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Dubray Review

Summer is about to get into full swing on Nantucket Island.  Students celebrate graduation and dream of long sunny days and party-fuelled nights in this fashionable and privileged enclave of America.  Twins Penny and Hobson are two of the island’s most talented students.  Penny possesses a spectacular singing voice and dreams of becoming a Broadway sensation while Hobson is a star athlete with a bright academic and sporting future ahead of him. An accident, however, results in Penny’s death and Hobson being left in a coma. Jake, Penny’s boyfriend, is heart-broken and inconsolable while Demeter, Penny’s best friend, is so consumed by guilt that she is on the path to self-destruction. Summerland is a totally engrossing read that transports the reader to the shingled beaches of Massachusetts and behind the doors of glamorous beach-fronted properties so familiar to this corner of America.

- Nicola Kennedy, Bray

Description

On the night of high school graduation Nantucket island is alive with parties and celebrations. But for four teenagers life is about to change forever, when Penny crashes her car, killing herself and leaving her twin brother Hobson in a deep coma. Penny's boyfriend Jake and her best friend Demeter escape physical injury. But the real scars lie much deeper than that. And while Jake's family try to take him away from the memories by moving to the west coast of Australia, Demeter has no such opportunity, and finds herself in an unstoppable spiral of self-destruction. Furthermore, as the details of the accident continue to emerge, questions are raised by all those affected. Do the roots of the accident lie further in the past than they seem? Is true healing possible, in even these most devastating circumstances? And can true friendship ever really die?

Reviews

'Takes the chick-lit trope of reclaimed friendship and updates it with a timely twist ... Hilderbrand throws in a handful of plot twists that bounce the story along like a funky old jeep ... SILVER GIRL [is] the kind of safe investment beachgoers should adore' -- Boston Globe 'Hilderbrand captivates with racy narrative, topical references, and characters who are both familiar and memorable' -- People 'It provides a pacey read, with colourful characters that have fascinating motivations. I couldn't get them out of my head for days' -- Sunday Express on SILVER GIRL 'So deliciously addictive that it will be the 'It' beach book of the summer' -- Kirkus Review on THE ISLAND 'An honest, raw tale of friendship and love' -- Cosmopolitan on THE CASTAWAYS 'This book was a great read - you really care what happens to the characters. Perfect holiday reading. I didn't want to put it down' -- Candis on BAREFOOT 'A gem of a summer read with a glamorous location, elite lifestyle, and Hilderbrand's appealing take on the constant stress that fills the lives of women everywhere' -- Booklist on A SUMMER AFFAIR