All the Days of Summer
Nancy Thayer
May 2, 2023


Heather and Wall Willette have been living in Concord, Mass since first knowing each other. They own a hardware store that successfully kept their family economically well. She inherited her grandmother’s beautiful home. They moved in and loved the size but realized how much work it would take to bring it back to life. Wall spent his days at the store as did Heather with their baby, Ross. As he grew, her world was the store, raising Ross and working hard on the house to make it the gorgeous home it used to be.
Ross went on to college and met the girl of his dreams, Kailee Essex. She lives on Nantucket Island with her folks. Bob and Evelyn are wealthy owners of Essex Construction, a large company that caters to the wealthy prospective new homeowners of Nantucket.
The two families are very different yet they realize their adult children will be married and their lives will blend. In Thayer’s newest novel she has written an incredible, thought provoking piece. It is touching yet brings the reader a sorrow we all feel at some point in our world.
All the Days of Summer by Nancy Thayer will be published by Ballantine Books of Random House on May 2, 2023. I am extremely pleased by their allowing me to read and review her latest publication via NetGalley. I was completely absorbed by the characters and her amazing descriptions of societies that encompassed the book. It is one that should not be missed. I am hoping for a sequel to the story. Do enjoy this delightful, heartwarming novel.

3.5 stars
I love easy, breezy beach reads by Nancy Thayer and this was no exception. Cute, albeit predictable, story, but I enjoyed the characters (especially Heather) and the setting of Nantucket. At first I thought it wrapped up a little too nicely, but after thinking about it for a day I decided that I was fine with it, as this is the perfect book to bring with you on vacation.
I would recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC!

3 stars

Nancy Thayer has had such an acclaimed career. I have read many of her books, but this one just did not do it for me.

Heather and Wall have been married for over 20 years. Their son Ross is about to graduate from college, so Heather decides that now is the time to get a divorce. She and Wall have become roommates, rather than partners. Thinking that her son is going to help his dad in Concord, she agrees to rent a cottage on Nantucket for the summer to decide on her next steps - leasing a dumpy cottage for $10,000 per month. Not many of us can relate to having $30K just sitting around to use to "find ourselves".

In the meantime, Ross and his girlfriend Kaitlee are ditching his dad' and instead heading to Nantucket to work with her dad's huge construction company. Kailee is one of the most unlikeable characters I have ever "met" in a book. She is jealous and clingy and spoiled. She's convinced that Heather is spying on them and has followed them to Nantucket for the wrong reasons.

The dialogue is so stiff and unrealistic. Most of the characters are unlikeable. The story itself seems so implausible. How many of us have $30k to spend on a summer rental? Then, everything just seems to fall in Heather's lap - how true is that of most middle-aged divorcees? New home, new job, new love interest. There's no struggle. It's so unrealistic.

I am very thankful to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

First things first let us remember people do not belong to other people. We are not property. Parents often make assumptions based on the life with their children as they grow up. Kids make declarations and promises, but those are written on sand, not in stone. Children need guidance in making good, practical, reasonable choices. Parents sometimes forget that as their kids grow up, so do their personalities and choices. And at times those choices might be at odds with the parents’ expectations and hopes.

ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER is about those life changes and choices, not only those of the children but the parents as well.

As kids grow up, graduate college, their dreams change. Their visions are altered by the experience and knowledge they gained as well by the people they have met. Ross met Kailee in college. Attraction was mutual and strong. Strong enough that both were fashioning their future together.

Their youth was probably the catalyst for causing the disruption of what had been the normalcy of their families. Ross is caught off guard with the news that his mother Heather was divorcing his dad Wall. To Kailee it meant a kind of victory in her desire for Ross to move to Nantucket with her and join her father’s construction company. Her glee was almost palatable. But for Ross it meant the end of the family base as he had known it.

Kailee did not like the manner in which Heather tried to convince Ross to give his dad one last summer in their family hardware store. And yet she was systematically pulling strings in her favor. A harsh tug of war with Ross the prize.

Kids deserve a future of their choosing. But parents do as well. Everyone deserves happiness and a sense of fulfillment. All these folk in ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER must realize that. Nancy Thayer humanizes all her characters. They have flaws and you feel their pain. It is understandable that you would take sides. So in ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER Nancy Thayer carefully lays the groundwork so that you can make decisions on which team you are backing.

First impressions of a Nancy Thayer novel are the thought this is going to be a classic family tale. But then you get immersed into the trials and tribulations of her characters and realize the error of your assumption.

Heather is approaching a totally new avenue in her life. Soon to be divorced. Living in a rental in Nantucket. New people, new friends, new about everything. The fact that her son and intended fiancé are also there did not play a role in her decision to take temporary refuge in this beautiful place. Heather makes several decisions about her future, but it is her past that keeps making the edge off her blissful state in Nantucket.
Heather is lead character as much of the storyline seems to float around her. The island itself is a potent character. And all the folk that Heather meets and interacts with fill the book.
Nancy Thayer ingeniously includes the reader into this tale. It is truly a story of highs and lows along with some very bittersweet moments that will linger long after the last page. Fans of this amazing author may or may not agree, but ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER is my all-time favorite. I simply did not want it to end.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book put me in such a summery mood.

I always love a summer read by Nancy Thayer. First I love the first line of the book, and that it is reflected back in the last line of the book. A very clever way by the author. Set in Nantucket, Heather is moving on after her husband Wall and she decide to divorce amicably. Leaving her beautiful victorian home in Concord, Heather wants to finally live a better life by putting her happiness first, and seeks to find herself by renting a quiet and cozy beach house on Nantucket. Their son Ross, having just graduated from college is in a serious relationship with Kailee, and much to their surprise decides to not take over the family hardware store but to work for Kailee's dad's construction company and live on Nantucket. Kailee is a local Nantucket girl, very selfish and possessive of Ross, and jealous of Heather whom she thinks is too involved and hovering with Ross. Heather seems to make friends easily and find her way, while Kailee and her family deal with animosity from other locals over their building large mansions which change the landscape of the island and flaunting their money. Heather also becomes friends with Kailee's mom Evelyn in her time of need which Kailee cannot understand. But life is full of surprises and as Kailee finds out, it's time for her and Ross to grow up and begin adulting. This was a very fast and easy read, just delightful for a beach read. I would love to see what happens with Kailee and Heather going forward. I recommend this heartwarming book that focuses on family and dealing with unexpected changes.
Thank you to #netgalley #allthedaysofsummer #nancythayer for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a summer story of a mid-40's woman dealing with the new phases of her life. Her only child has graduated from college and has struck out on his own. It's time for Heather to choose what she wants the rest of her days to look like. A series of incidents ends her up on beautiful Nantucket. It's a fun beach read!
#Ballantine #RandomHouse

Mixed feelings on this one. I really enjoyed Heather’s story, but holy smokes was Kailee insufferable. Selfish, immature and minimal self awareness or development through the story. I also didn’t feel like the relationships between the characters grew very organically and there were so many abrupt changes at the end. Overall enjoyable but not my favorite Nancy Thayer novel.

I tore through this book in 1.5 days.

Heather Willette's son is grown and starting out his life after college with his girlfriend Kailee on Nantucket. Heather decides that after many years of being unhappy, she is going to leave her husband. She rents a small cottage on Nantucket for the summer and sets out to make herself happy. She ends up finding a life in Nantucket that she can love - a job or 2, a love interest, etc.

I love pretty much any book set on Nantucket. Heather is a strong woman making a place for herself in a new home. She feels as if she is able to reconnect with herself and her needs on Nantucket. I love the descriptions of the Nantucket setting and the quaint way of life. Heather finds herself immersed in Nantucket and she doesn't want to leave.

I always look forward to Thayer's new releases. They are the perfect beach reads or summer escape books!

I need a follow up book for this.. I need to know if Kailee grows up, if Heather finds love and happiness, if Wall comes crawling back again...

I need to know.

Do you like changes in your life? Most of the time we don't. But change can be good, but some can come unexpected. This story has a lot to do with change.
Heather has come to realization that her marriage to Wal is over. Her only son Ross is in his final year of college and she is ready to ask for a divorce and start a new life. In a few months Ross will be coming home and start working in the family business.
Through a friend Heather finds a rental cottage on Nantucket and she plans to spend the summer months alone planning her new future.
Ross meets the love of his life his senior year of college. Kailee is also a senior and plans to work with her father in his successful construction company in Nantucket.
Ross tells his parents he will not be working in the family business after college. He plans to move to Nantucket and marry Kailee and working in her father's construction company.
I don't want to spoil the story with too many details. This is a must read book, I was so disappointed when the book ends. The author has crafted get characters that I hope will be in a future series.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

I wanted to like this one, but honestly it was rather tough to get through. The writing was often repetitive or overexplanatory. The story was pretty good - it flowed well - but I didn't find myself connecting with many of the characters. The handover of part of the company to Ross felt extremely quick - a lot of trust was placed in him very rapidly, before he and Kailee were married. Kailee was literally all over the place - many times appearing a completely spoiled brat without many redeeming characteristics. The relationship between Heather and Miles was not very natural in development. Overall, not one of my favorites.

I enjoyed this story very much. This is a great beach read. It follows Heather Willette, who rents a house in Nantucket for the summer. She does this to reset after asking for a divorce from her husband. Her son Ross also is on Nantucket due to his girlfriend and her family living there. This is a such realistic family drama, with all the highs and lows. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House/Ballantine Books.

Heather's marriage has ended so she moves to Nantucket for a fresh start. She is seeking happiness and to rediscover herself. She gets more than she had hoped for. Suddenly her son decides to move to Nantucket to work for his girlfriend's ( Kailee) father, not his own as was expected. Kailee and heather have never gotten along, but they must learn to overcome their differences. The plot explores the nuances of fami.ly and the many complexities within them. And, the hopeful way to move forward.

When life takes you on an unexpected path, it can shake up your life, but you know in your heart you must follow it. It is an adventure, both scary and exciting, but you follow it and see where you come out. Nancy Thayer captures their journeys as life moves on, and they move on with it.
I received an ARC from Ballantine Books through NetGalley.

I am a long time fan of Nancy Thayer's books. Every year I look forward to her annual summer beach read. All the Days of Summer does not disappoint. I loved this novel about two women in the midst of major change in their lives. Heather Willette realizes that her marriage has fizzled and decided to divorce her husband, Wall. She rents a cottage on Nantucket. Her son Ross had plans to spend time on the island, as well. He is staying with his long-time girlfriend Kailee Essex and her family. Both Kailee and Heather adjust to their roles in Ross's life as well as major life changes occur for both women. I love the characters, who were multi-dimensional. I found the storyline to be riveting. I highly recommend this book. It's a great beach read and more. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for the ARC!

3.5 stars, rounded up

Heather has a comfortable life with her steady husband and their son who is about to graduate from college. But her marriage is stagnant and she realizes she’s not happy with her life. Leaving her husband, she rents a cottage on Nantucket for the summer, to give her time and space to figure out the rest of her life. But when she learns that her son is moving to Nantucket to go into his girlfriend’s family business instead of returning home to go to work with his father, Heather realizes her perfect plan might not be so perfect after all, especially if it means having to deal with Kailee and her family.

I can always count on Nancy Thayer to get my summer reading started on a good note, even though summer is still months away here in Pennsylvania. I’ve never been to Nantucket, but she paints a good picture of the island and its inhabitants. She creates realistic characters, although not all of them are likeable right off the bat.

Maybe because I’m in a comfortable life with a steady husband, but I could really identify with Heather’s need to take some time away from her responsibilities just to *be, to think about her life and her future. I wouldn’t want to have to deal with a spoiled young adult like Kailee, though. She was so accustomed to getting her way all the time, I expected her to stamp her feet and throw a hissy fit every time she was confronted with something that wasn’t part of her plan. She made unfounded accusations and didn’t believe people when what they told her conflicted with her pre-formed opinions. I’ve known people like her, and they’re not fun to be around so I give Heather credit for trying and for being persistent.

A lot of the storylines in the book were predictable, although a few surprised me, but I didn’t mind too much, and it won’t stop me from reading the author’s next book.

I love a book set on Nantucket. The author did a great job of making you feel you were there on island. The book touched on difficult/sensitive topics, such as loss, divorce, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy. It’s a book you could safely recommend without worrying it might be too steamy.

I had to keep reminding myself that Heather, Wall, Bob, and Evelyn were only in their 40s. They felt so much older. Even the conversations between Ross and Kailee made them feel that they were much older than early 20s.

I really didn’t like most of the characters. Personalities were all over the place, sometimes within a single paragraph. Especially Kailee… yikes. She was truly awful - petulant, spoiled, and rude.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Much like Nancy Thayer's other books, this one did not disappoint. I was drawn in by the first sentence. Her descriptions of Nantucket and it's many well known venues from Mitchell's Book Corner to the Jared Coffin House, to name just a few, makes the reader feel like they are right there on the island with the characters. There was just enough drama to be realistic but not too much so to make it over the top.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random house for an advance reader's copy of this title. I appreciate the opportunity to read and provide my honest review of this book, and I would definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley, Nancy Thayer, and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of All the Days of Summer. This is my personal review.
I was pulled into this story so quickly. It had me up late in the night reading because everything was going in a direction I wasn’t sure how it would end. I could picture the setting for the story. I felt so many emotions as I read.
There were so many layers to the book and they all fit together seamlessly.