The Hotel Nantucket

Elin Hilderbrand has made a name for herself writing beach reads that are set in Nantucket, the Massachusetts resort town where she has summered since childhood. Her books are quintessential examples of the genre, delivering escapism through acute local details and high relationship drama while centering character development and growth in her female protagonists.

Nantucket Island, which is 30 miles south of Cape Cod, is separated from the American mainland by water and is an ideal setting for a beach read owing to the seasonal shifts in its population. According to a census conducted in 2020, Nantucket’s year-round population is roughly 14,255, while in summer it increases over five-fold to about 80,000. This influx of newcomers and returning vacationers makes the summer ripe for transformation and drama. In addition to hotels that accommodate novelty-seekers, the presence of vacation homes—for example, those inhabited by the Winslows, Bicks, and Laytons in The Hotel Nantucket—allows for the establishment of a regular migratory community. The Hotel Nantucket features all three types of residents—permanent, returning, and new—which allows Hilderbrand to create a diverse cast of characters with varying levels of familiarity with the island.

However, as the novel focuses on hospitality workers, the short summer season, which the staff builds up to all year, is a high-pressure time.