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 … 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.
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This was a tremendous read. I loved reading about one wonderful summer on Nantucket for Lisa Hawley and her grown children Juliet and Theo. It’s amazing sometimes how the simplest things can enrich your life and change it, like Lisa needing repairs on her home. I really had a difficult time putting the book down because I wanted to see what was happening next. Well done Nancy Thayer!
This was not my favorite of Nancy Thayer but it was still an enjoyable read.
I wished she had focused on Lisa and Mack’s relationship with the kids’ relationships as a secondary storyline. I never got a deep connection with any of the characters as I normally do. In fact, I think this storyline could have been a 2 or 3 book series focusing on Lisa and Mack, Theo and Beth, and Ryder and Juliet.
Girls of Summer is a good book for those lazy days at the pool or beach and you want a light read with a happy ending.
I received a complimentary book from the publisher, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.
Girls of Summer by author Nancy Thayer is a summer story of family, trust, and new romance. Lisa Hawley thought she would live a glamourous life of prestige and travel when she first married Erich. After a couple of years she decided to have children, and later moved back to live on Nantucket Island as Erich continued to travel the world for his career. During the years of Lisa and Erich living mostly apart, they each had a different focus for their lives. Lisa loved being a mother and Erich lived for his job, travel, and affairs with other women. Lisa confronts Erich about the time he spends away from home and he admits he does not love her and prefers to live apart. They decide to divorce and Erich does not want any future relationship with Lisa, Juliet, and Theo.
Lisa lives her life completely for her children until they are teenagers, then she starts working at a women’s clothing boutique on the island. Her success blossoms but she has never forgotten the insults and inferior feelings left by Erich. Life changes drastically one summer for Lisa and her family.
I appreciate how the main characters of Lisa, Mack, Julie, Ryder, Theo, and Beth are all wonderful people of integrity and kindness. Each of them has had heartaches and disappointments but continued to find acceptance, purpose, and love in their lives.
Publication Date: May 26, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Great and fast read
I love books set on Nantucket Island, there are many books but only a few I find are consistent in the writing of good ones. Nancy Thayer is one of my top 3 and this book was no exception. I enjoyed the story although I will admit that the first chapter was hard for me to get into but I knew it would get so much better and boy did it deliver! It was a great day to read it with it being cold out today.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book which takes place on the island of Nantucket off the coast of Massachusetts. I grew up summering on Cape Cod and it was a familiar setting to me. The main characters are a woman and her two adult children. The reader follows them as they each become involved in a romantic relationship. Age differences play a part in the plot, but eventually love conquers all!
This is definitely a summer beach read. It is light and easy to read, but felt more like a YA book. A little too much romance and new relationships developing easily! I am not a romance fan, but had enjoyed previous books by Nancy Thayer and had hopes for this one. I was looking for something light and hoped this would appeal to me.
I did not feel like the story developed fast enough and it just left me wanting more. But if you are a Hallmark movie fan, you will probably enjoy this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I loved this book. I am an older reader and love romance novels with their happily ever endings so I found it refreshing to have the main character be a woman over fifty who finds herself falling for a man ten years younger. I could empathize with her worries about the age difference and her body image issues. I could also identify with Lisa’s mixed pleasure and dismay when her two grown children moved home for the summer just when her romance was becoming more serious. Her daughter Juliet came home for comfort from a broken affair and her son Theo came home to finish recovering from a surfing accident. As Theo reconnects with Beth, the daughter of Lisa’s love interest Mack and Juliet becomes interested in a newcomer to the island, Ryder who is organizing a nonprofit called Oceans Matter, there are a lot of twists and turns all leading to three HEAs.
Good Summer read.
Lisa Hawley loves living on her own. She’s raised her children, watched them graduate and go out on their own. She owns a very popular boutique on Nantucket where she grew up. When she hires a contractor to do some necessary repairs on her home sparks fly between Lisa and the handsome contractor Mack. To complicate matters both of her children come home for the summer. Is Lisa destined to find romance? What will her children have to say? Beautifully written story about family, love, and taking chances. I highly recommend it!
Love her books
Not nearly the calibre of her earlier books. I am concerned Thayer is starting to write purely for profit with a formula that kicks out books fast, even if they lack quality. Say it ain’t so! (I’m not even sure why this was the title — it didn’t really speak to the story nor was I ever sure just to whom it was supposed to refer.)
Great book
Girls of Summer by Nancy Thayer is sure to be a summer beach read hit! Thayer creates complex characters that you will fall in love with, that you will root for!
This passage is from early on in the book and it struck me…
“So maybe they didn’t get where they intended to go but, they got where they were meant to be”
This was so true for the characters in the book but I feel like it can be so true for so many of us as well.
I loved the unique storyline and situations for the characters in this book. I enjoyed their journey!
Some books have you speed reading to see what happens next. This book is meant to be savored. It builds slow, sexy slow. Giving the reader hints, a little taste here and there of what we might expect just around the corner, in the next chapter, keeping us coming back for more. I was a little sad to reach the end. Another classic Nancy Thayer Nantucket book
Girls of Summer is the latest book by author of over 30 novels Nancy Thayer. Set in Nantucket, this story examines the life of Lisa Hawley in the first few chapters from her childhood to college, young adulthood, marriage, divorce, life as a single parent, and a boutique owner. Once the stage is set, the story tells of a period of a few months beginning in the spring when the dining room ceiling of her old home begins falling on her.
With the advice of Rachel, her best friend since childhood, Lisa contacts restoration contractor Mack Whitney. Mack’s wife passed away when his daughter Beth, now 26, was only 3 and Mack has been single since regardless of the efforts of single women on the island. His focus has been his daughter and his business. But that may be changing with his attraction to Lisa. However, even though the attraction is mutual, Lisa resists because of their age difference; she is 10 years his senior.
To complicate matters more, Lisa’s daughter, 28 year old Juliet, son, 26 year old Theo, and Mack’s daughter all pick this time to return to the island, each for reasons of their own. As Theo and Beth kindle an attraction of their own and Juliet and wealthy homeowner and environmentalist Ryder Hastings also see sparks, the story unfolds in ways unexpected.
This is a very interesting book with a theme seldom explored in women’s fiction. We often see the older man-younger woman dynamic, but the opposite is almost treated as taboo. Even slang terms for these relationships, silver fox vs. cougar, are deriding. Ms. Thayer treats the topic with such care and understanding that the reader is routing for Lisa and Mack.
The underlying theme, however, of oceanic environmental issues, particularly plastics and micro plastics, cannot be explored enough and to have main characters in this story championing this cause is refreshing. They are intelligent, capable, and bring additional dimension to a multifaceted story.
This is a very good book by a veteran storyteller. I enjoyed the many voices used to tell the story and the twists the story took in its telling. I do recommend this book!
This is the story of a woman, Lisa, whom after a divorce raising her children, and building a business finds love. Her grown children moving back home throws some obstacles in her way. Her children also find partners as well. I enjoyed the book, but I would have liked it better if each couple had their own book. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
I do love stories set in Nantucket and this one did not disappoint. I enjoyed the stories of these wonderful characters. I say stories because it takes all the individual stories to make up the overall story. This story is about relationships, heartache, disappointment, and determination. I hope you enjoy hanging with Lisa, Mack, Juliet, Ryder, Beth, Theo and friends as much as I did. I would love to visit with them again soon. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.
3.5 stars!
Dealing with dating in a small town at an older age is tough, not to mention being 10 years older! This total beach read is a great escape from what’s going on today. Lovable characters, fast moving story line set on Nantucket Island. So much happens during this summer.
Single mom, Lisa, is a the owner of a dress shop on Nantucket. Born and raised there, she returned and bought a house, she retains the house and children, Juliet and Theo, after the divorce. Mack, raised daughter Betsy by himself after the death of his wife, is a sought after carpenter. Betsy and Theo share a past, from HS .. along with a mutual secret crush. Juliet is a web designer who flees home after being dumped and meets a rich activist setting off immediate sparks.
Love is at the center of this book, and it happens fast, I mean really fast. It seems that everyone falls in love or says ‘I Love You’ after the first date, and they spend time figuring out how to navigate the awkward situation they find themselves in. Lots of situations that are easy to follow and fun to read. I loved having an older protagonist but the author hinted at more of an age difference struggle that I wish she would have explored more.
Thanks to Ms. Thayer, Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalleyFor this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Nancy Thayer never fails to write a fabulously entertaining book! This superbly written book portrays a woman trying to recover from a divorce. The characters are so amazing that sometimes I caught myself wanting to help at them for something they’d done or not done. Great beach read! Highly recommended. Enjoy!
We meet a young idealistic Lisa who is a Nantucket native and off to college where she is swept off her feet and married before the ink has a chance to dry on her college diploma. From the outside Lisa’s marriage looks perfect, two children a beautiful Nantucket house and a very successful husband but all is not perfect in Lisa’s world. Lisa soon finds herself single and immerses herself in her own world of raising her children. With the nudge of a thoughtful friend Lisa starts a career in an exclusive clothing boutique on the island and soon with her children off on their own this becomes her very successful business and her sole focus.
When Lisa decides to renovate her aging but beautiful house she reconnects with contractor Mack Whitney, single, hunky,Nancy Thayer and ten years her junior. Sparks fly and soon they are dating. Lisa’s children Juliet and Theo both arrive on Nantucket, discontent with their own relationships and choices in life. The three of them soon find their lives and relationships intertwining in ways that they never thought possible. This all makes for an interesting story of young love, first love, and second chance romance.
Nancy Thayer, with her knowledge of Nantucket, has penned a wonderful summer read that will take you away to the island and it’s beautiful surroundings and beaches. Pull up a beach chair and enjoy!Nancy Thayer