Review: Island Girls by Nancy Thayer (audio)

Title: Island Girls   

Author: Nancy Thayer      

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell  

Published: June 2013, Random House Audio   

Length: 10 hours   

Source:  Library

New York Times
bestselling author Nancy Thayer returns to her beloved Nantucket in a
highly emotional, wholly entertaining tale of three sisters forced to
confront the past over one event-filled summer on the island.

Charming ladies’ man Rory Randall dies with one last trick up his
sleeve: His will includes a calculating clause mandating a summer-long
reunion for his daughters, all from different marriages—that is, if they
hope to inherit his posh Nantucket house. Relations among the three
sisters are sour thanks to long-festering jealousies, resentments, and
misunderstandings. Arden, a successful television host in Boston, hasn’t
been back to the island since her teenage years, when accusations of
serious misbehavior led to her banishment. College professor Meg hopes
to use her summer to finish a literary biography and avoid an amorous
colleague. And secretive Jenny, an IT specialist, faces troubling
questions about her identity while longing for her sisters’ acceptance.

To their surprise, the three young women find their newfound sisterhood
easier to trust than the men who show up to complicate their lives. And
if that weren’t problematic enough, their mothers descend on the
island. When yet another visitor drops by the house with shocking news,
the past comes screaming back with a vengeance. Having all the women
from his life under his seaside roof—and overseeing the subsequent drama
of that perfect storm—Rory Randall might just be enjoying a hearty
laugh from above.

My thoughts: Nancy Thayer is quickly becoming another of my go-to authors. I just love her books and find that they are great on audio. Much like Elin Hilderbrand, she sets most of her books on Nantucket, a place that is quickly becoming my favorite book-vacation spot. As I have yet to go to this charming island, I love to live vicariously through the characters that get to live there!

This novel takes a look at the complications that often arise in a blended family. Three
sisters – really half-sisters/step-sisters – who have never really had strong
relationships with each other are brought together as adults after the
death of their father. Stipulated in his will is that they live together in his house on Nantucket for three months in order to get their inheritance. Sounds pretty simple – take a few months off, live in a beautiful house and enjoy each other’s company, right? Wrong!

Despite being ‘sisters’, these three women have hardly had much contact in recent years. Now forced to live together, all going in with the idea that the money at the end will be worth it, they realize this summer will be much more than what they anticipated. Each sister is also dealing with her own set of problems and issues that they end up confronting during the course of the summer. 

Having two sisters myself, I could appreciate the dynamics between these sisters. Slowly, we learn about each one and watch they let their guards down and rebuild the relationships they once had. As the summer progresses, secrets come out, a mystery is solved and the three are able to gather their mothers at the house for some hard truths. And, just as you think all is settled, another surprise pops up.

I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to listen to my next Nancy Thayer book. She is another author who’s books scream summer reading and is now going on my must-read list!

Audio Thoughts: Cassandra Campbell is one of my favorite narrators. I just love listening to her voice and she did a great job with this audio. Each character had their own unique voice and I felt she was able to give each sister’s story just the right amount of compassion.