Nancy Thayer

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Tennessee

A Novel

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER .A longtime Nantucket resident is trying to make the best of a lonely summer. Her spirited granddaughter is learning what she wants out of life. Unforgettable surprises await them both in this magical, multigenerational novel fromNancy Thayer.

"Readers come to Nancy Thayer novels for the idyllic Nantucket beaches and lifestyle, but they stay for the characters."-Mary Alice Monroe

Eleanor Sunderland loves living on Nantucket in a gorgeous cliffside home that has been in her family for decades. Yet this year she can't help but feel a bit isolated, even as the island comes alive with summer travelers. Her best friend has skipped town, leaving Eleanor lonely and feeling nostalgic about her family's weekend trips to the island, made less frequently in the years since her husband's passing. Now her money-driven children complain and beg her to sell her beloved home for a steep payout. Hoping to kick the season off on a good note, Eleanor decides her seventieth birthday may be the perfect occasion for a much-needed reunion.

Fresh from her college graduation, Eleanor's granddaughter, Ari, has just ended an engagement. She longs for a change of scenery and to escape from her parents' snobbish expectations. Taking advantage of her newfound freedom, she heads to Nantucket to clear her head before graduate school, moving in with her grandmother and taking a job at the local beach camp. As she watches Eleanor begin to form a bond with an old acquaintance, Ari herself becomes smitten with a friend's charming older brother. But just as grandmother and granddaughter fall into a carefree routine, a few shocking discoveries throw them off course.

Eleanor and Ari learn to lean on each other through every new challengethey face in life and love, in this tale filled with Nancy Thayer's signature Nantucket magic.

"Nancy Thayer's Family Reunion is a wonderful slice of life."-New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak

Family Reunion

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Curled front cover. A dog eared page corner.

New Jersey

Faye, Marilyn, Alice, and Shirley--four middle-aged women with skills, smarts, determination, and secrets who are all feeling over the hill and out of life--get together to form the Hot Flash Club, where they band together to help one another and themselves get the most out of life. Reprint. 50,000 first printing.

The Hot Flash Club

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California

Missouri

They used to be a happy family. Then her daughter accused his son. . .of rape. Writers Owen and Linda McFarland have been incredibly happy for seven years. During that time they've worked hard to make his son Bruce and her daughter Emily part of a real family on their Massachusetts farm. Now handsome Bruce is a high school senior with a girlfriend he is crazy about. Pretty Emily is a sophomore at the same boarding school. Then shortly before Thanksgiving, Emily tries to kill herself. Confined to a private hospital, a sullen, angry Emily says Bruce raped her. He swears he didn't. One of them is lying. Finding out the truth may tear apart a lifetime of illusions, and a marriage-- in a story about stepfamilies and secrets, trust and love that will touch your heart... An Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild.

An Act of Love

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Michigan

A woman who's husband announces he's leaving her for another woman rents a cottage on Nantucket for a summer vacation with her kids. Complications arise as the same cottage is housing a man who's lost wife and is hoping to reconnect with his distant son.

✖️ The Guest Cottage

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Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Minnesota

Renting a Nantucket cottage after discovering her husband's infidelity, Sophie arrives with her children to discover that a recently widowed single father, Trevor, has also rented the house. By the best-selling author of the Hot Flash Club series.

The Guest Cottage

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

New York

Bodies & Souls

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The intrepid women of The Hot Flash Club are back for the holidays, soothing jingled nerves and stressed shoppers in their exclusive spa and celebrating the joys of the season. In her witty and delightfully wisecracking prose, Nancy Thayer tells a heartwarming tale packed with fun, secrets, romance–and an ample dose of good cheer.

When the Hot Flash friends gather at the spa to trim the Christmas tree, they share steaming mugs of hot chocolate, a few laughs, and a vow to make this holiday one to remember. And it is–but not in the cheerful, ho-ho-ho way they expected. Instead, Christmas brings family conflicts, household accidents, plane delays–and that’s just the beginning.

After a hazardous holiday season, the women make resolutions that they intend to keep . . . in a perfect world. But life–and their friends and relatives–cause complications. Shirley lends financial support to her boyfriend’s schemes, which infuriates Alice, whose own son commits an act she’s not sure she can accept. Marilyn travels to Scotland and falls in love, but her octogenarian mother needs her at home. And when Polly and Faye find themselves pitted against each other by a younger woman, an they overcome this clash to make a new, entrepreneurial dream come true? Then real disaster strikes, bringing new challenges and surprising revelations.

Just as every month of the year throws new problems at us all, so too does the end of the year give us the chance to reunite and put these problems
into their proper perspective. And when the Hot Flash Five get together for the holidays, we should expect nothing less than the unexpected.

Hot Flash Holidays

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Pennsylvania

Known for her heartwarming observations of family life, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer showcases her beloved Nantucket's snowy off-season in this emotionally gratifying and utterly entertaining story.
 
Holidays on this Massachusetts island are nothing short of magical, and the season's wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. Their home is already full of enticing scents of pine, baking spices, and homemade pie.
 
But the warm, festive mood is soon tempered by Nicole's chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arm's length--or, better yet, out of the picture altogether--Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole's holiday preparations. Nicole, however, is not about to let anyone or anything tarnish her first Christmas with her new husband.
 
Nancy Thayer's wonderful tale reminds us that this is the season of miracles. Before the gifts are unwrapped, surprise visitors appear, and holiday joy comes to all, both naughty and nice.
 
Praise for Nancy Thayer

A Nantucket Christmas

"Thayer's Christmas story is as sweet and warm as a fresh-baked cookie. . . . heart-twisting moments and a yuletide miracle will get readers in the holiday mood."--RT Book Reviews
 
"Thayer gives readers of women's fiction another enjoyable foray to Nantucket."--Library Journal
 
Moon Shell Beach
 
"Nancy Thayer has a deep and masterly understanding of love and friendship, of where the two complement and where they collide."--New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand
 
"A beautifully textured story about love, friendship, and forgiveness, a great beach read. It will make you want to pack your bags for Nantucket."--New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah
 
Beachcombers
 
"Thayer's sense of place is powerful, and her words are hung together the way my grandmother used to tat lace."--Dorothea Benton Frank
 
"A charming and fun summer read . . . Readers will love this story of family and love."--The Plain Dealer
 
Summer Breeze
 
"Nancy Thayer is the queen of beach books. . . . All [these characters] are involved in life-changing choices, with all the heart-wrenching decisions such moments demand."--The Star-Ledger
 
"An entertaining and lively read that is perfect for summer reading indulgence."--Wichita Falls Times Record News

A Nantucket Christmas

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Two Holiday Novels

Celebrate the holidays with New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer in this festive collection featuring two heartwarming tales set on Nantucket island.
 
A Nantucket Christmas
 
"As sweet and warm as a fresh-baked cookie."--RT Book Reviews
 
The Yuletide season's wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. But the cheerful mood is soon tempered by Nicole's chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arm's length--or, better yet, out of the picture altogether--Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole's first Christmas with her new husband. Yet, in the season of miracles, holiday joy has a way of coming to all, both naughty and nice.
 
An Island Christmas
 
"Thayer vividly depicts the joys and frustrations of family life against the beautiful Nantucket backdrop."--Library Journal
 
It's Christmas time and Felicia has returned to her family's home on the island to marry her rugged boyfriend, Archie. Every snow-dusted street and twinkling light is picture-perfect for a dream wedding. Except a lavish ceremony is not Felicia's dream at all; it's what her mother, Jilly, wants. Worried that her daughter's life with daredevil Archie will be all hiking and skydiving, Jilly embarks on a secret matchmaking campaign for Felicia and their handsome neighbor Steven Hardy. With the arrival of Jilly's older daughter, Lauren, fueling tensions, and the family careening toward a wedding disaster, an unexpected twist reminds everyone of the true meaning of the season.

A Very Nantucket Christmas

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Ohio

Wedding bells are ringing--and a widowed mother of two hopes the occasion will reunite her daughters in this captivating novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Island House and Secrets in Summer. "A delightful beach-town tale about family relationships and second chances."--Kirkus Reviews A few years after losing her beloved husband, Alison is doing something she never thought she would do again: getting married. While placing the finishing touches on her summer nuptials, Alison is anxious to introduce her fiancé, David, to her grown daughters: Felicity, a worried married mother of two, and Jane, also married but focused on her career. The sisters have a somewhat distant relationship and Alison hopes that the wedding and the weeks leading up to the ceremony will give the siblings a chance to reconnect, as well as meet and get to know David's grown children. As the summer progresses, it is anything but smooth sailing. Felicity stumbles upon a terrible secret that could shatter her carefully cultivated world. Jane finds herself under the spell of her soon-to-be stepbrother, Ethan, who is as charming as he is mysterious. And even Alison is surprised (and slightly alarmed) by her new blended family. Revelations, intrigue, resentments--as the Big Day approaches, will the promise of bliss be a bust? Against the gorgeous backdrop of the sunswept island of Nantucket, Nancy Thayer sets the stage for a walk down the aisle no one will ever forget. Praise for A Nantucket Wedding "[Nancy] Thayer's latest Nantucket confection does not disappoint. . . . [A Nantucket Wedding] is a Nancy Meyers film in book form and should be recommended accordingly."--Booklist "Thayer proves once again that she is a master of the perfect beach read. . . . A Nantucket Wedding is a compelling drama . . . in an idyllic Nantucket setting. With strong characters with real, relatable problems, fans will no doubt enjoy her latest and want to add it to their reading collection."--RT Book Reviews

A Nantucket Wedding

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One life-changing summer on Nantucket brings about exhilarating revelations for a single mother and her two grown children in this sensational novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.

"Wholesome and hopelessly romantic."-Kirkus Reviews

Lisa Hawley is perfectly satisfied living on her own. Having fully recovered from a brutal divorce nearly two decades earlier, she has successfully raised her kids, Juliet and Theo, seeing them off to college and beyond. As the owner of a popular boutique on Nantucket, she's built a fulfilling life for herself on the island where she grew up. With her beloved house in desperate need of repair, Lisa calls on Mack Whitney, a friendly-and very handsome-local contractor and fellow single parent, to do the work. The two begin to grow close, and Lisa is stunned to realize that she might be willing to open up again after all . . . despite the fact that Mack is ten years her junior.

Juliet and Theo worry that Mack will only break their mother's heart-and they can't bear to see her hurt again. Both stuck in ruts of their own, they each hope that a summer on Nantucket will provide them with the clarity they've been searching for. When handsome entrepreneur Ryder Hastings moves to the island to expand his environmental nonprofit, Juliet, an MIT-educated web designer, feels an immediate attraction, one her rocky love life history pushes her to deny at first. Meanwhile, free spirit Theo finds his California bliss comes to a brutal halt when a surfing injury forces him back to the East Coast. Upon his return, he has eyes only for Mack's daughter, Beth, to whom he is bound by an unspeakable tragedy from high school. Can they overcome their past?

As the season unfolds, a storm threatens to shatter the peace of the golden island, forcing Lisa, Juliet, and Theo to decide whether their summer romances are destined for something more profound. Nancy Thayer dazzles again in this delightful tale of family, a reminder that sometimes, finding our way back home can bring us unexpected gifts.

Girls of Summer

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"Soak up the sun with this delightful novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer! Every summer since college, twenty-nine-year-old Courtney has traded the familiarity of the Midwest for the allure of Nantucket. Now an established university professor, she finds herself caught between two lifestyles and two very different men. Because this summer has taken an unexpected turn and now she must decide what she really wants"--

The Island House

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From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Moon Shell Beach" comes a moving new novel about an unexpectedly magical summer for three generations of women.

Summer House

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When the will of a recently deceased ladies' man mandates a summer-long reunion for his daughters from different marriages at his posh Nantucket house, the three sisters are forced to confront long-festering resentments and misunderstandings as well as challenges in their private and professional lives, a situation that is complicated by a shocking revelation and the arrival of their mothers.

Island Girls

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Louisiana

Growing up, Lara always dreamed of leaving Nantucket to become a writer. Now that she's a bestselling novelist living in New York City, she realizes that success isn't what she thought it would be. Confused, and with a harrowing case of writer's block, Lara misses the island way of life more than ever. But going back to Nantucket out of the blue isn't so easy, as a deep rift with her childhood best friend, Isabelle, has kept the two from speaking for years. When her mother is laid off from her job and becomes depressed, Lara reluctantly comes home, leaving a failed relationship and hopefully her other troubles behind. But facing her estranged best friend is harder than she expects. And falling for Isabelle's brother, Sebastian-who was also Lara's teenage crush-only complicates things. Lara soon realizes that she must remedy the mistakes of her past in order to find true happiness.

Surfside Sisters

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Since opening up their day spa, The Haven, the wonderful women of the Hot Flash Club have been busy indulging the beleaguered, nerve-frazzled throngs. Now, in Nancy Thayer’s hilarious new Hot Flash novel, it’s the friends’ turn to grab some soothing, and much-deserved R&R.

When a long-time Haven client asks the gals to housesit her Nantucket hideaway for the summer, they’re beyond thrilled; the cozy island enclave is the perfect place to shop, swim, chill, and plan Marilyn’s upcoming wedding to Ian, her Scottish fiancé. And Marilyn desperately needs the break, since Ian’s grown son has crashed at the couple’s place with no departure date in sight.

Soon after they arrive, the other hot flashers surrender to their own summer flings: Shirley entertains a steamy dalliance with a scruffy, sexy local fisherman that could lead to something deeper; Faye finds her dream house, but restoring it could be a costly nightmare; craft-maven Polly is enthralled by the island’s bounty, from shell art to lightship baskets; and even hardboiled Alice swoons with romantic adventure–or is it seasickness?

But this lovefest among the sand and ocean breezes is not without its consequences. Each woman must determine for herself what she is willing to give up in order to hold onto what she has found–and all of them fear that Shirley is on the brink of making a huge mistake, one that threatens their harmony and their business. But these concerns may be eclipsed by the mystery surrounding the disappearance of family heirlooms at the house where they are staying, and rumors that the place harbors spirits other than Grey Goose and Tanqueray.

Nancy Thayer continues her hugely successful Hot Flash series with this wickedly funny, delightfully bawdy tale. These irresistible women spring to life–along with their passions, their sorrows, their joys, and, most importantly, their friendship. So pack your bags and join these fabulous five for a season of fun, sun, love, sex, and estrogen therapy.

The Hot Flash Club Chills Out

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Texas

Unerringly perceptive, superbly written, every page packed with the warmth and compassionate wisdom that have become Nancy Thayer's trademark, Heat Wave tells the moving story of a woman who, after her seemingly perfect life unravels, must find the strength to live and love again.

Making the startling discovery that her family finances are in dire straits is only the latest shock endured by Carley Winsted after her husband's sudden death from a heart attack. Resisting her in-laws' well-meaning overtures to take in Carley and her two daughters, the young widow instead devises a plan to keep her family in their beloved home, a grand historic house on the island of Nantucket.

The solution is right at Carley's front door: transforming her expensive, expansive house into a bed-and-breakfast. Not everyone, however, thinks this plan prudent or quite respectable--especially not Carley's mother-in-law. Further complicating a myriad of challenges, a friend forces Carley to keep a secret that, if revealed, will undo families and friendships. 

When her late husband's former law partner keeps showing up at the most unexpected times, Carley must cope with an array of mixed feelings. And then, during a late-summer heat wave, the lives of Carley and her friends and family will be forever changed in entirely unexpected ways. 

Lyrical, emotional, dramatic, and ultimately wonderfully uplifting, Nancy Thayer's latest novel is compelling from its first page to its last.

Heat Wave

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New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer evokes the shimmering seascape of Nantucket in a delightful novel that resonates with the heartache and hope of growing up, growing wise, and the bittersweet choices we must be brave enough to make.
 
Courtney Hendricks will never forget the magical summers she spent on Nantucket with her college roommate, Robin Vickerey, and Robin's charismatic, turbulent, larger-than-life family, in their gorgeous island house. Now a college English professor in Kansas City, Courtney is determined to experience one more summer in this sun-swept paradise. Her reason for going is personal: Courtney needs to know whether Robin's brother James shares the feelings she's secretly had for him.
 
Time with the Vickerey family always involves love and laughter, and this season is no different. Vivacious matriarch Susanna Vickerey is celebrating her sixtieth birthday, but beneath the merriment, trouble is brewing. The family patriarch, Dr. Alastair Vickerey, is quiet and detached, while unspoken tension looms over oldest son Henry, a respected young surgeon. Warm and witty Robin, the most grounded of the siblings, is keeping a secret from her parents. Iris, the colorful baby of the brood, remains rudderless and in need of guidance. And the sexy, stunningly handsome, untouchable James--to Courtney's dismay--may be in love with a beautiful and vibrant local artist. As the summer unfolds, a crisis escalates, surprising truths are revealed, and Courtney will at last find out where her heart and her future lie.
 
Weaving the trials and uncertainty of real life into a tapestry of passion, hope, and courage, The Island House is a beautifully told story about the ties that bind us--and how the blessings of love and family heal us in ways we never dream possible.

Praise for The Island House

"Thayer's latest should be filed under a Best Beach Reads of 2016 list. . . . The characters are complex and their struggles and concerns feel real. . . . Thayer has a really wonderful ability to showcase the meaning of family."--RT Reviews

"A perfect book to read while sticking your toes in the sand this summer!"--Bookish Devices

"A touching story about friendship, family, and the uncertainty of love."--Bustle

Praise for Nancy Thayer

The Guest Cottage

"A sweet book with romance, laughter, and love after loss . . . Thayer knows her Nantucket history, and it shines in this book."--RT Book Reviews

"It's a pleasant escape to a state of mind in which rebuilding a life is as simple as pitching an umbrella and spreading out a towel."--Kirkus Reviews

Nantucket Sisters
 
"Thayer obviously knows her Nantucket, and the strong sense of place makes this the perfect escapist book for the summer, particularly for fans of Elin Hilderbrand."--Booklist
 
"Thayer keeps readers on the edge of their seats with her dramatic story spanning the girls' childhood to adulthood. This wonderful beach read packs a punch."--Library Journal
 
Island Girls
 
"A book to be savored and passed on to the good women in your life."--Susan Wiggs
 
"Full of emotion and just plain fun, this novel is delightful."--Romance Reviews Today

Mississippi

NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Old secrets come to light when four friends gather on Nantucket for a life-changing reunion in this heartwarming novel of love and self-discovery by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.

"The next generation discovers the magic of the island in this big-hearted book so vivid you'll almost be able to smell the ocean air as you turn each page."--E! News

When four strangers rent bargain-basement rooms in an old hotel near the beach, they embark on the summer of their lives. First there's Ariel Spencer, who has big dreams of becoming a writer and is looking for inspiration in Nantucket's high society. Her new friend Sheila Murphy is a good Catholic girl from Ohio whose desire for adventure is often shadowed by her apprehension. Then there's small-town Missourian Wyatt Smith, who's immediately taken with Ariel. The last of the four, Nick Volkov, is looking to make a name for himself and have a blast along the way. Despite their differences, the four bond over trips to the beach, Wednesday-night dinners, and everything that Nantucket has to offer. But venturing out on their own for the first time, with all its adventure and risks, could change the course of their lives.
 
Twenty-six years after that amazing summer, Ariel, Sheila, Wyatt, and Nick reunite at the hotel where they first met. Now it's called The Lighthouse and Nick owns the entire operation with his wife and daughter. Ariel and Wyatt, married for decades, arrive with their son, and Sheila's back too, with her daughter by her side. Life hasn't exactly worked out the way they had all hoped. Ariel's dreams have since faded and been pushed aside, but she's determined to rediscover the passion she once had. Nick has the money and reputation of a successful businessman, but is it everything he had hoped for? And Sheila has never been able to shake the secret she's kept since that summer. Being back together again will mean confronting the past and finding themselves. Meanwhile, the next generation discovers Nantucket: Their children explore the island together, experiencing love and heartbreak and forging lifelong bonds, just as their parents did all those years ago. It's sure to be one unforgettable reunion.
 
This delightful novel from beloved storyteller Nancy Thayer explores the potential of dreams and the beauty of friendship.

Summer Love

86c7c39b-6520-43a2-83d0-7e3610055327-1

Arkansas

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Young, brilliant, and engaged to the perfect guy, Kelly Macleod feels ready to begin her new appointment as a Massachusetts judge. With all her dreams coming true, Kelly never envisions what might go wrong... Then a chance meeting with a man at a cemetery awakens an unexpected passion in Kelly. Agreeing not to reveal their real names to each other, Kelly and the stranger begin an affair. But Kelly's lover is really Randall Madison, a doctor on the brink of divorcing his wife, Anne, a well-known political candidate who will stop at nothing to gain custody of their daughter. In the courtroom, as well as the bedroom, his life will unexpectedly dovetail with Kelly's. And as a secret from Kelly's own past re-emerges, she must make a life-changing decision, as a judge-and as a woman. A spellbinding novel about betrayal and desire, Custody looks at today's families, children caught between warring parents, and the price men and women pay for love....

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