The Summer we Started Over is a sweet romance story. It was read by one of my favorite narrators also, which made it even more enjoyable. Eddy Grant had been living in the city while her sister Barrett had been taking care of their father in Nantucket Island. When Barrett plans to open her shop, Eddy comes home for the summer to help. Together, they will find that families really are our first love.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

What a great beach read!!! Another great one by this author. I enjoyed this story!

Another cute beach read by Thayer. Sure to please readers. Recommend to anyone that likes feel good stories.

This book was first and foremost about family - it was a great story to showcase the complexity and love of family and also how to find yourself amongst your dreams and challenges. It reminds us all about the importance of friendship, family, and finding happiness. The Summer We Started Over is the perfect summer beach read.
Eddie Grant loves her life as a personal assistant to famous author Dinah Lavender.
She loves the hustle and bustle of New York City and as someone who eventually wants to write her own novel, Eddie finds working for Dinah affords her great opportunities.
There are times, however, she misses the sweet air of home, her ex-boyfriend, and her family. When Nantucket and her family call her home for the summer, she decides to go.
This choice will forever change her life.
4 🤩
I received a gifted advance listening copy from Net Galley and Brilliance Publishing/ Brilliance Audio.

Loved this story of the Grant sisters navigating the changes in their life on nantucket. Eddie is a personal assistant to an author in New York and returns to Nantucket to help her sister and spend time with her dad. Barrett is in the middle of opening a Gift Shop on Nantucket and in the middle of a love triangle. Eddie's boss, Dinah ends up coming to Nantucket and strikes up a romance with the girls dad which adds another layer to this interesting story. We also get a glimpse into their earlier lives before their brother died and a reappearance from his girlfriend and son. This was a very interesting story and definitely made the reader want the Grant sisters to be successful.

Enjoyable book. Well developed characters and good storylines throughout. Love Nancy Thayer’s Nantucket descriptions with each book expanding on the different parts of the island. This is a feel-good book.

book was archived before I had a chance to read it. Rating is based on the blurb and the cover. I will be getting this from my local library

“The Summer We Started Over” by Nancy Thayer invites readers into the captivating world of Nantucket, where the Grant sisters navigate family secrets, grief, and resilience. Eddie Grant, content in her role as a personal assistant in Manhattan, returns to Nantucket to help her sister Barrett open a gift shop. However, their reunion stirs up buried emotions as they confront their family’s tumultuous past, marked by the loss of their brother and their mother’s departure.

Thayer weaves a poignant tale of sisterhood and reconciliation against the backdrop of Nantucket’s picturesque scenery. The sisters’ journey is intertwined with a colourful cast of characters, including the eccentric romance author Dinah Lavender, adding depth and humour to the narrative. The author’s affection for Nantucket shines through her vivid descriptions, making me want to experience the island firsthand.

While the Grant sisters’ bond forms the heart of the story, it is Cole, the girlfriend of their late brother, who steals the spotlight with her unwavering love and courage for her son. Her story adds a poignant layer to the narrative, highlighting themes of love, loss, and resilience.

The Narration:

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert, the audiobook version of “The Summer We Started Over” enhances the reading experience with its engaging performance, particularly in bringing Dinah’s eccentric personality to life. Gilbert’s narration adds another dimension to Thayer’s characters, making the audiobook a great choice for readers who enjoy immersive storytelling.

The Final Word:

“The Summer We Started Over” is a heartwarming tale that resonates with themes of family, forgiveness, courage and second chances. Thayer’s masterful storytelling and Gilbert’s captivating narration combine to create an enchanting reading experience that will leave readers longing for a summer getaway to Nantucket.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5)

I absolutely loved the setting in Nantucket. I have never been there, and the beautiful descriptions make me want to go check it out. Eddie moves back to the island to help take care of her father with her sister, Barrett. Dinah, Eddie’s eccentric boss and famous author of romance fiction, cannot function without Eddie and moves in with them. Over the course of the summer, Eddie grows, rekindles a romance, cleans out her father’s house of piles of books and falls in love with the town again. When Dove, a childhood friend shows up with a child and a favor, Eddie steps right in. Each of the characters was wonderfully developed while they changed and grew throughout the story. This was a heartwarming novel about sisters, family and surprising yourself.

Name: The Summer We Started Over

Author: Nancy Thayer

Publisher: Brilliance Publishing

Narrator Tavia Gilbert


Brief Summary: Follows a family living on Nantucket over the course of a life-changing summer

What I Enjoyed: The characters were very well developed. The story was similar to an Elin Hildebrand novel or a Debbie Macomber novel. I felt like I was in the story.

This book was super cute and if you love Elin Hilderbrand you will enjoy this book as well. Tavia Gilbert does an amazing job narrating this story, and I am happy she narrated this book because she is on my list of favorite audiobook narrators!! Looking forward to Nancy Thayer's next book!


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher Brilliance Audio for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

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.

Narrator Tavia Gilbert brings perfect voices to all of the characters. She is consistent in her portrayal of each, but she really shines in her audio portrayal of Dinah Lavender and her vibrant, romantic personality. I found myself smiling each time Lavender spoke!

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.

I received a gifted advance listening copy from Brilliance Publishing/Brilliance Audio. My review is my own.

Part family drama, part romance. The last few years have been difficult for the Grant family. The middle child and only boy died in a tragic accident shortly after their mother divorced their father and left. After the back-to-back blows, the family packed up and moved to Nantucket. William, the father, has started hoarding books. Eddie, the eldest, fell in love then fled the island. She fears she will become her mother. Youngest, Barrett, is left to take care of everything. All while working multiple jobs, saving money to open her own boutique. When their father gets worse, Barrett begs Eddie for help. Eddie lives in NYC, the assistant to a very needy author. She tells her boss she is going to Nantucket for a few weeks. As soon as she arrives, she sees her ex-Jeff. And all the feelings come back.

This is a great, light beach read. It has plenty of drama, and the characters do have trauma due to it, but I think the setting and romance are a good balance, keeping it a light read. Well, Dove's story was heartbreaking, so not everything is light. The family has had plenty of loss. But they are coping and moving forward. Despite the sad events, this is not a dark, depressing story. Hopefully my rambling makes sense.

The audiobook is narrated by Tavia Gilbert.

My only complaint is that it would instantly switch POVs- no pause or anything. I always find that hard with audiobooks.

I received an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @brilliancepublishing and @netgalley for the ARC audiobook of The Summer We Started Over by @nancythayerbooks and narrated by @taviagilbert in exchange for an honest review!

🎧🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧🎧 I once had the most perfect week of my life at a place I first fell in love with reading a Nancy Thayer books over a decade ago. Nantucket is the most magical place, where the ocean breeze is always perfect. After spending this perfect week on the very far tip of Nantucket and exploring every inch of the island, I can say that the magic is captured brilliantly in The Summer We Started Over! Eddie fell in love with Nantucket when her family moved there after regards disrupted their lives and she also fell in love with a man. After heartbreak, she distanced herself from the Nantucket sound and the ocean in Manhattan working for an author but the time has come to return to the island and reconnect with her sister. Could this return to the Faraway Land heal her grief and restore her belief in love? The Summer We Started Over is a beautifully written read, perfect for the warmer days ahead!

4.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️