Book Review: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  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.

 

My Thoughts:  Cricket is excited to be invited to spend the summer with her best friend in Nantucket.  Cricket's own parents have divorced and her father is remarried with an adopted son.  Cricket's mom is just depressed so it is no wonder that Cricket spends all her time at her best friend's house.  

 

Jules is Cricket's best friend and is also excited for Cricket to come to Nantucket with them until the unthinkable happens.  Suddenly, Jules is distant and tells Cricket she is no longer invited to Nantucket.  In fact, Jules is just downright mean!  Now, with what happened, you want to understand where Jules is coming from but seriously, the girl is just cruel!

 

Cricket is determined to get away from her family for the summer however and since the guy she has been crushing on is going to Nantucket, Cricket is determined to find her way there.  Plus, despite the fact that Jules is being a witch, Cricket really wants to be there for her.  She finds a job on the island and stays and even when Jules makes it clear that she wants Cricket nowhere around her, Cricket stays and makes new friends...even a new crush.  

I really liked Cricket even though sometimes I thought she should just let go of Jules.  She really wanted to help Jules through this incredibly difficult time and be there for her but Jules really made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with Cricket.  Cricket wasn't desperate or needy but she was definitely waiting for Jules to come around.  I did like how determined she was to find a job though and how she really just made it all work out for herself.  

Liz was an awesome character!  Liz worked with Cricket at the inn and they became friends quickly.  Liz is a little crude and pushy but I loved her loud character.  I also really liked Gavin and George.  They really helped Cricket grow.  Without them, Cricket wouldn't have been able to stay on the island.  

Jules was just downright nasty.  Now, I understand that what Jules was going through wasn't easy so don't get me wrong.  However, in my real life, I had a VERY similar situation happen.  When my "friend" became very rude and nasty, despite all my attempts at being there for her, I finally had to let the friendship go.  Cricket was definitely a better friend that I was or would be as she continued to stick by Jules, even from a distance. Jules was very caught up in herself and really, she was not a good friend at all.

The romance was surprising and very good.  I loved that it was "forbidden" in a sense but I also really liked that Cricket didn't let that stop her from doing what she wanted and being with who she wanted.  The guy was sweet and I think it was obvious in retrospect but caught me off guard at the same time.  

I loved reading about Nantucket in the summer (I have never been there) and also getting to learn more about Cricket's mother through her hilarious diary!  There is some mature content in this book so I would recommend it to older teens but it was very enjoyable read!