Like all of Elin Hilderbrand’s novels, once I picked up her most recent beach read, I couldn’t put it down again. The main character, Mallory Blessing inherits a cottage on Nantucket and spends her first summer there in 1993, which is the same year that she meets Jake McCloud. Jake is in a long term relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Ursula, who is cold but extremely professionally accomplished. Instead of pursuing a full-time relationship, Jake and Mallory agree to meet every year on Labor Day, which at the end of the novel in the year 2020 is 28 summers. Coinciding with this year’s presidential election, this novel expands smartly on some of the pressing political and social issues of today. I found it the perfect escape to the island of Nantucket, while still being grounded in today’s landscape. — Julie Travers
