I enjoyed this book about four strangers who come to Nantucket to work for the summer. They rent rooms in the same basement and become good friends over the summer. They return 25 years later for a reunion with their children and you get to see how they have lived the past 25 years and how their children become good friends.

This is a story about four strangers who rent bargain basement rooms in a hotel that is being remodeled, while they work at various summer jobs on Nantucket. The rooms are small and had been used for staff while the hotel was in operation. The four, all recent graduates from college, soon bond into a small, close group, as they venture into what could well be a summer that will impact and even change the course of their lives. Throughout the book we follow them as they work, explore the island, and grow into themselves. The book is interspersed with chapters that cover a timeframe twenty-five years later, when the group has reconvened for a reunion of sorts. In these chapters, we see the four all grown up, with families and careers they had only imagined during their first stay on Nantucket. In addition, they have brought their families along, so we get to meet them, as they to experience Nantucket, most for the first time.

I have read all of the author’s books and have enjoyed them tremendously. In the case of this book, however, I found myself not enjoying it nearly as much. It seemed to me that there was no real plot for the book, unless you consider a diary of the groups’ daily lives a plot. Yes, there were romances and some interesting interactions, but not much more. I also did not think the characters had been developed as well as they could have been. This is probably a good book to read while lying on the beach or beside a pool in the warm sun, as distractions will not affect your understanding and ability to follow/understand. However, if you, like me, are looking for a book with mystery and/or adventure, this is not the one for you. Still, the writing was good and true to the author, so the book was not difficult to read. I just wish there had been more of a plot. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

Nancy Thayer can always be counted on for a good summer beach read! I really enjoyed this story of 4 young-adult strangers who become great friends over the course of a summer on Nantucket Island. This is a book about friendship, love, life, and growing up. I enjoyed following their lives and seeing them mirrored by their children. If you're looking for a light, beachy summer read- you've found it!

Love books based on Nantucket. Their summers echoed each other and were magical. I loved the characters and their stories. I felt there was room for more details involving them and their past/present lives.

This was so cute! A wonderful romance, filled with witty banter, delightful characters, and just enough steaminess. A must read for romance lovers!

Take me to the beach with an umbrella and towel. This was a fun read and a getaway to the place we want to be.

Many summers ago, four strangers rented rooms in the basement of a once glorious hotel on the island of Nantucket. Each one fresh out of school, ready for one last carefree summer before entering the real world. Fast forward to the present, and the four strangers who have now become lifelong friends return to the restored hotel, this time with their families in tow. Though life hasn’t turned out exactly as expected, the friendships of these four remain strong as they confront the secrets of summers past.

This book kick-started my summer and was set in one of my favorite locations, Nantucket. Nancy Thayer is known for her light and fun beach reads and this one was exactly that. Though this one was an easy read for me and I got through it pretty quickly, I found the story a bit uninspired and wasn’t really drawn to any of the characters, especially the older group of friends. Though there were moments of surprise and shock, I found the book to be quite predictable and there wasn’t enough tension and development. That being said, if Thayer wrote a follow-up novel about the second generation and their summer love, it would be an auto-buy for me!

Thank you to Random House – Ballantine and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A summer beach book about four friends and their adventures on Nantucket when they were just starting out. The book flips between then and now when they’ve come back to the island with adult kids. This one was a like but not love for me. I often felt like the story was just skimming the surface before switching to another chapter. Quick read.

I have always enjoyed Nancy Thayer's annual Nantucket novel, but she surpassed herself with this one! Told in two alternating timelines of a group of friends sharing a grimy hotel/ apartment corridor about 2o years ago and then their children as the adults reunite in that same hotel, now upscale and owned by one of the original gang. Thayer perfectly balances the two timelines and the sense of youth and innocence of both eras as well as the sense of reflection that comes with maturity.

I loved the settings, descriptions of Nantucket. I sort of wondered how one of the women missed the many red flags that the midwestern academic she was settling for would end up being controlling, or at least not an understanding spouse. She dropped out of the Iowa Writers Workshop for him?! But then life is full of decisions.

The cover may indicate beach book, but truly it's a thought provoking novel about growing up and letting your own children grow up as well.

I liked following these four friends through their journey of two different summers, one when they were young with their lives ahead of them and one when they were coming back together twenty years later with their families. These stories always make me want to visit Nantucket! What a place that must be!

This book is a great summer read for any beach day or pool day. Nancy Thayer did a wonderful job at creating a great summer love/romance book that also had some background behind it. I liked how the book went from present day to the past chapter by chapter. I enjoy almost every book I read about Nantucket and this book just adds to the list. If you’re looking for a good fine friendly summer love this book is for you!

Nancy Thayer always gives me a story to remember. Her characters come alive and become part of my days. This tale of the escape before adulthood drew me in and I couldn’t put it down.

While I love Nancy Thayer books, this one was not one of my favorites. It didn’t hook me from the beginning like usual and I didn’t love any of the characters.

This was my first Nancy Thayer book and I loved it as I do any book written about Nantucket summers (cough Elin cough)! The two story lines about “that summer” and “this summer” were lighthearted and full of young (turned old) love! It’s a great beach read about 4 old friends who met one summer on Nantucket working and their 3 children who do the same! There wasn’t one big “event” or lead up in this book but it did keep me engaged!

This book features two timelines. The first is set back in the 1990s and the second is present-day.

In the early timeline, four young adults with very different personalities and backgrounds end up sharing hotel accommodations one summer on Nantucket. For personalities, the bases are covered: social, shy, nerdy and suave. Yet, somehow they all bond as they share coming-of-age experiences.

In the present-day timeline, the young adults from earlier are reuniting for the first time since that summer twenty-five years before. And parts of their families are being drawn in their wake to the extent that their young adult children are following in their footsteps from that summer so long ago.

Yet, there's nothing to romanticize about that earlier summer, and there's a good deal to grimace at, like an illicit affair, breaking and entering, and fleeing the scene of a crime.

So, honestly, while I enjoyed the writing style, I found the characters to be somewhat flat and the story just left me feeling "eh" at the end. I had really hoped to like it more.

Thank you to Nancy Thayer, Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an advance review copy of the book.

I typically enjoy Nancy Thayer's books, but this one was a struggle to read.

It begins with four students who live together in a run down hotel on Nantucket while working summer jobs. The story flips between present day when the four reunite and back to that summer when they first met.

I felt as though the characters weren't fully developed and it was hard to see how they were 'friends'. I think if Ms. Thayer focused on two characters and developed them fully while keeping the other two ancillary, the storyline might have been more believable.

Every book can't be a home run. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Company for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had so many things I love. Set on Nantucket, old friends reuniting and multiple generations. The stories between the characters in both timelines in this story were just superb.

Four friends reunite at a hotel 26 years after they spent an eye-opening summer on the island of Nantucket. The POV switches between each of the four main characters and the setting jumps between Now and Then. It may seem a bit cumbersome at ties but is done in such a way that after a moment’s clarification it works. Doing it this way, allows the reader to learn bits of what happened in the past to be revealed in bits and pieces as they are disclosed in the Now section.

I always enjoy books by Nancy Thayer. I have been a fan for too many years to mention. Her books, including Summer Love, always provide a quick read. They are typically set in or around the Nantucket area. I feel as if I know they island even though I have never physically traveled there. This book has good characters that are primarily wholesome and/or redeemable. The story, while not difficult to figure out, is exciting enough to keep you up reading all night. Thank you, Nancy, for giving your readers another excellent beach read.


I received an ARC from Random House Pub. Group through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

The quintessential beach read. A book that can transport me directly to its location is a winner . Nancy Thayer always does that for me. The story centers around 4 kids who meet one summer on Nantucket. What transpires is friendship and fun along the sunny summer days. The toggling from past to present works well for this story giving the backdrop the reader needs to propel the storyline. Who wouldn’t love a summer on this charming island? The authors description of the island is very visual and you know she’s speaking from her many years of habitation there. Seeing the characters growth from youth to adulthood made for interesting comparison. Seeing some of their youthful dreams come to fruition and others still trying to achieve that dream kept me centered on the book. Love and a twist or two will keep you engaged. Ty #NetGalley for the ARC . All opinions are my own.

Review will be posted on 6/10/22
Four strangers have one thing in common: they are all renting a cheap room at an old hotel near the beach on the beautiful island of Nantucket. There's Ariel, who has high hopes for herself as she plans to become a writer, and there's Sheila, from Ohio, who hopes to make some money, and find some adventure this summer before settling down. Then there's Nick, who is here to make connections with the wealthy, and Wyatt, who is trying to branch out a bit by working on the island this summer. Wyatt immediately has a connection with Ariel. All four are very different, but living together has brought them closer, especially those Wednesday night dinners, escapades on the beach, and dealing with the ins and outs of dating on the island. There's nothing quite like college aged adults living on the island for one magical summer. Fast forward almost thirty years and it's the same group of people returning to the island, but this time with their families in tow. Nick opened a hotel on the island and invited the old gang to stay. However, have things turned out the way they planned? Nick is successful, but is he happy? Ariel isn't a writer, so what went wrong? She did end up with Wyatt after all. Sheila brings her daughter and readers can't help but wonder if she is happy, especially when she thinks back to that one fateful summer on the island and the secret she has been keeping for years. Nancy Thayer's Summer Love is a quiet type of beach read; it's one that is perfect for vacation and promises romance, friendship, and a gorgeous setting.

I really liked all four characters that Thayer put together in the basement of The Sand Palace, an old hotel on Nantucket. While they are all different, they have came together and supported one another when needed in Summer Love. I found each character equally compelling and since Thayer jumps from "That Summer" in the past to "This Summer" many years later, it was interesting to see how the adults got to this particular point in their lives.

One thing Thayer always does well is describe Nantucket beautifully. I felt like I was there when reading Summer Love. From the dinners at amazing restaurants, or just a six pack of beer on the beach, it was a nice escape that made me dream of one day visiting Nantucket. Regarding the time period, I did prefer "That Summer" to "This Summer" in that I found that the characters presented in the past were more compelling then they are in the future, even when the point of view was from their children. That was my only issue with the novel in that I was leaning more towards the historical timeline story than the present day.

What I like about Summer Love is the fact that it's a quintessential beach read. There's romance, a gorgeous setting, some mild drama, but nothing horrific happens and it's comforting in that it's mostly predictable. You know how things end for the characters, but it's the journey to get there that's delightful. You can count on Summer Love to be a solid beach read that is much like watching your favorite comforting TV show...the kind you curl up with at the end of a long day.

Are you a fan of Nancy Thayer? Have you read Summer Love? Is it on your TBR list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.