Nantucket Nights…just the name sounds like it should have Fabio on the cover and give Fifty Shades of Grey a run for its money. It practically screams Don Johnson running down the street with a pastel t-shirt and white jacket. If you think all of this sounds dumb, that’s because Nantucket Nights is a dumb novel. While there is a plethora of intelligent chick lit out there (Hilderbrand’s latest books, Silver Girl and Summerland are two examples), this is not one of them.Kayla is a Nantucket housewife married to Raoul with four children (one of which is a central character). Val, Kayla’s friend, is a high-powered attorney. Antoinette is…um, just someone that they both know (You can’t really call her a friend because in her words “she doesn’t want to have any friends."). Twenty years ago, these three women started a ritual where they went swimming on the Friday before Labor Day and shared their innermost secrets. They named themselves the “Night Swimmers.” Now, it’s time again, with all three having big secrets, to grab lobsters and champagne and go swimming! But one decides to dance straight into the water, and lo and behold, goes missing! Did she drown? Did something more sinister happen?
Does that paragraph entice you to read Nantucket Nights? Probably not. However, just because the plot leaves a lot to be desired doesn’t mean Hilderbrand isn’t a great writer. I’ve given plenty of her books a 4 or 5 and am reading one now that I love. While there are some exciting parts, the storyline and extremely unsympathetic characters make this novel one I wouldn’t recommend.
MY RATING - 2
