5 "No Matter What" Stars!

Be Still My Broken Heart....

The tears started falling for me with Ms. Hilderbrand's memorial dedication to Dorothea Benton Frank at the beginning. I was so saddened to hear of her passing. She was a brilliant author and apparently a good friend to Ms. Hilderbrand.

The tears kept falling off and on throughout the story. It was an incredibly emotional read, but it was also absolutely perfect. 28 Summers resonated with me in a way I can't quite explain. There were times I yelled at the characters and shook my head when I saw the mistakes I thought they were making. But they did it anyway. I was shocked when I condoned things I would never approve of in "real life." But somehow in this book, it all felt different. When I didn't think I could handle what would happen next, I still turned the page. When I thought my heart would shatter as I read the words of the story, my tears continued to fall.Mallory and Jake had a "same time next year" relationship....I wanted so much more for both of them. Their

love was real and true and I really liked them both. They are committed to their relationship in a very unconventional way. They commit to see each other that same time every year without fail. Their relationship is something untouchable that nothing else was able to compete with. There were reasons they kept things that way. With every page I turned in this story, I wanted it to change. However, Ms. Hilderbrand had her own plans for this storyline and they were impressive, even if my heart was crushed.

So, I encourage you to take a journey with Mallory Blessing and experience 28 Summers for yourself. Be sure to grab a full box of tissues and allow yourself the time to fully absorb this magical book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown & Company and Ms. Hilderbrand for this reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another winner from Elin Hilderbrand! The queen of summer reading has writtten another engrossing, interesting and fun story that you will fly through.

LOVE Elin Hilderbrand! So glad she’s releasing two books a year!! I have read and loved EVERY single one of her books! 28 Summers was wonderful! Definitely the best book I’ve read in a while! I love the narrative & how Jake and Mallory are the story tellers. What will everyone be talking about the summer of 2020? How Elin Hilderbrand knocked it out of the park with her latest book. It was heartbreaking and real. I hated to see it end.

This book was the PERFECT summer book! It’s got all the things— the ocean, the sun, a top down Jeep, tank tops and cutoffs, and of course, a beautiful romance!

Unconventional? Yes! But an amazing love story, nonetheless.

My favorite part aside from the characters and plot was the review of each “summer” along with the year!

For example, I didn’t remember that in Summer 1994, we were talking about OJ, Tonya Harding, Friends, and Ace of Base! I loved that at the beginning of each chapter, it literally took me back to the 90’s and early 2000s! Such a cool addition!

I loved this book as I always do with Elin Hilderbrand! She didn’t disappoint!

Review will be posted on 6/23/2020

Mallory Blessing has just inherited a beach cottage on the gorgeous island of Nantucket. The year is 1993 and she decides to make this cottage her home. Her brother, Cooper, decides her cottage would be the perfect spot for his bachelor party. So, for the weekend Cooper brings along their childhood friend, Fray, and his college buddy, Jake McCloud. Mallory has her high school friend and Fray's ex-girlfriend, Leland, coming for the weekend, so needless to say, this should be interesting. After a lot of drama unfolds with her brother leaving to go back home, Mallory finds herself spending the weekend alone with Jake. They hit it off and it isn't just some sort of fleeting connection, it was a memorable time between the two of them so much so that they decide to have a "same time next year" sort of relationship despite what the future may hold. As the years go by, so many things bring them together and so many things try to tear them apart, but their love for each other remains constant. 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand was such a unforgettable beach read and my favorite of her novels to date.

Our girl, as Hilderbrand affectionally refers to Mallory, is such a memorable character. She's an English teacher on the island of Nantucket sort of living everyone's dream life. Books, sunshine, good friends, a great job where people adore her.......what more could you want? After her weekend with Jake, they vow to get together every Labor Day weekend no matter what and it becomes a time that both characters truly savor. They don't contact each other during the year unless they happen to see each other back home or at a wedding. This lack of communication truly makes each character pine for that long weekend on Nantucket filled with take-out, old movies, star-gazing and memories that holds them over till next time. Except as life goes on, it inevitably gets complicated. Mallory starts seeing someone on the island; plus, there's Ursula, Jake's longtime (at one point on-again-off-again) girlfriend. There's heartbreak, good times, deaths in the family, career moves, children, and more that crop up over the years, but it doesn't stop Mallory or Jake from their annual rendezvous.

Jake might be one of my favorite characters of all time in 28 Summers. Even though I should really dislike him at times (Hello! This story features adultery!), I just don't have the heart to, because he is such a good guy overall. Even though I wanted him to make different decisions at certain points of the story, I still understood where he was coming from. His love of books, the beach, and music, were all so endearing. His life gets complicated once things get serious with Ursula, but through it all, I was still rooting for him and at times swooning.

What I loved about 28 Summers was the fact that it wasn't just about a once-a-year romance. Sure, there's still the requisite beach read events like, lobster dinners, cocktails, sunsets, and ocean breezes, but this book was about so much more. Mallory's relationship with her family was so well done and her experiences parenting her son truly tugged on my heartstrings. I think any parent can relate to her sentiments about not wanting to let go once your child gets older and holding onto all the memories from childhood. I also truly loved what Hilderbrand did before each chapter. She really set the stage by reminding us what we were "talking" about each year by giving us some keywords or headlines at the start of each chapter. This was a nice touch and really made me feel nostalgic.

28 Summers is my favorite of Hilderbrand's novels. It tugged on my heartstrings and if you love her novels or a heartfelt beach read, you won't be disappointed. If you pick up a "beach read" this summer, let it be this one.

I absolutely adored Elin Hilderbrand´s latest novel 28 Summers. Every year I look forward to her newest books and this definitely did not disappoint. This is a story of Mallory and Jake who meet conduct an affair every year on Nantucket over Labor Day Weekend. The story is told from not only their perspectives, but of those people close to them which gives the story more depth. I loved the anecdotes of the big news stories every year. You love these characters and keep rooting for them to be together. I´m not going to lie, there were a few tears shed on the beach yesterday while reading this.

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s the summer of 1993, and Mallory Blessing receives a big surprise: she has inherited her aunt’s beachfront cottage on Nantucket. On Labor Day weekend, Mallory hosts a small bachelor party for her brother and a few friends, including his fraternity brother Jake McCloud. Jake and Mallory fall for each other, but extenuating circumstances mean that they can’t be together. They come up with a pact that they will spend every Labor Day weekend together, no matter what. Flash forward to the summer of 2020, when Mallory is dying of cancer and asks her son Link to call a mysterious number. Link is floored when Jake McCloud, future first gentleman of the United States, picks up the phone. 28 Summers follows Mallory and Jake’s love affair for one weekend a year for 28 years. Their love story is unconventional but persistent, spanning three decades of long weekends.

At the core of this story are two characters that you shouldn’t want to root for. Mallory and Jake carry on a love affair for almost 30 years, other relationships and spouses be damned. But... I love them together 😭 The very first chapter lets the reader know that Mallory is on her deathbed in 2020, so you have an idea of where the story is headed, but it doesn’t make the story any less heartbreaking or powerful. Elin is a master at heartfelt family dramas, and this one is no exception. It reminded me a bit of her Winter Street series in all the best ways! I wouldn’t call it a typical beach read, but I did fly through this one! Thank you @littlebrown and @netgalley for my advanced reader’s copy! 28 Summers is out now ⛵️

It’s no secret that Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of the summer read. I tore through this book and felt nostalgic when it was over. Mallory Blessing is on her deathbed when she tells her son, Link, to call the one person she needs to see – Jake McCloud. What follows is 28 summers, from 1993 to 2020, in which Mallory and Jake engage in a “same-time-next-year” relationship. Every Labor Day weekend, the two meet on Nantucket for a secret rendezvous.

I really enjoyed this story. Hilderbrand is a master at allowing a book to be light and quick while also exploring complex characters, difficult decisions, and how those decisions impact our lives. Mallory and Jake are imperfect characters. They are two people who didn’t expect to be bound for so many years, and yet those three days of togetherness keep them going throughout the other 362 days in a given year.

Hilderbrand’s writing is emotive, vivid, and heartbreaking. Mallory and Jake struggle through various stages of life—through relationships, marriage, children, and politics—but at the center of it all is the pull to one another. Inevitably, there are problems with being in love with someone you cannot be with openly. In such a relationship, there is hurt, loneliness, confusion, and pleasure followed closely by melancholy. The issue with such stories is that there is an expiration date on the relationship—a moment in time in which the benefits of continuing are outweighed by the hurt inflicted on others. In that way, there is an undercurrent throughout the book heightening the tension as readers wait for the whole relationship to come crashing down.

I also appreciated the nods to the Winter Street Inn from Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series, which I love. After finishing, I desperately wanted to escape to Nantucket for the rest of the summer!

I highly recommend for lovers of Hilderbrand, summer reads, and old movies. I would not recommend to people who avoid storylines of infidelity, as that thread is front and center here.

Elin Hilderbrand does not disappoint. The book started out slow the first couple of “years.” But it could have been the book I had read previous was not what I had expected, so I needed to get in the correct frame of mind. Once I got into the book, it was very difficult to put down. Elin continues to be my favorite author. Each year of the book looks back on events that may have happened that year and then it gives background of the main characters and some significant events that happened to them in that year. The description of characters gets the reader hooked and attached to them, their families and their lives.
I would like to see another book that continues after the summer of 2020. The ending leaves a lot to the imagination and it would be nice to have some closure.

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand is told over the course of 28 summers as Mallory and Jake reunite annually to rekindle their long romance. They only see each other for one weekend per year. They grow to cherish and love this time together and will do anything to keep the weekend sacred and secret. A great summer tale. Read and enjoy!

As a first time reader of this author I can tell you it certainly won’t be the last. I read this entire book in one sitting I was so taken by the story and characters that I didn’t want it to end.

A sweet story about how some things can stay the same while the world around us changes.

I always roll my eyes a bit at these kinds of novels. The ones where things just happen, like inheritances and so many coincidences. However, at the end of the day, it's a fun story.

The perfect easy summer read with lovable characters, luscious descriptions, and a love story that has you questioning your ethics and leaves you emotionally wrecked.

First things first, I have visited Nantucket once and ahhh ... the thought of living there is about the most amazing thing I can imagine. It makes for the most beautiful backdrop for all stories - and @elinhilderbrand books are some of the best for this setting. 🏖.
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I love a great beach as much as the next person and 28 summers definitely fits the bill: an easy, breezy read set in Nantucket. The story centers around Jake and Mallory - their love story since their early twenties. For reasons - that don’t really make sense to me - they decide that they can never be together permanently but make the promise to be each other’s “same time, next year” and each summer they meet back on Nantucket. This continues on through 28 years - 28 years of reasons not to be together but falling more in love each year. Each chapter takes you into a year in the life of these star crossed lovers.❤️.
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It was a nice read and definitely pulls on your heart strings. I had a very hard time understanding why - if they loved each other so much - they would not just be together from the beginning when their lives were not complicated. That said - I gobbled it down and even knowing what was coming at the end - I can say I shed a few tears. If you go into this book wanting to read a book with a beautiful setting and don’t over think it - you will enjoy thIs one. Thank you to @netgalley and @littlebrown for a copy in exchange for my honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
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Sigh. This book (primarily the ending) has me feeling ALL the feels. I finished it hours ago, and am still reeling from saying goodbye to these characters. Honestly, I didn’t realize they had touched me quite so much until the final paragraph.

28 Summers was a perfect example of in depth characters and beautifully plotted intricacies. The reader gets to really plunge deep into what makes each of them tick... realistic emotions that took me straight to the heart of each voice- even beyond just the protagonists. While I really enjoyed this most of the time, it’s also what lead me to a 4 star rating. Occasionally we’re given just a bit TOO much info. Overly wordy pages here and there that distracted me from the story line. Still, wonderfully done.

This book is a delicious summer read, one done with obvious heart by the author. To be inside a mind that can develop something so deep and thoughtful would be pure magic!

I finished this in two days! It was the perfect lake vacation read! I have already recommended it to both of my sisters. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

I loved this book. It sucked me in from the very beginning. I really enjoyed having other points of view. Just a great summer read. Another wonderful book by Elin Hilderbrand.

Thank you to Netgalley, Elin Hilderbrand and Little, Brown for the copy.

Another amazing summer read from Elin Hilderbrand. My only complaint is that I used to count on her books for being emotional and deep without the intensity of say, Jodi Picoult. This book is a bit of a departure from that format, and I found myself with quite a lump in my throat. The depth of all her characters always impresses me, everyone is so flushed out and well-portrayed I feel like these are real people.

I loved this book so much. I really enjoyed how the author tied in previous stories into the plot. I think this is my new favorite by this author!

*** ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY FOR FREE REVIEW***

What a fabulous author. She’s great at gut wrenching pain feeling no holds bar stories that leave you wanting more even after you finished. She takes her time with the story as it spans many years but to have cut anything would have been a disservice to the chapter and the stories natural development. Quite a few of her other books are mentioned in the story which was a pleasant blast from the past. Great book!