28 Summers

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Normally I don’t like to read about cheating or lying couples and of course I always feel bad for both of the women: who has been cheated and who has been labeled as other woman. For example, I couldn’t sympathize with Jake feeling indignant when his wife doesn’t remember his annual trip. It’s just repugnant considering he knows perfectly well he cheats on her (and has been doing so for years on end) during those trips. I don’t know where he gets off acting like he has any right to insist on that trip. And prioritizing it above things like his wife’s career is just nuts to me. That’s not romantic, he’s a jerk.

28 Summers By Elin Hilderbrand |The Works

I don't ever read books of this genre so my review should be taken with a grain of salt - or sand! -since I have nothing to compare 28 Summers to.Summers opens with a woman, Mallory Blessing, who is dying of cancer. She asks her son, Link (short for Lincoln), to call someone. It turns out to be a man named Jake McCloud, the husband of a current presidential candidate. They make a pact that they'll get together every Labor Day weekend, regardless of their relationship status or whatever is going on in their lives. They don't keep in touch otherwise but they're always in each other's thoughts. Can the rest of their lives move on regardless of this arrangement? What does that mean for the presence of others, the possibility of other relationships, or future plans? I always say that it isn't summer until I've read the newest Elin Hilderbrand release; however, as 2020 is the "summer of COVID" and everything in New England is canceled, I should have taken it as a sign and skipped over this one, as this was my least favorite Hilderbrand book to date. Emotional and tear-jerking “28 Summers” by Elin Hilderband is a story that is captivating, compelling and all consuming. And I hated, hated how the book kept trying to convince me that Jake’s wife was somehow deserving of this behavior because she works a lot. If you hate it, leave her! It just felt a little sexist, like Hildebrand was punishing this character for having a high-powered career.

28 Summers Series by Elin Hilderbrand - Goodreads

I adored Mallory and Jake's secret relationship! It was so touching and uplifting! I found them both somewhat emotionally stunted and I doubt their love could have survived beyond their Labour Day bubble but it was perfect for them. A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. While I am not sure that this is fair, and I don’t think I’d agree to it, this, my friends, is fiction and I truly enjoyed listening to this extremely well written, beautifully plotted novel, even if I would never put myself in that position. I enjoyed watching the progression of all the characters over three decades, and I also enjoyed the displays of friendship, forgiveness, grief and acceptance. Unfortunately, something about this novel simply didn't grip me like the rest of the Hilderbrand library. Perhaps it's because we learn how the story ends within the first few paragraphs of the book? While I typically like that writing technique...in this instance, it was a bit depressing. I also felt there was some repetitive material, which is entirely expected when the plot involves two people meeting over Labor Day weekend each year...eating the same food, going to the same places, and participating in the same activities.

Jake asks if Mallory has any questions. Well, yes, she does: How is anyone expected to devote eighteen years to raising a child and then, one day, just leave him in an unfamiliar place among strangers twelve hundred miles from home?” Everything at this moment is so sublime that Jake thinks, Freeze! I want to stay right here forever. But of course, life doesn’t work that way. The waves fold over themselves again and again and again, and nothing can stop them.” stars. I recently enjoyed a different book by this author, The Perfect Couple. My high expectations for this book were dashed. Jake didn't respect his marriage or Ursula enough to tell her the truth and leave her or divorce her. I hated how glorified cheating was portrayed in this book. Jake cheats, Mallory cheats, Ursula cheats, Bear cheats. For the last twenty-eight summers, Mallory and Jake have met to rekindle the passionate love affair they began all those years ago. Each married to someone else, with busy lives and happy families, they've managed to keep their secret and to keep their love alive.

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand | Goodreads

This brings me to my greatest and only real grievance with 28 Summers: very little of the actual narrative is dedicated to covering Mal and Jake's time together. While the events of the story take place over 28 Labor Day weekends, we only see them together for maybe a quarter of those long weekends—and even that is a generous estimate. Most of the narrative focuses on their lives apart and covers their major life events each year, with only intermittent and brief accounts of their annual Labor Day encounters, which only grow more infrequent and briefer as the story goes on.I didn’t necessarily agree with the decisions that the characters made in their lives but…as a piece of fiction I allowed myself to go along with the story. The descriptions of the characters, the town, the food, parties, the weddings, the special intimate-Labor Day weekends rendezvouses, First up is my chat with Matt Newbury (@matt_newbz) and Sophie Pierce (@mssophiepierce|) - friends and wild swimmers - talking about the growth in popularity of wild swimming and tips on how to get involved if you are tempted to give it a try!

28 Summers Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary 28 Summers Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary

The biggest determinant of whether you’ll like this book depends on how you feel about a) romantic novels in general and b) cheating in relationships. There’s so much cheating in this book. Mallory Blessing is about to die from cancer, so she asks her son Link to call the number written on a piece of paper in her desk drawer. He can't believe who answers: Jake McCloud, who may very well become America's first First Gentleman, as his wife, Senator Ursula de Gournsey, is running for president. Link has no idea how Jake and his mother know each other, but Jake asks Link to tell Mallory to hang on, because he's on his way. I’m giving four hiccuping, sobbing, weeping , red rimmed stars! I think I should keep sitting on the floor without moving till someone carry me to the other room and give me a glass of Chardonnay to break my shitty mood.After listening to this book, it seemed like she FINALLY ran out of topics to write about. (Ya think?) Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. I loved this book! I think for me the reasons were they were both good people. Yes they were wrong for cheating, but do we sit here and judge? No! Jake stayed with his marriage because he cared about family. Mallory cared about family. In addition, Jake and Mallory have a pact. A phone call telling the other one that a wedding or a child was coming. But, Mallory had to find out about Jake's wedding and child, not by Jake calling her or did I miss it?