28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand | Audiobook Review

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
Narrator: Erin Bennett
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (Hachette Audio)
Release Date: June 16, 2020
Length: 432 pages (15 hrs. 26 min.)
Libro.fm       Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

When Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud meet on Nantucket over Labor Day weekend, their connection is undeniable, but life has other plans for them, so each year they save just that weekend for themselves.

From the Publisher

The Draw

• Wonderful beachy, Nantucket setting.
• Reworking of a “Same Time Next Year” story.
• I know Erin Bennett to be a fabulous narrator.

{My Thoughts}

What a delight! I loved this book. I can be a little up and down on Elin Hilderbrand books. Some can be a little fluffy for my taste, but not 28 Summers. As the book begins in 2020, we learn where the story ends. Mallory Blessing, a woman the reader will come to love, is dying. Her 19-year old son is tasked with contacting a man he has no idea his mother even knows. From there the story travels back 28 years to the Labor Day Weekend Mallory first met Jake McCloud. 

Make no mistake about it, this is a love story in the best possible way. Throughout, we get to know Mallory and Jake and people in both their lives. We learn the reasons they stay apart and the reasons they can’t let go. Each chapter is a year that Elin Hilderbrand smartly begins with a list of the highlights of that year: news, politics, entertainment, songs, etc. It was a great way for her to ground her story and keep the reader in touch with the world her characters occupied. Each chapter also featured a different character, mainly Mallory and Jake, but others, too: Mallory’s brother, her best friend, Jake’s wife. All this made 28 Summers, a complex, moving story of life long love. Based on the classic “Same Time Next Year” movie, Elin Hilderbrand ran with it and made it her own. There was one chapter about Jake’s wife that threw me a little and wish had been handled differently, but that’s really the only flaw for me. I predict that 28 Summers will be THE beach read book this year. Pick it up. You’ll be glad you did! Grade: A-

Narration: I can’t speak highly enough of Erin Bennett’s narration. I’ve listened to her before in Fly Girls by Keith O’Brien (my review) and other books. She’s always good, but seemed especially so in 28 Summers. Hilderbrand often referred to Mallory as “our girl” and somehow on audio, that worked particularly well. In print, it might not have had the same appeal, but with Bennett’s smooth inflections and cozy voice, it was like she personally was sharing a story of two people we both cared about. I highly recommend this one on audio! Grade: A

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• How to Walk Away by Katherine Center – Another love story that I didn’t expect to like nearly as much as I did. Also, one I highly recommend on audio. (my review)
• The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez – Maybe I DO like romance! This is another of those SMART romances, that make for perfect summer listening. (my review)

Note: I received a copies of this book from Hachette Audio (via Libro.fm), and from Little, Brown and Company (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.