Three hours. This book is three hours long. I need to talk about this because I have feelings.
Look, I loved 28 Summers. LOVED it. It was one of those books that made me ugly-cry in the school pickup line and I had to pretend I had allergies in front of the other moms. Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls did the exact same thing to me - that specific kind of emotional gut-punch that arrives completely without warning and leaves you blinking in a parking lot wondering why you did this to yourself. So when I saw Elin Hilderbrand wrote a sequel - a continuation of Jake and Mallory's world - I downloaded it faster than Lucas can destroy a clean living room. But here's the thing. Three hours is not a book. Three hours is a long podcast episode. Three hours is how long Sophie's nap was that one miraculous Tuesday in February. I finished this in a single day without even trying, and honestly? I'm a little mad about it.
One Labor Day Weekend, Hold the Depth
So here's what you're getting: Jake McCloud goes back to Nantucket for Labor Day weekend 2023, but without Mallory this time. And instead of the sweeping decades-long love story that made the original so devastating, we get... one weekend. With a lot of catching up on secondary characters like Link and Bess, whose romance felt like Hilderbrand was playing matchmaker at a dinner party where the chemistry just wasn't there. The reunion scenes had moments - little flickers of that Nantucket magic - but it's like going back to your favorite vacation spot and finding out they remodeled the restaurant you loved. It's fine. It's just not the same.
The emotional wrap-up bits genuinely got me. There's closure here for people who needed it after 28 Summers, and I did need it, I'll admit that freely. But some of the character pairings felt like Hilderbrand was tying bows on packages that didn't need wrapping. Not everything needs a neat ending. (Says the woman who literally demands satisfying endings. I contain multitudes. I also contain three juice boxes and a granola bar wrapper in my coat pocket.)
Erin Bennett Is Carrying This Thing on Her Back
Okay, here's where I'll give credit. Erin Bennett narrating Hilderbrand is like peanut butter and jelly at this point - you don't question it, you just enjoy it. She's got this relaxed warmth that makes even the weaker plot points feel like you're catching up with a friend over wine. Her voice shifts between characters aren't dramatic, but they're distinct enough that I never lost track of who was talking, which matters when you're listening while unloading groceries and preventing a toddler from eating a raw potato. (That happened. During chapter three.)
Bennett's read of the more emotional moments - the ones that call back to the original story - landed. She knows these characters. You can hear it in the way she handles Jake's voice, a little more worn than before, a little softer. That said, even a great narrator can only do so much when the material feels like it's rushing to hit all the beats in a runtime shorter than a Marvel movie.
The "Is This a Book or a Long Epilogue" Question
I keep going back and forth. Part of me thinks this should've just been a novella bundled with a reissue of 28 Summers. Part of me is grateful it exists at all because I wasn't ready to leave that world. But at three hours, with a story that covers one weekend and tries to service like six different character arcs? It's spread thin. Like the last bit of cream cheese on a Sunday morning bagel when you've got three kids and no one went to the store.
If you haven't read 28 Summers, do NOT start here. You'll be completely lost. This is fan service, pure and simple. And I say that as someone who is the fan being serviced. I just wanted... more? More time with these people. More of what made the original hurt so good.
Survived 47 pauses and still made sense - but mostly because there wasn't enough plot to lose track of. Car time approved, but only because it literally fits in one car-sitting session.
The Mom Who Wanted More but Still Ate the Whole Thing
Here's my honest take: if you loved 28 Summers and you want one more trip to Nantucket with these characters, this will scratch that itch. Satisfying ending - exactly what I needed, even if the journey there felt rushed. It's like dessert without dinner. Sweet, quick, and you're hungry again an hour later.
Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. Sometimes you need three hours of Nantucket and Erin Bennett's voice and a reason to sit in your car for just a little longer before someone asks you what's for dinner. After You gave me that same permission-to-just-feel-things energy without overstaying its welcome, and it's another one I'd call car-approved without hesitation.
But I wouldn't spend a full credit on it. Borrow this one from Libby. Save your credit for something that'll last you the whole week.
