Let Nancy Thayer’s Secrets in Summer Take You to the Beach This Weekend

Summer beach read queen Thayer once again transports the reader to the beautiful seaside world of historic Nantucket in her latest treasure; where the houses are almost as interesting and unique as the residents who come to stay in them each summer. (Or if you are the main character, Darcy Cotterill, you decide to live there year-round as a children’s librarian—an opportunity only given to her upon the death of her beloved grandmother, who urged her to stay in Nantucket and live in her childhood home.) This situation is working out perfectly…until Darcy’s ex-husband and his new wife and daughter become her new neighbors, kicking off a whole new kind of summer experience for Darcy. To further complicate things, she has just started dating Nash, a mysterious newcomer to the island who claims to be a simple carpenter, yet Darcy can’t help but feel like he might not be giving her the entire story. And then there’s the situation of the tiny flirtation she’s maybe developing with a handsome musicologist who’s in town for the summer…
But it’s not just Darcy’s tumultuous love life that takes center stage in this cozy beach read, it’s the signature charm and personality of the other residents of Nantucket, as well as the island itself, which feels like a character of its own. As she encounters everyone from angst-filled teenagers, to wise elderly neighbors with good advice to offer, Darcy soon realizes that perhaps no one’s past is really that simple, and everyone deserves a second glance.

The large cast of characters in this novel are woven together into a seamless tableau that includes women encountering challenges at very different stages of life. Darcy befriends an older woman and her appealing grandson who live next door, a confused and uncertain teenage girl (who is the step-daughter of Darcy’s obnoxious and pompous ex-husband), and a struggling woman raising three insanely rambunctious sons. And even as these unlikely friendships grow into a meaningful support network, you can’t help but get swept away by the budding romance and heat between her and Nash. Because seriously, who doesn’t love a hot carpenter? Let’s see a show of hands. I thought so.
The four different homes and residents come together to weave a story in which love and happiness might not take the forms you expect, but they still come to those who need them most.
Secrets in Summer is the perfect read for a breezy summer day at the beach, or a cold, damp rainy night when you long for the warmth of a new season.
Secrets in Summer is on B&N bookshelves now!