The storyline of this book is a great idea and you can’t beat the setting. It’s Nantucket in the 1990’s, a hotel is being reconstructed and the owners decide to rent out the bottom floor for cheap. It’s practically a basement. But it’s still in Nantucket for the summer. The lady who chooses the renters picks with a simple idea in mind, she just picks four people that she thinks won’t party much and destroy the place. She picks four complete strangers, all 22 years old.

Sheila, Ariel, Wyatt and Nick had never met before this summer. They don’t have much in common. But they are all at turning points in their lives. They all want a bit of adventure and fun this summer.

Part of the book takes place during that summer and the other takes place during this summer. The “Sand Palace Four” as they call themselves are reuniting in Nantucket 25 years later. They’ve brought their own adult children. Their children are now twenty somethings themselves and in similar places to their parents 25 years ago.

What’s good about this book is how very summery it is. I love the beach setting. I love their weekly dinners, their friendship and watching them fall in love.

I didn’t love the characters though. I actually read this book for the plot/setting rather than the characters. It is pretty character driven and that can be hard for me when I don’t love the characters.
Wyatt is a bit of a jerk. Sheila gives Ariel some terrible advice. Ariel takes the terrible advice.
I honestly didn’t have a problem with Nick or Francine. Ironically half the other characters had a problem with Francine but I found her more likable than some of the main characters.

So, here’s where I land, I enjoyed this book but I would have enjoyed it even more if the characters were more likable.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!

I look forward every summer to a new Nancy Thayer Nantucket novel, and was not disappointed . Four people come to the island for summer jobs. Nick is handsome and ambitious; Wyatt is a scientist always in his brain; Sheila is engaged to her college sweetheart and is a bit insecure and Ariel, who wants to be a writer. Their interactions and experiences are great fun to read about, and a dual timeline has them at a reunion with their kids. I enjoyed it and recommended for a perfect summer read.

Nick, Wyatt, Ariel and Sheila become friends the summer they lived at The Sand Castle, aka the basement of a hotel under renovation on the beautiful island of Nantucket. These 4 spend the summer dreaming about their futures and falling in love. Twenty six years later they reunite at the same hotel, now owned by Nick. As the four reminisce and contemplate the lives they thought they would have, their children discover the island and share some of the magic their parents experienced two decades ago.

Summer Love is a fun summer read, especially for those of us who have fond memories of summer in Nantucket. The characters are likable and easy to relate to.

Thank you Nancy Thayer, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Effortlessly shares the beauty of Nantucket while exploring the complexities of relationships.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Summer Love
by Nancy Thayer


Ariel, Nick, Sheila, and Wyatt recently graduated college and rent rooms in an old hotel in Nantucket.

They spend the summer working and getting to know each other.

The story switches from their stories to the future where it tells their children's stories.

Ariel was my favorite, maybe because she came first in the story.

A nice beach read for the summer.

Who would like this book? Someone who enjoys books that are quickly read, family and friendship stories. And a book that feels like summer.

4***


review posted to NetGalley, Goodreads and Wordpress.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

Another great book from Nancy Thayer. This books centers on four strangers who came to Nantucket to work for the summer along with their current lives. Set in alternating chapters of That Summer and This Summer we get a glimpse into the lives of the four strangers turned friends who made life changing decisions that summer in Nantucket. Now they are together again at the rebuilt hotel that they stayed in the basement of that summer and we get to follow how a summer in Nantucket can also change the course of their children's lives.

This book is the perfect summer read. It is entertaining, heartbreaking and incorporates both time periods together so well. A must beach read.

Thank you #Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was looking forward to reading this as the days are getting warmer and we are spending more time outside in the sun. Yes, it is a beach read. But, being a big fan of Elin Hildebrand and her Nantucket, I find Nancy Thayer's version of a Nantucket summer falls a bit short. The women were not strong characters and I felt myself wanting them to stand up for themselves more.

Nancy Thayer is a long time Nantucket resident and one author we can always count on for interesting stories, usually based on the island. As Summer Love begins, it's the 1990's and Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt and Nicolas all meet after being selected to rent somewhat dismal rooms in the Rockers Hotel, which is undergoing renovations. They're all new college graduates and come from different parts of the country and backgrounds. One thing they do have in common is the goal of having a carefree summer before starting the rest of their adult lives. And, the Sand Palace Four are established.
The story then alternates between That Summer (when it all began) and This Summer, when the four reunite 26 years later, along with three of their children. The reunion was initiated and funded by Nick, now a successful hotel magnate and owner of The Lighthouse (the former Rockers Hotel). The contact between the four in these years seems to have been limited and I liked Francine's (Nick's wife) description of it as "brag-and-gag Christmas letters." I would have liked to get a better understanding of this aspect of their relationships.
In Summer Love, the characters were mostly interesting, with some better developed than others. The parallel coming of age stories for the parents and some of their children was nicely balanced. Overall, a nice read to get you in the spirit of summer!
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Summer Love in exchange for an honest review.

Nothing says summer like a good Nancy Thayer novel set on the island of Nantucket. I love the summer vibes of being on the island and the vivid descriptions of the town. I'm a fan of Nancy Thayer novels, but this one fell short for me. The plot was slow, the characters unappealing and the story just didn't hold my interest. The novel gets a little better by the end, but it just takes so long to get there. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

After reading so many books set on Nantucket I feel like I've been there- and it never gets old!

Summer Love follows a group of 4 roommates turned friends on their first summer in Nantucket. Then, 25 years later, the group reunites, with their spouses and children. The chapters flip back and forth between past and present, and there are a lot of similarities and connections between the plots of the past and the current drama.

Overall this was a great summer beach read, but it didn't keep me reaching for it as much as I had hoped.

I just reviewed Summer Love by Nancy Thayer. #SummerLove #NetGalley

Nancy Thayer returns with another Nantucket summer novel! I enjoyed the premise of this book, and the alternating timelines. There was plenty of great description of the island and all of its unique places. Sadly, I didn’t think the characters were very well developed in this story, or that the Sand Palace Four even really liked each other all that much. The writing was repetitive, and the author told rather than showed. It was a quick read, but not one I would rush to recommended. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Ballantine, for the advance readers copy!

Four young strangers meet when they rent bargain basement rooms in an old Nantucket hotel near the beach. Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick are venturing out on their own for their 1st time, here to work for the summer, here for an adventure. These four new friends from very different backgrounds form an unlikely friendship. Through twists and turns over the summer, the adventures, the jobs, the ups and downs, summer romances and summer fun, these friends form a lasting bond. 26 years later Nick invites them and their families back to Nantucket where he now owns the hotel. Each of the original friends is forced to look at the past 26 years and come to terms with the fact that not all of their lives went in the direction they had thought it would. Unrealized dreams, unfulfilled lives. Would it be too late? It's never too late! I love how this story comes full circle and how the children of the original four become friends and embrace their own Nantucket summer adventure. Truly a wonderful story from a master storyteller. Nancy Thayer's stories touch hearts and keep us coming back for more. This is a perfect sunset beach read!

Nancy Thayer is an amazing writer of summer beach novels!!!!!!!! She is in an amazing league with summer authors and considered one of the best. I love this book so much!!!!!!! One of the perfect beach reads to remind you of your summer adventures as a young adult.

I thought this was a very cute summer romance book! It reminded me a lot of Elin Hilderbrand only because of the setting, but it had a dual timeline, so that was intriguing. I loved seeing how the summer was for the parents when they were younger and how it was now for their children.

Nancy Thayer books always scream SUMMER to me, and this one was no exception. I loved the beach setting. The friendships were amazing, and I loved the dynamics between them. However- the plot moved at a snail pace. I kept waiting for something to happen! When finally it did, it was lackluster and towards the end of the book. While not my favorite of hers, it won't stop me from reading her next book!

This is my first read from Nancy Thayer and it won’t be my last! I loved the summer setting in Nantucket- the author did a wonderful job describing it in detail so you could vividly picture the setting. I loved the back and forth between the last and current day and seeing where all of the characters landed following their summer together. I especially enjoyed the storyline following the foursomes’ kids! I would definitely enjoy reading more about the kids and what comes from their own summer adventures in Nantucket (hunt, hint!)

A book about two generations of families with differing backgrounds who become friends as they enjoy Nantucket. While this book didn’t quite capture my attention as significantly as some of this author’s others books, it captures the time of life where individuals explore who they are and what they want from the world. Overall enjoyable read!

A "then & now" story about 4 strangers who meet one summer when they come to work in Nantucket. This is an interesting story which shows the differences between the 4 who become friends. I liked that Nancy Thayer wrote the viewpoints of each of the characters, so you could understand how they were feeling in certain situations. This is a story about determination, staying true to yourself, friendship, love & loyalty.

I liked that this book was about 4 people who shared a summer together 26 years ago and their reunion 26 years later, that includes their children, who also have summer experiences of their own. I liked seeing the parents through their children's eyes and seeing how life might not have turned out the way they planned. I see their children having hopes and dreams of their own, not necessarily the same as their parents have for them. What I had a hard time with is that I didn't really care for any of the characters. I am not sure why. I didn't dislike them I just didn't connect. I am a big Nancy Thayer fan and have read all of her books. This one just was just not a favorite.