Write your own review!
Anne M. (Austin, TX)
(05/16/11)
Berg's "Open House" was better
I was about a quarter of the way through this book when it hit me: Elizabeth Berg had written a book very like this one -- but had done it much better. I couldn't feel much sympathy for Carley's loss of her husband, and her older daughter just needed smacking about half the time! The book is an easy read but the ending is too pat and "perfect." It's not a bad book, just not very good. Possibly a good beach-book -- if you don't want to have to think much.
Pamela B. (Monona, WI, WI)
(05/15/11)
Heat Wave
Heat Wave is an easy summer read, not a lot of depth to the story. The ending seems rushed and all too perfect. Some of the emotion one would have expected given the circumstances seem missing or hollow. It also seemed odd a couple of main characters are in limbo in the end.
Nan G. (Mazomanie, WI)
(05/13/11)
Add this to the beach bag!
This time of year, I start my search for fiction that will keep my interest but not be too heavy (both in weight and subject!) to be tossed in the beach bag. Thayer's newest fits the bill perfectly--a well written and engaging look at how grief, loss and change affect the ties that bind women to others: mothers to daughters, friends to friends, lover to lover and more. While it breaks no new ground, it is full of characters that hold your interest and situations that are neatly tied up in the end. In short: a perfect book for that weekend at the shore or the summer cabin!
Carol Rosen(pompton lakes, NJ)
(05/11/11)
Sweet and Simple
"Heat Wave" kept my interest throughout. The story was easy to relate to. The characters were interesting enough to keep going. The ending was better than anticipated. If you like an easy to read book that draws you in enough to want to find out what happens next, and in the end, without needing too much action or suspense, this book will fill your request.
Ann D. (Clermont, GA)
(05/11/11)
New Beginnings
Newly widowed Carley discovers that she and her two young daughters are broke after the sudden death of her husband. She decides to turn her Nantucket home into a B &B much to the dismay of her staid in-laws. This is a story about survival, about the ties that bind friends and family ,and about reliance on inner strength when the world as we know it has collapsed. This is a good read with substance.
Sylvia G. (Scottsdale, AZ)
(05/10/11)
No heat, just warm
Heat Wave is a light, predictable, and comfortable book. A few days after reading it, it's already fading from memory. However, for a book in the women's fiction genre, it has warmth and a story that keeps you reading. Good beach book.
Linda A. (Palo Alto, CA)
(05/10/11)
A Good Summer Read
Thayer invites the reader to know the place and selected people of Nantucket Island, a place I've never been but one I'd like to visit...especially after reading this book. An easy read, the story leads us through the ups and downs in the lives of Las Tres Enchiladas, their families and friends. Birth, death, children, family, romance, all are experienced through the life of Carley who, despite objections, opens a B&B in her mother-in-law's childhood home. Heat Wave is perfect summer reading.
Christine K. (Yakima, WA)
(05/07/11)
Heat Wave
I had difficulty getting through this book but was glad that I did complete it. I felt the characters were flat and I could not get into the feeling of the book until the end---where the characters became more real to me, but that may have been because I could identify with the ending. I would not suggest this to my Book Club.
