“She was standing on the deck now, scanning the horizon for landmarks – the water tower, the cluster of rainbow sailboats daringly leaving the harbor, the buoys. This year, this summer – this would be a time she would always remember. She was sure of that.”

The Island House
By Nancy Thayer

Courtney Hendricks is once again going to Nantucket to visit the Vickereys for the summer. She’s thankful for the warm welcome she has always received from her best friend’s mother and the fact that she really does feel like one of Susanna’s “summer” children. This time though Courtney is at a crossroads in her life and is not sure if this may be the last summer she spends with Robin and her family.

For Robin Vickerey having her best friend means the summer will be filled with lots of visits to the beach, talking until all hours of the night and sharing memories but she is also busy helping her mother plan a big birthday bash and just helping with running the house as her brothers and sister and all of their friends can cause quite a commotion. Robin is also hiding a secret from her family and her best friend but will this be the summer she can finally share her happiness?

The Vickereys are a lively family and each character seemingly larger than life. Amidst all the laughter there are also difficult moments that each character is dealing with but with the help of friends and family they will learn that they can get through the rough patches.

If you are looking for a quick, easy beach read this might be the one for you. There is a lot of romance and drama but things tend to get resolved quickly and easily. Still I couldn’t help but wish I was on the island enjoying the breezes and splashing in the waves. Sounds like a lovely place to be.

Source: Advance review copy

I hope you all had a great weekend. I caught up a bit on my reading so I thought it was a good time to let you know what’s currently on my nightstand.

First, All The Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. Because this book is written in reverse order I sort of think this should be my lunch read and not before going to sleep. It’s a psychological mystery that received quite a bit of attention last year and this focuses on a girl who’s gone missing. Too early for me to tell but I will keep going with this one.

Next up is Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis. In this thriller a college professor is accused of murdering his family and the main character, detective Ryan DeMarco, is on the case to find out what happened. This one has alternating chapters told by DeMarco and the missing professor and I’m finding that I wish it was just told from one viewpoint but I’m intrigued and what to know what really happened.

Last night I wanted something light to read so I started The Seafront Tearoom by Vanessa Greene. This one is a story about friendship and opening your heart to possibilities. Oh and tea!

I recently finished The Island House by Nancy Thayer so I’ll try to tell you more about that soon. Yes, a light read but it was just what I needed to get me out of my reading slump. Of course now I’ve been googling pictures of Nantucket where the book is set and I am dreaming of days playing in the sand and delicious seafood dining. I need a vacation.

Those are my current reads. I am thinking of adding a couple of more books to the stack because in case you hadn’t heard, Serena & Anna are hosting a readalong for Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. And, I probably also need to start my mystery book for my book group soon. I’ll tell you more about that in another post.

So what about you, what are you reading and have your read any of the books I mentioned?