Summer Light on Nantucket

A Novel

A touching novel about parenthood, first love, family bonds, and rekindled relationships from the New York Times bestselling author and beloved Nantucket storyteller Nancy Thayer.

Blythe Benedict is content. Her life didn’t end when her marriage did. In fact, she’s more than happy living in her comfortable house in Boston, working as a middle school teacher, and raising four wonderful children. With three of her kids in the throes of teenagerhood and one not too far behind them, Blythe has plenty of drama to keep her busy every single day.

But no amount of that drama could change the family’s beloved annual summer trip to Nantucket. Blythe has always treasured the months spent at her island home-away-from-home, and has fond memories of her children growing up there. But this summer’s getaway proves to be much more than she bargained for.

Yes, there are sunny days enjoyed at the beach. But Blythe must contend with teenage angst, her ex-mother-in-law’s declining health, and a troubling secret involving her ex-husband. Meanwhile, Blythe reconnects with her first love, her former high school sweetheart Aaden. But their second-time-around romance becomes complicated when another intriguing man enters the picture.

It’s all a bit out of Blythe’s comfort zone. This particular island summer may not be as relaxing as Blythe had hoped, but she’s never felt that life has given her more than she can handle—especially when she has the love and support of her family around her.

©2025 by Nancy Thayer. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Easy summer read

Great content, very relatable for mothers. Enjoyed the nantucket scenery and the middle age relatability of family issues.

Excellent Read

I loved everything about this book and its narration. Thoroughly loved this enjoyed the story from start to finish!

Great story, great narrator!

The story was interesting and has some substance for so long. I’ve got a hold of beach stories that didn’t seem to have a lot of substance to them.
Thank you for having a good narrator. I have either not got so many in the first place because of the sample narrator, or stop the short way in because I couldn’t stand listening to a narrator. I wish authors would take more time picking the narrator because they make the book!

happy ending

I liked the idea of bringing the history of prior teen crushes into the story.

Oh, a nice story

Nice story. Characters are likable enough. A little less than exciting. Daily life with a family focused on teenage angst and a bit of a martyr for a divorced mother. no great shakes, but "nice" depending on what you are looking for.