
Heat Wave
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $20.25
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Kathe Mazur
-
By:
-
Nancy Thayer
About this listen
Unerringly perceptive, superbly written, every page packed with the warmth and compassionate wisdom that have become Nancy Thayer’s trademark, Heat Wave tells the moving story of a woman who, after her seemingly perfect life unravels, must find the strength to live and love again.
Making the startling discovery that her family finances are in dire straits is only the latest shock endured by Carley Winsted after her husband’s sudden death from a heart attack. Resisting her in-laws’ well-meaning overtures to take in Carley and her two daughters, the young widow instead devises a plan to keep her family in their beloved home, a grand historic house on the island of Nantucket.
The solution is right at Carley’s front door: transforming her expensive, expansive house into a bed-and-breakfast. Not everyone, however, thinks this plan prudent or quite respectable—especially not Carley’s mother-in-law. Further complicating a myriad of challenges, a friend forces Carley to keep a secret that, if revealed, will undo families and friendships. When her late husband’s former law partner keeps showing up at the most unexpected times, Carley must cope with an array of mixed feelings. And then, during a late-summer heat wave, the lives of Carley and her friends and family will be forever changed in entirely unexpected ways. Lyrical, emotional, dramatic, and ultimately wonderfully uplifting, Nancy Thayer’s latest novel is compelling from its first page to its last.
©2011 Nancy Thayer (P)2011 Random HouseListeners also enjoyed...
-
Surfside Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Nantucket woman returns home to find that reunions aren’t always simple, in this heartwarming novel from the New York Times bestselling author. Keely Green always dreamed of leaving the beautiful shores of Nantucket to become a writer. Now she’s a bestselling novelist living in New York City, attending glamorous cocktail parties, mingling with the literary elite, and dating a charming pediatric surgeon. But a moment of clarity strikes when Keely’s boyfriend suddenly wants to settle down and her editor rejects her latest novel.
-
-
Too fluffy!
- By LoRe Bolling on 07-10-19
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Beachcombers
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abbie Fox hasn’t seen her father or two younger sisters in almost two years, during which she’s jetted around the world and experienced life, if not love. But now Lily, the baby of the family, is sending Abbie urgent emails begging her to return home to Nantucket. Their middle sister, Emma, has taken to her bed, emotionally devastated after the loss of her high-powered stockbroker’s job and a shockingly unexpected break-up with her fiancé.
-
-
Insufferable behavior
- By Sonseenahray on 05-08-24
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Secrets in Summer
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Amy McFadden
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It's also Darcy's chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow.
-
-
Secrets in Summer
- By vicki on 08-22-17
By: Nancy Thayer
-
The Guest Cottage
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Janet Metzger
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wendy Anderson is 35, the mother of two children, and happily married - until she discovers her husband Zack has cheated on her. Confused, angry, and lost, she rents a house on Nantucket for two summer months. When she and her children arrive at Isle Stay, she discovers that Trevor Black, 30, recently widowed, and his son Dylan, 5, have also rented the house. Neither one is willing to give up their much-needed vacations, so Wendy and Trevor devise a plan to share the house for the summer.
-
-
Divorced mother moves on
- By Jennifer on 07-17-15
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Summer House
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Emily Durante
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of wandering from whim to whim, 30-year-old Charlotte Wheelwright seems to have at last found her niche. The free spirit enjoys running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of her land on the family's seaside compound to get Charlotte started.
-
-
Best Nancy Thayer book I've read
- By MW on 05-07-15
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Nantucket Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When they meet as girls on a beach in Nantucket, Maggie McIntyre and Emily Porter become fast friends - though Emily’s well-heeled mother would prefer that she associate with the upscale daughters of bankers and statesmen rather than the child of a local seamstress. But the two lively, imaginative girls nevertheless spend many golden summers together building castles in the sand, creating magical worlds of their own, and forging grand plans for their future.
-
-
Decent story
- By Amazon Customer on 08-07-14
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Surfside Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Nantucket woman returns home to find that reunions aren’t always simple, in this heartwarming novel from the New York Times bestselling author. Keely Green always dreamed of leaving the beautiful shores of Nantucket to become a writer. Now she’s a bestselling novelist living in New York City, attending glamorous cocktail parties, mingling with the literary elite, and dating a charming pediatric surgeon. But a moment of clarity strikes when Keely’s boyfriend suddenly wants to settle down and her editor rejects her latest novel.
-
-
Too fluffy!
- By LoRe Bolling on 07-10-19
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Beachcombers
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abbie Fox hasn’t seen her father or two younger sisters in almost two years, during which she’s jetted around the world and experienced life, if not love. But now Lily, the baby of the family, is sending Abbie urgent emails begging her to return home to Nantucket. Their middle sister, Emma, has taken to her bed, emotionally devastated after the loss of her high-powered stockbroker’s job and a shockingly unexpected break-up with her fiancé.
-
-
Insufferable behavior
- By Sonseenahray on 05-08-24
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Secrets in Summer
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Amy McFadden
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Memorial Day weekend means that seasonal visitors have descended on the glamorous island of Nantucket. For year-round resident Darcy Cotterill, it means late-night stargazing in the backyard of the beautiful house she grew up in and inherited from her beloved grandmother. It's also Darcy's chance to hit the beach and meet her new summertime neighbors. But the last person the thirty-year-old librarian expects to see staying next door is her ex-husband, Boyz, along with his wife, Autumn, and stepdaughter, Willow.
-
-
Secrets in Summer
- By vicki on 08-22-17
By: Nancy Thayer
-
The Guest Cottage
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Janet Metzger
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wendy Anderson is 35, the mother of two children, and happily married - until she discovers her husband Zack has cheated on her. Confused, angry, and lost, she rents a house on Nantucket for two summer months. When she and her children arrive at Isle Stay, she discovers that Trevor Black, 30, recently widowed, and his son Dylan, 5, have also rented the house. Neither one is willing to give up their much-needed vacations, so Wendy and Trevor devise a plan to share the house for the summer.
-
-
Divorced mother moves on
- By Jennifer on 07-17-15
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Summer House
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Emily Durante
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of wandering from whim to whim, 30-year-old Charlotte Wheelwright seems to have at last found her niche. The free spirit enjoys running an organic gardening business on the island of Nantucket, thanks in large part to her spry grandmother Nona, who donated a portion of her land on the family's seaside compound to get Charlotte started.
-
-
Best Nancy Thayer book I've read
- By MW on 05-07-15
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Nantucket Sisters
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When they meet as girls on a beach in Nantucket, Maggie McIntyre and Emily Porter become fast friends - though Emily’s well-heeled mother would prefer that she associate with the upscale daughters of bankers and statesmen rather than the child of a local seamstress. But the two lively, imaginative girls nevertheless spend many golden summers together building castles in the sand, creating magical worlds of their own, and forging grand plans for their future.
-
-
Decent story
- By Amazon Customer on 08-07-14
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Belonging
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the host of the successful television show Fabulous Homes, Joanna Jones travels the country showcasing the glamorous homes of the rich and famous. Despite great professional success and an intense, passionate relationship, she still feels something is missing. When an unexpected pregnancy forces her to reevaluate her life, Joanna decides to leave behind frenetic Manhattan. Beckoning her to the gorgeous island of Nantucket is an old sea captain’s house set above the Atlantic Ocean. There, Joanna builds a new life for her small family. But New York isn’t done with her yet.
-
-
Excellent!
- By F. Tague on 06-17-22
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Family Reunion
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby, Whitney Dykhouse
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A longtime Nantucket resident is trying to make the best of a lonely summer. Her spirited granddaughter is learning what she wants out of life. Unforgettable surprises await them both in this magical, multigenerational novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.
-
-
Great story, terrible narrator!
- By Julie H Medici on 07-01-21
By: Nancy Thayer
-
The Island House
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every summer since college, twenty-nine-year-old Jenny has traded the familiarity of the Midwest for the allure of Nantucket. Now an established university professor in Kansas City, she finds herself caught between two lifestyles and two very different men. She chooses Nantucket and the glamorous life she associates with it, unaware that the summer will take an unexpected turn, and she will have to let her heart decide what it truly wants.
-
-
I love Nancy Thayer's style of writing
- By L.W. on 07-31-16
By: Nancy Thayer
-
A Nantucket Wedding
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A few years after losing her beloved husband, Alison is doing something she never thought she would do again: getting married. While placing the finishing touches on her summer nuptials, Alison is anxious to introduce her fiancé, David, to her grown daughters: Felicity, a worried married mother of two, and Jane, also married but focused on her career. The sisters have a somewhat distant relationship and Alison hopes that the wedding and the weeks leading up to the ceremony will give the siblings a chance to reconnect, as well as meet and get to know David’s grown children.
-
-
So boring
- By LRogers on 05-04-18
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Family Secrets
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Though Diane Randall’s jewelry business is a great success, her marriage is not, and she finds herself growing lonely as her children near adulthood. Meanwhile, her eighteen-year-old daughter Julia is falling dangerously in love, and Diane’s mother, Jean, is relishing her newfound freedom as a single woman in Europe. Distracted by their individual concerns, the three women are ill-prepared for the crisis that suddenly appears on Diane’s doorstep in the form of a handsome FBI agent asking about an explosive secret that’s laid buried for decades.
-
-
Nancy! Is there a sequel? What?
- By PattieLynn on 12-02-22
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Let It Snow
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christina Antonioni is preparing for the holidays at her Nantucket toy shop, unpacking last-minute shipments and decorating for her loyal Christmas shoppers. But when her Scrooge of a landlord, Oscar Bittlesman, raises her rent, it seems nearly impossible for Christina to continue business on the wharf. Even so, Christina firmly believes there may be a warm heart underneath Oscar's steely exterior. When she bonds with Wink, his sweet, young granddaughter who frequents the shop, it becomes clear that perhaps he isn't so cold after all.
-
-
Did not enjoy this story at all
- By stephen lee on 12-04-19
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Island Girls
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charming ladies’ man Rory Randall dies with one last trick up his sleeve: His will includes a calculating clause mandating a summer-long reunion for his daughters, all from different marriages - that is, if they hope to inherit his posh Nantucket house. Relations among the three sisters are sour thanks to long-festering jealousies, resentments, and misunderstandings. Arden, a successful television host in Boston, hasn’t been back to the island since her teenage years, when accusations of serious misbehavior led to her banishment.
-
-
Very good
- By F. Tague on 06-23-22
By: Nancy Thayer
-
The Hot Flash Club
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Faye, Marilyn, Alice, and Shirley. Four women with skills, smarts, and secrets - all feeling over the hill and out of the race. But in a moment of delicious serendipity, they meet and realize they share more than raging hormones and lost dreams. Now, as the Hot Flash Club, where the topics of motherhood, sex, and men are discussed with double servings of chocolate cake, they vow to help each other...and themselves.
-
-
nancy thayers best series..especially om audio
- By Blue sky on 09-17-22
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Everlasting
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Catherine Eliot was born to a world of privilege and prestige, with a family whose last name and vast fortune provide her with access to almost anything she could wish for. But what Catherine craves most is independence. So while her friends settle into comfortable lives financed by doting parents and indulgent husbands, she moves to New York City, determined to make it on her own. Taking a demanding job in a bustling flower shop, she works hard and learns the trade until, with courage and determination, she’s able to open Blooms, an exclusive floral boutique on the Upper East Side.
-
-
decent book
- By Amazon Customer on 10-10-20
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Custody
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ambitious, brilliant, and engaged to a wonderful guy, Kelly MacLeod feels like her dreams are coming true when she lands a prestigious appointment as a judge in the Massachusetts Family Court. A passionate advocate on behalf of children of divorce, she can at long last put her fierce intellect to good use in the courtroom. But a chance meeting with a charismatic man forever changes Kelly’s life.
-
-
Tempered and Forged by the Kiln of Experience
- By Empress Karen on 10-04-18
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Three Women at the Water's Edge
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Emily Sutton-Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now available for the first time in audio, this classic novel by New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer deftly and movingly explores the ebb and flow of love, fulfillment, and change for a mother and her two grown daughters.
-
-
3 women
- By June W. Crews on 07-30-18
By: Nancy Thayer
-
Nell
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Thayer
- Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nell St. John is not living the life she imagined for herself - not by a long shot. She was once a glamorous young actress married to influential director, Marlow St. John. Together, the A-list couple was the toast of the town. But then Marlow’s star fades and tensions at home skyrocket. Marlow takes up with another woman and abandons Nell, leaving her to pay the bills and raise their two boisterous young children. A string of attractive suitors is not the answer to her lack of fulfillment, but what is?
-
-
Times have changed!
- By Minneapolis listener on 02-14-23
By: Nancy Thayer
Critic reviews
“This well-wrought, appealing book [is] packed with literally down-to-earth charm.” (The New York Times)
“Thayer’s gift for reaching the emotional core of her characters [is] captivating.” (Houston Chronicle)
What listeners say about Heat Wave
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- aimee
- 07-15-17
great summer read
this book was a nice lovely beachy summer book. I am enjoying Nancy Thayer very much this summer
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Leah
- 07-31-14
Couldn't put this book down!
Would you consider the audio edition of Heat Wave to be better than the print version?
After reading some book reviews it definitely seems the audio edition is better because it was hard for me to quit listening! I felt a part of everyone's life. I thought the story line was excellent..I did however start it once and found right away there was a death and not wanting a sad audio I went to another but I should have stuck with this as I did not find it a sad read.
What other book might you compare Heat Wave to and why?
The only one I can think of is Four Friends by Robyn Carr because this too was about friendship and trials of getting through on a positive note.
What does Kathe Mazur bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She brings life to each character as if watching a great movie without the picture. She is excellent!
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
A must see!
Any additional comments?
I found this a wonderful audio. A great story line filled with emotion of family and friends and how they work out their situations. An easy listen. I super enjoyed!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- L.W.
- 07-05-11
Good read
As a woman I really loved this book. It is a story about families, women, and has a ring of real truth in it's events. It is a laughing, crying,life story. If you want an epic romance...it's here but not the main ingredient, and it is much more realistic. Loved the main character.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lindsay
- 08-06-17
Not horrible
I didn't mind the story, but the wording the author used seemed outdated for how young the character was. She used the same phrases my grandmother used before she passed, and she would now be close to 90.... it didn't fit.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jones
- 09-17-11
good story bad narrator
I would have enjoyed the story more is it weren't for the narrator. Her voice was to weak and very annoying at times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- F. Tague
- 10-21-23
Very interesting story!
I really enjoyed listening to this! An excellent story, certainly kept my attention, I loved it. I am re-listening to several of Nancys books. The main complaint I have with Nancy is that she isn’t always good at choosing her narrators, there are some that I simply cannot tolerate so I don’t, so I hate missing out on that story, but who can stand to listen to somebody they don’t like for many hours? This narrator, I thought was very pleasant and I like her a lot.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Holly
- 04-16-15
Cute fun summer read
I liked this book. Character development was good. Overall, nice to listen to. Would recommend to someone who likes chick lit.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maura
- 04-09-15
Awful narration, annoying characters
I think I might have given this book 3 stars overall, since I like happy endings in general, but the histrionic and over-dramatic narration was so annoying that I found myself wanting to throttle the main character most of the time. The narrator would utter a sentence like, "It's so hot outside" with the kind of traumatic distress you'd expect from someone saying, "My baby has cancer!" Only with more of a plaintive whine. And this whining happened every minute or so!
Worse were the ancillary characters devoid of any kind of common decency (I'll steal my best friend's husband! My baby won't need to know who his father is because I can't be bothered!) who were supposed to like and empathize with but who I loathed. The "bad guys" (the in laws) completely disappear 2/3 of the way through the book, and then a major character dies out of nowhere to make the main character's life better. If I wasn't so stubborn I would have stopped reading after an hour, but please save yourself the annoyance. This is the most whiny awful book I've read in years. Skip it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- BTW29
- 04-25-15
a bit too boring
Boring boring boring if it wasn't for all the boring this story still would have been boring.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful