The main characters were so selfish and illogical in their choices, and whereas I am normally enchanted with Hilderbrand's descriptions of Nantucket - in this book, they seemed overly pretentious - there was an overabundance of name dropping in regard to people and restaurants, etc.

28 Summers (28 Summers, book 1) by Elin Hilderbrand 28 Summers (28 Summers, book 1) by Elin Hilderbrand

This was my first book by this author and while it wasn’t a bad book, it wasn’t all that great for me either. This is my seventh EH read and despite my one big issue with it, I still thought it a good summer read, but much preferred my recently read EH Summer of 69. Mallory has just inherited her aunt's cottage on Nantucket, so she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party over Labor Day weekend.The deeper I get into this world the more I realise that incredible stories exist all around us, we just need to look for them. Inspired by the film Same Time, Next Year, 28 Summers tells the tale of Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud who meet one Labor Day weekend in Nantucket, the chemistry is instantaneous but each person recognizes they are different places in their lives and agree that each year they will reunite in that last week of August. I finally got curious because “28 Summers” has been the number one best seller on the New York Times list for weeks—- maybe months! I want my kids to grow up in a world where men have new reference points for masculinity - one which acknowledges their basic human needs to connect, talk, openly experience the full spectrum of human emotions and show vulnerability to rediscover the power of human connection. The complexities of Mal and Jake’s story, their sweeping love for each other, their inability to give each other up and the number of years their story lasted truly made for a stunning read that evoked the same feelings as Meggie and Father Ralph.

28 SUMMERS | Kirkus Reviews 28 SUMMERS | Kirkus Reviews

This brings me to my greatest and only real grievance with 28 Summers: very little of the actual narrative is dedicated to covering Mal and Jake's time together. I also thought EH did a wonderful job of bringing an atmospheric Nantucket to life, and really enjoyed how she began each year with historical facts of the time. Come for the sailing, the sunsets, and the sweet romance, stay for the cold gin and tonics, the lobster dinners, and truly unparalleled picnics: “rare roast beef, Boursin, and arugula pinwheel sandwiches, chicken and potato sandwiches with celery and chives; a marinated cucumber salad from the Baltimore Junior League cookbook, and lemon bars with a coconut shortbread crust. Mallory is a Baltimore girl, born and raised in Anne Tyler territory, who inherits a Nantucket beach cottage from her gay aunt.While I am not sure that this is fair, and I don’t think I’d agree to it, this, my friends, is fiction and I truly enjoyed listening to this extremely well written, beautifully plotted novel, even if I would never put myself in that position. There’s a heart-wrenching yearning threaded throughout and a desire for the couple to say the hell with it, and really give it go. I was amazed at how little they genuinely knew about each other due to the restrictions they imposed on themselves for not contacting each other in between their annual weekend.