Over the course of 28 summers, Mallory and Jake spend the 3 day Labor Day weekend together on Nantucket - no matter what. Despite other relationships, marriage, children, death and personal upheaval, Mallory and Jake's "Same Time, Next Year" relationship is sacred. The book tells their stories in alternating chapters summer by summer from 1993 to 2020. This is a story of soulmates, love, tragedy and missed opportunities and above all a love spent 3 days a years that lasts forever.

This book has it all: Secret affairs, beach settings, betrayal, unplanned pregnancy, tragic accidents, political desires, regrets, fatal illness, ethical dilemmas, divorce, single parenting, young love and more. The author tells a fascinating love affair that takes place only 3 days out of the year, but lasts for 26 summers. The last two summers are reserved for closure and new beginnings.

Absolutely beautiful! Love Elin’s books. This one was special. 28 beautiful summers. The acknowledgements made it so real also. Go read it!!

Some things just go together like Elin Hilderbrand books and summer strawberries. If you need a pick me up right now or a light-hearted read I would highly recommend pouring yourself a glass of wine in the sunshine and settling in with 28 Summers. I laughed, cried, and longed for stroll on the beach after dinner at Millie’s. It’s truly one of the best books I’ve read this year.
When Mallory suddenly finds herself the owner of a secluded summer cottage on Nantucket her life changes forever. Her first summer on the island she falls in love not only with the freedom of her new life, but also with her brother’s best friend. Not wanting to leave her new life for a traditional life on the mainland, the lovers promise to see each other once a year on Labor Day weekend. But can their love survive so many days separated by reality and how ling can they keep up this secret arrangement?

The book 28 Summers by Elin Hildebrand is a great story about true love. The passionate relationship between Mallory and Jake during their one weekend per year is so inspiring that true love does exist. The book is an easy read with a number of great characters; difficult to put down. The author does a great job describing the trials and tribulations of the lives of Mallory and Jake outside of their yearly romantic weekend each year and keeps you wanting the next Labor Day weekend to come so they can be together again. I typically take two weeks to read a book but I read this in a single weekend. It was that good. Thank you to netgalley and Little,Brown and Company for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I remember the movie Same Time Next Year for a couple of reasons: it was filmed at a beautiful part of the Northern California coast where we used to vacation, and I just liked the acknowledgment that it is possible to love more than one person at a time. So when I read that Elin Hildebrand’s novel 28 Summers was based on that film, I was happy get a copy (thanks to Little, Brown & Co and NetGalley) in exchange for this honest review.

The book begins with Mallory Blessing’s son Link looking in the drawers of the desk that belongs to his dying mother. He finds deathbed instructions telling him to call a number that turns out to belong to Jake McCloud, the husband of the frontrunner of the 2020 Presidential election. Link has heard of Jake, as he and his wife are quite famous, but Link has no clue how his mother knows or knew Jake.

A flashback to summer 1993 has Mallory inheriting an oceanfront cottage on Nantucket, and agreeing to let her brother Coop use it for his (first) bachelor party over Labor Day weekend. Coop’s college friend Jake connects with Mallory that weekend, and they agree to meet the following Labor Day weekend, and continue to do so every Labor Day for 28 years, until Mallory’s serious illness results in Link snooping in her desk drawer.

Each chapter is the story of one of the years, and begins with a list of pop culture references, etc. that are fascinating. It’s a good beach read, a nice diversion from pandemic quarantine, and a thought-provoking look at friendship, marriage, parenting, and family. Four stars.

28 summers follows the story of two characters pursuing love in a way that is not socially acceptable. You will find yourself both rooting for their story of love, but also feeling a bit of disdain for the way in which they pursue it. It definitely humanizes and forces you to be slightly relatable to characters that make, what can we considered really bad choices, choices that have the potential to hurt and destroy others. This book was definitely a page turner, and not the outcome I had hoped for.

A trip through 28 summers on Nantucket. Jake spends every Labor Day weekend (when he's sibgle and when he's not). with Mallory on Nantucket. They have an intense but irregular romance.
Each chapter opens with a list of what we were talking about that year, which was a fun device that set the tone and added a touch of the real world. An excellent summer read, with interesting, likeable characters.

Everyone knows when you want an extraordinary Summer Beach read you dive into a Elin Hilderbrand book and it'll do the trick! I absolutely loved this book and feel it's one of her strongest books I've read by her. The shifting perspectives and timelines were really really well done I think as an author it take a lot of technique to engage a reader with multiple perspectives and she did it well! The pacing also didnt feel rushed! I wish that the ending gave us s little more open door type feel so we could have a second book, but I understood the way it ended.

This story follow Mallory, a young woman who inherit a beach cottage form her aunt in Nantucket . She agree to host her brother bachelor party , where she Finally came face to face with his friend Jakes , who she’s been taking to on the phone .

Their relationship became Intimate and they agree that they will be each other “ same time next year “. Each year over the labor day weekends they will meet at the cottage , re-enacting their first time , escaping from their normal life’s , to just be with each other .

As they grow and their lives change, one thing remain the same , no matter what, they will Always find away to meet , to be with each other, the same time each year .


Review : This story is heart breaking and beautiful all at the same time . The characters are so realistic I find myself entering into their moment of joy, and hurt . They’re imperfect , and messy but 100% human. The story was a bit slow at times , and the dynamic of Mallory and Jakes relationship made me cringe sometimes , but the ending completely shattered me , like ugly crying at 1am in the morning .This would be a great book for book club because there’s so much issues to discuss.

I loved this book! So good! I have read several of Elin Hilderbrand’s other books, so I was excited to pick this one up and it did not disappoint. In my opinion, this is her best book. I loved the writing, the story line, the characters, the Nantucket setting (of course!), and the structure of the story.

This story takes places over the course of 28 summers. Jake and Mallory meet when Mal is only 24. They hit it off, but their relationship is not set up to succeed due to the distance between them (she lives on Nantucket, he does not). They decide to meet every year over Labor Day weekend, no matter what. As a reader, you think this won't happen, as life gets in their way. Throughout the 28 summers, I loved watching these two characters and the families around them grow and change. I finished reading the book yesterday, and I'm still missing the characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown & Co for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this book!

I really got hooked reading Elin Hilderbrand because of her "Paradies" series so I started to read more novels by her. This one doe not disappoint either. The characters are complex and complicated and there is always some connection between them. This was the perfect introduction to summer and without spoiling things, several places in her past novels are revisited in this, some nostalgia was much needed when you get further into the storyline. A favorite and a re-read for sure. I definitely want a hard copy when it is published!

Thanks to Netgalley, Elin Hilderbrand and Little Brown & Co for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this if you want a solid beach read.

Available: 6/16/20

Thank you NetGalley and Elin Hilderbrand for the opportunity to read 28 Summers. 28 Summers is a perfect beach read. Mallory and Jake have a unusual relationship and manage to keep love alive every year by connecting once a year. I kept wanting the characters to change their path and move in a new direction but like much of life, it seems like it is easy and safe to stay in our comfort zone. I love Elin Hilderbrand's previous novels and 28 Summers was a wonderful addition!

28 SUMMERS is not like any of Elin Hilderbrand’s other books. Yes, it includes Nantucket summers and the escapist feel of strong women, handsome men and above average children but it also has the nostalgia I’ve been craving to get me through this crazy year. Not only does 28 SUMMERS bring you to some of the scenes of Hilderbrand’s other books (the Blue Bistro, Tuckernuck island) and has a few characters from other books, but each chapter is a different year and begins with a list of what people are talking about that year (both the good, the funny and the bad). It not only reminds of some pretty great songs but it sets the tone for the year.
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Why is the book set this way? Well Mallory Blessing has a “Same Time, Next Year” with her brother’s fraternity big brother, Jake McCloud. Each year, over Labor Day weekend, Jake stays at Mallory’s Nantucket cottage and they repeat the same activities that they did the first summer in 1993, no matter what. When they first meet in person, Jake is on a break from his long time girlfriend Ursula DeGournsey, a powerful DC attorney, but they talked quiet a few times before that, thanks to Jake answering the calls Mallory made to her brother. As much as Mallory loves Jake, she won’t give up Nantucket or her career as a teacher. And Jake can’t seem to give up Ursula—they grew up together in South Bend, she was the only one who stayed the length of his twin sister’s sickness. So their relationship stays to three days each summer with calls only when there are engagements, marriage, pregnancy and death. The book artfully tells the story of what happens over the course of 28 summers/years, sharing the moments that define each of their lives as well as what each gave up as a result of their relationship and what each struggles with when they are apart. Children are born, friends lost, gossip to avoid and summer romance to indulge in with all the sailing, sun bathing and decadent meals that encompasses. I know I’ll be pulling out my Junior League cookbook to try to recreate some of those meals.

Another fun summer read by Elin Hilderbrand. Romance, adventure, tragedy are all on display in this creative book based on summers in the characters lives

28 summers was not enough! I loved this book from the beginning. It had a fun element of going down memory lane at the beginning of each summer. I also liked how the story sounded so personal using phrases like "our girl" which really helped connect the reader to the story. I also liked how you got the background of Mallory and Jake throughout the story. It wasn't on sided. The book ended about as well as could be expected but I would have loved another summer epilogue a little in the future. What happened to the cottage? What happened with Jake and Link? I NEED MORE! Another stellar summer novel from Hilderbrand.

I wanted this book to be a summer read, but it was just sort of sad the entire time and left me sad, not happy the way you usually are after a summer read. I found it incredibly annoying the way she called them “our girl” and “our guy” randomly. So odd. She did it in some chapters but not others. It just felt off. And why were some years so short? Only a couple of pages towards the end in the 2000s. Also so many other stories that didn’t seem relevant. Why the story about the Supreme Court Justice? And why so much about Cooper? And who gets married 5 times?! I really wished I had liked this book more.

I Received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. All reviews are my own.

I loved this book. The premise was interesting, but had potential to go dry if not handled carefully. The author was able to create a cast of dynamic characters and give just enough information about them to keep the story moving and engaging while still encouraging the reader to buy in to the story. I truly felt for the characters.

I loved this book. I have read a handful of Hilderbrand’s other books and this is her best to date from my perspective.

28 Summers tells the decades long story of Mallory and Jake as they meet for one weekend each year. I am always drawn to stories like this and I loved in particular how it was structured in this book (the recaps to start each year stood out). Following characters through their lives for long periods of time always hooks me. Mallory and Jake, not to mention the many wonderfully fleshed out side characters, were fun to follow and watch them change and grow over time.

The relationship between Mallory and Jake is complicated, messy, thought provoking, beautiful, and romantic. I was invested in them from the start and was always eager to keep reading about their lives and see them reconnect again.

A wonderful beach read for sure with its largely summer time Nantucket setting, but a great read at any time. Thanks to the publishers for the opportunity to read!

This book was a quick easy beach read that speaks to Elian Hilderbrand’s style of writing. A couple has a “Same Time Next Year” affair where they meet every Labor Day weekend. This book wasn’t so much about their affair but about their lives throughout the year. Fans of Hilderbrand will enjoy the book.