Book ~ "Golden Girl" (2021) Elin Hilderbrand

From Goodreads ~ On a perfect June day, Vivian Howe, author of thirteen beach novels and mother of three nearly grown children, is killed in a hit-and-run car accident while jogging near her home on Nantucket. She ascends to the Beyond where she's assigned to a Person named Martha, who allows Vivi to watch what happens below for one last summer. Vivi also is granted three “nudges” to change the outcome of events on earth, and with her daughter Willa on her third miscarriage, Carson partying until all hours and Leo currently “off again” with his high-maintenance girlfriend, she’ll have to think carefully where to use them.

From the Beyond, Vivi watches “The Chief” Ed Kapenash investigate her death but her greatest worry is her final book, which contains a secret from her own youth that could be disastrous for her reputation. But when hidden truths come to light, Vivi’s family will have to sort out their past and present mistakes - with or without a nudge of help from above - while Vivi finally lets them grow without her.

Vivian is a 50ish novelist who lives in Nantucket.  Her oldest daughter, Willa, is married to her childhood sweetheart and is pregnant for the third time (she miscarried the first two times).  Vivian's daughter, Carson, works at a bar and still lives with her.  She is into partying and drugs and takes advantage of her mother.  Her son, Leo, is the youngest, has just finished high school and is heading off to university at the end of the summer.  Vivian's ex-husband, JP, left her about ten years ago for a younger woman.  Despite coming from a wealthy family and being the cheater, he got to keep the family house and Vivian has to pay him alimony and child support.

One morning Vivian is jogging and gets hit by a car and dies instantly.  Leo's best friend, Cruz, is the one who finds her by the side of the road and calls 911.  Vivian is sent to Beyond, which is the first step I guess before she goes to Heaven.  She is allowed to watch her family and friends for the rest of the summer and is given three nudges, which she can use to change how things were supposed to happen to her family and friends.

Vivian's latest book has just been released.  Throughout the years she has used pieces of her life and Nantucket in her books but this one is closer to the truth ... it's based on her last year in high school when she met bad boy musician Brett and they fell in love and made plans for the future.

I wasn't crazy about this story.  It's not light reading as it includes racism, drug and alcohol abuse, cheating on spouses, etc.  It was more about Vivian's family and friends than her.  I was okay with the writing style though I thought it could have been tighter (there were odd asides in brackets and the constant references to a picture that was emailed around got annoying).  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on the different characters, even Nantucket, depending on where the focus was.

The chief of police investigates and speaks with Vivian's family and friends.  It was obvious to me right away who ran into Vivian by their actions.  I didn't find the characters overly likeable.  Even Vivian wasn't all that likeable ... she was more concerned about how her latest book was doing (hoping for it to be #1 right away) than the mess her family was making of their lives.  I found it weird that she didn't seem bothered that she was dead and her family and friends would have to carry on without her (unrealistically they all seemed to have a happy ending).  And I found it odd that she had been madly in love with her high school boyfriend at that time but then suddenly her feelings died and she moved on.

Book ~ "28 Summers" (2020) Elin Hilderbrand

From Goodreads ~ When Mallory Blessing's son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he's not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It's the late spring of 2020 and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election.

There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other?

Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt and she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party. Cooper's friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere - through marriage, children, and Ursula's stratospheric political rise - until Mallory learns she's dying.

Based on the classic film "Same Time Next Year" (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), "28 Summers" explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.

It's 1993 and 24-year-old Mallory inherits a cottage she loves on Nantucket Island and some money from an aunt and moves there from New York City where she was going nowhere.  Her brother, Cooper is getting married that fall so he invites himself and Jake and Fray, two buddies, to the cottage for Labour Day weekend for a bachelor to celebrate.  Mallory knows Jake and Fray and is okay with that.  In fact, she's always had a crush on Jake.  Cooper and Fray end up bailing during the weekend so that leaves Jake and Mallory alone.  Jake has been on-again-off-again with Ursula since high school and this is during one of their off-agains.  Mallory doesn't want to have a long distance relationship so doesn't want to commit to Jake but they do promise that they'll get together at the cottage every Labour Day weekend ... and there will be no contact during the year.  When he gets back home, he and Ursula get back together and eventually marry and have a child.  Mallory and Jake continue to have their secret long weekend every year ... and this goes on until the summer of 2019.

I didn't like this story.  I found it hard to believe that Mallory and Jake were apparently so in love yet neither loved each other enough to compromise so they could be together.  Mallory wouldn't tolerate a long distance relationship or leave her beloved cottage.  Jake stayed with Ursula because of some weird loyalty to her because she was nice to his twin sister who passed away when they were 13.  It was unrealistic that he would stay with her when she was always so nasty and focused on her career.  Mallory did date over the years and even got pregnant and had a son.  She had some great prospects but she always kicked them to the curb because they couldn't measure up to her love of Jake.  At one point, a good friend and co-worker is getting married over Labour Day weekend and Mallory pathetically tries to get out of it because it's cutting into her weekend with Jake.  Really?

Cooper wasn't that much of a prize.  He got married four (or maybe five?) times to poor choices and the first weddings were an excuse for the author to bring Mallory and Jake together when they couldn't be together (Ursula was always there).  Leland was Mallory's best friend since school but treated Mallory like crap ... and Mallory put up with it.

I was okay with the writing style.  It seemed to be in a conversational manner, like we were being told the story.  The book is over 400 pages, though, and a lot of the useless information and asides could have been cut out as it seemed to drag at times.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on the different characters including Mallory, Jake, Cooper, Leland and others.

No happy ending, either.  The book starts in present day with Mallory on her death bed with cancer.

Book ~ "Winter in Paradise" (2018) Elin Hilderbrand

From Goodreads ~ Irene Steele’s idyllic life - house, husband, family - is shattered when she is woken up by a late-night phone call. Her beloved husband has been found dead but before Irene can process this tragic news, she must confront the perplexing details of her husband’s death. He was found on St. John island, a tropical paradise far removed from their suburban life. 

Leaving the cold winter behind, Irene flies down to the beautiful Caribbean beaches of St. John only to make another shocking discovery: her husband had a secret second family. As Irene investigates the mysterious circumstances of her husband’s death, she is plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit belied by the pristine white sand beaches of St. John’s. 

Irene is in her mid-to-late 50s and thinks she has it all ... a husband named Russ who loves her (though he is out of town working a lot), two grown sons named Baker and Cash with lives of their own and a beautiful showplace of a house.  She has been promoted (but really demoted) at the magazine where she works.

It's New Years Day and she gets a call that her husband, who is away on a business trip, has been killed in a helicopter accident in the U.S. Virgin Islands along with the pilot and a local woman.  What?!  So she and her sons rush down to see what's going on.  They discover that not only does he own a nine-bedroom villa in St. John but he also had a girlfriend named Rosie who has a 12-year-old daughter named Maia.

There is a lot of secrecy and mystery.  Russ' villa has been cleaned out of all of their possessions, an employee of Russ' boss has IDed Russ' body which has been cremated, and now Irene can't get a hold of his boss.  There too much unknown so she reaches out to Huck, Maia's step-grandfather, to see if he has any information and can fill in some of the blanks.  In the meantime, both Baker and Cash are attracted to Ayers (and the feeling is mutual), who was Rosie's best friend but she doesn't realize who they really are.

I liked the writing style of this book and thought it was an interesting story.  It is written in third person perspective with the focus on the different characters including Irene, Cash, Baker, Ayers and Huck (the chapters are labeled).  This way we find out what was going on from their perspective and what they were thinking.  The timeline jumps around a bit as it is told from the different perspectives as things were happening at the same time.

I thought the characters were okay.  I found Irene a bit cold and distant in the beginning but liked her by the end.  She learned a lot about herself with the death of Russ.  I didn't see any redeeming qualities in Baker.  Cash is still trying to find himself.  I liked Maia, Huck and Ayers, though I thought her actions at the end were a bit of a cop-out.

This is apparently the first book in the Paradise series and there were a lot of things left unfinished by the end of the story and there was a cliffhanger.  I'm not a fan of this style of ending as now it's forcing me get the next one when it comes out to find out what happens next.  But I was engaged enough in the story that I probably will.

Book ~ "The Perfect Couple" (2018) Elin Hilderbrand

From Goodreads ~ It's wedding season on Nantucket. The beautiful island is overrun with summer people - an annual source of aggravation for year-round residents. And that's not the only tension brewing offshore. When one lavish wedding ends in disaster before it can even begin - with the maid of honor discovered dead in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony - everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. 

As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash digs into the best man, the maid of honor, the groom's famous mystery novelist mother and even a member of his own family, the chief discovers that every wedding is a minefield - and no couple is perfect. 

It's the July long weekend and Celeste and Benji are getting married at Benji's parents' home in Nantucket.  They had met about a year ago and come from different backgrounds.  Celeste's parents barely got by but raised Celeste with a lot of love.  Benji's parents are rich and Benji never lacked for anything and still leads that kind of life, which is foreign to Celeste.

The night before the wedding, Merritt, Celeste's best friend and maid of honor is found dead.  Needless to say, the wedding is cancelled.  As the police investigate, they discover affairs and secrets.  Was Merritt's death an accident or was she murdered?

I liked the writing style of this book and thought it was an interesting story.  It is in third person perspective with the focus on the different characters including Celeste, Greer (Benji's mother), Tag (Benji's father), the police officers and others (the chapters are labeled).  This way we find out what was going on from their perspective and what they were thinking.  We don't find out until the very end what happened to Merritt.

I thought there were a lot of things left unfinished by the end of the story, though, so I'm assuming there will be other books involving these characters to tie up the loose ends.

Book ~ "Winter Solstice" (2017) Elin Hilderbrand

From Goodreads ~ Raise one last glass with the Quinn Family at the Winter Street Inn. 

It's been too long since the entire Quinn family has been able to celebrate the holidays under the same roof, but that's about to change. With Bart back safe and sound from Afghanistan, the Quinns are preparing for a holiday more joyous than any they've experienced in years. 

And Bart's safe return isn't the family's only good news: Kevin is enjoying married life with Isabelle; Patrick is getting back on his feet after paying his debt to society; Ava thinks she's finally found the love of her life; and Kelley is thrilled to see his family reunited at last. 

But it just wouldn't be a Quinn family gathering if things went smoothly.

Patriarch Kelley Quinn is dying and Mitzi, his wife, is trying to make his last days as nice as possible.  Though their children have their own lives, they are still there for their father.  Kevin and Patrick are married with children.  Ava has made a life for herself in New York with her boyfriend, Potter.  Bart is a former marine, now recovering at home after being captured in Afghanistan.  As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, they celebrate the holidays as they know it will be Kelley's last.

This is the fourth and last book of the Winter series.  Though I hadn't read the first three books, there was enough information to the background.  It would help, though, to have read the first three as I feel I would have been more emotionally invested in the characters.  Needless to say, I'm going to read them.

I liked the writing style of this book and found it an easy read.  The writing is in third person perspective with the focus on the different characters including Kelly, Ava, Jennifer (Patrick's wife), and Eddie (a man who lives in their town), what was going on in their lives and what they were thinking (the chapters are labeled).

There is a sad but happy ending and all the characters get their lives together as the series ends.

Book ~ "The Identicals" (2017) Elin Hilderbrand

From Goodreads ~ Identical twin sisters who couldn't look more alike ... or live more differently.

Harper Frost is laid-back, easygoing. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. She likes a beer and a shot and wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything fashionable. She's inherited her father's rundown house on Martha's Vineyard, but she can't hold down a job, and her latest romantic disaster has the entire island talking.

Two beautiful islands only eleven miles apart.

Tabitha Frost is dignified, refined. She prefers a fine wine and has inherited the impeccable taste of her mother, the iconic fashion designer Eleanor Roxie-Frost. She's also inherited her mother's questionable parenting skills - Tabitha's teenage daughter, Ainsley, is in full rebellion mode - and a flailing fashion boutique on Nantucket in desperate need of a cash infusion.

One unforgettable summer that will change their lives forever.

After more than a decade apart, Harper and Tabitha switch islands - and lives - to save what's left of their splintered family. But the twins quickly discover that the secrets, lies and gossip they thought they'd outrun can travel between islands just as easily as they can. Will Harper and Tabitha be able to bury the hatchet and end their sibling rivalry once and for all? Before the last beach picnic of the season, there will be enough old resentments, new loves and cases of mistaken identity to make this the most talked-about summer that Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket have experienced in ages.

Harper and Tabitha are in their late 30s and are identical twins.  When their parents split up about twenty years ago, Harper went with her father to Martha's Vineyard and Tabitha stayed with her mother on Nantucket.  The two sisters, who were very close before the divorce, felt the distance.  Then a tragedy happened about 15 years ago that split them up emotionally even more.

Harper has had a hard time holding a job in the past and is been dating a married man.  Tabitha has been working with their dominating mother running their mother's dress shops.  She has a teenage daughter named Ainsley and, wanting to be a "cool mom", hasn't invoked many rules ... so Ainsley is running around with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble.

When their father dies, the sisters switch lives for the summer.  Harper moves to Nantucket and runs their mother's dress shop and takes care of Ainsley.  Tabitha moves to Martha's Vineyard and starts to renovate their father's house to sell it.  Unfortunately she has to live with Harper's reputation.

I liked the writing style of this book and found it an easy read.  The writing is in third personal perspective with the focus on the different characters and what was going on in their lives (the chapters are labeled).

I didn't find the main characters likable, though.  Harper had made some questionable decisions in the past and doesn't have any friends.  Tabitha has allowed herself to be under her mother's rule all these years and is a bad parent.  Ainsley has been taking advantage of the fact that Tabitha is a bad parent.  There is a happy ending and all the characters learn their life lessons throughout the summer and become more likable.

Book ~ "Here's to Us" (2016) Elin Hilderbrand

From Goodreads ~ Laurel Thorpe, Belinda Rowe and Scarlett Oliver share only two things; a love for the man they all married, Deacon Thorpe - a celebrity chef with an insatiable appetite for life - and a passionate dislike of one another. All three are remarkable, spirited women but they couldn't be more different. Laurel: Deacon's high school sweetheart and an effortlessly beautiful social worker; Belinda: a high-maintenance Hollywood diva; and Scarlett: a sexy southern belle floating by on her family money and her fabulous looks. They've established a delicate understanding over the years - they avoid each other at all costs.

But their fragile detente threatens to come crashing down after Deacon's tragic death on his favorite place on earth: a ramshackle Nantucket summer cottage. Deacon's final wish was for his makeshift family to assemble on his beloved Nantucket to say good-bye. Begrudgingly, Laurel, Belinda and Scarlett gather on the island as once again, as in each of their marriages, they're left to pick up Deacon's mess. Now they're trapped in the crowded cottage where they all made their own memories - a house that they now share in more ways than one - along with the children they raised with Deacon, and his best friend. Laurel, Belinda and Scarlett each had an unbreakable bond with Deacon - and they all have secrets to hide.

Before the weekend is over, there are enough accusations, lies, tears and drama to turn even the best of friends - let alone three women who married the same man - into adversaries. As his unlikely family says good-bye to the man who brought them together - for better or worse - will they be able to put aside their differences long enough to raise a glass in Deacon's honor? 

Deacon Thorpe is a celebrity chef and the owner of a fancy restaurant.  When he dies suddenly, his wish is that his family gather at their cottage in Nantucket to scatter his ashes.

Laurel was his first wife.  They were high school sweethearts and had a son together (he's now in his thirties).  Deacon left Laurel to be with Belinda, an actress, who would become his second wife.  Deacon and Belinda adopted a baby (she is now in her twenties).  Since Belinda was away so much on movie sets, they hired a nanny named Scarlet to help take care of their daughter.  Scarlett eventually because wife number three and was his current wife when Deacon died.  Scarlett and Deacon have a young daughter.

Needless to say, there isn't a lot of love between the three wives so you can imagine the tension happening the weekend they gather to carry out Deacon's last wish.  Plus everything has issues happening in their lives that is causing them additional stress.

I found this book entertaining and quick to read.  The story jumps around in time so we read about what's happening today and then it goes back to the past and then jumps back to today.  It was easy to follow and worked for me.  The writing is in third personal perspective with the focus on the different characters and what was going in in their lives.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it enough to want to check out other books by her.