Tag Archives: Nancy Thayer

Girls of Summer

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Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Fiction
Source: Gift from Kristi ( Daughter )

Goodreads:  One life-changing summer on Nantucket brings about exhilarating revelations for a single mother and her two grown children in this sensational novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.

Lisa Hawley is perfectly satisfied living on her own. Having fully recovered from a brutal divorce nearly two decades earlier, she has successfully raised her kids, Juliet and Theo, seeing them off to college and beyond. As the owner of a popular boutique on Nantucket, she’s built a fulfilling life for herself on the island where she grew up. With her beloved house in desperate need of repair, Lisa calls on Mack Whitney, a friendly–and very handsome–local contractor and fellow single parent, to do the work. The two begin to grow close, and Lisa is stunned to realize that she might be willing to open up again after all . . . despite the fact that Mack is ten years her junior.

Juliet and Theo worry that Mack will only break their mother’s heart–and they can’t bear to see her hurt again. Both stuck in ruts of their own, they each hope that a summer on Nantucket will provide them with the clarity they’ve been searching for. When handsome entrepreneur Ryder Hastings moves to the island to expand his environmental nonprofit, Juliet, an MIT-educated web designer, feels an immediate attraction, one her rocky love life history pushes her to deny at first. Meanwhile, free spirit Theo finds his California bliss comes to a brutal halt when a surfing injury forces him back to the East Coast. Upon his return, he has eyes only for Mack’s daughter, Beth, to whom he is bound by an unspeakable tragedy from high school. Can they overcome their past?

As the season unfolds, a storm threatens to shatter the peace of the golden island, forcing Lisa, Juliet, and Theo to decide whether their summer romances are destined for something more profound. Nancy Thayer dazzles again in this delightful tale of family, a reminder that sometimes, finding our way back home can bring us unexpected gifts.

Ope’s Opinion:  I read this during the winter snows of February.  It took me away to summer with sun and beach – what a great get away!  I liked the characters in this book, except Juliet – her personality seemed to be all over the place – independent, insecure – I couldn’t keep up with her.    

The romances were a bit quick and predictable, but some times that makes a good read for me.  The ending is exactly what you would expect – no surprises here.

If you haven’t picked this book up yet, you should put it on your beach bag.  You will enjoy reading this one.

Let It Snow

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Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Holiday Book
Source: Purchased

 

Goodreads:  A Nantucket shopkeeper discovers that Christmas is the perfect occasion to make unexpected friendships . . . to warm the coldest of hearts–and maybe even find love.

Christina Antonioni is preparing for the holidays at her Nantucket toy shop, unpacking last-minute shipments and decorating for her loyal Christmas shoppers. But when her Scrooge of a landlord, Oscar Bittlesman, raises her rent, it seems nearly impossible for Christina to continue business on the wharf.

Even so, Christina hopes there is a warm heart underneath Oscar’s steely exterior. When she bonds with Wink, his sweet, young granddaughter who frequents the shop, it becomes clear that perhaps he isn’t so cold after all. And with the help of Wink’s uncle, who happens to be a charming and very handsome bachelor, this may be the best Christmas any of them could have ever imagined. Nancy Thayer’s enchanting Nantucket setting provides the perfect backdrop for this holiday love story.

Ope’s Opinion: The setting and the story was perfect for this time of year.  It made me want to take a trip to Nantucket and walk around the wharf – it sounds wonderful!

Christina is the main character – I really liked her, but I didn’t care for the part where she talked to herself and called herself IC ( Inner Christina ).  I would have rather she talked to her cat, then herself.  It was not constantly through the whole book, so I enjoyed the most of it.

The ending was predictable – exactly what you want and expect for a holiday story.

Coming Soon….

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In July I hope to read….

Surfside Sisters

Publication Date: July 2, 2019
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Goodreads: A woman from Nantucket returns home to find that reunions aren’t always so simple in this heartwarming novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Nantucket Wedding and Secrets in Summer .

Growing up, Lara always dreamed of leaving Nantucket to become a writer. Now that she’s a bestselling novelist living in New York City, she realizes that success isn’t what she thought it would be. Confused, and with a harrowing case of writer’s block, Lara misses the island way of life more than ever. But going back to Nantucket out of the blue isn’t so easy, as a deep rift with her childhood best friend, Isabelle, has kept the two from speaking for years.

When her mother is laid off from her job and becomes depressed, Lara reluctantly comes home, leaving a failed relationship and hopefully her other troubles behind. But facing her estranged best friend is harder than she expects. And falling for Isabelle’s brother, Sebastian–who was also Lara’s teenage crush–only complicates things. Lara soon realizes that she must remedy the mistakes of her past in order to find true happiness.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

Secrets in Summer

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Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source:  Random House

 

 

Goodreads:  The queen of beach books (The Star-Ledger) returns to the shores of Nantucket in a novel about one memorable summer when flirtations flourish, family dramas play out, and scandalous secrets surface.

Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It s also Darcy s chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow.

Darcy must also navigate the highs and lows of a new romantic relationship with local carpenter Nash Forester even as she becomes smitten with handsome vacationer Clive Rush, a musicologist in town to write a book and visit family. And she finds herself pulled into the concerns of Boyz, Autumn, a charming elderly neighbor, and an at-risk teen.

As the season nears its end, Darcy must decide her next move: retreating to the comforts of her steady and secure island life, or risking it all for a chance at true happiness.

Ope’s Opinion:  If you are a romance reader you will definitely love this story.  There is plenty of steamy scenes for you – too many for me.  I felt like sex was casual for Darcy.

This is one for your beach bag this summer.  It will take you to the beach, it is a very light read and repeats itself enough you can be interrupted and still follow the whole story.

The ending is exactly what you expected and want when you read Nancy Thayer.

The Island House

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island houseAuthor: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Kristin of Kritters Ramblings

Goodreads:  The charms of Nantucket tempt a woman to leave her established life in Kansas City—but with a piece of her heart, and a love interest, in each world, she discovers she must look within to choose the right path.

Every summer since college, twenty-nine-year-old Jenny has traded the familiarity of the Midwest for the allure of Nantucket. Now an established university professor in Kansas City, she finds herself caught between two lifestyles and two very different men. She chooses Nantucket and the glamorous life she associates with it, unaware that the summer will take an unexpected turn, and she will have to let her heart decide what it truly wants.

Ope’s Opinion:  This is not a light beach read like I was expecting.  This book is about a flawed family, how those flaws effect those around them and the people who love them anyway.

The beginning of the book moves slow, as you are introduced to the Vickerey family and their friends.  Nancy Thayer continued to remind you of each relationship to the other person.

The book goes from present day to flashbacks. The flashbacks fill in the history of each of their relationships.  It helps you understand why they are where they are in present time.  It also reveals several secrets along the way.

The ending was more like a beach read.  It was not predictable, but it wrapped things up nicely.

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Coming Soon….

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…. On a Bookshelf near you!

In May I hope to read….

The Island House: A Novel

Publication Date: May 31, 2016
Publisher: Ballantine Books

Goodreads:  The charms of Nantucket tempt a woman to leave her established life in Kansas City—but with a piece of her heart, and a love interest, in each world, she discovers she must look within to choose the right path.

Every summer since college, twenty-nine-year-old Jenny has traded the familiarity of the Midwest for the allure of Nantucket. Now an established university professor in Kansas City, she finds herself caught between two lifestyles and two very different men. She chooses Nantucket and the glamorous life she associates with it, unaware that the summer will take an unexpected turn, and she will have to let her heart decide what it truly wants.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

The Guest Cottage

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Author:  Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballentine Books            guest
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source:  Netgalley

 

 

Goodreads:  The New York Times bestselling author of Nantucket Sisters whisks readers away to the island of Nantucket in this delightful story about two single parents who accidentally rent the same house one sunny summer.

Wendy Anderson is 35, the mother of two children, and happily married—until she discovers her husband Zack has cheated on her. Confused, angry, and lost, she rents a house on Nantucket for two summer months. When she and her children arrive at Isle Stay, she discovers that Trevor Black, 30, recently widowed, and his son Dylan, 5, have also rented the house. Neither one is willing to give up their much-needed vacations, so Wendy and Trevor devise a plan to share the house for the summer. Preparing meals in their one kitchen, Wendy and Trevor become friends, and chemistry builds throughout the seabreezy summer. But the house is full of their children, and neither is sure they’re ready to move on after recent heartbreaks. Over the last sun-soaked weekend of the summer, as chaos reigns and emotions run as high as the temperatures, Wendy must decide where her heart truly lies.

Ope’s Opinion:  This story started out very slowly. I felt like Trevor and Sophie’s thoughts were on constant repeat.   At first I thought the pace was appropriate – a woman with children contemplating divorce, not wanting to jump into a new relationship seemed like it should move slow. As I kept reading I wanted the story to move along a little faster.  All of a sudden the story took off, then ended.  

The subject of divorced was dealt with so casually, as if it’s no big deal.  Neither Sophie nor her children were very upset about the pending divorce.  

The story was good, the pace just seemed off for me.

Rating: 3 – I like  book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

An Island Christmas

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Author: Nancy Thayer                                   island christmas
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Holiday Book
Source:  Purchased

 

 

Goodreads:  In this enchanting holiday novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer, family and friends gather on Nantucket for a gorgeous winter wedding with plenty of merry surprises in store.

As Christmas draws near, Felicia returns to her family’s home on the island to marry her adventurous, rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every detail is picture-perfect for a dream wedding: the snow-dusted streets, twinkling lights in the windows, a gorgeous red and white satin dress. Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia’s dream at all; it’s what her mother, Jilly, wants. Jilly’s also worried that her daughter’s life with daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving. Wondering if their handsome neighbor Steven Hardy might be a more suitable son-in-law, Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and the dashing stockbroker.

As the big day approaches and Jilly’s older daughter, Lauren, appears with rambunctious kids in tow, tensions in the household are high. With the family careening toward a Yuletide wedding disaster, an unexpected twist in Nancy Thayer’s heartwarming tale reminds everyone about the true meaning of the season. 

Ope’s Opinion:  This was a cute little Christmas story.  Jilly’s flakey personality irritated me at times.  She loved her daughters, but interfered in their lives.  She was trying to get her daughter to marry the neighbor one day and happy at the wedding the next day.

The rest of the characters in the book were heart warming.  I really liked the sisters relationships.  They cared about each other, but didn’t always see eye to eye.

This is not my favorite Nancy Thayer book, but it was a quick Christmas read.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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A Nantucket Christmas

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Author:  Nancy Thayer
Publisher:  Ballentine Books                   nantucket christmas
Genre: Holiday
Source: Mary Ann ( friend )

 

 

Goodreads:  Known for her heartwarming observations of family life, New York Timesbestselling author Nancy Thayer showcases her beloved Nantucket’s snowy off-season in this emotionally gratifying and utterly entertaining story.

Holidays on this Massachusetts island are nothing short of magical, from the jolly decorations on the Brant Point lighthouse to the much anticipated Christmas Stroll, in which merrymakers promenade through quaint streets adorned with Yuletide cheer. The season’s wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. Their home is already full of enticing scents of pine, baking spices, and homemade pie.

But the warm, festive mood is soon tempered by Nicole’s chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arms’ length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole’s holiday preparations. Nicole, however, is not about to let anyone or anything tarnish her first Christmas with her new husband.

Nancy Thayer’s wonderful tale reminds us that this is the season of miracles. Before the gifts are unwrapped, surprise visitors appear, and holiday joy comes to all, both naughty and nice.

Ope’s Opinion:  I read this on my airplane ride to Seattle.  It kept my attention in spite of all the airplane interruptions ( safety check, do you want a drink, do you want food, etc. ).  I enjoyed the story of Nicole trying to make a wonderful family holiday with a family that is new to her.

Nicole is my idea of a christian – she was gentle, kind and patient when those around her were difficult and disrespectful.  What an awesome example.

There is quiet a bit of drama in this short story. So if life is already crazy for you, you might want to save this one until after the holidays when things are a little quieter.

Rating:  Three Chairs –  I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.
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