I just read 28 Summers, my first book by the amazingly popular Elin Hilderbrand, and almost immediately fell in love with it. I'm ready to read all of her books now!
Mallory Blessing is about to die from cancer, so she asks her son Link to call the number written on a piece of paper in her desk drawer. He can't believe who answers: Jake McCloud, who may very well become America's first First Gentleman, as his wife, Senator Ursula de Gournsey, is running for president. Link has no idea how Jake and his mother know each other, but Jake asks Link to tell Mallory to hang on, because he's on his way.
The story flashes back to the summer of 1993. Mallory has just inherited her aunt's cottage on Nantucket, so she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party over Labor Day weekend. She's excited that one of his best friends from college, Jake McCloud, is coming, because while she's never met him, she has a serious crush on him from some of the phone conversations they've had. When he arrives, their connection is immediate and the chemistry between them is intense. But he lives in Washington, DC, and has been dating his girlfriend on and off again since they were teenagers. How could anything ever work between them for real?
They make a pact that they'll get together every Labor Day weekend, regardless of their relationship status or whatever is going on in their lives. They don't keep in touch otherwise but they're always in each other's thoughts. Can the rest of their lives move on regardless of this arrangement? What does that mean for the presence of others, the possibility of other relationships, or future plans?
28 Summers was inspired by the classic movie Same Time, Next Year, and it's a powerful testament to love, friendship, family, parenthood, and the magic of romance. I wanted to shake the characters sometimes, but I just loved this story so much. It made me laugh, it made me hungry (they're always eating, it seemed), it made me long to visit Nantucket, and, of course, it made me cry.
I love the way Hilderbrand writes. Her storytelling is just so engaging, so warmhearted, and I found myself rooting for these characters. This book was exactly what I needed, and I read it in just a few hours. Can't wait to pick up another of her books!
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