My Review: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.
Nancy Thayer is among few authors whose books I look forward to every summer because they are such perfect summer reads. While Secrets in Summer wasn't my favorite of hers, it was still a great beach read - captivating and effortless. What I liked about this book was, as always, the setting of Nantucket. As with Elin Hilderbrand, I cannot get enough of books set on this island. I also loved the flashbacks to Darcy's past and all scenes involving her lovely grandmother. Finally, this book really centered on the friendship between four women, all of whom met through the location of their summer homes, and I loved that aspect even if how the women met felt a bit staid. What tripped me up in this book was Darcy and, really, Darcy's relationship with her "boyfriend" Nash. I don't feel like this relationship was well developed or that Darcy should have focused such energy on this relationship. It was very unhealthy to me but was made out to be something important and romantic. There were a lot of issues with gossip and Darcy's internal monologue but I still recommend this one as a great summer/beach read along with Nancy Thayer's entire catalog.
Secrets in Summer comes out next month on May 16, 2017, and you can purchase HERE.
But it wasn't Bessie's beauty that fascinated Darcy. It was how she listened to Darcy speak, focusing all her attention on her, often remaining silent for a minute or two while she contemplated Darcy's words.
"Um-hum," Bessie would hum. "Let me think on that." The subject might be as enormous as the Holocaust–How could such a thing happen? Or as trivial as why women needed to possess so many pairs of shoes.
Often, Bessie would reply, "Child, I don't think that's a question anyone on this earth has the true answer for. The best advice I can give you is to keep reading."
Glad this was still good even if it wasn't a favorite. I love having authors you can always count on.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! It sounds pretty good although it wasn't a favorite of yours. And the cover is very lovely! :)
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