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amysbrittain's review against another edition
3.0
The Nantucket detail was lovely. The story read somewhat like a soap opera, but most striking to me was the author's self-satisfied bio. Her resting heart rate is 65. In case anyone wanted to know.
seachell1's review against another edition
4.0
This is a much darker book from Elin Hilderbrand than I was expecting. However, it was a good story.
sarahbethbrown's review against another edition
2.0
I dislike books that hinge on a secret that is only being kept a secret as a way of moving forward the plot. Nothing will happen if someone finds out the secret. Sometimes, the secret is told to one character at the beginning of the book and they take drastic action, and then we are left to wonder what the secret could be for the entire book, only to find out it's just kind of a middling secret that is upsetting to the characters, but NOT TO THE READER. The secret must be upsetting to the reader as well.
This is one of those books. I actually liked great parts of it, but the secret story line was just really dumb. Now that I know what the secret is, I think the book would have been much better served by telling us the secret at the beginning and working through the fallout. The content of the secret is actually super interesting, though it is a dumb secret!
That's all.
This is one of those books. I actually liked great parts of it, but the secret story line was just really dumb. Now that I know what the secret is, I think the book would have been much better served by telling us the secret at the beginning and working through the fallout. The content of the secret is actually super interesting, though it is a dumb secret!
That's all.
abbywdan's review against another edition
3.0
As in all Elins, I loved reading (/hearing) these characters and being in this world (because who doesn’t want to be in Nantucket in summer when it’s really Chicago in winter?), but the whole plot hinged on something getting revealed. And when we, the reader, find out what it is, it’s not news to us. And anything else it could have been wouldn’t have been news to us. So then what? Was that meant to take the air out of it all? [Spoiler alert on this decadeish-old novel, I guess?] Is the point of the novel that depression is awful and can be consuming to the point where encountering normal, if hurtful, human behavior can drive a person to suicide? Because no shit, Sherlock. Is this news to anyone?
Of note:
- Extra points to the audiobook reader for her Australian accent. It is better than mine.
- Minus a few points to the audiobook reader for pronouncing “luger” as “looger.”
- There’s a moment where Elin compares someone’s neglected marriage to a bicycle built for two left out in the rain to rust, and I almost did a spit take.
- I am ALWAYS here for the omniscient, faceless narrator known as Nantucket. The community voice. Give me all of it.
Of note:
- Extra points to the audiobook reader for her Australian accent. It is better than mine.
- Minus a few points to the audiobook reader for pronouncing “luger” as “looger.”
- There’s a moment where Elin compares someone’s neglected marriage to a bicycle built for two left out in the rain to rust, and I almost did a spit take.
- I am ALWAYS here for the omniscient, faceless narrator known as Nantucket. The community voice. Give me all of it.
edgyirishcupcake's review against another edition
1.0
If you ever wanted to read a soap opera, this is the book for you. The characters and story are boring and predictable. I could not stand the repetition in the book. I don't need to read the story from every characters perspective (majority of them are supposed to be teenagers so that in itself was relative torture) including a ridiculous narrative from the community as a whole. Certainly not the worst book I have read, and I'm happy if other people like the book but this is not my type of book. Even though I loathed reading it I did finish it, so there is that. Now time to trade it for credit at a used book store.
maisonsoper's review against another edition
5.0
I thought the first half of the book was good and it just kept getting better. It even had me near tears at the end and I’m not one to cry from reading books. I would highly recommend this book, however, it’s worth looking up the content warnings. Although it’s not a main theme of the novel, it does touch on infant loss and as someone with a baby, I found it a little hard to read.
dhar7's review against another edition
4.0
A nice summer, and yes, an easy read. Yes, Penny is a bit uptight and pushed over the edge by something seemingly trite. But despite this flaw, the story is still entertaining and the other characters enjoyable.
Enjoy the read
Enjoy the read
k_cavacini's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book by Elin Hilderbrand. I am never disappointed with her books and Summerland was no different. I really enjoyed all of the different perspectives in this novel, from the children involved in the accident to the parents and even "Nantucket" itself as a character. A great read!
melissadelongcox's review against another edition
Can't stop, won't stop loving Elin's books.