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Review: The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer


Blurb from Goodreads:
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 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 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.
 

I generally like Nancy Thayer's books, largely because of the setting.  But I will say that she doesn't have a lot of imagination when it comes to endings -- as though young marriage and having children is the only acceptable happy ending for a woman.  That said, this book was fun if a bit melodramatic at times.  I enjoyed the character of Dinah Lavender and I tried to ignore all of the unrealistic situations. Put this one in your beach bag!!

The Summer We Started Over comes out next week on April 23, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.  

Eddie Grant was surprised at how well her life had turned out, especially given what an eccentric family she'd come from.
Here she was, twenty-nine years old, living in Manhattan and making a six-figure salary as a personal assistant to the famous and beloved romance writer Dinah Lavender. Eddie got to travel with Dinah, eat at posh restaurants with Dinah, wear fabulous clothes, and meet fascinating people.

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