Two sisters dealing with family issues on Nantucket. Their brother died and their mother left, leaving the sisters with a father who feels the loss greatly. One sister left the island to work in New York and the other sister is opening a gift shop, and needs help, so the other sister returns.

A perfect summer read in the gloomy days of March! Once again Nancy Thayer takes us to the beautiful island of Nantucket where sisters Eddie and Barrett are sorting out their lives. Along with their father and Eddie's boss who happens to be a famous romance writer, they spend the summer dealing with family love and loss. This was a very heartwarming story filled with everything I expect from this author. Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Two sisters reconnect and pursue their dreams on the island of Nantucket. Read this book if you like: a Nantucket setting, a story of family, a strong sister bond, books about books, and an easy summer read. I always love a Nantucket story. Someday I will visit this little island and I can imagine myself spending time in Barrett's gift shop and Eddie's Book Barn. This book was very predictable and a little slow in spots but it is still a book to put in your summer beach bag. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a lovely story with all the feels in it. You have friends and families that go through good times and hard times. I love the feelings these folks have and what they are willing to do for each other. It was fun to watch the growth and change as life took over. I think Eddie was the most surprised at the direction her life was taking. Dinah and Bill were a hoot to watch as their relationship progressed. I loved all these folks and would love to read another story about them to see what is happening in their world. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

I love reading Nancy Thayer Nantucket books. This was a perfect beach read with very relatable characters. A great easy to read addition to any beach tote.

Getting a head start on Spring with a Nancy Thayer book! Not a bad idea, even if it is cold outside :) this book let me virtually enjoy Nantucket for awhile.

Eddie, her sister Barrett and their dad William moved to Nantucket a few years ago when their (adult)brother died and their mom divorced their dad. Eddie and Barrett were both in their twenties at the time but decided to move with their dad. Everyone needed a fresh start after losing Stearns(Eddie abd Barrett’s brother).

After a year, Eddie took a job in New York and moved away. She loves her job and loves her boss Dinah. Sometimes she regrets leaving behind the guy she had been dating. But she felt like they could never work because she had no interest in having children.

Now Eddie is going back to Nantucket. She’s planning to stay about a month while Barrett sets up her new store and also to help her dad uncluttered house.
But quickly she gets pulled back into her old life. The guy shows up right away and she can’t deny that he might be the one who got away. And her dad really needs her help at cleaning up. Her sister has clearly really missed her. And Eddie’s boss Dinah soon winds up in Nantucket too.

Suddenly this new little family dynamic is created. There’s a new daily routine and Eddie is starting to think about staying.

I really enjoyed this book. I have two small constructive criticisms and they are based on an arc so they might be corrected in some way by the time the book is released.
Barrett is in a love triangle. Kind of. The one guy is clearly the nicer guy. I honestly wish there hadn’t been a love triangle and we could have just enjoyed Barrett falling for the good guy. Cause by the time they get together it feels rushed. She tells him something about Dove and I thought, I’m pretty sure she never even told this guy Dove’s name. He doesn’t know the whole story.

And the other thing is that the Dove storyline is really darn sad at times. I’m not calling this a problem. I’m just saying the rest of the book felt pretty light and happy and the sadness of Dove’s storyline felt opposed to that a bit.

But I throughly enjoyed this book. It’s nice and summer and beachy and I love all the characters.

I got to read an early ebook edition on NetGalley. Thank you!!

I had high hopes for this one based on the synopsis and author, but it pains me to say that it somewhat missed the mark.

I loved the location of Nantucket and felt that the author brought it to life. Another bright spot was the supporting character, Dinah Lavender. Although she was not a MC, she stole the whole show for me. Her character had depth, uniqueness, and was completely delightful. Dinah's overall storyline also fit who she was as a character.

What lacked a little for me was the writing and MCs character development. There were scenes/parts of the story that abruptly ended prior to a new one beginning. It felt disjointed and messed with the flow. In terms of the MCs, I wasn't as invested in them as I would have liked. Eddie had potential as a twenty something still trying to find herself, but I found Barrett a little immature for her age, which could have been due to her dialogue. Neither of their romances were all that believable and felt forced and/or rushed.

Ultimately, this was a hard story for me to rate. I liked the 'idea' of it and found bright spots throughout, while something was still missing.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and the author for a copy of free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the book. Nancy Thayer does a great job of making me feel like I'm on the Island with her latest characters. This was a story of loss and new beginnings. Her characters are great, some are loved and some not so much. I highly recommend.

The Summer We Started Over, the latest novel by Nancy Thayer, is the story of family, friends and loved ones at a crossroads. Each character is starting over with their lives, whether in their love-life, career, family status and/or their living arrangements. Unfortunately, I found the story a bit stodgy, mostly because of the formal dialogue throughout. One of my pet peeves in literature is when the author doesn’t use contractions when the characters are speaking. It sounds stuffy to hear someone say, “I would not like to go there, so let us not go” instead of the casual way of speaking using wouldn’t and let’s. That being said, it was hard for me to connect with the characters, thus limiting my enjoyment of the book.

Another amazing read by Nancy Thayer, what a great book that most will be able to relate too, especially those with families who are close, or once was. Not everything as it seems from the outside looking in, even close knit families with siblings.
I will be recommending this book to people looking for something new to read, great beach or vacation read for this summer.

Eddie for Edna St Vincent Millay and Barrett for Elizabeth Barrett Browning are sisters. After their mother left them and their brother died, their father William, moved the family to Nantucket. It was supposed to make life easier for all three of them.

William is a former professor and now is researching a book about the Romantic Poets. Eddie works, in New York City as the assistant for, Dinah, a very successful romance author. Barrett has saved her money since she was a child and is now opening her own specialty store. Eddie is coming home to spend a month and help Barrett with the store and check on her father.

This is a story of family and family history. Adults grow out of where they’ve been and the events of their past. One may overcome their past, but it takes a lot of work.

Eddie has not had a vacation in two years, and coming home takes her by surprise. The scent of Nantucket and the sunshine of Nantucket are like going to a completely different world. There is a feeling of peace at the family farm. Eddie has a sense of home. Maybe the big city does not hold all the charm she had believed.

Barrett is excited at opening her store and just as excited that Eddie is home. The store is a special place and only sells special merchandise. Her hard work should pay off by having customers clamoring for the things in her store.

The two sisters love one another and are very close. Both are concerned about their father because he has become a hermit who hoards books. The house is so filled with books that walking can be a hazardous experience. That is why the Book Barn is such a good idea. Selling used books is one way to get at least some of the books out of the house. That of course is only true if William can be talked into the idea.

The story has humor and a strong sense of family love. When a small child is introduced into the plot, the feelings of warmth and love leap off the page. There is a tenderness evident around every corner. There is enough love to spread around to nearly every character in the book.

The plot moves right along. No slow spots here. I found it difficult to not stay up all night reading the book.

Characters are complete human beings. There are no perfect people here, but nearly everyone in the book is a person who would make an interesting and entertaining friend. It is easy to consider sitting down on a quiet afternoon and sharing a tall glass of iced tea with the people we meet in this book.

Ms Thayer is a talented author who writes stories which draw a reader into the action.
I have read many of her books and this is one of her best.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

.

The Summer We Started Over is set on the island of Nantucket, off the coast of Massachusetts. It is summertime, and Eddie Grant heads home from New York City to help her younger sister Barrtt as she opens her new business, and to figure out how she can help her father start to help himself. Eddie left Nantucket to take a job as an assistant to a famous romance writer, both because she is interested in the publishing world, and as a way to escape from a romance she was not ready to commit to.

The introduction of Eddie’s former boyfriend at the beginning of the book made me wonder where this storyline was headed. Some of the things he said to her before she left the island were horrible, and I hoped that there would be some sort of redemption arc for him as the story evolved. His earlier words and actions were never explained or apologized for, which made it really hard for me to root for him to end up with Eddie after all. 

Barrett is an interesting character; a young woman who is fiercely independent and focused on achieving the goals she set for herself when she moved to Nantucket. I found her story arc more interesting than her sister’s, but thought her endgame romance felt really rushed at the end, which was a disservice to a character who had worked so hard to get what she wanted without the help of a man. 

The surprise return of a childhood friend was a great addition to the book, as was Eddie’s boss coming to the island and inserting herself in the lives of the Grant’s. While I had issues with the very beginning and a bit of the end of the story, overall, I really enjoyed it and it gave me serious summertime vibes. Nancy Thayer does a wonderful job capturing the feeling of being on Nantucket, a place that is truly a world unto itself.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.


Review will publish on April 9, 2024.

I was really looking forward to reading this book because I love a good summer romance novel and have fallen in love with Nantucket through novels, however though this book initially pulled me in, it fell a little flat for me overall. I liked the characters and there were plot elements that I really enjoyed, especially the themes of family and Barrett opening her store, however the dialogue and the writing was just not the best to me. A lot of it felt juvenile and disjointed which I found to be almost distracting, and it didn’t feel compelling while I was reading it. It is a shame because from what I’ve seen Nancy Thayer is typically an excellent author, maybe I will try some of her other stuff for a better feel for her writing. It makes me sad to write this because I never like giving negative reviews, but overall wouldn’t be my first recommendation.

Thank you to Nancy, NetGalley, and the publisher for the ARC!!

I loved this story about the Grant family Eddie, Stearns, Barrett and their Dad William. After their mother left them, William packed up his family and moved to Nantucket. . This is a GREAT READ. I think anything I actually tell you would be a spoiler so I am going to tell you that it has happiness and sadness. If you read this author , I feel you will love this book.

I’ve read quite a few books set in Nantucket, but this one has moved into my favorite Nantucket book spot. The characters were so well developed and the main characters were enjoyable to read about. The descriptions of Nantucket made me feel like I was actually there. This was a great vacation read with such a great story. I’d love for the story to continue, maybe even a book for each couple in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

This book was filled with emotions - happy, sad, tired etc, - all wrapped up into a wonderful story. Two sisters reconnect on the island of Nantucket. The characters are very relatable, the plot has it all - friendship, family, love and loss. This is the perfect beach read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for this arc. I have only read a few Nancy Thayer books but I will definitely read more of hers. This was a Nantucket summer read. About two sisters who reconnect after Eddie comes back to Nantucket after being away for 2 years. Family issues arise and very heart wrenching.

Two sisters, Barrett and Eddie, reconnect on the island of Nantucket. Eddie has been working nonstop as a personal assistant to a very popular author in New York city. She hasn't stopped for a vacation in years. When Barrett opens her own gift shop on Nantucket, Eddie uses that as an excuse to take a break. She reconnects with her sister and her father and they all face decisions that will change their lives. I love summer books set on Nantucket, so I jumped at the chance to read this one. I really enjoyed it and recommend it. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer is a wonderful trip to Nantucket. I am a big fan of her storytelling. I could feel myself being an islander and watching the story play out with her characters. If you need a great summer beach read, The Summer We Started Over is the book for you.

I received a free copy of, The Summer We Started Over, by Nancy Thayer, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sisters Eddie and Barret are reconnecting this summer in Nantucket. This book has a lot going on, romance, friendship, books, loss, sun. and more. An enjoyable read.