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casuallyreadingx's review against another edition
3.0
Hilderbrand is the queen of beach reads. Her books take you on a trip: sunny, with a drink in your hand, feeling the sand, the music, the atmosphere. Then… BOOM. Drama comes in out of nowhere and slaps you in the face. Chick-lit.
This is the 4th book I’ve read from this author and my least favorite. I enjoyed the setting, clearly. The writing is engaging and descriptive. I also like how there’s always a mystery/dramatic element to the story. I enjoyed that the friendship in this story was very messy. It was real and raw. Nothing is ever perfect forever. Now my dislikes: It was overly pushed out. It could have been shorter as at times it felt like pages worth of information were just there to fill in. Slow paced through the first half of the book. The characters were okay. Easy read so Overall it was okay.
This is the 4th book I’ve read from this author and my least favorite. I enjoyed the setting, clearly. The writing is engaging and descriptive. I also like how there’s always a mystery/dramatic element to the story. I enjoyed that the friendship in this story was very messy. It was real and raw. Nothing is ever perfect forever. Now my dislikes: It was overly pushed out. It could have been shorter as at times it felt like pages worth of information were just there to fill in. Slow paced through the first half of the book. The characters were okay. Easy read so Overall it was okay.
shareen17's review against another edition
3.0
Set over the summer in beautiful, beachy Nantucket, this makes an easy summer read. A woman's ultra-wealthy lifestyle and family life comes to a crashing halt when her husband is arrested for running a Ponzi scheme (very much like Bernie Madoff's). She escapes with an old friend to her friend's summer home on Nantucket while she finds out if she will be indicted and figures out how to restart her life.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The great thing about being late to the Elin Hilderbrand game is that I have so many "new to me" reads that I can fall in love with. This was absolutely one of those reads. I loved the threads of this story - lifelong friendship, love - lost and found for a number of reasons, the twists of an investigation of an intense crime, and just so many wonderful feels. I really, really adored this one y'all.
angeerah's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mtimberlake13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
edemes's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mschrock8's review against another edition
3.0
Details I liked:
Connie baked cranberry muffins.
St. Pauli Girl Beer.
Amy Rivers wearing Tretorns.
Ghuyere cheese.
Connie baked cranberry muffins.
St. Pauli Girl Beer.
Amy Rivers wearing Tretorns.
Ghuyere cheese.
jadeeby's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
The Good: I've read all of Elin Hilderbrand's previous novels, so I had high expectations for this novel and it didn't disappoint. There is something comforting knowing that you will pretty much enjoy a book before you start it. When you become a fan of an author and know the sound of their writing, know the little quirks that make them such a good writer in your eyes, reading their books becomes an escape. I would label Elin Hilderbrand's novels as the PERFECT beach reads. Even if you aren't on a beach, after you read her novels, you want to be. I think this novel, along with all her other ones are so polished, so well written that it's an all consuming read. I am totally engulfed in the characters, scenes etc. In this particular novel, I thought Hilderbrand really captured what it would be like to be the wife of a Ponzi Scheme conspirator and mastermind. Meredith is under investigation, broke and the victim of extreme hatred by those that lost millions in her husband's scheme. Hilderbrand really made Meredith a woman I could relate to if this were my situation. She is both loyal and loving to her husband, but extremely devastated by what he's done and all the lives he's ruined...including hers. She was the perfect mixture of good and bad traits and I think anyone reading this novel will laugh and cry with Meredith. I also thought the other characters in the book were written so well that I knew them by the end. I even enjoyed the mild love story that was weaved through. It was enough to satisfy my longing for romance but not too much to be considered a "romance" novel. Really though, this book should have been read while I was on the beach with a pina colada in my hand. :)
The Bad: Just a few nit-picky things here...I thought that the tension between the main characters Meredith and Connie was caused by something much bigger than what it really was and it was disappointing. The way the characters are written you can tell they were the BEST of BEST kind of friends and it to me, it doesn't seem like the "reason" they stopped talking was enough to tear them apart. I wish Hilderbrand would have explored Meredith's relationship with Toby more.. I felt like we were really getting places towards the end of the book and then BAM it's over. I wanted more!!!
P.S. I'm putting a disclaimer here that when it comes to Elin Hilderbrand, I'm a bit biased as she is one of my mentors, she graduated from University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop and I've sat in the same classroom she has and I love to see great writers come from that program and make it big.
Overall, this was as expected, a great read! I would give it an A!
*I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
The Good: I've read all of Elin Hilderbrand's previous novels, so I had high expectations for this novel and it didn't disappoint. There is something comforting knowing that you will pretty much enjoy a book before you start it. When you become a fan of an author and know the sound of their writing, know the little quirks that make them such a good writer in your eyes, reading their books becomes an escape. I would label Elin Hilderbrand's novels as the PERFECT beach reads. Even if you aren't on a beach, after you read her novels, you want to be. I think this novel, along with all her other ones are so polished, so well written that it's an all consuming read. I am totally engulfed in the characters, scenes etc. In this particular novel, I thought Hilderbrand really captured what it would be like to be the wife of a Ponzi Scheme conspirator and mastermind. Meredith is under investigation, broke and the victim of extreme hatred by those that lost millions in her husband's scheme. Hilderbrand really made Meredith a woman I could relate to if this were my situation. She is both loyal and loving to her husband, but extremely devastated by what he's done and all the lives he's ruined...including hers. She was the perfect mixture of good and bad traits and I think anyone reading this novel will laugh and cry with Meredith. I also thought the other characters in the book were written so well that I knew them by the end. I even enjoyed the mild love story that was weaved through. It was enough to satisfy my longing for romance but not too much to be considered a "romance" novel. Really though, this book should have been read while I was on the beach with a pina colada in my hand. :)
The Bad: Just a few nit-picky things here...I thought that the tension between the main characters Meredith and Connie was caused by something much bigger than what it really was and it was disappointing. The way the characters are written you can tell they were the BEST of BEST kind of friends and it to me, it doesn't seem like the "reason" they stopped talking was enough to tear them apart. I wish Hilderbrand would have explored Meredith's relationship with Toby more.. I felt like we were really getting places towards the end of the book and then BAM it's over. I wanted more!!!
P.S. I'm putting a disclaimer here that when it comes to Elin Hilderbrand, I'm a bit biased as she is one of my mentors, she graduated from University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop and I've sat in the same classroom she has and I love to see great writers come from that program and make it big.
Overall, this was as expected, a great read! I would give it an A!
*I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
courtneyjoy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0