The Summer We Started Over: A Novel

The Summer We Started Over by Nancy Thayer takes us to Nantucket, Massachusetts. The author's vivid descriptions made me feel like I was on the island. Unfortunately, that was the best part of the book. I thought the story was lackluster and superficial. The tale plods along with naught happening until the last quarter. We follow the characters as they go about their daily lives during the summer months on Nantucket. There is no action, no tension, and no chemistry. I did not want the characters to be hopping into the sack together, but I did want feel chemistry (have an inkling that they liked each other). The dialogue was shallow (teenagers have had more scintillating conversations). Nothing of importance was discussed. The characters lacked development. I did not find myself interested in the bland characters. Dinah Lavender was not bland, but she was annoying. The characters did not talk or act as they should for their age (dialogue seemed suited to older characters). The story was disjointed and lacked a flow. There was too much repetition (the same details do not need to be repeated ad nauseum). The Summer We Started Over was not an enjoyable story to read (I just wanted to reach the end). While The Summer We Started Over was not for me, I suggest you download a sample to judge it for yourself.