Kirkus Review
A middle-aged widow meets a handsome CEO and is finally getting another chance at love, but she has her work cut out for her when she tries to blend two families of adult children.After Alison loses her husband of 29 years, she resigns herself to the quiet life of grandmother and underappreciated family matriarch. Following almost six years of this sedate existence, she meets David Gladstone at a summer cocktail party in Nantucket, and she's shocked to discover she has romantic chemistry with another living soul. After a whirlwind courtship, Alison and David decide to marry and live out their retirement together. They begin preparing for their wedding and bring their four adult children to Nantucket to become better acquainted with each other. Alison's daughters have never gotten along well, and the situation grows all the more complicated when David's children step into the mix. Alison's younger daughter, Felicity, is the mother of toddlers who is navigating her own strained marriage. She has long viewed her older sister, Jane, as an uptight career woman who wants little to do with Felicity or her family. However, when the sisters meet Poppy, David's daughter and successor CEO of his thriving hand cream company, Felicity and Jane find themselves on the same team against a common enemy. And let's not forget Ethan, David's divorced playboy son who flirts relentlessly with Alison's daughters, causing additional complications. As the summer progresses, Jane and Felicity each grapple with issues in their marriages and begin to question many of their preconceived notions about the other. As the chaos in the Gladstone home increases in tandem with the summer temperatures, the reader can't help but wonder if Alison and David's relationship can survive the heat.A delightful beach-town tale about family relationships and second chances. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Thayer's (Secrets in Summer, 2017) latest Nantucket confection does not disappoint. Alison has spent her life caring for others, and David Gladstone wants to make sure their wedding is perfect for her. Their adult children, though, threaten their bliss. Alison's daughters, steady Jane and flighty Felicity, come for a Nantucket weekend of wedding planning, only to be interrupted by David's son, the dashing, divorced Ethan. Still, his flirty presence is preferable to David's daughter, Poppy, who is pregnant with her third child and unhappy about how her father's new wife will affect her taking over the family company. After a competitive childhood, Jane and Felicity bond over marital problems: Felicity's husband works too much on his natural food startup, and Jane's husband is not thrilled that she suddenly wants a child. Alison tries to stay out of it her children are old enough to deal with their own problems but old habits die hard. With plenty of beach house porn (decks with views! cork floors in the kitchen!), A Nantucket Wedding is a Nancy Meyers film in book form and should be recommended accordingly.--Maguire, Susan Copyright 2018 Booklist
Library Journal Review
After 29 years of marriage to the love of her life, Alison was shocked and grief-stricken by her husband's sudden death, so six years later she's happily surprised to be in love again and engaged to David, the CEO of a skin-care line. Her daughters, Felicity and Jane, arrive at David's summer house on Nantucket, MA, to help with wedding planning and enjoy a short vacation sans husbands and kids. The two very different sisters soon find they have more in common than they realized as they soak up the island sun. Things aren't all smooth sailing, though, as relationships become strained when David's adult children arrive. As Felicity and Jane navigate the challenges of befriending new family while also contending with bumps in their marriages, Alison kindly tries to bring them all together. In the end, it proves to be an unforgettable season on the island. Verdict One of Thayer's (Secrets in Summer) best Nantucket novels yet, this book expertly teases out the joys and hardships of family life while also lovingly portraying the idyllic setting. [See Prepub Alert, 11/26/17.]-Melissa DeWild, Spring Lake Dist. Lib., MI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
