshire Writers' Colony, which has a three-year MFA program and would help advance her career. Unfortunately, during her junior year, Keely's dad passes away, and she must leave school.

Isabelle's attorney father prepared the will, and both Keely and her mom are astounded to learn they are almost destitute:

"Mr. Maxwell sighed. 'To be blunt, George had no savings. He wasn't able to leave you any money. He had no life insurance. You understand you had to borrow against the mortgage on the house to pay for the cremation expenses. You have a good job at the hospital, Eloise. You're senior staff. But after studying your finances, I have to advise you that alone, without George's income, you won't be able to make the mortgage payments. Or pay the homeowners' insurance or real estate taxes.'"

When Keely hesitantly suggests Mr. Maxwell could offer them a loan: "His face was stone. 'I suggest you forget that idea. Loaning money to friends only leads to trouble. I always advise against it.'"

This man, who welcomed her into his family and treated her like another daughter recommends she drops out of school to help her mother with the bills. Keely is brokenhearted but does not let this detain her from fastidiously pursuing her writing. She soon is offered a lucrative contract for her first book.

Her closeness with Isabelle starts to breaks down. Though Isabelle has everything anyone could want, she is envious for not being the first to be published. Keely moves to New York City where she schmoozes with her editor as a now bestselling author and attends enchanting parties. She starts dating Gray Anderpohl, a wealthy pediatric surgeon who adores her, though she does not return his affection—not enough to plan a life with him.

The frenetic life in the city soon wears on Keely, as is shown in her newest book. When she learns her mother is deeply depressed after retiring from her nursing job, Keely returns home, hoping the appeal of the salty air will whet her creative juices.

Meanwhile, Isabella calls Keely to report she is now "hopeless in love" with a man named Gordon Whitehead. Soon after coming home, Keely begins a relationship with Tommy Fitzgerald, a charismatic, middle-class man whom Isabelle adored in high school. But Keely does not believe she is infringing on Isabelle's "property" seeing she is with Gordon.


The first quarter of this book reads like a young adult novel as it basically embraces the lives of the girls as they grow up. Somewhat dragged out, it does set the stage for what is to follow, which flows nicely, to the point where it becomes an exciting, stimulating page-turner.

Filled with angst and high emotion, Keely presents an empathetic facade of forgiveness for problems that occur between her and Isabelle, especially in instances where many would feel Isabelle acts spoiled and vindictive. Nancy Thayer, recognized for her enchanting beach reads, goes above and beyond with Surfside Sisters by offering a compelling and more spirited book than the usual summer novel.

I love Nancy Thayer and have read all her books. They are all perfect beach reads! Add this one to your summer reading list, it's one of her best yet. Keeley and Isabelle were children together in Nantucket, and when they grew up their paths diverged dramatically. After living very different lives, they both end up back on Nantucket but now Keeley can act on the crush she had on Isabelle's brother Seb which makes life with her best friend very difficult.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great beach read! It has many elements: friendship, love, family, life challenges, and of course Nantucket. I love Thayer’s writing style and she succeeded again with this novel.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my first Nancy Thayer novel, and I now get to go back and read all the others! This novel is set mostly on Nantucket, one of my favorite locations for a beach read. The story takes you through the relationship of two best friends, Isabelle and Keely, from childhood through motherhood. I loved Keely’s character and found myself annoyed with Isabelle much of the story.
Both girls dream of being a published author one day and finding long-lasting love. Like most best friends, they competed for success in both of these areas. The ups and downs of their relationship was the main story, yet dealing with aging parents and death also impacted the story in a very touching way. As my parents are aging and I find myself thinking more about their health, I really enjoyed this part of the book.
When I read these types of emotionally charged books I start to worry about the ending as it approaches. Yet Thayer left me very satisfied!
I highly recommend this one for summer!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this advanced copy!

Life has a way of coming full circle. In this story, we meet best friends Keely and Isabella. From the moment they met, they were inseparable. Despite their varying differences in personalities and economic status, they share the same dream of becoming published authors.
Keely, comes from a family of lesser wealth, and often finds herself envious of the affluent lifestyle that Isabella has been accustomed to. Not only this, but she is in love with Isabella's brother Sebastian, who is two years older than her. She cannot let anyone know, especially Isabella, as it would jeopardize their friendship.
Isabella is used to getting everything she wants. Her summer trips abroad, and Christmas's in New York were ordinary to her. However, one thing she wanted was a boy named Tommy, who wanted Keely. This begins a series of events that causes a rift in the friendship that was once considered sacred.
Fast forward a few years and we find the friends estranged. Keely is now a published author who has made her childhood dreams come true. What is missing is love and her friendship with Isabella. Isabella, on the other hand, has love but hasn't been able to fulfill her childhood dream of becoming an author.
This was an easy read for me. The dynamics and relationships kept the storyline moving without making it unbelievable or overwhelming. I have never read anything by Nancy Thayer before, but I will definitely be reading more by her. I highly recommend this book be added to summer reading lists.
I received an advanced copy of this story from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your typical "beach read"....this book took me through a gauntlet of emotions! This is a story of how friendship changes throughout the years and almost dissolves, but in the end, manages to survive the ups & downs of life. I laughed, cried & got extremely angry while reading this book, but in the end I smiled!

This novel follows the up and down friendship between two best friends from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The quick pace of the book kept me engaged and there were unexpected plot lines that kept me guessing (and hoping) for the end result. Nancy Thayer examines life goals, determination in hardship, love, friendship, jealousy, and envy.

I loved this book! Most of the book is based in a small beach town and is about two childhood best friends who over the years grow apart, yet still care so much about each other. Keely Green and Isabelle Maxwell, one wealthy and one middle class, bonded over both wanting to be writers. I love how the book starts when they are little kids up until their 30's. The love Keely had for Isabelle was so amazing to me, no matter what she did to her, she still rooted and cared for her so deeply. I pretty much guessed the ending in the middle of the book and I have to say I think I enjoyed the first half of the book better but still couldn't put it down.

This book is about two girls who grow up on Nantucket and weather the complexities of life and how it affects their friendship. Although I initially had a tough time getting into this book, eventually, once the main character, Keely, and Isabelle grew up, it started to get a little better. This was not my favorite book by this author - at times the plot felt unbelievable and I didn't like the character of Isabelle, but all in all it wasn't a bad read.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, Nancy, thank you for writing yet another (what I know will be) another bestseller! Within the first few pages I knew I would love Surfside Sisters and I was enraptured and engaged from page one to the very end! Your writing, prose and style, story-telling, and characters are just fabulous. Reading your novels is just so easy and enjoyable, and I am just 100% engaged when reading them. Surfside Sisters is a little different than other novels by Nancy Thayer, but don’t let that sway you... It was wonderful, and she was able to capture and portray the voice and thoughts of a tween to tween, to young adult, to adult perfectly and accurately. I love this book and highly recommend it to all!

This was a delightful beach read - the ups and downs of friendship, being there for family, hopes and dreams. I enjoyed the story and the characters, although some weren’t always real likable. However, overall it was a good story, an easy read, and one I would recommend.

Nancy Thayer's best Nantucket novel to date! I loved this one, it's such a big, satisfying story of two women, decades of friendship and rivalry along with class difference on Nantucket. I enjoyed the insight into the writing and publishing process just as much as the usual Nantucket background of beaches, hydrangeas, and seemingly endless amazing food options. I just wish I could actually read the novel within the novel, Rich Girl, written by Keely Green. I didn't want to put it down, yet was so sad that when I finished it. I wouldn't mind more novels including the Green and Maxwell families. Nancy Thayer truly captured the complicated feelings of love and jealousy that surround female friendships and are often hard to put into words. Surfside Sisters is an absolutely perfect novel for a summer afternoon!

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the advance galley, I was thrilled to be chosen!

Thank you so much for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! I loved loved loved this book...I devored it, The perfect summer beach read!! Being from Massachusetts anything involving The Cape and Islands immediately catches my attention.

An entertaining tale of best friends, lovers, and two families that learn life’s lessons and what’s really important. Keely is a great lead character. Knows what she wants and works hard to get it. The perfect beach read!

I have read several of Nancy Thayer's books, but I was disappointed in this one. The description of the characters seemed superficial and the ending too contrived and not to be believed.. However, still an okay beach read.

This book is a wonderful book about friendship, betrayal, love and love lost. Keely and Isabelle have been friends scene, well forever. They did everything together till they went away to college and were forced to live separate lives. They both aspire to be authors, Isabelle was accepted to a more prestigious college and Keely accepted to a more affordable one. Keely is forced to return home and drop out of college where Isabelle goes on to this elite writers camp of sorts. Their lives separate there yet come back together and its a beautiful story.

I don't want to give this book away yet, but I was entrapped. It was such a great book and so happy to have had the chance to read it. I will say the beginning started a bit slow and I almost gave up. However I am more then pleased with the direction of the book. I look forward to reading more from Nancy Thayer. She has a gift she is sharing with the rest of us. We are the lucky ones.

Keeley and Isabelle are two best friends who met when they were kids. Integrated into each other’s families, this book follows their journey as they grow and maneuver through life together and separately. Each girl has aspired to be a writer from a young age and they are extremely driven and competitive. Isabelle is from a wealthier family while Keeley’s mother is a nurse and they live more modestly. Both girls head to collage but Keeleys father dies and she is forced to come home and help her mother out financially. Watching her friend Isabelle continue to have success in college and get into programs that she was aspiring to get into leaves Keeley feeling jealous and less than.

What I liked most about this book was the friendship between both girls during the different seasons of their lives. They grew together and apart and it was so relatable. Friendships between women are complex and complicated and while we still root for each other, oftentimes we are so competitive with those we are closest with. Really enjoyed this one and the dynamic between both of these women.

I really enjoyed this. I've read several books by Nancy Thayer in the past and like her writing style. This was a nicely done, coming of age story. It touched on the ways friendship and family and love all change over time, and how that alters our perspective. It wasn't all fluffy; there's tragedy and heartbreak woven into the romance and humor. It was easy to be drawn in by the story and the characters. There were times I felt annoyed by the primary characters behaviors as they learned their life lessons, but I still rooted for them. I've already recommended this read to a friend! Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for honest review.

This was the first book I've read by this author. While I overall enjoyed the story, I found that it was slow moving. I was somewhat disappointed that there was not more "time" devoted to Isabelle. It would have been interesting to have competing points of view. I will definitely try other books by this author.

I have always loved Nancy Thayer. Surfside Sisters did not disappoint. The two main characters Keely and Isabelle are inseparable as kids, but life changes and so do they. This is a great beach read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.