28 Summers
Fiction
Little, Brown
June 16, 2020
Audio (Hardcover purchased)
432
Free ALC from publisher
Their secret love affair has lasted for decades -- but this could be the summer that changes everything.
When Mallory Blessing's son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he's not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It's the late spring of 2020 and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election.
There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other?
Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party. Cooper's friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere -- through marriage, children, and Ursula's stratospheric political rise -- until Mallory learns she's dying.
Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love. (less)
My review:
What are we talking about in 2020? You'll get this reference once you read the book, but my specific answer is that this book received a 5 star rating from me! Two reasons why this is a big deal. One....I've read countless books by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them, however this is the first time she has earned a 5 star (which I'm very stingy with). Two......anyone who reads my blog knows how I feel about romance books (insert eye roll here!). I can count on one hand the number of 5 stars I have given out (and yes, I did go back and look). I've come to the conclusion from looking at past choices, that in order to earn a top rating, the romance book has to have an unusual aspect to it (Me Before You and The Girl He Used To Know are past choices). This book definitely fits the unusual romance story. Based on the movie Same Time Next Year, Mallory and Jake meet every Labor Day weekend on Nantucket. They have no contact the rest of the year, but we do learn about each of their lives throughout the book's chapters (dating from 1993 and up). We also learn from the start, what leads to their last meeting (and I still bawled like a baby even though I knew the ending!). At the beginning of each chapter is a list of what we were talking about that year, which I loved! I got married in September of 1993, so it was neat to chronicle events in the years I've been married. As in all of Hilderbrand's stories, we are transported to Nantucket and her people, places, and things make you feel like you are there. I will place this warning for those who are against any and all forms of infidelity, no matter the circumstances, you should read a bit about the story before deciding to pick it up. And make sure to check out the dedication at the front....let's just say the beginning and end of this one made me cry!
The number one summer read for this year, I can't recommend this one enough. Even for the non-romantics like me (LOL), this one is a winner all the way!
I'm so glad to hear you loved this one. I was never a fan of romances, but was sucked into her Winter series a couple years ago. Now I'm hooked on her books!
This one was just so good (even for my non-romance loving heart)!