Don’t bother with this one.

The characters are unimaginative, stereotypical and obnoxious and the story is trite and predictable. I was so annoyed by the end I was audibly groaning. If I wasn’t reading this for a competition where my team would have lost points I would have abandoned it hours ago. ( )

"Secrets in Summer" is a wonderful summer, beach read. There are many endearing characters in the story that make it real. Darcy Cotterill is a year round resident of Nantucket. She works in the library in the children's area. She returned to Nantucket three years earlier when she became divorced and her grandmother died leaving her the house. She has been dating handsome carpenter Nash for the past three months and is quite happy in her life. The summer residents have begun to make and appearance and this summer they will change her life. To Darcy's surprise her neighbor behind her is none other that her ex-husband, Boyz and his new wife, Autumn, who also happens to be the woman Darcy caught him fooling around with, and his stepdaughter, Willow. On either side of Darcy there is a woman with her three rambunctious sons and on the other is an 89 year old woman with her handsome divorced grandson, Clive. As the story progresses we learn about Darcy's past as well as that of Nash. She becomes involved with Willow, and both her neighbours. To her surprise, she likes them and they become great friends. Of course they are not without problems. With drugs, sex, adultery, illness, bullying, unfulfulled lives and more, Darcy gets more than she bargained for. When her relationship with Nash goes off the rails, she needs to decide what she wants out of life.

I enjoyed getting to know Darcy and seeing what life was like on Nantucket in the summer. The main characters were likable and I found myself rooting for them. I read this is one sitting, I did not want to stop. Can Darcy finally make a commitment to the man she loves? Read this one to find out whether love will overcome and if summer friendships are meant to last. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

I got the chance to read this early from Netgalley and I'm thrilled that I was selected.
I have my favorite beach book authors and Nancy Thayer is one of the best.

I don't give 5 stars easily but this is everything you could ask for in a beach book.

Darcy is pretty happy with her life. She lives in Nantucket year round, she has her dream job as a librarian, she has the perfect house left to her by her grandmother, there's a sweet and handsome almost boyfriend and a lovable cat named Muffler.

All in all, life is sweet and it hasn't always been that way. There was a time in Darcy's life when her parents gave her up to her grandmother. It led to a very content time in her life though. She met a man named Boyz and married, then things fell apart when he left her for another woman.

This led Darcy back to her grandmother's side and when she lost her grandmother she was alone again. But leaving Darcy her home, she felt at peace in the world again.

Darcy never paid too much attention to the vacationers that rent homes around her, but this year is different. To her shock, her ex-husband rents the house next door with his new wife and step daughter.
Another, frantic, vacationer shows up on her doorstep asking to borrow a cup of milk.
And she instantly bonds with sweet elderly Mimi that reminds her if her own grandmother.

As the summer passes, Darcy finds herself drawn into her temporary neighbors' lives. She forms very unexpected connections and she starts to wonder whether she might have met the real love of her life.

Very upbeat, filled with strong, likable characters, including a very lovable cat. I loved how Darcy was content with her life before the summer even started. This isn't a book about a woman devastated over her divorce, she's also not sad to be single. But letting herself form strong relationships with new people was also empowering for her.

Loved this book. I tried to put it down and save it a bit longer, but I couldn't.
( )

Secrets in summer by Nancy Thayer
Starts out with Darcy and she's inherited her grandmothers house on the island. She had married young after college where she waitressed to make ends meet. She met Bose and they date and get married to divorce years later.
She's the librarian for children's section on the island and it's summer where the island blossoms to tens of thousands of visitors. She figures out who's renting the house behind her hedge-her ex and his new family. She listens to many of the conversations from the other side and is able to stop the island 20 year old try to persaude the 14 year old girl of taking drugs.
She also becomes friends with the older woman who has visitors for the summer also. Love hearing of the confrontations along with steamy scenes with her boyfriend Nash, an island contractor.
Growing up on an island reminds me of this where everybody knows everybody business and then some. Love the dream of the yarn shop by Susan, a friend.
Everybody has a secret and Darcy seems to hear them all and then some...
Fascinating to learn of all the drama but it's real life also.
From NLS for my BARD player. ( )

Sweet book. She is a nice author. Always want to go to Nantucket after reading her books. ( )