From New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand, comes a novel about the many ways family can fill our lives with love…if they don’t kill us first. *New York Times bestseller* It’s Nantucket wedding season, also known as summer-the sight of a bride racing down Main Street is as common as the sun setting at Madaket Beach. The Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: … Otis-Winbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom’s wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate.
But it’s going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is discovered in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony-and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the bride, the groom, the groom’s famous mystery-novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield-and no couple is perfect. Featuring beloved characters from The Castaways, Beautiful Day, and A Summer Affair, The Perfect Couple proves once again that Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of the summer beach read.
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Soooo twisty. This is up-all-night reading.
A “Beach Read” winner once again. Every year, I think Elin Hilderbrand has written her best summer novel yet, and then she goes and writes one that’s even better than the last. The Perfect Couple was such a perfectly woven, twisty novel; it was brilliant.
Its wedding season in Nantucket and a maid of honor is found dead by the bride the morning of her intended nuptials. The wedding is cancelled and an investigation ensues. You are immediately immersed in the scandalous secrets of all involved. Not just the maid of honor, but the bride, groom, bride’s parents, groom’s parents, siblings…No one is safe.
One thing becomes instantly clear– No one is perfect.
I was constantly changing my theory of whodunit. And talk about character development. Always on point, Hilderbrand had me immediately attached to the mother of the bride, Karen. Dying of cancer and she was still the most level headed person in the whole group. Told from multiple viewpoints, you are welcomed into the privileged lives of those lucky few on Nantucket, as well as the locals and the humble. When all was solved, I was still left wanting so much more.
Oh, and by the way, none of my theories were correct.
I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Hildebrand does murder mystery well. I highly recommend it.
Good mystery, a little different for Elin Hildebrand. But as always, she comes through with a great beach, summer read on Nantucket. This story keeps you guessing ’til the end. Another wonderful story from the Queen of beach reads. Highly recommend.
I read one book by Elin Hilderbrand, years ago. I’m pretty sure it was A Summer Affair, and while I don’t remember anything about the book, I do recall I liked her writing style. I’m not really sure why I didn’t pick up another one of her books until now…but I’m glad I did. The Perfect Couple was the perfect reintroduction to this fine writer.
The Perfect Couple. Hmmm, does that even exist? According to the events in this book the answer to that question is a resounding NO. The concept of a perfect couple is an illusion…just like many of the “perfect” couples in this book.
The book starts off with a body being found in the ocean on the morning of Celeste and Benji’s wedding in Nantucket. The body is that of the maid of honor…found, unfortunately by the bride herself. This discovery sends the bride to the hospital in distress and sets up a plethora of questions that need answering by the police. How did she die? Was she murdered or was this an unfortunate accident of horrendously poor timing? Or even suicide? Whatever the cause of death, it’s a recipe for chaos on the day of the impending nuptials.
Throughout the novel, the author introduces us to the main players of this drama, both as it unfolds on the day of the wedding, and through flashbacks in the past. This novel is both plot driven and character driven, with a well fleshed out cast full of secrets. There’s the bride who isn’t sure she should get married. There’s the bride’s mother, dying of breast cancer. The groom’s mother, a world renowned mystery writer who is slowly uncovering some mysteries about her family that she may need to lie about. The groom’s father, a charming playboy. The best man who disappears upon the discovery of the body. And of course, the maid of honor herself who is definitely not innocent, although, unfortunately, she is the only one with a secret who is dead. With each passing chapter another secret is divulged, making this quite a page turner, despite its 465 page heft. (I finished it in 3 days.)
Throughout the book, the reader can easily start to piece things together after each new reveal, but it wasn’t till about the 75% mark that I figured out what happened and why. Plus along the way there were quite a few red herrings—I thought the book was going in a direction that it wasn’t a few times. And even after my assumption was proved correct, I didn’t feel cheated out of the end of the book, the big “twist”, as I so often feel like I am with other suspenseful novels. That was the beauty of The Perfect Couple. It wasn’t like other novels because it wasn’t just about the plot…it was about the characters. Flawed and morally questionable characters who are far from perfect, but you find yourself caring about them anyway.
I definitely recommend picking up this book. Reserve it at the library IMMEDIATELY or you will have to wait an interminably long time to get a copy. Or better yet, pick up a copy on Amazon and you can read it next weekend.
***By the way, the author is a breast cancer survivor and it is evident that her characterization of Karen, the bride’s mother, is based on a lot of her own experiences as a mother facing a devastating and debilitating illness. At the end of the novel she shares her support of the The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. If you enjoy this novel, please consider donating to the foundation.
The Perfect Couple is the perfect summer read: An intriguing plot and a surprising ending, characaters to root for and characters to loathe—and of course, Hilderbrand’s luminous descriptions of Nantucket.
I really liked this book…it’s the perfect beach read! It’s got a pretty setting, it’s filled with pretty people, and there are lots of wonderful-sounding foods. Light, entertaining and easy to read, it’s also a well-crafted mystery.
Fascinating murder mystery with a houseful of suspects. Navigating the ins and outs of all the family secrets certainly kept me turning pages. Entertaining listen!
Typical women’s fiction
This is the third Elin Hilderbrand book I have read in the past year or so, and I enjoyed this one because it was centered around a mysterious death.
There is to be a grand wedding on Nantucket, joining “the perfect couple” Celeste and Benji together. However, on the morning of the wedding, Celeste finds the body of her maid of honor, Merritt, dead, having drowned.
The chief of the police is called and everyone in the family is questioned by him or the state police detective. What they uncover is a treasure trove of secrets and lies that everyone in the family has been hiding.
I don’t know why, but I had a strong suspicion of who the “murderer” was in this story. Perhaps this suspicion was due to the way the character was portrayed.
#ThePerfectCouple #ElinHilderbrand
Great summer read! This book had me turning the pages to figure out more of the story. Will be reading more books by this author.
Love all of Elin’s books
Awesome book Awesome writer. Intense but good intense.
Great at the beach story with complex characters . Makes you wanna visit the Nantucket Island.
I love all her books!! They are so good!!
Elin Hildebrand is one of my favorite authors and she never lets me down. No exception of this one. I highly recommend this and others of her books.
I enjoy all books by this author. She is an easy read and totally enjoyable
If you love Elin Hilderbrand then you are sure to enjoy this book. It keeps you guessing from start to finish and you can’t stop reading!
predictable
This book kept me guessing — Which is the perfect couple???