Told over the course of 28 years, 28 summers is a delightful summer read about a love affair over the course of one weekend a year. I enjoyed the characters stories and the various perspectives. I enjoyed reading the current events of each year and what we were talking about then.

Summertime = beach reads. When I think of a beach read, I always think of Elin Hilderbrand’s novels about Nantucket. This one took an interesting approach. Mallory and Jake fall for each other, but don’t want to commit to anything more than their “same time, next year” relationship. Each year on Labor Day weekend, they get together and have an affair. What is so disheartening is that throughout the whole book, I could see their genuine love for one another, but it never expanded beyond their weekend together.

I loved this book. I could not put it down and stayed up till 3 to finish it. It’s such a great summer read or even a book club read. I’m in love with all the characters.

Loved this book so much. It was nice to go down memory lane and remember popular things from each of the years. I rooted for Mallory the whole book. Hilderbrand’s books just keep getting better and better. I love he character development and the way she describes Nantucket. So nice to be able to travel there during this mess going on in the world right now. Thanks so much for letting me review this book.

So I've never read a Elin Hiderbrand book before and this is my first and I'm so happy it was! My absolute favorite part was the beginning of every chapter with a run down of what is happening every year. I"m a few years younger than Mallory but it was a walk down memory lane with all the things happening during those years. Basically Mallory and Jake agree to meet every year in Nantucket on Labor Day weekend. They live their separate live in between these times.. I read and listened to this book in less than a week and recommend to any 40 something out there! Thanks to Little, Brown and Librofm for the book to read and listen to.

Of course this book is wonderful--it is Elin Hilderbrand and she never fails to to write an enticing book. This one is sorta kinda based on the movie/play Same Time Next Year, but instead of just showing the weekend that the lovers spend, it also shows the background, what goes on during the time that they are apart, which makes the oharacters MJCH more interesting. The blurb at the beginning of every chapter (year) is helpful to set the time--some of us have a hard time remembering 20 years ago and knowing the important events and people is helpful to put things in perspective. Although I think that you could pick almost any time span and this book would be relevant--which is one of the secrets of Hilderbrand's writing.

I don’t like to play favorites when it comes to my go to writers but I must admit 28 Summer is my favorite book Elin Hilderbrand has written, and I have read them all and she is seriously one of my favorite writers! 28 Summers was amazing! Somehow Elin writes characters that seem so organic and real. And wow let me just tell you about this “love story” it was imperfectly perfect. I always love the angst and rawness in the build of a relationship, not everything is one size fits all.

Elin is one of my all time favorite writers and hands down 28 Summers is one of my favorite books of 2020!!!

I don't even know where to begin. This was my absolute favorite Elin Hilderbrand book. I finished it with tears in my eyes. I don't know how she does it but she makes the characters feel like they are real people. The story...the love of your life that you see for only one weekend a year for a few days for 28 summers. I wanted these lovers to be together all the time but it just wouldn't have been the same. It was a fairy tale, a fantasy and not real life. What they had was so special and peaceful and just perfect, but it wasn't reality They didn't have to deal with real life issues-it was just 3 days a year of complete bliss. I loved how at the beginning of the chapters, Elin recapped what was currently going on for that year. I never read books twice but I can see myself rereading this one for sure. It may just be my favorite book of all time. Congratulations, Elin. You deserve any and all accolades you receive from this one!

This is a story of love -- family, friends, lovers, and self. This is also a story of self-fulfillment and happiness. The characters become friends, some of whom you quickly develop a love/hate relationship until you realize the reasons for and depths of their flaws. In a time of social distancing, this book carries you to the beaches of Nantucket where you can sit around a bonfire with charismatic characters who have secrets to share.

This is the perfect summer read. Readers will be transported to Nantucket and the pulled into the lives of Mallory and Jake.

Mallory and Jake meet through Mallory's brother. Through a twist of fate the both end up alone at her cottage on Nantucket over Labor Day weekend. They quickly fall for each other but neither is willing to give up their lives for each other, so they plan on meeting at Mallory's cabin by the sea each Labor Day weekend. You may not agree with what they are doing but somehow Hilderbrand make you root for both of these flawed humans.

This is the best book that I have read in a long time, a perfect summer distraction. I have already recommended it to my friends and family!

I have been reading Hilderbrand’s beachy books for many years and look forward to my summer escapes to Nantucket from my landlocked home in Colorado. I have to say 28 Summers is now one of my all time favorites! When Mallory unexpectedly inherits her aunt’s beach cottage on Nantucket, she jumps at the chance to leave NYC and relocate to the island. She ends up hosting her brother Coop and some of his friends for a bachelor party weekend. Finally, she has the opportunity to meet Jake, her brother’s best friend, in person instead of just over the phone in flirtatious phone calls--they are both smitten.

Jake and Mallory commit to meeting every Labor Day weekend to continue their love affair. Each chapter in the book covers a year. Hilderbrand starts the chapter/year with the major historical and cultural events--this is fun as it was a trip down memory lane for me. Jake has continued his relationship with Ursula, his long time girlfriend, but continues to visit Mallory every year. Mallory also dabbles into other relationships, but cannot commit and move on from Jake. I really enjoyed the progression of the story from the character’s mid-20’s to their early-50’s, it made the story more relatable. Even though I knew the ending was going to be a tear jerker, I still found myself crying my eyes out because I was so connected to the characters. It was a longer read, but that was fine with me because I really didn’t want it to end. If you are looking for a summer escape to Nantucket and an amazing love story, this is your book!

28 Summers is a perfect summer read. This novel, like many from this author, has very likable and relatable characters. I particularly like how every chapter started with current events of the year covered in that chapter. This is perfect for fans of easy-to read-beach love stories and summer contemporaries.

This is my second Elin Hilderbrand book in the span of 3 weeks! Mallory and Jake have an agreement, a “same time next year” — every Labor Day Weekend, Jake visits Mal on Nantucket for a 3-day affair. Then, the rest of the year, no calls, no texts, or communication (unless Mal’s brother decides to get married yet again).

I really liked the setup of this book, and how each chapter represented a different year. It felt like a time-lapse of their lives! So while it spanned 28 years, it moved pretty quickly through each one. Hilderbrand also mentions a few of the things that everyone is talking about during “X” year at the beginning of each chapter (songs, current events, TV shows, etc.), which is a fun addition.

Mal and Jake just seemed so perfect together — why did they go off and live separate lives?! Yet they kept coming back to each other, leaving them, and us the reader, “what if…”

This book was another delightful summer read!

Read if you enjoy:
•Elin Hilderbrand
•Nantucket
•Forbidden love
•Elapsed time
•Throwbacks
•SUMMER VIBES

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I decided to read it because I was intrigued by the description- I wondered how the main characters were going to pull something like this off. I am so glad I decided to read it. I liked the setup of the chapters a lot, they were arranged by summer but gave us a glimpse into the major players’ lives year by year. It really made me realize how things can change so much over the course of a lifetime even though year by year they can seem the same. I was surprised to find myself enamored with the love story between Jake and Mallory. Mallory especially I enjoyed as a character, I thought she was very strong yet had some flaws, which made her very relatable. I enjoyed her independent streak. The only thing I didn’t particularly care for is that some of the near misses that the two had in being discovered were sometimes resolved unbelievably. While I think this contributed to the magic of the story, sometimes it just didn’t feel realistic and took me out of the story.

*** I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ***

This book has an interesting premise.... is love more dear and meaningful when only acting on it one long weekend a summer over 28 years or as part of a long term, committed relationship or marriage? That is the idea surrounding this book. Jake and Mallory have an ongoing once a summer romance last 28 years. The book follows their involvement and lives over this course. I wasn't quite sure about this plot at first, but I really ended up enjoying it and thinking hard about the ramifications of this type of relationship. Is it wrong?? Less commitment?? Less meaningful?? Less love?? All good questions to explore. I would recommend this book for sure, it's a great summer read! Elin Hilderbrand is known for her Nantucket stories and this one does not disappoint!

I honestly loved this book. It reminded me of a Nicholas Sparks romance at its best. It’s well written, engaging, and such a page turner. The dynamics of the relationship have you asking questions and even though the story is “shallow”, there’s a depth there that is unmistakeable. Incredible for a beach read or a light hearted page turner to make your heart swoon.

This book was a beautifully emotional story of a couple who meet once a year throughout their lives. While the crux of the story is something that most people would not approve or agree with, the author makes it work. As the readers, we cheer and long for the success of their relationship, however unrealistic that might be. This is a heartbreakenly beautiful book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I loved this book and included it in the 2020 Modern Mrs Darcy Summer Reading Guide:

The premise is guaranteed to make some readers mad, but the execution sucked me right in: At the request of his dying mother Mallory, Link places a call and is shocked when Jake McCloud answers. Link knows who Jake is: his wife is expected to be elected president in the upcoming 2020 election. But how could Jake possibly know his mother? Well. Unbeknownst to Link and almost everyone else, Jake and Mallory have a history. When they first met on Nantucket in 1993, they decided to borrow the premise of the film Same Time, Next Year for their own relationship, and have since spent 28 Labor Day weekends together on the island, despite marriage, children, and everything else. An exploration of love in all its forms that pushes readers to ask What if...? This would make a fabulous book club selection—there’s SO MUCH to talk about.

Unpopular opinion ahead. I did not like this book. I enjoy a good beach read, and I don't expect them to be great literature, but this one fell short for me. Elin Hildebrand has made a name for herself writing books set on Nantucket, typically with a romance, and her latest novel follows this same pattern. I've enjoyed her books in the past, so I was excited to get an ARC for her latest.

She does a great job, as always, of describing summer days and nights, including descriptions of summer meals, flowers, beach scenes, and ocean breezes. The problem is with the plot and characters. The situation between the two star crossed lovers, Jake and Mallory, doesn't make a whole lot of sense - there is never a concrete, truly believable reason as to why they cannot just be together all the time and must only be "Same Time Next Year" lovers. Since the whole book is based on this premise, it has a shaky foundation. Further, Mallory is depicted as a commitment-phobic flake and Jake is portrayed as a man completely without a backbone. On top of this, their romance happens while Jake is married. There is little to no examination of any guilt either party might feel about this.

The writing style felt uneven also. At the start of the book the story has a narrator who refers to Jake as "our boy" and Mallory as "our girl" and gives little side comments about them. This narrative device disappears after the first quarter of the book, never to be seen again. Likewise, the story goes back and forth between Mallory's POV and Jake's from year to year...then suddenly, far into the book, is from Jake's wife's POV. The whole cadence of the narrative style was uneven.

The story itself had potential. The concept of a romance that exists in a pure state in the minds of the lovers due to the fact that they never share real life with each other is an intriguing concept. Do they really love each other, when they don't really know each other? Do they only love the idea of each other? Are they unable to fully give love to others in their lives because they are holding back due to their fantasy relationship? These are all great questions. Instead of really exploring them, Hildebrand gives us recaps of what was happening in the news every year for 28 years (that got old fast for me), descriptions of life on Nantucket, and the perplexing inclusion of political statements that have no bearing or purpose in the story other than to tell the reader that the author is a liberal democrat.

This was a disappointing read, which started out as mildly intriguing but got more and more annoying as the book progressed. Thank you NetGalley.

An emotional beach read, although I’m not sure how well sand and tears go together. Hilderbrand takes us back to Nantucket to tell the story of Molly and Jake who fell in love In the summer of 1993 but, because of other obligations, can only spend one weekend a year together. The story is about family connections, deception among friends, and even some political issues of the day. Although I’ve never been to Nantucket, thru the author’s writing, I feel as though I have been there many times. A must read!