Never thought there'd be a sequel, but so glad that there was!

Nantucket Red is the sequel to Nantucket Blue, which I really, really loved.  Howland does a great job of reminding us what happened in Blue, without it seeming forced or Cliff Notesy.  There is more heart-break here, more growing up for Cricket.  Now she has just gradutated high school and will be attending Brown in the fall.  She is trying to earn enough money so that she will be able to live in the dorms, rather than at home, so she heads back to Nantucket for the summer. 

There Once was a Girl from Nantucket

Nantucket Blue is a great summer read. It reminded me a bit of the Jenny Han series We'll Always Have Summer/Summer I Turned Pretty/It's Not Summer Without You deal and I know fans of that series will love this book, but it's not a rip-off. Cricket is from Providence, RI but is spending her first summer on Nantucket, determined to work her way back to her best friend, Jules, and also have a summer fling with a boy she has been crushing on since middle school.
Needless to say things don't go according to plan.
Cricket is a great character, though I don't see what she sees in Jules as a best friend.
The book has a great setting, great heart-break and great romance. It is more than a sweet summer loving story though, as it deals with real-life issues like loss of a loved one and finding one's self. Totally great!