I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I read this entire book in less than twenty-four hours and if I hadn't had such heavy lids I would have finished it in one sitting. Lovely characters and several stories intertwined wanted to keep me reading almost straight through. This is my favorite book of the summer so far.

I fell in love with Nancy Thayer's writing when I read The Guest Cottage (read my review), but I haven't had the chance to pick up any of her other books (I bought The Island House last summer in hopes of getting it read. Maybe this year). Because I so wanted to read another one of her wonderful Nantucket tales, I stalked NetGalley until I saw this summer's book, Surfside Sisters, listed.

I didn't love the story as much as I did The Guest Cottage, but I did love Thayer's writing. I don't have much of a bucket list, but ever since reading her books, Nantucket has been on the list. You can tell she loves the place; it shines through her words. I did enjoy how this book focused on the year around residents of the island rather than the visitors that descend upon it every summer.

Surfside Sisters focuses on two best friends who have grown up on the island. We journey through their friendship from childhood to middle school into high school and beyond. As they grow older we see more of their relationship and lives. Childhood and the tween years are briefly touched on with each year of high school getting more and more detailed. It is really post-high school that the story focuses on. I think having the girls be so young is why the story was less enjoyable for me. I couldn't click with them and some of the situations I found annoying (I'm in a different season in my life). As they grow up and enter their thirties I did identify a bit more with them and the story became more enjoyable for me as well.

Keely is from a middle-class family. She's the only child of two working parents. Isabelle, on the other hand, comes from a very well off family - okay they are rich. She spends the summers and other school breaks with her brother and parents traveling Europe and extended trips to New York City. By outward appearances, you wouldn't think they ran in the same circle (and maybe in a larger location they wouldn't have) let alone be best friends, but what binds them together is their dream of one day publishing a novel.

For how much Keely loves Isabelle, she is also jealous of everything she has. While she doesn't want Sebastian for a brother (because she's in love with him), she wants to be part of their family. Since the story focuses much more on Keely, I had trouble determining if Isabelle was just as jealous or if she was just selfish - begrudging Keely the little successes she had (because she worked her butt off to get them). There were definitely times I didn't like Isabelle. While I grew to love Keely more and more as she showed an inner strength, first by dropping out of college to help support her mother after her father dies (though I wondered what kind of mother lets a child do that) then by never letting go of her dream despite the odds.

As it often happens in life, as they grow up they grow apart until an incident finally tears them apart. Perhaps the story picked up for me after their estrangement because I too have lost a best friend due to life circumstances and like Keely, as I've gotten older I have wished I could have that close friendship once again.

When I reviewed The Guest Cottage, I compared its theme to a bowl of cherries. Thayer continues this theme in Surfside Sisters - while reading the story I actually thought 'life is like a bowl of cherries' and then remembered that I had the same thought about the other book.

Without the overly gritty bits of life, Thayer provides a nice, realistic drama with a pleasantly happy ending. It really is the perfect book for the lazy days of summer.

Published at Girl Who Reads on July 1, 2019 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2019/07/surfside-sisters-by-nancy-thayer-review.html

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thayer never fails to write fabulous books! The trials and tribulations the characters deal with always seem to have a happy ending. Very enjoyable read! 📚

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group--Ballentine and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was my first Nancy Thayer book and it definitely won't be my last. She has been called "the queen of beach reads" and now I see why. I was looking for a great beach read and I found it. This is not my normal genre but I found myself not wanting to put this book down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great summer read, that involves some emotional twists but is not too sappy.

Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer. A good summer beach read filled with love. Isabelle and Keely are the best of friends as children and teenagers. They write as children on the beautiful Nantucket Island. Read the story you will love it.

Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer is another enjoyable novel. I love reading about Nantucket during the summer, because of the beaches and surf. Nantucket is populated by two distinct groups of people in the summer - the rich and famous and the people who work to make the island wonderful for the rich and famous.

Keely grew up working hard and helping her parents work hard. She knew she wanted to be a writer and knew she needed scholarships in order to go to college for that. Her best friend, Isabelle also wanted to be a writer. Together, they shared information and stories and support. Slowly as they grew older things changed, but they do as people grow and change and move in different ways with differing opportunities. Keely became a published author and needed to move home to take care of her mother, but her relationship with Isabelle has stopped. Her next book is such a flop and she needs to rewrite the book. Suddenly, Keely needs to change her world, take care of her mom and move back to Nantucket.

I enjoyed reading about Keely and how hard she worked to make her way. I know that it takes lots of dedication and work to become a writer and I was happy for her. I enjoyed how she worked through so much and was able to find her way. I was less happy with the character of Isabelle during the middle of the book. She was self centered and selfish. Keely continued to try to maintain their friendship when Isabelle was so mean. I liked the setting, the flow of the story and the storyline. Surfside Sisters by Nancy Thayer is a great beach read.

Perfect for a summer beach read. Keely and Isabelle grew up in Nantucket as best friends. This is a sweet story about their friendship through thick and thin. Of the two friends, I felt Isabelle was very immature at times. I liked the way the author chose to portray Keely's struggles with the wealthy family of Isabelle's verses her own loving family. Recommended!

Keely and Isabelle grew up together on Nantucket. The two were inseparable from the time they were small. Keely was from a small working class family and had to work during the summers, and Isabelle's family was wealthy, and they spent the summers having lavish vacations abroad. As much as Keely loved Isabelle and her family, she was also jealous of all that Isabelle had. As they got older, the chasm between them widened as Isabelle's life expanded and Keely's seemed to narrow. When Keely becomes a published author, the rift between them tears the two apart, threatening to sink their friendship for good.
I loved the book. The characters were so real and relate-able. I loved the Nantucket setting. This makes the perfect beach read. I highly recommend it!

Keely secretly envies her best friend, Isabelle's, seemingly perfect life: wealth, a beautiful and polished stay-at-home mother who is always available and the handsome older brother. Keely has also secretly loved Isabelle's brother, Sebastian, for as long as she can remember. Keely's secret love caused her to focus singularly on a studious path in order to follow her dreams of breaking out of her middle class life and into the privileges of the upper class that Isabelle and Sebastian enjoy. As Keely follows her dreams to become a novelist, she is called back to her life on the island and finds she must stay out of familial obligation, A rift is created between Keely and Isabelle which only grows wider as the girls grow and follow different life courses. Keely eventually finds success with her goals, but is once again called back to the island and must confront her best friend, her feelings toward Sebastian, and what the island honestly means to her.

Thayer delivers a standard beach read - not necessarily a standout - but still pleasant for those who enjoy this genre,

Nancy Thayer's beach reads are some of my anticipated books every summer and Surfside Sisters is her best yet (in my humble opinion)! Set on Nantucket (who doesn't love reading about Nantucket!!!!), we meet best friends Isabelle and Keely, who are really more like sisters. Over the years, their friendship has changed significantly and the story takes us back through why. With Thayer's signature charm and heart, we explore friendship, family, love and strength. The worst part about finishing her books is waiting a whole year for the next one!

Keely and Isabelle have been best friends since the day they met as young children. Growing up, they were inseparable, spending all their time in one family home or the other, and sharing their dream to become published authors. When they leave for different colleges, they start to drift apart, and the rift grows as they move on with their lives, Isabelle staying on Nantucket and Keely living in New York City. When Keely hits a wall with her writing, and her mother needs help at home, she returns to the island, but finds that it isn't always easy to go home again.

I have read almost all of this author's books, and I have really liked most of them. Although I've never been to Nantucket, the descriptions in the book make me feel like I'm there, enjoying the sun, the sand and the ocean breezes. However, the characters is this book seemed a little shallow. It's hard to believe that women in their mid 20s would still be concerned over who "won," or even be competitive about some of the issues that apparently bothered both of these young ladies years after they should have moved on. Unfortunately, I've met adults like the Maxwell parents, so they weren't as unbelievable to me as they were to other reviewers. The ending was a bit predictable, but the events that happened on the road to the ending were enough to keep me interested in the book. I look forward to reading Ms. Thayer's next book!

Surfside Sisters focuses on best friends Lara and Isabelle who have been friends forever, Isabelle has been the one with a cushy life and no worries while Lara has always had to work hard for the things she wants. When Lara was a teenager she fell hard for Sebastian, Isabelle’s brother but never acted on it since she valued her friendship like nothing else. So she denied her feelings and possibly lost out on the love of her life just so she wouldn’t make Isabelle mad.

As time goes on both Lara and Isabelle fall in and out of relationships but Sebastian was always the love of Lara’s life. They flirted but she never knew if his feelings were mutual or just simply flirting. Both friends wanted to be writers and after Lara’s father passed away she dropped out of school to help her mom, while Isabelle continued college. With a little luck Lara’s writing career takes off and she becomes successful. She wants to share this news with Isabelle but even after years of not talking Lara still thinks of them as friends while Isabelle doesn't want anything to do with her. She has moved on with Lara’s ex and is simply jealous that her career hasn't taken off like Lara’s.

While I liked this beachy read there were parts I didn't like. I didn't like how Lara kept trying to hang on to a friendship that was done by all accounts. I didn't like how it seemed Lara was the only one who still wanted to be friends, it was as if she was begging Isabelle to be friends with her. Isabelle seemed like a bully at times just playing with Lara’s emotions when she wanted to. She knew how Lara felt about her brother yet basically always told her he was off limits like she controlled Lara. I think a true friend would want you to be happy no matter what even if that meant becoming involved with your brother.

The romance with Lara and Sebastian was something alright. I liked the push and pull of it all. Their timing was never right, but all relationships aren't always instant right? The fact that it took them forever to get together was a great move, we saw them grow and come into their own which to me meant when they finally got together it was the perfect time. Even the friendship of Lara and Isabelle came together at the end, which I thought was good also. Sometimes friendships don't always last but the ones that do endure over time are ones that can make the long haul. Surfside Sisters is the perfect beach read one that gives us a wonderful story about love and friendships that capture the perfect essence of Nantucket Summers.

I always enjoy a great summer beach read! Even though I was not at the beach, I did enjoy reading Surfside Sisters. After reading many of Nancy Thayer's books, I cannot wait to somehow vacation on Nantucket Island. Nancy makes the island come alive in her reading. This particular book was a quick read, and had a great story line to follow. For the most part the characters were believable, and I found myself rooting for the main character. I did not find the character of Gray one that was believable. The book ended just as I thought it would and I did enjoy reading it.

Surfside Sisters: A Novel by Nancy Thayer

July 2, 2019
Ballantine Books
Fiction, romance, beach read
Rating: 4/5

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a touching story of two friends from different backgrounds who shared a dream of becoming writers. The story explores how relationships can change over time. Some grow closer while others grow apart. In the end, everyone experiences life with happiness and hardships.

Keely Green and Isabelle Maxwell we’re best friends growing up on Nantucket. The two were inseparable with Keely feeling like part of the Maxwell family. Keely was raised in a modest home with a father who worked as a mechanic and a mother who worked as a nurse. Isabelle and her brother Sebastian grew up in a grand home afforded by Al Maxwell who was a well-known lawyer.

As the years pass, the friends begin to grow apart and Keely moves to New York when she eventually publishes her first book. She is disappointed when her best friend doesn’t share her enthusiasm. Things always seemed to come easy for Isabelle and didn’t seem to appreciate the effort it took for Keely. Some resentment arises between the two which almost seems insurmountable.

Aside from working on their writing, Isabelle becomes distracted when she develops a relationship with a high school crush. Keely is both jealous and disappointed to “lose” her friend. She focuses on her writing career and immerses herself in her NYC life. Although she is living the life she dreamed, she still feels a pull back to Nantucket, the inspiration for her writing. After returning home for visit, Keely is confronted with unresolved issues from the past including Isabelle. Can they resolve the hurt feelings and misunderstandings? Will they be able to untangle the emotional bagage?

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2805279038

https://www.bookbub.com/books/surfside-sisters-by-nancy-thayer

https://bookwormreviewblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/surfside-sisters-by-nancy-thayer.html?m=1

Classic Nancy Thayer novel about two young women who meet as girls and grow both together and apart over the years. Set on Nantucket, it's the story of Keeley and Isabelle, both of whom want to be writers. Keeley's the poor one while Isabelle's family has lots of money. When there's a family crisis, Keeley drops out of college to help her mom but soldiers on with her novel an ultimately wins a big contract. Of course, there's love too- Keeley loves Isabelle's brother Sebastian, Isabelle loves the local bad boy Tommy. There's nothing too complicated here and the story, while somewhat predictable is well told. The characters are well drawn but this time out the Nantucket atmospherics are low (for the record, there might be local arugula in March if grown in a greenhouse but no way is there corn on the cob!). You can amuse yourself googling the restaurants though. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A pleasant read that's good for the beach or travel.

When you throw Nantucket into the story, it just has to be good! Loved this storyline and was actually hoping Keely ended up with someone else. The story is about Keely who didn’t have a lot of money growing up but had lots of,love for her parents and her best friend, Isabelle, who came from lots of money but not as much love. They are best friends all through high school and both want to be writers, Life happens to both and they end up not talking (jealousy rears it’s ugly head in both girls) but end back on the island with their broken friendship and sadness. Another fantastic read by Nancy Thayer!

Definitely a fun summer beach read! Make sure you pack this along with some sunscreen and a fun beach drink because once you start you won’t want to stop!

Great book - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt like I was really on Nantucket with the characters. The characters were best friends for so long that they didn't need to really even talk most of the time. If they didn't talk for some time then they felt like a part of themselves was missing. It is true that friends go through stages in life I know my friends have. It only makes them more valuable. Thank you for the opportunity to review the book it was a great one and I will recommend it to my friends.

A light read, set in beautiful Nantucket, and just enough spice to give it some flavor. This is a perfect beach read!⁣
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Keely grew up on Nantucket with best friend Isabelle. They were inseparable, as close as sisters, and Keely was a tag along member to Isabelle’s family. Until a betrayal forced these friends apart. Now Keely lives in New York and is a sought after author. Suddenly her mother needs her and Keely must return home- to the island she escaped and the bitter remnants of a destroyed friendship. ⁣
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I enjoyed the perspective of Keely and the back story, from childhood to present day. I wish I had the perspective of Isabelle, as I believe it would have added a nice layer to the story. Isabelle just comes across as a very unlikable, spoiled girl because we only get one side. Overall this was a fun, light read and perfect for summer! For me, Surfside Sisters was ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5. Thank you @randomhouse for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler alert. Generally, I love Nancy Thayer's novels; however, the message in this one is flawed. The protagonist idolizes a family in her hometown, and they individually and collectively treat her and her mother dismissively. She forgives all of the slights, marries the son, buys their mansion, and aids her frenemy's career. Although the book is well-written, I was mentally advising against trusting those people to the point that it took the joy of reading the novel from me.