Review: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Title: Nantucket Blue

Author: Leila Howland

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: May 7th 2013

Source: Borrowed ARC

My Rating: 4/5

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue. (Summary from Goodreads)

I went into Nantucket Blue knowing nothing about it. Seriously, nothing. From the title I got that it was set in Nantucket, and the cover looked exactly like the beach read I was craving. I went into it hoping I would get a light book, filled with fun, heart, and some romance and that's exactly what I got. Nantucket Blue was the perfect beach read.

I have put "spend a summer on Nantucket" on my list of things I need to do after reading this book. It simply sounds like such a stunning place. One full of possibility, opportunity, and lots of beaches. It was the perfect backdrop to this story all about growth and change. Cricket (besides being owner of an awesome name) was cute. There wasn't anything ultra memorable about her, but she was a fun character to narrate the book. I wanted things to work out for her, and she was a good person. Cricket was someone to root for and I really wanted to see how her story would play out.

Nantucket Blue had a lot of different plot points, and Cricket had to deal with some emotional and difficult issues. She had a very strained relationship with her mother, and found solace in Jules' family. But when they suffered their own crisis, and rejected Cricket in the process, she really had to learn to stand on her own two feet. Her friendship with Jules had me all over the place! I was sad and angry, then happy and laughing. They both dealt with their grief in very different ways and it was hard watching their friendship fissure because of it. There was a point in the book where I paused and thought "um, what plot am I supposed to follow?" There were so many different things going on and I could not figure out how they were all going to come together. Thankfully, I had an aha! moment and by the end, the plot had tied up in a neat little bow. And it was great! I really liked how everything came full circle and there weren't a lot of plot points left dangling.


Speaking of plot points, the romance itself was a bit unexpected. At first, I thought it was going to be with her school boy crush Jay. Then, when that seemed to not be the route, I thought maybe it would be an illicit romance with her boss. But no. The romance was, in fact, with the person I least expected. When we first meet Zach, he's that adorable quirky younger brother of Jules. I thought he was cute, the kind of guy that would grow up to be a heart-breaker. But, as the story progressed, I saw that my initial judgement of him was wrong. He already was pretty mature, and well on his way to being a heartthrob. The relationship he had with Cricket was sweet, and caring. They were a well-matched duo, that had me smiling throughout. It was a surprising romance, but one I really enjoyed.

Nantucket Blue was a fun, heart-warming novel about family, friends, and learning to stand on your own. Definitely a book to read this summer!

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)