Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

The book’s cover and Nantucket setting initially intrigued me, but the story disappointed. Despite enjoying Thayer’s other works for their romantic vibe, this one felt amateurish. The plot lacked depth and excitement, mainly depicting mundane daily life without tension or chemistry between characters. Dialogue was superficial, and the love triangle subplot lacked complexity. Repetitive elements and slow character development further diminished the story’s impact, leaving me unsatisfied.

The characters felt disconnected, lacking depth and authenticity for their age. The author’s misunderstanding of this age group was evident, resulting in unrealistic and immature dialogue and interactions. Focusing on characters more relatable to the author’s perspective might have improved the story.

So overall, it was a quick read and somewhat interesting but definitely lacked depth.

Eddie Grant has worked as a PA for Dinah Lavender for two years. She has not had a vacation in two years. Her sister Barrett is opening a gift shop on Nantucket and needs her to come home.
Eddie's family moved to the island five years ago after her brother was killed in a motorcycle wreck. Her mother left the family a few years earlier. Her father William was a professor at a college and need to move away from the memoirs of the last few years.
Eddie lived on the island for 1 year before leaving to work for Dinah. Eddie dated Jeff while living there and still has feelings for him. The book tells of Eddie coming home spending time with her sister and father. She realizes she really loves living in the old farmhouse. Dinah comes to the island and moves in with the family. She is a romance writer and has made lots of money writing.
Nancy weaves a story of Eddie, Barrett and Dinah as the summer continues and their lives all change for the better.
Great women's book.

I feel like a bit of an outlier with this one but it just missed the mark for me. I've really enjoyed several other books of Nancy Thayer's but this one fell flat. I couldn't connect to either main character and found the flow to be disjointed and slow moving. I also just didn't find either romance to be super believable or engaging. The bright spot for me was Dinah - loved her as a character and would read an entire spinoff with more of her story!

As someone who spends summers on Nantucket, I loved this book. I love knowing the beaches, the streets, the hotels….all of it.
Aside frorm knowing the area, I was sucked into this story from the first page. The way the sorrow wraps around this family and then changes into growth and starting over was healing and beautiful to read.
This is my first Nancy Thayer book, but not my last!

If you have read a book by Nancy Thayer, you know what to expect, and what you expect is exactly what you get with this sweet romance set in Nantucket. You'll be transported to the island where there are life problems, but they are all solvable in some way. You may finish the book with a craving to see or experience something blue. It's a perfect summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's always a pleasure to visit Nantucket!

A quick, easy beach read. A story of finding oneself, love, forgiveness, and new beginnings. A wonderful book for the summer!

Make room in your beach bag! I so look forward to escaping to beautiful Nantucket each year courtesy of another tale by Nancy Thayer. And I loved The Summer We Started Over, which from my vantage point is among her best. Thayer has managed to weave a story as colorful and vibrant as the famed Nantucket hydrangeas, with engaging, interesting characters, a focus on family, friendship and romance, and a strong and soothing sense of place. Bonus points to Thayer for the flamboyant romance novelist Dinah Lavender, the used bookstore/barn and a shop called Nantucket Blues, whose shelves and racks I would so like to browse!

Highly recommended!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the privilege of a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

Eddie is a personal assistant to a famous author in New York City. She decides to take a long overdue vacation to return home to Nantucket to help her sister open her new store and help her father clean out his book collection. Eddie’s return to the Island stirs up old feelings for her former boyfriend, Jeff, as well as family memories that are difficult to face. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This title from Ballantine Books will be released on 4/23/24. Special thanks to Net Galley and Ballentine for the Advance Reader Copy of this book! #ballentinebooks #netgalleyarc #nancythayerbooks

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.

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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.