Summer Love

A Novel

By: Nancy Thayer

Narrated by: Whitney Dykhouse

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Old secrets come to light when four friends gather on Nantucket for a life-changing reunion in this heartwarming novel of love and self-discovery by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.

When four strangers rent bargain-basement rooms in an old hotel near the beach, they embark on the summer of their lives. First there’s Ariel Spencer, who has big dreams of becoming a writer and is looking for inspiration in Nantucket’s high society. Her new friend Sheila Murphy is a good Catholic girl from Ohio whose desire for adventure is often shadowed by her apprehension. Then there’s small-town Missourian Wyatt Smith—who’s immediately taken with Ariel. The last of the four, Nick Volkov, is looking to make a name for himself and have a blast along the way. Despite their differences, the four bond over trips to the beach, Wednesday night dinners, and everything that Nantucket has to offer. But venturing out on their own for the first time, with all its adventure and risks, could change the course of their lives.

Twenty-six years after that amazing summer, Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick reunite at the hotel where they first met. Now it’s called The Lighthouse and Nick owns the entire operation with his wife and daughter. Ariel and Wyatt, married for decades, arrive with their son, and Sheila’s back too, with her daughter by her side. Life hasn’t exactly worked out the way they had all hoped. Ariel’s dreams have since faded and been pushed aside, but she’s determined to rediscover the passion she once had. Nick has the money and reputation of a successful businessman, but is it everything he had hoped for? And Sheila has never been able to shake the secret she’s kept since that summer. Being back together again will mean confronting the past and finding themselves. Meanwhile, the next generation discovers Nantucket: Their children explore the island together, experiencing love and heartbreak, and forging lifelong bonds just as their parents did all those years ago. It’s sure to be one unforgettable reunion.

This delightful novel from beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer explores the potential of dreams and the beauty of friendship.

©2022 Nancy Thayer (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Great story

Loved the story but the performance was sometimes hard listen to. Characters sounded the same and a bit cheesy.

Nice Summer Read

This was a nice and relaxing summer read. The character, Shelia was annoying as was her voice by the narrator. But overall a nice read as usual by Nancy Thayer.

A Little Out of Touch

The storyline and premise are good, but the attitudes of the characters were on the hockey side. The narration was not good, this would be better read than listened to. The narrator ranged from doll description to corny demonstration of dialogue.

I couldn’t wait for it to end….

I like this author’s books. But this one…not too much. I actually sped up the narration speed to help get through it quicker. The narrator’s own speed of speech went dramatically from normal to slow. I tried really hard to like this book. Too much back and forth between current and past. It felt like it took forever to get to a point. Too many anticlimactic moments that took too long to get to. It was a miss in my opinion.

Good

Would have liked it more if not on Audible. Fell asleep a few times listening.

Boring.

Boring. Nothing happens. It’s a long story with nothing to it. Characters are unimpressive. Bummer.

Crummy book

This book is not worth listening too and wish it was possibly to put negative stars

Terrible Story

This is a story filled with worthless people. They are mainly interested in sex. Don't waste your time.

Not her best

The main characters were not very likable - a few were very whiny. The storyline was thin. I was not engaged at all. Slightly disappointing as I usually enjoy her books.

Hard to get through

I honestly should have returned the book, but I kept thinking it would get better. The plot was dull, the characters were poorly developed. I just couldn’t get into it. The narrator’s voice for Sheila was so nasally, it made me dislike the character. I am not French, but it seems like “ooh la la” was so overused. I am just glad to be finished with this book.