"All about facing difficult life choices."
Reviewed by Sandra Wurman
Posted May 3, 2023
Romance Contemporary | Women's Fiction Contemporary
First things first let us remember people do not belong to other people. We are not property. Parents often make assumptions based on the life with their children as they grow up. Kids make declarations and promises, but those are written on sand, not in stone. Children need guidance in making good, practical, reasonable choices. Parents sometimes forget that as their kids grow up, so do their personalities and choices. And at times those choices might be at odds with parents’ expectations and hopes.
ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER by Nancy Thayer is about those life changes and choices, not only those of the children but the parents as well.
As kids grow up and graduate from college, their dreams change. Their visions are altered by the experience and knowledge they gained as well as by the people they have met. Ross met Kailee in college and their attraction was mutual and strong. Strong enough that both were fashioning their future together.
Their youth was probably the catalyst for causing the disruption of what had been the normalcy of their families. Ross is caught off guard by the news that his mother Heather was divorcing his dad Wall. To Kailee, it meant a kind of victory in her desire for Ross to move to Nantucket with her and join her father’s construction company. Her glee was almost palatable. But for Ross, it meant the end of the family base as he had known it.
Kailee did not like the manner in which Heather tried to convince Ross to give his dad one last summer in their family hardware store. And yet she was systematically pulling strings in her favor. A harsh tug of war with Ross the prize.
Kids deserve a future of their choosing. But parents do as well. Everyone deserves happiness and a sense of fulfillment. All these folk in ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER must realize that. Nancy Thayer humanizes all her characters. They have flaws and you feel their pain. It is understandable that you would take sides. In ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER, Nancy Thayer carefully lays the groundwork so that you can make decisions on which team you are backing.
My first impression of a Nancy Thayer novel was the thought that this is going to be a classic family tale. But then you get immersed in the trials and tribulations of her characters and realize the error of your assumption.
Heather is approaching a totally new avenue in her life. Soon to be divorced. Living in a rental in Nantucket. New people, new friends, new about everything. The fact that her son and intended fiancé are also there did not play a role in her decision to take temporary refuge in this beautiful place. Heather makes several decisions about her future, but it is her past that keeps making the edge off her blissful state in Nantucket.
Heather is the lead character as much of the storyline seems to float around her. The island itself is a potent character. And all the folk that Heather meets and interacts with fill the book.
Nancy Thayer ingeniously includes the reader in this tale. It is truly a story of highs and lows along with some very bittersweet moments that will linger long after the last page. Fans of this amazing author may or may not agree, but ALL THE DAYS OF SUMMER is my all-time favorite. I simply did not want it to end.
SUMMARY
A woman’s second act on the island of Nantucket delivers much more than she expected in this captivating novel by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.
“A beautiful, hope-filled, heartwarming story about new beginnings and second chances.”—RaeAnne Thayne, author of The Cafe at Beach End
Heather Willette has a good life in Concord, Massachusetts. But when her marriage has fizzles out, Heather has to decide what sort of life to live next. Ready to seek out her own happiness and discover herself again, Heather decides to leave her husband and rent a cottage on Nantucket. And her plan is going perfectly—until her son, Ross, announces he’s moving to Nantucket to work at his girlfriend’s family’s construction business instead of going back home to work with his own father, like he'd promised. Worst of all for Heather, this means having to get along with her.
Kailee Essex is thrilled that Ross is willing to move to her hometown. She has big hopes for their happily ever after, especially now that her parents are finally showing interest in her career. She’s less thrilled, however, about his mother living nearby. Kailee has clashed with Heather since the day they met. But anything is possible in the summer sun and sea breezes of Nantucket—even reconciliation. And when change comes sooner than either Heather or Kailee expect, they must learn to overcome their differences to fight for the future they want.
With All the Days of Summer, beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer delivers a moving novel that explores the complexity of family and the unexpected ways fate can guide you forward.
ExcerptBy now, Heather realized that her son was in love with Kailee. She’d never seen him look at a woman the way he did today. She’d never seen him so happy. Heather stirred her coffee and told herself to be the grown-up.
She said, “It was wonderful meeting you, Kailee.”
“Oh, Mom. Dad.” Ross spoke before Heather had even finished. “I’m going to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with Kailee on Nantucket.”
Heather choked on her coffee.
For once, Wall spoke up. “Sounds nice.”
“Oh, it is, it’s beautiful on the island then,” Kailee assured him. “The Friday night of Thanksgiving weekend, everyone gathers on Main Street and the huge Christmas tree lights are turned on, and so are all the lights on the little trees along the sidewalks. It’s magical. The week after is the Stroll, which is amazing. And there are parties like crazy, and I want Ross to meet everyone. And,” she added, giving Ross a smug look, “I want all my friends to meet my gorgeous Ross.”
Her gorgeous Ross?
Ross was spending the holidays with Kailee on Nantucket?
Weakly, Heather began to speak. “Do your parents mind—”
Heather interrupted. “My parents can’t wait to have Ross stay with us. They met him last weekend, and they like him so much. And our house has more than enough room for a guest or two, although my father wants Ross to stay in the apartment over our garage.”
Kailee’s parents met Ross last week?
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