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blondierocket's review against another edition
5.0
It would be a summer book list without another Elin Hildebrand adventure. Much like Malibu Rising, this book about siblings and family dynamics keep you guessing and rooting for a happily ever after. There’s a little something for everyone.
missmikaylapaige's review against another edition
5.0
It seems I'm destined to love all of Elin Hilderbrands books. While Hotel Nantucket is still undoubtedly my favourite, I enjoyed this too! The vibes are amazing! The little things from the past woven though stories of life are to good. I don't know if I started out really liking any of the main characters, aside from Tiger, but they all grow on you.
hroszczyk's review against another edition
3.0
Audio. I love me some Elin Hildebrand but this one didn’t click with me. I even abandoned it once a couple years ago. This time I made it through, but never felt truly hooked. The multiple storylines felt forced, like there was simply too much packed in there. Nevertheless, it’s always a pleasant escape to visit EH’s Nantucket worlds.
lizbeth5's review against another edition
2.0
A good enough quick beach read. Each of the characters experience / survive / and or embody the major historical events of 1969 and that time frame. No one suffers unduly, and everyone ends up happily situated.
sslovesbooks_1's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful summer read, set on Nantucket following a family who have secrets to keep but over the course of a wonderful summer in 1969 they are slowly revealed. The book is set at a pivotal time in US history, the war in Vietnam and the Moon Landings and throughout I felt the authenticity of time in the author's writing.
The setting is stunning, the descriptions of the area led me to google the area the book is set in and it was such a wonderful place to take yourself to for a summer read. Beaches, restaurants, lovely food all added to the feel that me as the reader was there with them. I adore books where you feel immediately taken away to another place.
I loved Jesse, a young girl who is coming of age in this novel. She is spending the summer with her grandma - Exalta - a strong and determined, austere character but as we learn more about her there are far more layers to her that you first see. Jesse's mother is also at the summer house and is not coping with her son Tiger being drafted in the US army and is away fighting in Vietnam. She spends her days drinking to cope and as the days unfold secrets are revealed which make you see her in a different light.
Jesse's older sister Blair is pregnant and stuck in Boston and as her circumstances change she vying for her husband's attention as his work takes over his life.
Her middle sister Kirby is on another island close by trying to gain some independence from her family for the summer as well as hiding away from past mistakes she has made. Her summer brings her into the lives of a cast of lovely characters and she also has secrets to hide.
I thought this was a wonderful family drama set in the summer which captivated me completely. I have read a number of Elin's books and they always take you somewhere special with characters you love instantly and before you know it a few hours have passed and the story is over.
Loved it !!!!
The setting is stunning, the descriptions of the area led me to google the area the book is set in and it was such a wonderful place to take yourself to for a summer read. Beaches, restaurants, lovely food all added to the feel that me as the reader was there with them. I adore books where you feel immediately taken away to another place.
I loved Jesse, a young girl who is coming of age in this novel. She is spending the summer with her grandma - Exalta - a strong and determined, austere character but as we learn more about her there are far more layers to her that you first see. Jesse's mother is also at the summer house and is not coping with her son Tiger being drafted in the US army and is away fighting in Vietnam. She spends her days drinking to cope and as the days unfold secrets are revealed which make you see her in a different light.
Jesse's older sister Blair is pregnant and stuck in Boston and as her circumstances change she vying for her husband's attention as his work takes over his life.
Her middle sister Kirby is on another island close by trying to gain some independence from her family for the summer as well as hiding away from past mistakes she has made. Her summer brings her into the lives of a cast of lovely characters and she also has secrets to hide.
I thought this was a wonderful family drama set in the summer which captivated me completely. I have read a number of Elin's books and they always take you somewhere special with characters you love instantly and before you know it a few hours have passed and the story is over.
Loved it !!!!
gracejudith9's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
devansbooklife's review against another edition
4.0
I really did not know what to expect going into this but I enjoyed the experience. Elin Hilderbrand did a wonderful job developing the characters and I felt connected to each of them. The story itself is one of life, love, and forgiveness. It is about growth and development. Each character has their own experience which, despite differences, I could relate to. I don't think I say much more without giving away details but I think most readers would find this an enjoyable experience.
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
5.0
Damn it, Elin Hilderbrand, you have done it again! Another satisfying novel.
Ever since I can remember, I've always been fascinated by the time period of the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Love the music, and find the social and political climate so interesting as well as the culture. My parents married in 1969, although they were far from hippies, more like a more conservative take of the Mad Men martini and Manhattan generation, and I recall my mom describing how she and my dad stayed up to watch the moon landing. This event and more are depicted in Elin's latest book.
The family is like any other family in Elin's world with complex family dynamics and foreboding secrets, some of which stay under wraps. I liked each character's arc and that the potential to revisit this family in a future novel is there even if Elin never planned it that way. I felt engaged by the characters and wondered where the future would take them. I loved how Elin incorporated an important part of her own life into this particular book for a good and timely reason. As usual with her novels, I kept gravitating toward it despite the stack of books waiting patiently by my bed.
One thing I specifically appreciated was the way the characters' mores and language and values reflected the era instead of being run through the politically correct machine of today. Yes, people smoked. Yes, people drank even when pregnant (My mom's friend was told by a doctor to drink during a pregnancy -- the daughter was born in 1971. She's fine btw 😁). The relationships between men and women and different races read more like my knowledge about the time period than today. Another book I read recently which covered past decades slipped too often into present day speak and mores that I found it inauthentic even though I enjoyed it. To me, this captured the era even down to the pop culture and the brother who serves in Vietnam. The events were seamlessly inserted without force or too many unnecessary details. The plot was king. Along with the characters, you learned about the events through them with a pure, unclouded lense.
I really relished this book and thought Elin's foray into the past was excellent, and I hope she continues to explore this time period again. And I think a sequel to this book could easily be arranged, especially when I read a passage in the last chapter that hints at the possibility.
Ever since I can remember, I've always been fascinated by the time period of the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Love the music, and find the social and political climate so interesting as well as the culture. My parents married in 1969, although they were far from hippies, more like a more conservative take of the Mad Men martini and Manhattan generation, and I recall my mom describing how she and my dad stayed up to watch the moon landing. This event and more are depicted in Elin's latest book.
The family is like any other family in Elin's world with complex family dynamics and foreboding secrets, some of which stay under wraps. I liked each character's arc and that the potential to revisit this family in a future novel is there even if Elin never planned it that way. I felt engaged by the characters and wondered where the future would take them. I loved how Elin incorporated an important part of her own life into this particular book for a good and timely reason. As usual with her novels, I kept gravitating toward it despite the stack of books waiting patiently by my bed.
One thing I specifically appreciated was the way the characters' mores and language and values reflected the era instead of being run through the politically correct machine of today. Yes, people smoked. Yes, people drank even when pregnant (My mom's friend was told by a doctor to drink during a pregnancy -- the daughter was born in 1971. She's fine btw 😁). The relationships between men and women and different races read more like my knowledge about the time period than today. Another book I read recently which covered past decades slipped too often into present day speak and mores that I found it inauthentic even though I enjoyed it. To me, this captured the era even down to the pop culture and the brother who serves in Vietnam. The events were seamlessly inserted without force or too many unnecessary details. The plot was king. Along with the characters, you learned about the events through them with a pure, unclouded lense.
I really relished this book and thought Elin's foray into the past was excellent, and I hope she continues to explore this time period again. And I think a sequel to this book could easily be arranged, especially when I read a passage in the last chapter that hints at the possibility.
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
4.0
Could this be the tentative new start of another series? I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this family again after a ten-year gap. Maybe Elin will grant us another novella covering 1989 and every subsequent 10 years.
Nothing earth-shattering occurs, but you get an update on each character including Exalta, the matriarch, all the way to Blair's twins who are loosely based on Elin and her twin brother. I'm fact, if you didn't know, her brother came up with the idea to cover their birth and the 1969 moon landing, which happened within the same week. She wrote Summer of '69 in response and as a birthday present to him.
My only complaint? Way too short and four more months remain until her next novel comes out.
Nothing earth-shattering occurs, but you get an update on each character including Exalta, the matriarch, all the way to Blair's twins who are loosely based on Elin and her twin brother. I'm fact, if you didn't know, her brother came up with the idea to cover their birth and the 1969 moon landing, which happened within the same week. She wrote Summer of '69 in response and as a birthday present to him.
My only complaint? Way too short and four more months remain until her next novel comes out.
chryspee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5