Is it a romance? A coming of age summer story? A true Nancy Thayer written picture of Nantucket in the summertime? Yes to all of the above!

Nick, Sheila, Arial, and Wyatt are each coming to Nantucket to work and save money for the summer. They're the four chosen inhabitants of whats left of Rockers Hotel, or as they refer to it The Sand Palace. Coming from different locations and uobringings, they come together after each searching out cheap accommodations on the island. Becoming known as the Sand Palace Four, they each grow up, find love, and make life long connections that summer. Told in alternating timelines of that summer and the current one, we meet not only the Four but also their children and families.

I usually leave a Nancy Thayer book googling Nantucket and the particular places she mentions while nursing a book hangover. While this story was no different, it was also truly her very best yet. We get to see not only the summer that shaped each character, but we then get to see where they are today. We get to see how they've all spent the past two decades while also meeting their children and watching them navigate their first summer on the island. This book is truly one of the very best if not the best book of the summer! I loved every single page.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5


Thank you to NetGalley, Nancy Thayer, and my favorite Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A fun, easy beach read!

4 recently graduated college students take summer jobs on Nantucket. They end up rooming together in the basement of a hotel being remodeled. They each "find" themselves that summer in different ways. There is some romance, some problems and an accident or two.

The second part of the book is those 4 students families as they meet back up at the same hotel 25 years later. Their kids tell the second chapters. They're broken down into "this summer" and "that summer" - a neat take on the dual timeline.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Nantucket and summer love, what more can you say? Nancy Thayer has a gift for drawing the reader into her stories and making you wish you could spend the summer with the characters. The latest story of 4 college graduates spending a summer working in Nantucket before starting their lives and 25 years later brought together with their children back on the island. Love and discovery of themselves is brought together with the then and now perspective. I really enjoyed how it was written and how the it ended with their children's choices that were made.

Really enjoyed the “then and now” perspective of this story. It helped to bring together the events which shaped the characters. I enjoyed it a lot, the pace was excellent and it was a really enjoyable read

Nancy Thayer"s novels with Nantucket as background are always fun. Summer Love is told in 2 different eras and of course love sprouts in both.

The real star of Summer Love is Nantucket, the beach community where the author has lived for many years. Who wouldn't want to spend idyllic hours on the island of Nantucket, as richly described over two timelines. Alternate chapters cover summers 25 years apart in the same location.

More than two decades ago, four recent college grads get to know each other as they come together in basement apartments in a hotel undergoing renovation. Together and individually, they have adventures, try out jobs that may or may not be temporary, and make decisions about what they want their lives to be. Over a one-week reunion in the present, in the now-luxurious hotel owned by one of their own, they reunite to show their children the glories of Nantucket, to reminisce about that original summer, and to contemplate whether their current lives are what they envisioned way back when. At the same time, their children are going through experiences mirroring those of their parents decades ago.

If you would like to escape the troubles of daily life for a while in paradise, this may be the book for you.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

What is interesting is that Nantucket is truly a character in this book and merely not a background. All four of them came to the island full of hopes and dreams and found even greater than that in the shape of love. At times, it was tough to deal with Shelia's naivete but she simply had not had the exposure that the others did. I am glad that Wyatt finally listened to Ariel and as a reader, I could see the love between Francine and Nick. How all their children followed and committed to staying in Nantucket was a continuation of their legacy at the Sand Palace. A sequel pethaps?

This is the story of 4 young adults taking a hiatus in beautiful Nantucket, where they get summer jobs before delving into full-on adulthood. This is also the story of these same people, returning to Nantucket for a vacation, bringing their young adult children with them. Dreams that were realized, hopes that were crushed—it all comes out as they meet up at the place it all started. The author of this book remains consistent with this 2022 beach read, told in two timelines. Thank you to NetGalley, author and publisher for the ARC in the form of a kindle book in exchange for an honest review.

Four young strangers are on Nantucket for Summer employment. Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, Nick. All from different backgrounds, they rent rooms in the basement of an old hotel named Castle, which they nickname the Sand Castle. Ariel and Wyatt are immediately attracted to one another. Sheila is engaged to someone back home, but she realizes this Summer may be her one chance of having an adventure. Ambitious Nick is determined to someday be wealthy and own several hotels. There’s friction at times, but the four strangers become friends and explore beautiful Nantucket when they can. Will their friendship last beyond that first Summer? Will Summer Love last?

Twenty six years later, again in Summer, Nick invites the rest of the Sand Castle friends to Nantucket as his guests. He has several things planned for their reunion. What happens now? Are they all still friends, and will their adult children get along? Life may not end up as originally planned, but Summer Love has a magic all its own.

Four friends, 3 months, 2 couples and a summer memory that will last a lifetime. Renting the basement rooms of the old hotel, the nicknamed Sand Palace was anything but palatial. A Breakfast Club cast of characters, Ariel was the beauty, Shelia, the loveable loner, Nick, the lady's man and Wyatt, the science geek.

Sharing a space for the summer, the acquaintances became friends. Working is not the same as being part of the elite summer scene but the experience impacted their lives.

Featuring a dual-linear timeline, the novel is divided into 'this' and 'that' summer. That summer chronicles the friends' stories while present day, brings the group back to Nantucket as guests of Nick's hotel.

Nick vowed to be rich and he's eager to show off his success. While his old friends see the couple as snobbish, Nick's always had a good heart. The only negative part of 'this' summer is that readers find out how the characters turned out too early. I didn't want to know their after story before 'this' summer concluded. For me, it was like reading the last page of a novel and then starting from the beginning.

That being said, I enjoyed both the forming and fractured friendships. Despite their differences, the friends always looked out for each other. The writing is on the wall that their children will follow the same course.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #SummerLove in exchange for an honest review. I'm a fan of Nancy Thayer's writing and her picturesque settings. This book took me a few chapters to connect with the characters but it's a breezy and easy to read summer book.

There's more to each character than what they portray. Shelia struggles to fit in and doesn't recognize her worth. In spite of Ariel's beauty, she's seeking security and will give up her dreams in order to be safe. Wyatt's in his father's shadow and Nick keeps things at surface level to avoid sidelining his success. They each have qualities that the others lack. Will their friendship afford strength to look past the present and be able to embrace their futures?

Summer Love follows four newly graduated young adults, as they arrive in Nantucket to work for their summer before they start the rest of their lives. Sheila comes from the Midwest and is preparing to marry her sweetheart when she goes back home. Wyatt is a on the verge of a career as a scientist in Missouri. Ariel dreams of becoming a published author. And Nick is a little flashier with big dreams of earning big money in his life. The four rent the four basement rooms of a hotel under construction and they quickly form a tight bond despite their different backgrounds and personalities.

Fast forward to the present day, and the four have gathered for a reunion - along with their now young adult children. Being back in Nantucket brings back a lot of memories and also forces them to face some of their secrets from the past.

This book is old in alternating chapters of "That Summer" and "This Summer." The story flows well, and it's fun to see the newest generation extra Nantucket in very similar ways that their parents did.

Thank you for the ARC! There is nothing better than a Nantucket beach read. This is a story of 4 strangers who summer on Nantucket. The usual day jobs, love, magic and youth all wrapped up as these teens stay in a decrepit basement of a hotel in the middle of being renovated.
The book also brings these same summer kids back to Nantucket for a week as adults with their own offspring and they quickly fall in love with the island. Thank you Nancy Thayer for another enjoyable beach read.

In 1995 four people spent the summer together living and working in Nantucket. 25 years later, they return to the island with their families to reminisce about the time they spent together.

This is a multi POV story that toggles between the past and present. I like that the story comes full circle in a way and now the MCs kids are having their own adventures on the island. However I found it rather anti-climactic. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it read a little more like a “what I did this summer” essay than the novel I was expecting. The story does paint a wonderful picture of Nantucket, but the character were sorely underdeveloped and their stories seemed to leave a lot to be desired.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A summer on Nantucket - what a dream. 4 young strangers living in dumpy rooms become great friends. They have adventures together and separately that influence the rest of their lives. 25 years later they have a reunion with their children along that are the ages they were when they met and are ready to start their own adventures. This book grabs you and keeps your interest.

Interesting read. The story jumps back and forth between “That Summer” and “This Summer “ 25 years apart. Four people thrown together as they live together as 22 year olds working in Nantucket in the summer of 1995. I wanted to like the characters more than I did. Perhaps since there were four main characters and two time periods, I didn’t feel like I really knew the characters (which is one of my favorite parts of stories).

A fun summer read! Nancy Thayer always provides a good story with strong characters hiding plenty of mysteries. The format which goes back and forth between two time periods is a good vehicle for this. It was, however, not my favorite of all her books that I’ve read, but that may be because I am reading it in the winter in an urban atmosphere. Read it on the beach and you’ll probably love it!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for another Excellent novel by Nancy Thayer. You can Always count on her for writing books that make you smile no matter how you are feeling. This one did NOT disappoint! I did figure out one plot but that was fine, just a reallllllly great read. Love her books, the characters, the story, just everything, thank you again.

This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley. It is a quick fun read...love and romance...friendships...new and old...then and now...children who disappoint...those who don't...getting together after many years...rekindling...wondering what if...curl up under a warm afghan, sip some hot delicious tea, and enjoy this read on a snowy afternoon, thinking of Nantucket and the ocean...enjoy this one...

Another great summer Nantucket book by Nancy Thayer! I liked this one more than her previous couple. Each year I look forward to the beach books to come out. With how cold it's been, this was a nice treat! I enjoyed th3 four characters, their differences, and how the story built into a great friendship. Was cool to see that happen for their children as well. I did find the ending a little far fetched with all the true love after one summer theme, but still highly recommended!

Such a heart warming beach read! The reader is introduce to 4 strangers who quickly become friends, and then their children and all of them spending some time on Nantucket Island for a week. There are some unforeseen twists and turn as you read the book, and you will fall in love with the island as always. The characters are all relatable, and as a parent you will understand their struggles with their children. quick read, but one that you will enjoy!