Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland (Nantucket #1): Review

Title: Nantucket Blue (Nantucket #1)
Author: Leila Howland
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Buy This Book: Book Depository / Amazon  

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.
Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t. 
When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.
But it’s the things Cricket hadn't counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.
A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue. (Goodreads summary.)

Nantucket Blue turned out to be a perfect summer read, something you could devour in one day lounging in the sun. Leila Howland transported me to Nantucket, her descriptions were so vivid that I felt like I was there along with Cricket. I didn't have many expectations because I didn't know too much about the book, but it surprised me and really impressed me. I now have a new book to add to my list of perfect Summer reads; reading it made me feel like summer was already here.

The blurb hints at a devastating tragedy that Cricket's best friend Jules and her family will go through. I won't ruin it, even though you know what's coming very early on, but it did hit me pretty hard. It was one of those storylines that hit too close to home and ended up devastating me a little. But that did work to get me connected to the story almost instantly.

Cricket's friendship with Jules changes after the tragedy, partly without Cricket even realising. To a certain extent, I found that aspect of it very realistic to how someone can react in that situation. I have seen it myself and it does happen, especially the 'my pain is clearly more painful than anyone else's pain, how dare you be upset?!?'. But, Jules needed a slap after a while. She has a grace period, where it is acceptable to act like that after what you have been though. But after a while you need to realise that you need to suck it up, get on with it and stop treating everyone around you like crap.

Cricket was a character that I liked, but didn't fall in love with. I think it was just that some of the decisions that she made drove me a little crazy. But I think that was what made her a very realistic teenager, she makes mistakes and split second decisions. She also got me wondering what is with all these books lately and characters named Cricket. Is that actually a name in the US or something? I have seen quite a lot of books with characters who have that name. That's not a name, it's a bug or a really, really boring sport. It's like naming your kid Centipede or Basketball, you just don't do it.

This, to me, was a perfect beach read because you can read it in one sitting. It transports you to Nantucket and you can feel the sun on your face, smell the ocean air and almost taste the food yourself. It was a really easy read, and a little predictable too. I guessed pretty early on where the romance was going to go and with who, but I liked the romance in this.

4/5 Stars

This was a really easy read, perfect for reading in one sitting. It was a little predictable at times, but not in a bad way. The romance was really sweet and cute, and it was realistic of first love. It has made me very excited to read the sequel to this one. This is a perfect summer read.