After a family loss, the members of Edie’s family go their separate ways. Her sister, Barrett, and father, William, share a home on Nantucket. Edie headed to New York City where she became the assistant to best-selling author, Dinah Lavendar. When Barrett decides to open a boutique, Edie returns home.

When Edie arrives on Nantucket, her family must come to terms with emotions that were tucked away and Edie has personal decisions to make, too. Should she return to NYC, remain on the island and pursue her dream of writing and should she open her heart to love?

The Summer We Started Over is Nancy Thayer at her best. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballentine and NetGalley for the ARC.

#NetGalley #TheSummerWeStartedOver

Happy Pub Day to Nancy Thayer's 2024 release - The Summer We Started Over! Thanks to Ballantine Books for my advanced copy via @netgalley.

Nancy Two Thayer's books are a great trip to Nantucket. In this book two sisters reconnect and pursue their dreams on the beautiful island of Nantucket, overcoming life’s challenges and finding new love.

I liked that Eddie was an assistant to a writer (as quirky as Dinah is) and seeing Barrett get her dream shop on Nantucket set up. I liked the two sisters and seeing them grow closer. I didn't really love the love triangle with Barrett.

This is a classic Nancy Thayer book - I enjoyed it and it's a perfect beach read. And makes me want to go to Nantucket.

Nancy Thayer is a favorite author of mine. The Summer We Started Over is a great beach read. Eddie is an assistant to a famous author, Dinah. Barrett is Eddie's sister and is opening a unique gift shop on Nantucket. After her mother dies, Eddie and Barret's father, William, buys an old farm on Nantucket (who knew there were farms on Nantucket?). Eddie joins her father and sister. This is a heartwarming story about families and relationships. William is seemingly lost without his wife, Eddie and Barrett have been at odds, and Eddie feels the need to fix them all. Dinah is lost without her assistant and shows up on the island and stays. I felt the cast of characters was rather large and all the relationships sometimes got muddled. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to Nancy Thayer's next book.

Thank you to the publisher, Net Galley and the author for the availability of the ARC for review. My review opinions are my own. I enjoyed this return to Nantucket with the wonderful atmosperic setting the author creates for the reader. The coastal beauty you feel you can experience through the author's writing. I enjoy the rich characters and the family drama involved. Two sisters reconnecting for the opening of the younger sisters clothing and gift shop amid their families death of their only Brother and a Mother who left the family. Their Father buried his grief into books and does not emerge from his grieving. Books are his comfort and how he prefers to spend his days. We readers can relate to his love of books and joy in finding new titles to research.
The promise of a rekindled lost love for one sister is heartfelt and romantic. This book sweeps the reader into the story and to the coastal beauty surrounding Nantucket. I enjoyed the strong characters and the pleasing ending. Well done to the author. A most enjoyable early summer read that is the perfect beach read for the summer. .

The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer is a women’s fiction title with of course romance involved in the story. Set in beautiful Nantucket which the author is known for the story in The Summer We Started Over does change the point of view between the main characters.

Eddie Grant left home years before and has enjoyed her life away from Nantucket but knows now if the time she needs to return to her family. Eddie has been working as a personal assistant to Dinah Lavender, a famous romance author, for the last few years without a vacation so when her younger sister, Barrett, says she needs her she let’s Dinah know she’ll be heading home to Nantucket.

Barrett chose to stay in Nantucket with her father but has always wanted something of her own to help keep her there. Now is finally the time Barrett is taking that step and opening up her own shop in town and with their father’s increasing eccentricities Barrett hopes that the visit from Eddie will also do him some good while she is busy with her new store but before they know it Dinah Lavender is also inviting herself along to Nantucket for the summer.

While I haven’t read every novel from author Nancy Thayer I have read quite a few and have never been disappointed in the excursions to Nantucket. The story in The Summer We Started Over is what it sounds to be, sisters starting over and finding themselves and their relationship once again. With a beautiful setting and interesting characters I couldn’t help but become engaged in this story right away and of course enjoyed the entire ride. Definitely an author I’d recommend reading and will return to myself in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I've read a few books by Nancy Thayer, and I've always enjoyed them.

This was a nice summer novel, following Eddie Grant as she travels back to her family home in Nantucket to help her sister out with the house and their father while her sister opens her dream shop. The family definitely has their quirks but they are understandable as they maneuver through life, trying to deal with the struggles life has dealt them.
The descriptions of Nantucket make me wish it was deep in summer and I could go and take a walk on the beach and watch the sunset over the bay.

For anyone looking for a nice beach read, I recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and I'm glad I read it.

What an absolute joy it was to read this book. if you want a cute, summer, small town beach read, this book is it! It's got all the family dynamics with a little bit of romance. Plus it's Nantucket and who doesn't love Nantucket! This book is also CLEAN, which I loved. I loved all the characters. The favourite though was their dad, William. He grew so much and I really grew to love him, especially at the end. I am so glad I was approved by the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have a few books by this author on my bookshelf but have yet to read them. Will definitely be reading those soon.

I was overjoyed to receive The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer!
I just adore her writing and she once again proved why she is a big time favorite of mine!
Set along the Nantucket shore, this was the perfect summer read.
This is a terrific women's fiction book that I absolutely loved and devoured!
I couldn’t stop reading Grant sisters story. It was compelling and so beautifully written.
A masterful and intriguing story as we saw their stories unfold.
Inspiring story of family, courage, and the resiliency of young women.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House & Ballantine for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer.

This moving story tells about the homecoming of Eddie Grant to Nantucket to reunite with her sister, Barrett and her father. Eddie has been living a glamorous life in Manhattan as a personal assistant to a famous romance novelist. But she finds herself increasingly unfulfilled as an observer to others' success. She returns to Nantucket to help her younger sister Barrett open a gift shop, presenting the perfect excuse for a family visit and fresh perspective.

However, going home dredges up painful memories from the Grant family's past. Years ago, they were shattered by the death of Eddie and Barrett's brother, which caused their mother to abandon them and their eccentric father. Eddie could only handle staying on the family's book-cluttered farm for a year before fleeing to New York to escape the grief.
Now she must confront all she left behind - her father's worsening hoarding tendencies, the resentment of her sister who remained, and complicated romantic feelings for an old flame that still linger unresolved. The Grant sisters prove their grit by opening a used bookstore in their father's barn to tackle his hoarding issue. Also, an old friend returns with a family secret that may change them forever.
In her signature heartwarming style, Nancy Thayer has crafted a poignant tale of sisters forging ahead despite life's painful curveballs. The Summer We Started Over showcases the healing power of family, following one's dreams, and continually starting over. This uplifting novel is a treat for readers longing for a redemptive story about the resiliency of the human spirit against all odds.


Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my impartial review.

I write this sheepishly, The Summer We Started Over, is my first read by Nancy Thayer. . . . and she has written over 30 novels. Cringe. She gained a new fan and I can’t wait to read more of her books. Her writing is euphoric, placate, and comforting with a Hallmark vibe.
I’m not going to write a repeat of the synopsis. I will say that Thayer has the ability and power to write about the Grant sisters. She presents their family’s dramas, life styles, father’s hoarding, hopes and dreams with such charisma that I was feeling their emotions. They do eat desserts often. A great summer read with challenges, changes, loyalty, family, courage, dreams, unconditional love, romance, and Nantucket. Thank you! Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for ARC read in exchange for my review.

The Summer We Started Over is Nancy Thayer’s 38th book, many of which are set on Nantucket where the author now lives. Having experienced a tumultuous few years, including her mother’s abandonment, her brother’s death, and escaping a love of her own, Eddie Grant is set to return to her father’s home on Nantucket to help her sister as she opens her store, Nantucket Blues.

Eddie left Nantucket two years ago when she got the opportunity to work as personal assistant for very successful author Dinah Lavender. Now she is taking her first vacation to go home, although Dinah is none too happy about it. But Eddie’s sister Barrett has shouldered the load of helping her father since he lost himself after losing his son and his wife and Eddie is determined to be in Nantucket to help her sister this summer.

This is a beautifully written story of family, attaining one’s goals, and finding one’s true purpose. The characters are richly crafted and the story takes unexpected turns as the reader spends a summer reading respite on the lovely island of Nantucket. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Oh, what a wonderful few days I spent in Nantucket, thanks to Nancy Thayer’s newest book, The Summer We Started Over—a visit to Straight Wharf and Brant Point, real places that I’ll probably never visit in person, but the author’s descriptions gave me the whole experience: the sights, the sounds, and the smells of this unique New England attraction. Sisters Eddie and Barrett have not had the easiest life. Their mother abandoned them, their brother was killed in an accident, and dad seems to be walking under a cloud of grief. But this hope-filled story is anything but sad.
There is so much to love in this book, especially for a bibliophile. Eddie is the personal assistant to Dinah Lavender, a successful and famous romance author. William, the father, is a retired professor and a writer, too. There are quaint coffee shops, boutique gift shops, and even a barn that is renovated into a bookstore. And there is romance, too.
At the end, I could only sigh, for this is a story that gives us the chance to relax, to release our troubles, and to remember happier days from our pasts. Most of all, it’s a truly beautiful and touching narrative about a family’s strength and how their loyalty and their love carry them through even the worst of life’s storms.

The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer. A beautiful story about love, happiness and books. What more could you want.

There are not enough words to say how much I liked this book. Nancy Thayer has written a story that filled me with so many different emotions as I was reading.
Sisters- Eddie and Barrett are back together in Nantucket where they are trying to reconnect. The summer will be filled with so many emotions and a lot of things that will be for them along with family and friends.
This book is a perfect beach read. Plan to be pulled into this story and to have a cast of characters fill your reading with pure joy.
Thank you NetGalley, Nancy Thayer and Random House Publishing Group for the copy of The Summer We Started Over. This is my personal review.

The Grant family, Eddie, Barret, and their father, William moved to Nantucket after their brother/son died in a crash and their mother/wife left the family. Eddie always loved books and for the last few years has been an assistant to a famous romance author. But she has had to live in the same Manhattan apartment with the author and has been at her beck and call for all that time. Eddie has lived a glamorous life and traveled extensively. She hasn't had a day off in two years.

Barrett has always had a dream of having her own shop and after working herself to the bone for the last few years, she's finally put away enough money to open her own shop. William has been stuck in a rut. He was a college professor and he's now working on a book on English Romance Poets, but he hasn't made a lot of progress.

So Eddie comes back to Nantucket for a vacation. And that's where the story really gets started. This is a feel good story, pretty predictable, but it's a pleasant, fun and clean read. It's acceptable for almost all readers and I recommend it for a summer read.

The Summer We Started Over
By: Nancy Thayer
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books
General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Women's Fiction
pub Date: April 23, 2024

The Summer We Started Over is a lovely story of the re-connection of sisters Eddie and Barrett, set in Thayer's signature locale of Nantucket. I have adored Thayer's writing since the 1980s, and this book quickly became one of my favorites. I absolutely love the cast of characters, including the sisters, their dad William, and childhood friend Dove and her son. Dinah Lavender, a famous romance novelist, rounds it out with warmth, wit, and charm when she arrives on the island.

Thayer can really write about relationships, and this novel goes deep on many levels as the characters come together on Nantucket for the summer. Several literary themes interspersed in the plot that deepened my enjoyment of the story. William's book hoarding and intellectual writing compared to Dinah's romantic style added a fun twist. This is so much more than a beach read, and it will brighten any season.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for a gifted advance reader's copy. My review is my own.

A beautiful story of two sisters, Eddie and Barrett, along with their hermit of their father who also is a hoarder of books. Eddie loves her fast paced, glamorous lifestyle as an assistant to a famous romance novelist. She heads to Nantucket after two years since she did promise her sister that she would come and help out when she opens her shop. Which is Barrett passion and dream come true. Not only does Eddie reconnect with her sister and helps with her dad’s problems, she also finds that she never stopped loving Jeff.
The farmhouse is soon overflowing with guests and one learns that change can be good. A story of 1st love, 2nd chance love and heartbreaking selfless love…..have the tissues ready.
Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC. The review expresses my honest opinion and mine along. #TheSummerWeStartedOver

Until recently, Edie has been happy with her life as a personal assistant to Dinah, a famous romance author, but something about watching life from the sidelines isn’t as fulfilling as it once was. Her sister, Barrett, is opening a gift shop on their home island of Nantucket, so Edie decides to take a break and return home to help Barrett. But being back on the island means facing the things Edie left behind, things she would prefer to avoid but knows she can’t.

I have yet to be disappointed by one of this author’s books, and her spring releases are always a great way to kick off the summer-themed reading season. As is typical in her books, the characters are people you would like to get to know and spend time with, despite the complicated relationships between some of them. The setting is described so well I feel like I’m on Nantucket with them – the ocean breeze, the summer sun, the sand between my toes... Too bad that season is still so far away :)

This book has a hint of mystery in it – although maybe it’s more of a puzzle than a mystery? – but the primary themes are family and romance. The romance aspect was predictable, but without some of the usual tropes that drive me crazy in romance books. The family storyline was almost as predictable, but had a surprise or two thrown in that I wasn’t expecting.

I look forward to returning to Nantucket and reading Ms. Thayer’s next novel whenever it is released.

Eddie Grant has been living in New York, working as a personal assistant to the renowned romance author Dinah Lavender. When Eddie's sister Barrett is set to open her dream boutique, Nantucket Blue, Eddie goes back to Nantucket to spend the summer helping out at the boutique, and helping with their dad. Their dad had turned into a recluse and book hoarder ever since their brother died and his wife left him, and while Eddie is there, she makes it her mission to clear out some of those books and make the house livable again. As soon as Eddie gets to Nantucket, she sees the one man she dreaded seeing - Jeremiah "Jeff" Jefferson., and they both realize their love for each other never faded. Eddie will have to decide if she is ready to break ties with Dinah and move to Nantucket permanently, so that she and Jeff can really make their relationship work. Meanwhile, Barrett is juggling two men - one is a wealthy summer person, and the other is a carpenter and woodworker, and she is having a hard time figuring out what she wants. To top everything off, Dinah Lavender decides she can't work in New York alone without Eddie, so she packs up and moves to Nantucket for the summer, and then sparks begin to fly between Dinah and Eddie's dad. This is definitely going to be a summer for all of them to make big changes, and start over.

This will make the perfect beach read. There is not only the beautiful beach setting, but there is romance, heartbreak, and a great story that will keep you captivated as you lay by the pool or out on the sand. I have to say, I felt absolutely no chemistry between Barrett and the "summer guy". I found him very unlikeable. He seemed to treat Barrett's shop as more of a hobby, and he acted like his time & his own work was much more important. There were so many red flags, and it was confusing why Barrett couldn't see them. I loved the reluctant romance of Dinah and Eddie's dad. They seemed like such an odd pair, but somehow they worked. I loved how in the beginning, Dinah would flirt with him, and he would turn red-faced and start mumbling to himself, and have to leave the room. I could just picture it in my mind. I was really rooting for Eddie and Jeff, hoping this time they could make their relationship work. This one definitely needs to be at the top of your TBR pile when you are getting ready to head out for vacation!

The Summer We Started Overby Nancy Thayer is a story of heartfelt facing the past to be start new beginning. Difficult family situation caused Eddie Grant to leave home and not returning to the beautiful island of Nantucket until now. The two sisters, Eddie and Barrett deal with a withdrawn father, new careers, and even a nervous romance writer. Along the way they find their sibling reconnection and love.

Right in time for Memorial Day when Barrett is opening her new gift shop. Be sure to enjoy this wonderful story of family.