Review: A Nantucket Wedding

A Nantucket Wedding by Nancy Thayer

Publication Date: 04/03/2018
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Imprint: Ballantine Books
Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance
Pages: 320
ISBN-13: 978-1101967102

(Received for an honest review from Ballantine via Netgalley)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, itunes

Nancy Thayer on the WEB: Website, Blog, Twitter (Not updated), Facebook, Goodreads

Excerpt from A Nantucket Wedding, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature

Synopsis:

Wedding bells are ringing, a family is reunited, and new love is blooming—for better or worse—in this captivating novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Island House and Secrets in Summer.

A few years after losing her beloved husband, Alison is doing something she never thought she would do again: getting married. While placing the finishing touches on her summer nuptials, Alison is anxious to introduce her fiancé, David, to her grown daughters: Felicity, a worried married mother of two, and Jane, also married but focused on her career. The sisters have a somewhat distant relationship and Alison hopes that the wedding and the weeks leading up to the ceremony will give the siblings a chance to reconnect, as well as meet and get to know David’s grown children.

As the summer progresses, it is anything but smooth sailing. Felicity stumbles upon a terrible secret that could shatter her carefully cultivated world. Jane finds herself under the spell of her soon-to-be stepbrother, Ethan, who is as charming as he is mysterious. And even Alison is surprised (and slightly alarmed) by her new blended family. Revelations, intrigue, resentments—as the Big Day approaches, will the promise of bliss be a bust?
     
Against the gorgeous backdrop of the sunswept island of Nantucket, Nancy Thayer sets the stage for a walk down the aisle no one will ever forget.

Thoughts:

Nancy Thayer doesn't disappoint with her latest book, A Nantucket Wedding. This is the story of a blended family and all of the challenges that go with it. There's nothing like a wedding to bring a family together, for better or for worse. Thayer's smooth style and wonderful descriptions of Nantucket Island make this one a perfect beach read. Readers looking for a book that delves into family relationships and bonds will truly enjoy this one!

What I liked:

Nancy Thayer's books always make me want to visit the area she is writing about. Nantucket seems like a such a picturesque place. Sometimes the setting of the book can take on the semblance of an actual character in the story and I think that happens in this one. Could the same tale have taken place somewhere else? Sure. But Thayer's attention to detail and her vivid descriptions are so captivating and engaging. It just makes the story that much more poignant.

Alison is my kind of lady. She has suffered loss in her life but she doesn't let that keep her down. When she opens her heart to love again, she finds it with David. I thought their relationship was just wonderful. There are certainly challenges when it comes to blended families and after reading this one i'm not sure it's better if the children are already grown or not lol... Alison always seems to keep a level head and try to be the peace maker of the group. I liked that she believed her wedding would bring everyone together in more ways than one and in the end it really did.

The relationship that begins to develop between sisters, Jane and Felicity was honestly my favorite part of the book. When the story starts they are quite distant from each other, but as it goes on they start to see each other in a different light. They begin to appreciate the struggles that each one of them is having and they relate to each other in unexpected ways. Sisters should be close. But that's often a very difficult road. I loved the fact that Thayer is able to show the situations and challenges of life with this one and how family can help.

The interactions between the adult children of Alison and the adult children of David, get a little complicated. Poppy, David's daughter is poised to take over his company and she and Alison don't exactly see eye to eye. Ethan, David's son is quite a flirt and his interactions with Jane were interesting and filled with uncertainty. Jane is struggling with her desire to have a child and her husband is not budging. Felicity's worries involve her workaholic husband. There are just so many things going on. I loved the whole dynamic of this blended bunch.

What I didn't like:

There is generally one character that doesn't make a reader warm and fuzzy. In this case, the husbands of both Jane and Felicity, might get under the readers skin. It will have nothing to do with Thayer's writing, it's just the circumstances of the story. But conflict must come from somewhere if you want a good read. P.S. one of these guys I still didn't like by the end. *wink*

Bottom Line:

This a great beach read. Or even on a day when you just don't want to venture out into the wide world. Snuggle up with a blanket, a good cup of Joe and devour this one. I loved the relationships that developed throughout the book and as usual Thayer stuns with her captivating characters and wonderful descriptive writing. A must read for Thayer fans and everybody else.

A Nantucket Wedding is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Nancy Thayer is the New York Times bestselling author of A Nantucket Wedding, Secrets in Summer, The Island House, The Guest Cottage, An Island Christmas, Nantucket Sisters, A Nantucket Christmas, Island Girls, Summer Breeze, Heat Wave, Beachcombers, Summer House, Moon Shell Beach, and The Hot Flash Club. She lives on Nantucket.