Great story! Family relationships can be so complicated and this resonates how our young lives shape our choices for the future. We search for what we believe will make us a better life and eventually discover our roots grow deep and see what was before us all the time. Three family members affected by life changing events finding love and purpose through rocky roads. I am a long time fan of Ms. Thayer books and always look forward to her new releases!

Summer is coming and it is time for my new Nancy Thayer read. This summer's book is The Summer We Started Over and it is an enjoyable story about a family who is putting their individual lives and their life as a family back together. With Nantucket as a background, I settled in and immersed myself in the story. Reading some other critiques I could agree about rushed storylines and such but my bottom line is I enjoyed the storyline, enjoyed the characters, and it was a nice respite from my life. Thayer's fans and people who love a good summer read will enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Two sisters reconnect and pursue their dreams on the beautiful island of Nantucket, overcoming life’s challenges and finding new love, in this heartwarming and hopeful novel by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.

Eddie Grant is happy with her life and her work as a personal assistant to Dinah Lavender, one of the most famous and renowned romance authors in the business. But being a spectator to notoriety and glamour isn’t as fulfilling as she once thought. Thankfully, Eddie has the perfect excuse for a vacation: Her hardworking younger sister, Barrett, is opening her gift shop on Memorial Day weekend, and could use all the help she can get.

But going home to the beautiful island of Nantucket means facing the family’s difficult past. Shortly after the death of Eddie and Barrett’s brother, their mother left them and their father made the spontaneous decision to buy a small farm. Eddie stayed there for only a year before her family’s grief threatened to consume her as well, and had been living in Manhattan ever since. Now that she is back, Eddie must face all she left behind: her father’s increased eccentricities, which has led to a house bursting at the seams with books; her sister’s resentment over Eddie’s escape; and a past love connection, one that is still undeniable and complicated, all these years later. But the Grant sisters are nothing if not resilient and capable, opening a used bookstore in their father’s abandoned barn to manage his hoarding, and navigating the discovery of a long-buried family secret that will change all of them forever.

In The Summer We Started Over, beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer transports readers with a moving story about family, courage, and the resiliency of young women.
----------
If Nancy Thayer writes a book, I will read it. And with this summer's offering, I was thrilled to once again be transported to one of my favorite settings, the island of Nantucket, a place that I have never physically visited but have been fortunate to "see" so often because of talented authors like Thayer, Elin Hilderbrand and Pamela Kelley. As a sister myself, I am always drawn to stories of sisters, as my relationship with my sister has been so defining in my life. And this was one of those books that sped by for me (and I didn't want it to end), but it also had so much meat in it that it was as satisfying as a saga, if that makes sense. There were some side stories that were fun, like that of Dinah, and there was of course some romance, but the central plot and all of its intricacies is really what kept me engaged until the last page. If you are a fan of authors like Elin Hilderbrand, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristy Woodson Harvey, or Mary Alice Monroe, this is the author for you (if you have not already, as I have, read Nancy Thayer's entire back library...some of them more than once!).

Every year I look forward to reaching for the new Nancy Thayer book. This one was no different and it certainly delivered. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it early! I am grateful.

I love Nancy Thayer and her Nantucket novels. I look forward to them each year. It pains me not to give it a glowing five stars. However, there was just something about this novel that felt "off" or "lacking" crucial parts of the story.

This is just brutal honesty...

Let's start with what I enjoyed... I enjoyed the siblings' storyline. Eddie and Barrett are both adults trying to pave their own way through life while helping their father, William, who has been depressed since his wife left, and his son, Stearns, passed. Eddie is working as an assistant to a famous author, Dinah Lavendar. Barrett has her very own shop on Nantucket, which has been a long-time dream of hers. The weaving of all those storylines was entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed watching William develop into his own person and shock everyone.

But, a good chunk of this novel felt like a draft full of paragraphs that were meant to have more of the story flushed out, yet forgotten about. It felt like a mixed bag of all the things. It went from one brief description to a completely different part of the story without having completed the previous thoughts. At least it felt that way for me. I felt like I was left hanging many times and wanting more.

The ending then felt rushed in a way. Maybe it's just me or that I can't believe that some parts of the story would play out in real life like in this novel. I know it's a work of fiction, so anything can happen. It just all felt so strange.

This is definitely not my idea of a summer read or beach read, nor did it make me have all the feels of wanting to visit Nantucket like all the previous novels have done. Sadly, this novel just wasn't for me this time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this e-ARC. I'm thankful for the opportunity to read this and give an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If it's spring....then it's time to look forward to another visit to Nantucket with a new Nancy Thayer book. As always, Ms. Thayer excels at transporting us to Nantucket and experiencing the life of a local (not summer) resident. She has details where they support the story, but her books don't feel like advertisements for restaurants and shops.
In The Summer We Started Over, we meet the Grant family. Eddie, her sister, Barrett, and their father are relatively recent arrivals to the island. Eddie's moved to Manhattan to work for a very successful and seriously needy Romance writer, Dinah Lavender (think Barbara Cartland). Early in the book, she decides to take some time off to go back to Nantucket and support her sister and father, who are each facing very different challenges.
There are some predictable elements to the storylines in The Summer We Started Over. My biggest challenges were that some of the writing seemed disjointed and storylines ended abruptly while others felt rushed. There are, of course, love interests for several characters, along with themes of early death and loss.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read The Summer We Started Over in exchange for an honest review.

The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer is a story of sisters supporting each other through deep sorrow and great happiness. The characters are so well written that readers will immediately bond with them.

A fun & engaging summertime tale located in a fabulous setting!
Well-drawn, interesting characters the reader cares about.
And happy endings abound!

With great thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing—Ballantine for this e-ARC!

Thayer has written a story of family that takes place in Nantucket, which (at least in my mind), is a magical place of trips to the beach, ice cream stores, book stores and everything that says relaxed and easy.

The members of the family are trying to put themselves back together after several events have ripped the fabric that was their lives. There are some mental issues that have to be overcome, an old relationship that needs to be resolved. There are multiple romances going on in the book, an impending death, and a new family member to be embraced.

I enjoyed the story, but it was not my favorite Nancy Thayer book.

Thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballantine and NetGalley for the copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I feel like every book Nancy Thayer comes out with is just pure gold.
The Summer We Started Over is an about a family who moves to Nantucket after many things in their life goes wrong. There are some flashbacks to help you get the back story.
Just let me say, I loved every main character in the book! There were a couple side characters I didn’t care for but I’m guessing you aren’t supposed to like them.
I love books set on Nantucket and Nancy Thayer is the Queen of Nantucket.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the chance to read an advance copy in exchange of a honest review.

The Summer We Started Over
Nancy Thayer
April 23, 2024

Romance writer Dinah Lavender is a very successful author. She’d become quite wealthy over her years of writing. She hired Eddie Grant as a Personal Assistant. Eddie loved her job, made excellent wages and lived the high life in New York City. She never took vacations. If she ever regretted the opportunity to get away she would just remember all of the trips and social occasions she and Dinah spent making the writer’s career more successful.
She received a call from her sister, Barrett who lived on Nantucket with their father, William in the house the girls grew up in. Barrett was opening a shop on the island and was concerned about their father and the strange obsessions he had undertaken. Eddie wasn’t certain how she would accomplish it but she knew it was time. Her family needed her help. Dinah would have to hire a temp or find a friend to help with the business end of her writing.
The Summer We Started Over will be published by Ballantine Books of New York on April 23, 2024. I was able to read the ARC via NetGalley. I appreciate their asking me to read and review Nancy Thayer’s latest novel. Emma Thomasch was so very kind to have the ARC sent to me. The Summer We Started Over is a diary of a family reuniting and discovering the changes each were striving to make. It’s a lovely story filled with happiness yet a few struggles that questioned the outcome of their reunion. I enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. Readers will become involved with Eddie and Barrett’s lives, each of the women trying to figure out what they most wanted. Don’t miss this one and do enjoy!

This is a book that you want to grab a blanket and cuddle up with and read all day, The Summer We Started Over is emotionally charged and has some sad parts but is so positive and well-written that the reader feels grateful to have read it. The book really is a warm celebration of the bravery of moving forward from difficult times. This book could be made into a beautiful movie that would touch many people deeply.

Nancy Thayer once again portrays characters that are endearing to the heart. I've read several of her books and fans of hers won't be disappointed with this one. Nantucket is a character in all of Ms. Thayer's books and I think its healing seas, winds and beautiful vistas play a role in healing the characters in this story. Her descriptions of Nantucket will make you want to visit there or feel like you are visiting there while reading the book..

The main characters, daughters Edna (Eddie) and Barrett are at a crossroads in their lives and they are looking both backward at where they've been and forward to a bright future. Their futures involve difficult choices and tons of hard work. Eddie has never stopped loving Jeff even though she left him to pursue a job in New York City and Barrett is opening a shop displaying local artisans works which has been her dream. Ms. Thayer adds in flashbacks to tell the story of how both daughters overcame the tragedy of their mother leaving them and their father moving them to a farmhouse complete with a barn and a difficult horse in Nantucket to heal. The family suffers a couple of deaths and those impact their choices as well. Thayer writes flashbacks in a way that are subtle - the past comes out when the daughters are telling their boyfriends why they moved to Nantucket for example. This makes learning the complete story easy to digest and should serve as a model for other writers to use to not make flashbacks harsh breaks in the story. I love the skillful storytelling Thayer accomplishes in The Summer We Started Over.

Dinah Lavender is a special character in this book that I will not soon forget. She is a writer of romance novels who is Eddie's boss. She has whisked Eddie off to Paris and has gifted her designer clothes and shoes -- what a boss! She is paranoid about a potential stalker. Eddie agrees to let Dinah live with her family at their farmhouse to keep her safe. Dinah arrives in grand style in her private plane. She fits right in and flirts with all the men, wearing purple dresses with plunging necklines. Dinah is all heart and takes care of the Eddie and Barrett and their father and her life changes, too. I would love to see a sequel telling Dinah's backstory and her adventures.

There are triggers in the story, so someone who has recently lost someone should read this only after a period of time has passed. But Thayer handles loss so softly - there are no graphic details or long emotional upheavals. And the characters use loss to move forward so well. Every character, William, Eddie and Barrett's father, Dinah, Barrett, Jeff and Paul, Eddie and Barrett's boyfriends all change their lives dramatically for the better after one great summer on Nantucket. When reading this book, bring your tissues and clear your schedule and prepare for your heart to be warmed.

I love reading Nancy Thayer’s books and I think a lot of it has to do with the location. The Summer We Started Over takes place in Nantucket which sounds like the most beautiful and mesmerizing place to me. I’ve never been there but it’s always been on my bucket list along with Martha’s Vineyard. This is the story of 2 sisters, Eddie and Barrett, who have experienced a troubled past. Their mother has abandoned them and their father and later their brother dies in an accident. Their dad moves them to Nantucket to a little farmhouse in hopes of putting their past behind them and to make a fresh start. There are parts to this story that I found a little comical but yet there are parts that are extremely sad. The fact that the father is a book hoarder and has the farmhouse completely crammed with books in every nook and cranny imaginable was a little funny to me. I can definitely see this happening to someone who is a book lover like myself. There is also a part to the storyline that is very sad where the girls had to anticipate the death of their childhood friend. She was suffering from liver failure due to excessive drinking and the girls try to prepare her young son for a life without his mother. This was an emotional part for me as I too lost a close friend because of this. I found myself crying so I recommend having tissues handy! Overall it’s a really beautiful story about a family’s strength, about being there for each other and about finding love and moving on with your life. I’d like to thank Emma Thomasch, Assoc. Marketing Manager at Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for accepting my request to read and NetGalley for the arc. I thoroughly enjoyed this, I give it a 5 star rating and highly recommend it to other readers!

The Summer We Started Over is an engaging story set in Nantucket. It is a story of family reconnections, romance, courage to make changes, and gift shops and BOOKS! I enjoyed the story and readers who enjoy contemporary women's fiction will not want to miss this new offering from Nancy Thayer. I was given a complimentary copy of the book through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are my own.

Get your beach chair and umbrellla ready for another great beach book. Nancy Thayer’s new book joins a lot of great authors for a bog list of summer books! Thanks for advance copy.

A wonderful family drama set on Nantucket. Eddie and Barrett’s father moved them to Nantucket after their mother left and then their brother died in a motorcycle crash. Eddie had left her job in New York City in the aftermath and after a year on the island went back to New York City for a new job working as an assistant for a romance author. Now, two years later, Barrett is asking for Eddie to come back to the island for a little while, while she launches the store that she has been saving up to start. The well written characters and details make this a great summer read.

very light summer story
recommended for an easy beach read
enjoyable, but lacked character development

This is the first book by Nancy Thayer that I’ve read and I really enjoyed it! I love the story of the sisters reuniting at the beach and taking a chance on love again. I would love to read a sequel to find out more of what happens to these characters!

I read a different book by this author last year and was excited to get this advance copy from @netgalley.
This book seems like it was written by a completely different author. The dialogue was primitive, the tropes were so obvious a mile away.
I gave it two stars because of the setting on Nantucket. I will not read another book by this author, but I see she has written plenty, so I will not be a loss.

This is another sweet Nantucket story beach read by Nancy Thayer. In this book Eddie is traveling home to Nantucket for a month to help her little sister watch their father and family home while her sister realizes her dream of opening a shop. There were so many great ideas and themes in this book, grief, coping after loss, finding your dreams, moving on and recovering from childhood trauma, a stalker, and a love triangle. Yet, while this book had the potential to be great, I struggled to connect to the two main character sisters Eddie and Barrett, and their relationships and lives. I wanted more character development, and conflict in this story. I did love Dinah Lavender, she was the real star of this book for me. It’s a good easy book to bring along as a beach read, and maybe others will connect more easily to the main characters. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.