Are they hiding the perfect lie? - The Perfect Couple

Just okay - definitely not my favorite EH book, by far. It held my interest, but only for short spells at a time. As another reviewer mentioned, there were a lot of side stories introduced that were never resolved...so why bother writing them in? I will still look forward to her next novel, though. Enjoy the Nantucket references and background.

Liked it just fine through most of the book. It's not a typical Elin Hilderbrand book of summer romance. But what really disappointed me was the ending. It left too many cliffhangers. And I agree with another reviewer that the stutter plot line was annoying at best.

Very enjoyable beach read. Quick-paced, colorful characters and such a detailed description of Nantucket and all of its island charms (a fictional character washing up on shore notwithstanding) it makes me feel like I’m right there.

One minor miscue which bugged me because it happened right at the end was the last chapter. The key time throughout the story was the early morning of Saturday, the day of the wedding, but the last chapter laid out the actual events of the character’s demise on Sunday, a full day after everything took place. Confusing editing at that point but otherwise a page-turner.

Dag gone it!!! Happens to me every time: I find it hard to wait for Hilderbrand's latest novel(s) only to be unable to put the book down, racing through it and then regretting I didn't take my time!! I concur with others who attest that "The Perfect Couple" is Hilerbrand's best for a few years. Although I found the ending a bit of a let down (hence the 4 stars), I'm left already waiting for Beach Read 2019!

It’s not summer until Elin Hilderbrand’s latest book comes out. And I think this one is her best one yet. It’s a mystery this time, which is different for her, but still set in the beautiful island of Nantucket. I loved these characters, especially Celeste, and was sad for it to end. Wonderful book and perfect beach read.

Elin has crafted a tale about the most complex and heartfelt human emotions. Deception, lies, and family secrets threaten to destroy a prominent, Nantucket family. Celeste and Benji seem to be the perfect couple. She is a zoologist, he is the son of a well to do family. Celeste's parents think she has won the romance lottery and that Benji is surely prince charming. When Merritt, Celeste's only friend and maid of honor, is found dead; the police must scramble to find out what happened to the young girl. As the chief of police begins to interview the family and friends of the deceased, he soon discovers that not everything is what it seems and that people will go to great lengths to protect their secrets. A stunning, moving novel with so many twists and turns. Of course the crisp cool water and warm, sunny beaches of Nantucket makes it the perfect summer beach read.

Hey guys, you have a manufacturing defect. It has now happened with the original I ordered and the replacement. There is no Disc 9. The Disc labelled “9” is actually a repeat of Disc 11. So other than a big hole in the 11-disc story, great product!

The Perfect Couple is a superbly crafted, captivating, mystery.
The most expensive event of the summer on Nantucket was to be the marriage celebration between Benjamin Winbury and Celeste Otis. It was being held at the Winbury’s Nantucket beachfront home. Greer spared no cost in planning Benji and Celeste’s happy day. The only wrinkle, Greer could see, affecting her son’s wedding, was the report of a missing person, and the dead body that was floating in front of their home, the morning of the wedding.

Everyone at the Winbury home was being questioned; nerves were on edge, hearts were shattered, fear was everywhere as the intricate web of sordid, dark secrets were unearthed, one by one.

The Perfect Couple is an incredible whodunit mystery, crafted with an intriguing plot, flowing dialog and colorful characters. There wasn’t a dull page in the entire book. The characters are beautifully developed, realistic and flawed. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that I never figured out who the true villain was. Brilliantly crafted. I loved it!

Thank you, Little, Brown & Co. Publishing and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy.

Dag gone it!!! Happens to me every time: I find it hard to wait for Hilderbrand's latest novel(s) only to be unable to put the book down, racing through it and then regretting I didn't take my time!! I concur with others who attest that "The Perfect Couple" is Hilerbrand's best for a few years. Although I found the ending a bit of a let down (hence the 4 stars), I'm left already waiting for Beach Read 2019!

It’s not summer until Elin Hilderbrand’s latest book comes out. And I think this one is her best one yet. It’s a mystery this time, which is different for her, but still set in the beautiful island of Nantucket. I loved these characters, especially Celeste, and was sad for it to end. Wonderful book and perfect beach read.

Elin has crafted a tale about the most complex and heartfelt human emotions. Deception, lies, and family secrets threaten to destroy a prominent, Nantucket family. Celeste and Benji seem to be the perfect couple. She is a zoologist, he is the son of a well to do family. Celeste's parents think she has won the romance lottery and that Benji is surely prince charming. When Merritt, Celeste's only friend and maid of honor, is found dead; the police must scramble to find out what happened to the young girl. As the chief of police begins to interview the family and friends of the deceased, he soon discovers that not everything is what it seems and that people will go to great lengths to protect their secrets. A stunning, moving novel with so many twists and turns. Of course the crisp cool water and warm, sunny beaches of Nantucket makes it the perfect summer beach read.

Hey guys, you have a manufacturing defect. It has now happened with the original I ordered and the replacement. There is no Disc 9. The Disc labelled “9” is actually a repeat of Disc 11. So other than a big hole in the 11-disc story, great product!

The Perfect Couple is a superbly crafted, captivating, mystery.
The most expensive event of the summer on Nantucket was to be the marriage celebration between Benjamin Winbury and Celeste Otis. It was being held at the Winbury’s Nantucket beachfront home. Greer spared no cost in planning Benji and Celeste’s happy day. The only wrinkle, Greer could see, affecting her son’s wedding, was the report of a missing person, and the dead body that was floating in front of their home, the morning of the wedding.

Everyone at the Winbury home was being questioned; nerves were on edge, hearts were shattered, fear was everywhere as the intricate web of sordid, dark secrets were unearthed, one by one.

The Perfect Couple is an incredible whodunit mystery, crafted with an intriguing plot, flowing dialog and colorful characters. There wasn’t a dull page in the entire book. The characters are beautifully developed, realistic and flawed. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that I never figured out who the true villain was. Brilliantly crafted. I loved it!

Thank you, Little, Brown & Co. Publishing and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy.

Thank you to Edelweiss, Little, Brown and Company and Elin Hilderbrand for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Is anyone really the perfect couple? Well it seems like Celeste and Benji are the closest thing to it as they come. Everyone around them are so envious of how perfect they are, so in love. Celeste is a down to earth girl who values the important things in life and Benji is the rich, desirable bachelor whose heart Celeste has captured. Celeste is very close to her parents, Karen and Bruce, especially now that her mother is dying of cancer but has always had a hard time making friends. She didn’t grow up with money and has always had to watch her pennies. She is head of the zoo, preferring the company of animals over humans, with the exception of Merritt, her coworker and best friend. Benji is the polar opposite. He is sophisticated, knowledgable about fine wines and exotic dining experiences and the kind of rich that gives him access to anything his heart desires. He always had a party to go to, or some exclusive, flashy event, but now, he prefers to just spend time with Celeste, introduce her to the finer things in life and take care and protect her. Benji’s mom Greer is a famous author and his dad Tag has been having an affair with Merritt. On the morning of Benji and Celeste’s wedding, Merritt turns up dead on the beach. Who could have wanted her dead? Did Greer find out about her husband’s infidelity? What were Tag and Merritt fighting about that night? Why was Celeste’s overnight bag fully packed and at the front door the night before her wedding? These families have many secrets and only once they are revealed will we know why Merritt died that night.

Well, unfortunately, I couldn’t give a perfect score to this novel. I have read and enjoyed many of Hilderbrand’s novels before and was really looking forward to this one. They are usually a light read, perfect for summer and this one showed a lot of promise. What I love about Hilderbrand’s books is that the setting is always integral to the story, almost like an additional character. In this one Nantucket is the backdrop and I was left wanting more. I wanted to be swept away and I felt like I only got a taste of the island’s life. The characters were well drawn and at first I was invested in what was happening, but as the book progressed I just didn’t care about them any more. Like a pretty girl with little personality you date her but when it stops you are not that broken up about it. I made it to the end because it was an easy read and yeah, I wanted to know what happened. In this story every character has a secret. Main character, side character, I mean I was waiting for the dog to have a secret. So many of them weren’t even relevant to the story. What was the point? It didn’t enhance the mystery, there was no build up only to reveal that secret didn’t lead you to the answer. There has to be a craft to the story to make it super exciting and extra special. So, a solid three star - readable but I wanted more.

4.5 Stars

The Perfect Couple is Elin Hilderbrand's best summer book ever in my opinion and I've read everything she's written! The Queen of the Beach read is at the top of her game with her newest novel, and just like every year, I know that my summer has officially arrived because it's time to lounge by the pool all day and devour one of her books in one sitting....that is 100% what I did while reading this fab read!

Nantucket in the summer is the perfect place for a lavish wedding, which is exactly the exciting event that is supposed to take place in Hilderbrand's newest novel. Yet, the wedding between Celeste Otis, the bride-to-be, and Benji Winbury, the groom-to-be is canceled in the most horrific way when the maid of honor, Merritt Monaco is found by the bride-to-be early on the morning of her wedding day floating face down in the ocean...

Merritt's death is the beginning of a clever novel that kept me glued to the pages! This "beach read" was definitely more than I expected since it not only delivers everything you've come to expect from Hilderbrand's novels: the wonderful atmosphere and setting of Nantucket, interesting and complex characters whose lives you can't help but get engrossed in (some of the characters you will love and others you really won't), a smart and satisfying plot, and her signature warmth and humorous writing style, but she entwined a very clever murder mystery into the plot that was not quite like anything she's ever written before. I really enjoyed this little bit of a darker vibe!

This exquisite read is told in alternating character perspectives and shifts back and forth in time as the mystery is solved, and the writing is just enthralling, as usual, so you are quickly turning pages as each character reveals some tidbit that ties in with a different character or event in some way or another. It seems that no one in the novel is safe from being a suspect in the maid of honor's murder, which makes the mystery all that more delicious!

Oh, and I loved that Hilderbrand brought back some of my favorite characters from her other novels, especially Chief Ed from The Castaways, which is one of my favorite of her books! This fantastic whodunit is the perfect summer read that should most definitely be added to your summer reading list!

**Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Co for my review copy in exchange for my fair and honest review. **

The Perfect Couple
By
Elin Hildebrand

What it's all about...

First of all...these books are all about Nantucket. I want to go to Bartlett’s Farm and get tomatoes and Portuguese bread for a toasted tomato sandwich. I want the crab shrimp scallops burger with watermelon limeade from Surfside Beach Shack. I want the Lola burger and fries that handsome Nick the Greek ate on his way to interview the bride...Celeste. I want the $10.00 passion fruit water ice while I sit on the bench and watch the boats. I want to go to the Chicken Box...a roadhouse where no chicken is served! That’s my idea of Nantucket! Ooh...and the beach where you walk into the water step off a ledge and water slide forty yards down the beach! Now that’s Nantucket! And while all this can be happening...Tag and Greer are planning an amazing wedding for their son Benji and his fiancée Celeste...Merritt the maid of honor is found dead in the water, Karen...Celeste’s mother is dying from cancer and every other person at this incredible wedding seems to be sitting on a mountain of secrets! Just you wait and see!

Why I wanted to read it...

Summer for me means reading the newest Elin Hildebrand book. This one is exceptionally addictive.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

OMG...the secrets...the relationships...everyone is hiding something and everyone is unhappy and bad decisions are being made at quite a rapid pace.

Why you should read it, too...

You get a really good summer beach book from this author. She knows Nantucket! Readers who love this kind of beachy escape...with great foods, dysfunctional characters, and a fast paced writing style will love this book. I would douse myself in sunscreen and probably sit on the beach for hours engrossed in this one! Or a much saner person would sit on a shaded porch in a comfy chair...iced tea at hand and read away an afternoon!

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and the store. It was my choice to read it and review it.

The Perfect Couple takes us to the beautiful island of Nantucket and into the lives of the rich and famous Winburys as they gather to celebrate a family wedding. But like most families with privilege, power, and money everything is not always as it seems and it quickly becomes apparent that behind the beautiful mansion and designer clothes is an abundance of secrets, deception, betrayal, infidelity, substance abuse, lies, scandals, and murder.

The writing is effortless and fluid. The characterization is spot on with a cast of characters that are flawed, authentic, and fun. And the alluring plot is an intelligent, lighthearted mix of a breezy summer read, unpredictable whodunit, and domestic drama all rolled up in one.

Overall, The Perfect Couple is an enjoyable, scintillating treat by Hilderbrand that once again highlights her incredible ability to delve into all the complex dynamics between family members and friends and is without a doubt a must read for 2018!

I’ll admit this is only my fourth of Elin Hiderbrand’s novels, but so far this is my favorite. I can compare it to reading a Nantucket version of the game of Clue. With a small cast of characters, each one seemed to have something to hide.

A wedding is about to take place in Nantucket and the wedding party and several guests are gathered for the rehearsal dinner the day before. That evening things go horribly awry, and instead of a wedding, the next day is filled with a police investigation.

I must admit, I was not expecting a mystery when I began reading this book, and it was such a pleasant surprise. I love an entertaining “whodunit” and this certainly fit that description. If you’re looking for a fun summer read, pick up The Perfect Couple. It will not disappoint.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown & Company for allowing me to read an advance copy.

You know summer is around the corner when Erin Hilderbrand has a new release! It's summer and there's no better place to be than Nantucket. The Otis and Winbury families are excited for the upcoming Nantucket wedding of their children Celeste Otis and Benji Winbury. As with most weddings, they bring out a bit of family drama and, in this case, some family secrets. The picture perfect weekend quickly gets turned upside down when the Maid of Honor, Merritt, is found dead on the morning of the wedding. As the investigation gets underway, secrets of the Winbury family come out and it leads to a lot of questions and not many answers. It quickly becomes apparent that no one is perfect. Reading this book was like being a fly on the wall of a well-off family that's filled with drama. I absolutely devoured this book at the pool over the weekend. This book was a bit of a departure from her typical books, but I found it refreshing and still very much quintessential Elin Hilderbrand.

In the past I've enjoyed a few of Elin's books for light summer reading and looked forward to this one. I was disappointed. The writing is sophomoric- with too many "Tag said", "Greer said" back and forth, back and forth. I enjoy getting lost in a book and being able to picture the locations and people, this never happened with this book. The story is hard to follow, going back and forth between past and present. The relationship between characters is lacking. The story it's self if far fetched- as many books are but this one is more so than is acceptable. There are no characters that I became attached to, no one I was rooting for, all characters seem shallow with no depth or redeeming qualities. It was hard to keep track of who was who- too many nick names and actual names used for the same character. The timelines didn't seem to match between the old time lines and current dates. Mentions of studio 54 were out of place and old places that the characters probably wouldn't know about based on their mid 80' high school time line. It was a book I was ready to not finish but kept hoping it would improve, it didn't. This writer has much better books- read one of her early books- she's lost something in her writing, I hope she gets it back. I'll give her one more try in a couple years.

The Queen of the "Beach Read" is holding onto that crown for one more year!!!!!

The Perfect Couple has something I always love from an Elin Hilderbrand book - nods to characters from her old books. My two favorite books of hers are The Castaways and The Blue Bistro and this one has tons of characters from The Castaways!!!! (Note - you do not need to have read that one to enjoy this one!)

A wedding is happening on Nantucket, but on the morning of, the maid of honor is found dead. Told from alternating perspectives and timelines, the story is told throughout the investigation as well as the backstory behind the couple getting married and their families. As the story unfolds, you will make assumptions about "whodunnit" but I bet you won't guess who - I didn't!

The perfect summer read AND a murder mystery in one?!? You need this book!!

I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I have read a lot of Elin Hilderbrand's books and this might be my favorite. It has the characteristic charm that makes us all want to book the next ferry to Nantucket and high tail it to the Chicken Box. It also had an underlying mystery that made me want to jump to the end so I could know who did it (thank goodness for kindle editions!) . Every I thought "oh this person did it", I was pleasantly surprised that the author showed us how they didn't do it. I loved that I was questioning the outcome up until the very last minute. I loved that it brought back "The Cheif" as a character. I could not put it down! My new favorite Elin book!

Ahhhhh Nantucket in the summer is bliss! It is a lovely place to vacation. It also serves as the perfect place for a wedding, the beach and a murder!

The Otis-Winbury is going to be one to remember! The groom's family has arranged for the wedding to be the event of the season. A wedding that people will be talking about for years to come! And it will be remembered but not for the reasons they want it to be. In the early morning hours on the day of the wedding, the maid of honor is found dead. Chief of Police Ed Kapenash is leading the investigation and everyone in the wedding party is a suspect.

The story unfolds through various character's perspectives and timelines. It becomes clear that almost everyone in this book has a secret - BIG scandalous secrets. But just because one has a secret doesn't make them guilty of murder, or does it?

This may be the quintessential beach read of summer 2018. There are secrets, family secrets, lies, deceptions, suspense and mystery. This was a very fast read that had me guessing along with Chief Kapenash as to the identity of the “murderer" . This book is pure enjoyment. As the investigation unfolds and the stories and backstories are told, the reader may suspect several characters of murder in this whodunnit. This book doesn't involve a lot of thinking, again, it's pure entertainment which makes it perfect for a summer/beach/poolside read. Another plus is that there is nothing graphic in this book, which means most readers will be able to read and enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions in this review are my own.

** spoiler alert ** While I love Elin Hilderbrand's books because they are set on Nantucket and it is now on my bucket list of places to visit because of her fabulous descriptions of sights, shopping, restaurants, and LOBSTER...I had a few issues with her latest book.

- I read it as an ebook on my Kindle and I had a hard time keeping the timeline straight because it bounced around from 2016-present. I couldn't page back and forth to see where I was at.

- It was a lot of build-up to a "murder" that ended up not even being a "murder."

- We never found out what happened to some of the characters in the book that were discussed at length. Karen's mom miraculously started feeling better the morning of the "murder," but we knew she was gravely ill. So what was that all about? Do Shooter and Celeste finally end up together?!? Or is this a teaser to a sequel (like the Winter Street series - which I loved by the way!) What becomes of Benji? Greer? Thomas & Abby? Does she have a baby finally? I didn't really care what happened to Tag, but would have been nice to hear how his and Greer's marriage ended. And how about Finn and Lola? And Chloe? And Marty and Keira? These characters were introduced but never had their story lines wrapped up. Way too many unanswered questions for my liking.

All in all, I flew through the book because I wanted to see what happened and it was great for a summer read - just left me wanting more details at the end. I was given an advance copy of the book by #netgalley.

THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand is a fast-paced, entertaining story of secrets, lies and family intrigue. Like most other Elin Hilderbrand books, there is a beautiful setting, vivid descriptions and colorful characters that make you feel like you are right there with them. The morning of a glitzy wedding being held on an exclusive Nantucket estate, the maid of honor is found dead by her best friend, the bride. The rest of the story unfolds as the unexplained death is being investigated. The authorities interrogate the family, friends and staff of the bride and groom and try to determine who is telling the truth and who is hiding something. The story is told from several perspectives, alternating between the past and present. Everyone becomes a suspect in this possible murder mystery. Secrets are revealed with perfect timing and I never guessed the whole story until it was revealed in the end. THE PERFECT COUPLE was a quick and enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.

I will always be a fan of Elin Hilderbrand and always look forward to her books. I liked this story but thought it was too long. It seemed to drag at the end and I thought they would never figure out who committed the crime. The surprise ending was somewhat unbelievable and anti-climatic. I thought the characters were well-developed and interesting. I loved her description of the home where the wedding was to take place. The writer wrote about Nantucket as only a longtime resident could and provided a wonderful setting to escape to. She described the characters in a way that portrayed warmth and sensitivity, especially the contrast between the bride and grooms backgrounds and lifestyles. The bride's relationship with her parents and her sensitivity to her mother's illness was tender and heartfelt. I thought Elin Hilderbrand wrote in a way that gave insight from the beginning as to why the relationship of the bride and groom progressed as it did. This was not my favorite of her books but I loved it and would highly recommend it.

I usually love Elin’s books. I preordered this one and saved it for my beach vacation. Super disappointed.

This one is very hard to follow in the beginning. It sets up like a murder mystery, but i figured out what happened about halfway through the book.

The characters that are most likeable and developed are forgotten at the end.

It seems like the book’s deadline came before it was actually finished.

This was a waste of an Audible credit. Would have been fine to get from the library.

It started off interesting but went downhill after 25% of the way in. Much less murder mystery and instead more needless family drama.

Celeste, arguably the main character, was SO uninteresting, and maybe even unlikeable. Like a scared, awkward, spineless mouse.
Average writing that went on and on for no reason frequently, with drawn out descriptions of the "fancy" food.

What did I like about this book? I'm not for sure. Hmm. I did like the Tag and Greer were more multidimensional than anticipated.

I love reading books by Elin Hilderbrand, so when I saw The Perfect Couple, I knew I had to have it. I have never been to Nantucket, but with the beautiful imagery and vivid descriptions of the island, I feel like, If I were to visit, I would be very comfortable in my surroundings. The Perfect Couple is a mystery that started a little slow for me, but quickly captivated my attention and gave me the "whodunit" feeling while I was not reading. The book is set during a wedding weekend where the maid of honor is found dead the morning of the big event. Through police interviews with wedding attendees, we find out who had motive, how this seemingly perfect family is not quite what they seem, and eventually, "whodunit".

I strained mightily to get through this, but gave up about a third of the way through. The author spends almost no time on the murder plot and way too much on bland descriptions of mostly uninteresting characters. The rest is spent prattling on about fashion and wines, apparently things the author values. This is her 21st novel, just like a certain female character in the story, and just like her, this novel seems "phoned in." Maybe it's a disguised autobiography.

I have read everything by Elin.
I was looking forward to another good summer read by her!

A wedding in Nantucket over July 4th weekend.
The Maid of Honor is found dead!
So the mystery begins - Who? How? What?

A mix of stories
various viewpoints
gives you the feeling of living among them.
Then some stories overlap with others ...

As always- I enjoyed the breast cancer references as a survivor myself.
The feelings of the mother may not see the 1st anniversary
much less any grandchildren on top of getting news of metastasis!! Love it!
Also a shout out to Great Wolf Lodge (great and fun place to go)
and never meeting a water-slide I didn't love!

I'm a big Hilderbrand fan and have to restrain myself from devouring all of her novels at once. ( I usually restrict myself to a few each year so I can make them last!) This is one of my favorites I've read so far. I really enjoyed the diverse mix of characters, the suspense regarding the murder, and how it all came together.

This author excels at getting inside the heads of wildly different characters, from teenage boys to wealthy dowagers. And, of course, the dreamy descriptions of the Nantucket scenery, the ocean, the food and the summer time are pure joy. This is one of those books that you finish reading with a sigh because you don't want it to be over.

Formulaic, phoned in dreck - the author ties up the whole "mystery" in one page at the end of the book - save your $$$ and read Ahab's Wife - you will learn about Nantucket without lowering your IQ - a must miss.

Why do authors go back and forth in time like July 2018, May 2016, and so on? What happened to books where the story is told in a simple, sequential timeline. This kind of storytelling fractures the story and its timeline. The book is very long and boring.

Ever since reading my first Agatha Christie in grade school, I've been a sucker for murder mysteries set among the upper crust. This one, set in Nantucket, was a great summer read, perfect for the beach or pool (although I read it in just 2 days at home and while commuting). Like others have said, I found the ending somewhat anticlimactic, but the characters were so well drawn and the plot so absorbing that this was outweighed by the sheer pleasure of reading it. As a bonus, the bride and her family hailed from the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, where we have family. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I will download a couple more and save for vacation.

I generally enjoy Elin Hillenbrand. Her brand of writing is exactly what I want to read on the beach: light, fun, a little family drama and a happy ending. This book is a departure from her normal style although still set in Nantucket. In this novel, the family drama centers around a the body of the best maid found on the morning of the wedding. I'm not opposed to a little murder mystery, either. Unfortunately this book was populated with an entire cast of characters who felt shallow and unlikable. As a cancer survivor, I don't like the trope of a parent dying of cancer to make a person more sympathetic, or in this case just more sad and sappy. In fact, the book felt quite full of character tropes and left several story lines dangling in the wind. It simply felt sloppy and rushed, not the Hillenbrand I am used to. It's not one I will recommend to readers at my library,

Another worthy beach read for the summer!

Told from different points of view, this is a story that will keep you guessing until the last page. A Nantucket wedding, a famous author, men and women behaving badly and just who is sleeping with who?

The author keeps us on the edge of our seats, not sure who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. And much like a large family, secrets are being kept. Some life changing, others life ending.

But who wanted the maid of honor gone? Was it an accident or something more sinister?

This is a great summer read.

Netgalley/Little,Brown and Co. June 19,2018

I read an Elin Hilderbrand book every summer, and this one is different than any of her other books. It incorporates characters from earlier stories, as her books often do, but this is a bit of a murder mystery, which I don’t think she’s done before! I don’t read blurbs, generally, especially for authors I know and trust, so I had no idea what I was in for. As soon as I read the prologue, I thought, “Oooooo, this is going to be good!”

It was excellent. It did remind me a bit of the first book I’d ever read by Anne Rivers Siddons, called Colony. Makes me want to go back and read that book again, actually.

The Perfect Couple is not your usual Elin Hilderbrand novel. Sure, it is set on Nantucket Island, but it's not a happy ending love story. The novel opens with a murdered maid of honor and a wedding destroyed. Family secrets, affairs, and surprise romances are revealed as the crime is investigated to find out who killed Merritt.

This was a great change of pace from Ms Hilerband's normal tales, and I enjoyed it, but it was extremely predictable and stereotypical. We choose it as our July book club read, because most of us had vacations and it was the perfect summer beach read.

I was excited by this book, at least the first two chapters. It was intriguing during the part about the person who was dead and the potential intrigue because of all the players. But as it went to flashbacks to when the lead couple met each other, boy did it get boring and mired down in in sanely dull details. Total disappointment given how well it started. Don’t waste your time.

A mystery only in the sense that The Castaways was a mystery - using the death of a character to expose the inner lives of all the characters some of whom are superfluous. The Perfect Couple's wedding party could make an interesting summer read. Hilderbrand, who I used to enjoy immensely, is cheating again - an outline with dates, times & a vignette about a character hopping back & forth over two years. She has the audacity to say "Montage:" followed by a list of activities as though she were too lazy to write what the characters did and said. Another disappointment.

I have read Elin H's books before and always enjoyed them....so I splurged for the full price because I was sure it would be good.! What a disappointment, there was no ending, and the story was so hard to follow, jumping all over the place. This was not worth the money, if I had only paid maybe a $1.00 for It, I would not have finished it! Paid full price and feel like I got taken (needed to finish it because surely there was something there)
I will read the reviews before ever buying a new book and paying the full price!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked forward to reading this book as it was different from the author’s norm-a mystery! I love her winter books and have read them over and over and her first novels are fantastic! However the timeline was problematic/back and forth/just too exasperating when reading! Too much figuring out when and where! The characters were shallow and no one was truly likeable! This read like a soap opera with the dates being mixed up! Sorry but just can’t encourage this one! My advice-if it works stick with it-maybe another Margaret book!!

Like all of Elin Hilderbrand's novels, The Perfect Couple, takes place on the beautiful island of Nantucket.

Quiet, shy Celeste is set to marry the perfect man, Benji Winbury. Benji comes from a well-respected, wealthy family. The type of man any girl would be lucky to have. What starts out as a fun affair with family and friends, ends with the tragic drowning of the maid of honor, Merritt.

The story is told from alternate perspectives as the Chief of Police tries to uncover what happened to Merritt Monaco. Along the way life-changing secrets are revealed.

Once again Hilderbrand writes the perfect summer beach read. Beautiful Nantucket setting, family secrets, and a tragic death. What more could you ask for?

This book has been so heavily hyped I had high hopes - but the end result was a great disappointment. There were no sympathetic characters to bond with - not the bride, not the groom, certainly not the victim. The story resolution was a cop-out. Also, it was a bit of a pain at first to acclimate to the all the time jumps - and then the final date/time stamp on the last section was wrong - purporting that the events described there occurred 24 hours after the actual events according to the rest of the story. Glad I got it as a free library loan rather than spending any money on it. Feeling a bit sorry for my library which put out money to lease more copies due to high demand for a book that in the end was not at all worth it.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I have read most of Elin Hilderbrand's novels and this may be the best one yet! So who is The Perfect Couple? Our story takes place in the Hamptons the day before Celeste Otis and Benji Winbury are to be married. Benji is uber rich and Celeste-is not. Are they the perfect couple or is it Benji's parents, Tag and Greer who are putting the finishing touches on the groom's dinner and waiting for Celeste's parents, Mac and Betty (who has terminal cancer) to arrive.

If it sounds like your typical Elin Hilderbrand's summer beach wedding novel-it is not, because in the morning, the maid of honor will be found washed up on the beach, the best man is missing and everyone in the book has a secret they hope won't be revealed. It would be hard to talk more about the plot without giving away too many secrets-so I won't. I just want to encourage you to read this one, because it may be my favorite of the summer!

When I finished this book, I was left a little confused as I felt there were so many unfinished stories and there was no epilogue to offer a nice and clear summation.

For example, (**spoiler alert ahead): What happened to Karen, did she die or was she miraculously cured because she felt so well? What happened to Celeste after she broke it off? What happened to Shooter and Celeste, did they end up together? What happened with Greer, did she ever finish the book or use this incident to write another book? What about Chloe's relationship with the Chief? Or Lola's relationship with the Chief after Lola finds Shooter? What about Thomas and Abby - did Abby have the baby, did they stay married? And for gosh sakes, who sent the picture text to Shooter and why?

All is all, I will continue reading Hilderbrand's books because I like the consistent setting and returning to old characters, but there are so many questions left unanswered that I can't give this a five star rating. I want more! I need answers!

The Otis-Winbury wedding at a fabulous oceanfront estate on Nantucket Island was sure to be the wedding event of the year, until the unthinkable happens. Just hours before the wedding was to take place, the body of Merritt, the maid of honor-to be, is pulled from the harbor. Was her death an accident or was foul play involved?

I've read quite a few stories by this author, but this one, by far, was a favorite. I loved the mystery element of this story. The characters were great and I loved the way the story unfolded with little flashbacks into each of the main characters. The contrast between haves and the have-nots was well done and the island setting was so descriptive that you could imagine being there.

A very nice summer read, part mystery, part family drama, part love story. The Perefct Couple unfolds at just the right pace to keep you reading (listening in my case). I really enjoyed this one.

4.5/5 stars

The Perfect Couple is the perfect oxymoron for the couples in this novel. Not one couple, it seems, has anywhere near perfection in their relationship. There is a murder, infidelity, mistrust, lying and plain old realization that they committed to the wrong person.

I had told my book group and possibly mentioned in another review that I was not a fan of mysteries and I think that might still hold true for the traditional kind of mystery novel, but I did really enjoy this one. There was a lot going on, but not too much that it distratcted from the plot line. I also enjoyed the storylines of all the "perfect couples" in the attempt to figure out what actually happened and never piecing it together until the very end when it is revealed.

I don't believe I have ever read a Hilderbrand novel before, but it was highly entertaining and I will definitely pick up another one.

I enjoyed the book, I actually finished it in 2 days. But I didn't like the name dropping and I'm not into imagery, so the descriptions of things are lost on me.

Poor Benji is the groom (aka someone you think would be important as half of the wedding the book is about), and he never gets a chapter from his viewpoint. He's just a prop for Celeste (the bride's) and his mother's story (and other characters...just never Benji).

***Major Spoilers ahead*****

I actually liked the little "unfinished" bit at the very end where they don't actually catch the killer. But a big reason I give this 3 stars (in addition to cardboard Benji) is that the police close the case and call it an accident even though they know crimes were committed!!! Battery (spiking someone's drink), attempted battery (spiking the wrong drink), unintentional manslaughter or negligent homicide... I get that the author wants you to feel like the Bad Guy got away with it so she said the police just closed the investigation, but it was BS.

I waded through 250 pages because this book was highly recommended to me. At about page 250, it ramped up for a while, but it didn't last long. This book was my first read from Hilderbrand, and most likely my last. I agree with another reviewer who felt that the characters were not developed enough to make the reader care about them. Disappointing.

What a fantastically sad ending!! Not a crying one, but one that really kicks you in the gut because of some characters actions to what they thought was a problem that wasn't going to be a problem at all.

Wow, so many suspects. Or may there were just one or two or many unknowingly helping in the demise of the victim. Or may there was just one attempt at murder that got the wrong victim. Or maybe it was just an accident after all. These are just some of the thought going through my head while I was reading this excellent read.

I have read several Elin Hilderbrand books and I cannot recall ever reading a mystery by her. If this actually was her first attempt at a mystery, she did an excellent job!!

Loved, loved, loved this book!

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The perfect couple by Elin Hilderbrand
Story of a couple getting married on the island. The brides parents are traveling by ferry to attend-she's got cancer and they expereince the island with fresh eyes. I feel with the words the author has written that i can smell the air as they arrive.
Grooms parents are there also from England with their own car.
A murder occurs and everybody has to state where they were and other circumstances.
Mystery the sheriff is following as he raises teenagers.
There are a lot of people around, sometimes hard to keep it straight.
Sad that there is not one couple who's not gone through infeideltiy, or even both of the perfect couples.
Lots of drama, enjoyed travel to other locations.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

I have read all of EH's books (except ones that are only Kindle) since the beginning and for the most part have usually liked them. In my opinion, this particular book was a change in style and storyline for her but she did it very well. I never recap stories in my reviews, that is what book jackets are for, so I will just say this is a murder mystery so to speak! The characters are all together for a weekend wedding when one of the characters is found dead. The storyline goes back and forth so that you have more background for all of the characters rather than just picking up on the weekend of the wedding, giving great dimension to the characters for me and I liked all of them. For me this was a book I hated to put down and hurried back to when I could because I wanted to know what happened. A very good read.

A definite page-turner. Save this book for a free weekend because you won’t want to put it down!

The bride discovers the body of the maid of honor on the beach on the morning of her wedding day. The investigation begins and we soon find out that there are many secrets in the families; as soon as you think that you have figured out the murderer, the next chapter gives you another suspect.
The “happiest day” of the bride’s life becomes a nightmare as she realizes that her fiance’s family is not the happy family that she believed. She also discovers that her parents’ marriage is not as blissful as she thought.

Skipping ahead to the end doesn’t help because there are so many twists and turns and red herrings that you must read every chapter!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Co. for the ARC.

I will always be a fan of Elin Hilderbrand and always look forward to her books. I liked this story but thought it was too long. It seemed to drag at the end and I thought they would never figure out who committed the crime. The surprise ending was somewhat unbelievable and anti-climatic. I thought the characters were well-developed and interesting. I loved her description of the home where the wedding was to take place. The writer wrote about Nantucket as only a longtime resident could and provided a wonderful setting to escape to. She described the characters in a way that portrayed warmth and sensitivity, especially the contrast between the bride and grooms backgrounds and lifestyles. The bride's relationship with her parents and her sensitivity to her mother's illness was tender and heartfelt. I thought Elin Hilderbrand wrote in a way that gave insight from the beginning as to why the relationship of the bride and groom progressed as it did. This was not my favorite of her books but I loved it and would highly recommend it.

I usually love Elin’s books. I preordered this one and saved it for my beach vacation. Super disappointed.

This one is very hard to follow in the beginning. It sets up like a murder mystery, but i figured out what happened about halfway through the book.

The characters that are most likeable and developed are forgotten at the end.

It seems like the book’s deadline came before it was actually finished.

This was a waste of an Audible credit. Would have been fine to get from the library.

It started off interesting but went downhill after 25% of the way in. Much less murder mystery and instead more needless family drama.

Celeste, arguably the main character, was SO uninteresting, and maybe even unlikeable. Like a scared, awkward, spineless mouse.
Average writing that went on and on for no reason frequently, with drawn out descriptions of the "fancy" food.

What did I like about this book? I'm not for sure. Hmm. I did like the Tag and Greer were more multidimensional than anticipated.

I love reading books by Elin Hilderbrand, so when I saw The Perfect Couple, I knew I had to have it. I have never been to Nantucket, but with the beautiful imagery and vivid descriptions of the island, I feel like, If I were to visit, I would be very comfortable in my surroundings. The Perfect Couple is a mystery that started a little slow for me, but quickly captivated my attention and gave me the "whodunit" feeling while I was not reading. The book is set during a wedding weekend where the maid of honor is found dead the morning of the big event. Through police interviews with wedding attendees, we find out who had motive, how this seemingly perfect family is not quite what they seem, and eventually, "whodunit".

I strained mightily to get through this, but gave up about a third of the way through. The author spends almost no time on the murder plot and way too much on bland descriptions of mostly uninteresting characters. The rest is spent prattling on about fashion and wines, apparently things the author values. This is her 21st novel, just like a certain female character in the story, and just like her, this novel seems "phoned in." Maybe it's a disguised autobiography.

I have read everything by Elin.
I was looking forward to another good summer read by her!

A wedding in Nantucket over July 4th weekend.
The Maid of Honor is found dead!
So the mystery begins - Who? How? What?

A mix of stories
various viewpoints
gives you the feeling of living among them.
Then some stories overlap with others ...

As always- I enjoyed the breast cancer references as a survivor myself.
The feelings of the mother may not see the 1st anniversary
much less any grandchildren on top of getting news of metastasis!! Love it!
Also a shout out to Great Wolf Lodge (great and fun place to go)
and never meeting a water-slide I didn't love!

I'm a big Hilderbrand fan and have to restrain myself from devouring all of her novels at once. ( I usually restrict myself to a few each year so I can make them last!) This is one of my favorites I've read so far. I really enjoyed the diverse mix of characters, the suspense regarding the murder, and how it all came together.

This author excels at getting inside the heads of wildly different characters, from teenage boys to wealthy dowagers. And, of course, the dreamy descriptions of the Nantucket scenery, the ocean, the food and the summer time are pure joy. This is one of those books that you finish reading with a sigh because you don't want it to be over.

Formulaic, phoned in dreck - the author ties up the whole "mystery" in one page at the end of the book - save your $$$ and read Ahab's Wife - you will learn about Nantucket without lowering your IQ - a must miss.

Why do authors go back and forth in time like July 2018, May 2016, and so on? What happened to books where the story is told in a simple, sequential timeline. This kind of storytelling fractures the story and its timeline. The book is very long and boring.

Ever since reading my first Agatha Christie in grade school, I've been a sucker for murder mysteries set among the upper crust. This one, set in Nantucket, was a great summer read, perfect for the beach or pool (although I read it in just 2 days at home and while commuting). Like others have said, I found the ending somewhat anticlimactic, but the characters were so well drawn and the plot so absorbing that this was outweighed by the sheer pleasure of reading it. As a bonus, the bride and her family hailed from the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, where we have family. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I will download a couple more and save for vacation.

I generally enjoy Elin Hillenbrand. Her brand of writing is exactly what I want to read on the beach: light, fun, a little family drama and a happy ending. This book is a departure from her normal style although still set in Nantucket. In this novel, the family drama centers around a the body of the best maid found on the morning of the wedding. I'm not opposed to a little murder mystery, either. Unfortunately this book was populated with an entire cast of characters who felt shallow and unlikable. As a cancer survivor, I don't like the trope of a parent dying of cancer to make a person more sympathetic, or in this case just more sad and sappy. In fact, the book felt quite full of character tropes and left several story lines dangling in the wind. It simply felt sloppy and rushed, not the Hillenbrand I am used to. It's not one I will recommend to readers at my library,

Another worthy beach read for the summer!

Told from different points of view, this is a story that will keep you guessing until the last page. A Nantucket wedding, a famous author, men and women behaving badly and just who is sleeping with who?

The author keeps us on the edge of our seats, not sure who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. And much like a large family, secrets are being kept. Some life changing, others life ending.

But who wanted the maid of honor gone? Was it an accident or something more sinister?

This is a great summer read.

Netgalley/Little,Brown and Co. June 19,2018

I read an Elin Hilderbrand book every summer, and this one is different than any of her other books. It incorporates characters from earlier stories, as her books often do, but this is a bit of a murder mystery, which I don’t think she’s done before! I don’t read blurbs, generally, especially for authors I know and trust, so I had no idea what I was in for. As soon as I read the prologue, I thought, “Oooooo, this is going to be good!”

It was excellent. It did remind me a bit of the first book I’d ever read by Anne Rivers Siddons, called Colony. Makes me want to go back and read that book again, actually.

The Perfect Couple is not your usual Elin Hilderbrand novel. Sure, it is set on Nantucket Island, but it's not a happy ending love story. The novel opens with a murdered maid of honor and a wedding destroyed. Family secrets, affairs, and surprise romances are revealed as the crime is investigated to find out who killed Merritt.

This was a great change of pace from Ms Hilerband's normal tales, and I enjoyed it, but it was extremely predictable and stereotypical. We choose it as our July book club read, because most of us had vacations and it was the perfect summer beach read.

I was excited by this book, at least the first two chapters. It was intriguing during the part about the person who was dead and the potential intrigue because of all the players. But as it went to flashbacks to when the lead couple met each other, boy did it get boring and mired down in in sanely dull details. Total disappointment given how well it started. Don’t waste your time.

A mystery only in the sense that The Castaways was a mystery - using the death of a character to expose the inner lives of all the characters some of whom are superfluous. The Perfect Couple's wedding party could make an interesting summer read. Hilderbrand, who I used to enjoy immensely, is cheating again - an outline with dates, times & a vignette about a character hopping back & forth over two years. She has the audacity to say "Montage:" followed by a list of activities as though she were too lazy to write what the characters did and said. Another disappointment.

I have read Elin H's books before and always enjoyed them....so I splurged for the full price because I was sure it would be good.! What a disappointment, there was no ending, and the story was so hard to follow, jumping all over the place. This was not worth the money, if I had only paid maybe a $1.00 for It, I would not have finished it! Paid full price and feel like I got taken (needed to finish it because surely there was something there)
I will read the reviews before ever buying a new book and paying the full price!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I looked forward to reading this book as it was different from the author’s norm-a mystery! I love her winter books and have read them over and over and her first novels are fantastic! However the timeline was problematic/back and forth/just too exasperating when reading! Too much figuring out when and where! The characters were shallow and no one was truly likeable! This read like a soap opera with the dates being mixed up! Sorry but just can’t encourage this one! My advice-if it works stick with it-maybe another Margaret book!!

Like all of Elin Hilderbrand's novels, The Perfect Couple, takes place on the beautiful island of Nantucket.

Quiet, shy Celeste is set to marry the perfect man, Benji Winbury. Benji comes from a well-respected, wealthy family. The type of man any girl would be lucky to have. What starts out as a fun affair with family and friends, ends with the tragic drowning of the maid of honor, Merritt.

The story is told from alternate perspectives as the Chief of Police tries to uncover what happened to Merritt Monaco. Along the way life-changing secrets are revealed.

Once again Hilderbrand writes the perfect summer beach read. Beautiful Nantucket setting, family secrets, and a tragic death. What more could you ask for?

The Perfect Couple was engagingly, delicious from the very beginning. Elin Hilderbrand grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. This was my first Elin Hilderbrand read but will not be my last.

This book was bursting with mysterious twists and turns together with engaging and interesting characters. This read boasts many well-developed characters and the author does a good job of giving you just enough development of the characters as to not overwhelm. I was delighted by the storyline as well as the “never seen it coming” scaffolding. I highly recommend this book.

I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book has been so heavily hyped I had high hopes - but the end result was a great disappointment. There were no sympathetic characters to bond with - not the bride, not the groom, certainly not the victim. The story resolution was a cop-out. Also, it was a bit of a pain at first to acclimate to the all the time jumps - and then the final date/time stamp on the last section was wrong - purporting that the events described there occurred 24 hours after the actual events according to the rest of the story. Glad I got it as a free library loan rather than spending any money on it. Feeling a bit sorry for my library which put out money to lease more copies due to high demand for a book that in the end was not at all worth it.

I loved this book!!!!!

The Perfect Couple begins with a celebration proceeding a wedding the next day. The maid of honor is discovered the next day, dead.

The police is called to investigate whether there was foul play. What they learn is that the privileged in their sleepy town of Nantucket, have secrets. There are many potential suspects and motives and I have to admit, by 98% into the story, I still hadn't figured it out. But by the time I got to the end, I still wanted more.
4 likes

I found this story original and captivating. It was difficult to put down each night and left me ruminating about the relationships among the characters and wondering what was coming next.
The people were made so real...you could see them and felt you knew them. I felt their frustration, despair, longing and anguish. The best part of the book was that I truly couldn’t guess what was coming next, nor did I know how it would resolve in the end. I am anxious to read more by this author.

I wanted to cheat and read the end to find out who the killer was, but don't do it...it could ruin it. I loved the way this novel was presented- slight jumping in time, but always letting you know when it is and whose mind you are delved into. And they only bring up the past when the 'current' times have brought up why the past events are important to know the details and sometimes by past i mean yesterday. I loved this book and am reminded of why i liked to read Elin H.

A wedding in Nantucket of the Otis - Winbury families with no expense spared. Many of Hilderbrand's characters from her other novels are back in this love story adventure.
On the eve of the wedding, the bride's best friend and maid of honor was found dead on the beach. Was she murdered, was it an accident or did she do it to herself?
The police interview everyone who was at the event and everyone’s secrets come out which makes for more suspects.
This is a perfect summer read.

So disappointed in this book from one of my favorite authors. Not only did I not care for the format (going back and forth in time from a year ago to sometimes a day and even hours back and forth) but also the ending had no real ending...is it a set up for a future book to come, I wonder?

Another enjoyable Elin Hilderbrand book. I liked that this book was a mystery, a little different from her usual. I like that she ties characters from other books into the stories but you don't have to have read all of the previous books to follow the stories. I do enjoy the vivid descriptions that she usually has on different areas of Nantucket and that I did miss, as most of this story takes place at Summerland. If you are a Hilderbrand fan you will enjoy this book!

Ahhh, I think this is my favorite book of the summer to date. I so want to visit Nantucket after feeling immersed in the local culture as described. This story has so many wonderful elements that all come together in a natural way. It’s a suspense novel but there are so many revelations throughout the book based on these well developed characters. I don’t enjoy suspense novels that force you to read to the last pages and then the author just lays out The Who and Whys. This story line made sense with what you gradually learned from the character development. This is not just a “beach read”. It’s a cancel your plans and grab a cup of coffee and dig in kind of book. I really hope there’s a sequel because I want to know what happens next! Treat yourself and read this book!

Such a cleverly written story. As the plot unfolds, so do a myriad of secrets, so many that my allegiance shifted between each character as more and more was divulged. As seems to be her trade mark, the story was set on Nantucket and was full of drama, romance and scandal but with a refreshing twist secrets, lies and murder. A quintessential beach read with a twist of a murder mystery figuring out the who in the whodunnit. Fabulous and fast read.

4.75 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ?

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand is a must have in your beach bag this summer, right next to the sunblock, Tori Burch flip flops and floppy straw hat. Set against Hilderbrand’s signature Nantucket back drop, The Perfect Couple is a perfectly crafted tale of love, lies, infidelity and murder. The characters are fresh and the setting is vivid. If you’re familiar with Hilderbrand’s novels, you’ll be delighted by the cameos of some of our favorite characters and some of our favorite hot spots. Anyone else want to go dancing at the Chicken Box or spend a weekend on Tuckernuck?

We learn about the death of the maid of honor through the eyes of the investigation and the eyes of Nantucket Island. We learn about the bride and groom as the story jumps back in time to showcase how they fell in love. Both the investigative narrative as well as the romantic side of the novel describe The Perfect Couple in the form of delicious plot twists, juicy secrets, (not so) innocent love and the worst kinds of betrayal. This is what summer beach reads are made of, and there’s a reason why Elin is dubbed Queen of Beach Reads. One scrumptious side note- nobody writes food like Elin Hilderbrand. You may find yourself rooting through your kitchen for a (very) late snack since you won’t be able to put the book down, or trying to emulate one of her delicious yet ridiculously simple and unassuming picnic lunches. You might think Nantucket Island is full of pretentiously overpriced meals, but Elin delivers practical yet savory and mouthwatering depictions of even the simplest of snacks shared between two secret lovers. In vintage Hilderbrand style, The Perfect Couple is my favorite Elin beach read since Silver Girl.

Woah. This book was amazzzzzzzzzing! I’ve read a few of Elin’s books and enjoy her writing style. This book is, hands down, her best book yet. Wow. I actually didn’t want it to end. I liked every single character in the book. I definitely think there should be a part 2 to this novel for sure!

Buy this book right now!!

Thank you so much for the free review copy Little Brown! ? It has been kind of stormy and grey here, so I was delighted to escape to the intrigue of Nantucket in The Perfect Couple! I had never read Elin Hilderbrand before, but I can see why her books are often associated with summer reading— this would be perfect for the beach or pool. The story centers around a high society wedding in Nantucket, where no one seems to be telling the whole truth. The matriarch is a famous mystery novelist, and there are plenty of bookish references, which were so fun to come across. A lot of fun with an interesting cast of characters— and LOTS of family drama!

The perfect couple was the perfect book. I found myself wanting to go to bed so I could start reading it. I love all her books and this one didn’t disappoint me. Waiting for the audiobook to be available. I want listen to the story again.

I have recently become a big fan of Elin Hilderbrand's novels. When I saw she had a new novel out, I knew I had to read it. The Perfect Couple is set in Nantucket, as most of her books are. A wedding is set to take place on this beautiful island until the maid of honor is found dead the morning of the wedding. The story of the bride and groom, and their friends and family, is told in the present and through flashbacks to the start of their relationship, all while trying to solve the mystery of how the maid of honor died.

Good book, held my interest and was full of family dynamics and secrets. Certainly kept you wondering what happened and how will it end. I've read all of Elin Hilderbrand's books and she consistently uses the same characters for her novels so it feels like I've known the characters for years. Quick, good read.

Overall, this was a pretty good summer "read." But like a few other reviewers, I found the jumping around of the timeline to be somewhat disconcerting. It seemed like just an attempt by the author to be "clever."

More importantly, I think there was a big mistake with timeline offered in the last chapter. The day should have been Saturday, not Sunday! Did anyone else discover this?

More suspense than Elin usually brings. I was very caught up in the story and could not figure out "who did it." The ending was disappointing, I would have liked to know what happened to two of the main characters. I realized later that the last chapter was really the give-away but you had to think about it for awhile which was good but I felt like it wrapped up too quickly. Still enjoyable.

I consider myself a recent fan of Elin Hilderbrand's work. The Perfect Couple was one of my favourites by her.

When a body is found washed up on a beach the morning of a wedding, it kicks this story into high gear. Even juicier, is that the young woman found happens to be the maid of honor. Was foul play involved, or was it an accident?

I loved this title as it was the perfect combination of fun summer read and thrilling mystery.

This was a typical Elin Hilderbrand page turner but I was really disappointed in the ending. My sister & I both thought it was anti-climatic. I usually love Hilderbrand's books but I can't get over the mediocre ending.

I started "The Perfect Couple" at noon yesterday and finished it at 4 AM this morning. I did a few household chores during that time plus some sleeping but this book really held my interest and I was definitely a little sad when I read the last page!

OMG This was by far the best Elin book in my opinion!
I LOVED all the twists and turns.
It was still the typical Elin Nantucket beach read that I love but with so much drama that worked!
Hope she writes more like this.

I enjoyed this novel more than some of the author’s other books with the exception of the Winter Trilogy. This had some fun subplots and interesting characters. It was easy to read and although somewhat predictable, not entirely so at all. I would for sure recommend it as a fun read. It would've been nice to take the Shooter/Celeste relationship farther and have Benji and his family react to it instead of just implying that maybe...it continued.

Good characters
Surprise ending
I am still not fond of jumping back and forth of time frames
I imagine it is harder to create the suspense telling the story with a straight timeline but I prefer it even if it takes greater writing skills.

I think maybe I was expecting more because there was so much hype about it, but I thought the beginning was really good, the middle was never going to end, and the end was rushed and very disappointing. I feel like she's having the same identity crisis as Greer...

A romantic novel set in New York City and Nantucket. You will definitely want to pick this one up! Once I started I could not put it down. I felt for Celeste throughout. Will love truly prevail? Is there a truly perfect couple? You have to read to find out. This was my first Elin Hilderbrand novel and I can't wait read the next!

A fan of nearly every Elin Hilderbrand book, I was excited to receive this arc. The story itself unfolded slowly and I was a bit turned off initially because it felt like a mystery. Once I got farther into the book it really began to pick up speed and I wanted to know "who done it" though I didn't figure it out until the very end. Great story, characters, and the perfect setting. Also loved that there were characters from previous Hilderbrand books.

Elin Hilderbrand specializes in novels which take place on Nantucket. A society wedding is scheduled for July 7, and family and friends have gathered on Nantucket. The story goes back and forth in time, with the time frame being from when the couple met through July 8. There are lies, secrets, betrayals, and a body.

A posh wedding is set to happen on the opulent side of Nantucket Island when the maid of honor is found dead, floating in the water, the morning of the wedding.
Celeste Otis is about the marry the man of her dreams and into a family so unbelievably wealthy it defies any logic as to why she, an assistant zoo director at the Bronx Zoo who comes from a squarely middle class Pennsylvania upbringing would land this gem of a man. Benji is kind, generous to a fault, and smitten with his bride to be.
Perhaps looks are deceiving.
Benji’s overbearing and famous author mother, Greer is taking the bull by the horns and planning this over-the-top affair to be catered at her own stunning showplace right on the water. Celeste’s own mother is in the end phase of stage 1V breast cancer and Celeste’s only wish in terms of planning is that her mother be able to see her only child get married before she dies.
Merritt, the ill-fated maid of honor has a few secrets of her own that surface in the time before her death and these revelations have a direct impact on Celeste and her decision to marry into such a family as the Winbury’s.
Finally, Celeste is hiding a secret of her own, one that causes a major conflict within her and reignites a stutter that has long been in remission.
As the police question all the significant guests, the best man, the groom’s brother, an old family friend, the groom’s parents, more secrets are revealed as motivations for murder are uncovered. Did someone kill the maid of honor on the most auspicious of occasions and why?
Celeste appears to be a completely different person when seen through the eyes of other characters. This discrepancy made her the hardest character to pin down. I never did get why she would be welcomed and accepted into Benji’s family. Knowing about them made this seem highly unlikely. Her falling in love scenes written in movie montage format were annoying even more so after the first go-around. Clearly a far less is more strategy.
I did love the nod within Greer’s storyline to aging and formulaic serial authors with their built in fan base of crazy-cat ladies. I have experienced both the tired authors phoning it in but still getting fat off the proceeds of books better off not written (I choose not to read them anymore) as well as their cat-loving groupies (Don’t get me wrong, I like cats).
I was happy that Merritt was portrayed as a young woman worthy of sympathy as opposed to deserving exactly what she got. She deserved better.
The island itself provides a stunning backdrop to a tragedy that occurs in a place where noting bad can happen.
Overall, you will sail right through this entertaining novel where looks can be deceiving and where the perfect couple ceases to exist. This is my second Hildebrand novel. I read Summerland several years ago. I look forward to more of her novels.
BRB Rating: Read It.

I saw this book on a lot of top book lists and it is all lie. It could be written an episode of Days of Lives because everyone is having an affair or dying. The characters are undeveloped while the author goes on and on about Nantucket. I stopped reading at page 287 and just like up a 2 paragraph spoiler.

Really good storyline but a lot of unnecessary fluff in between. Plus there were so many loose ends when the book closed that I felt cheated not knowing what would come of the characters. A great story of love and lose. And an intriguing murder mystery. Just wish I didn’t have to skim so much. Would recommend!

This was quite a whodunnit! Secrets and lies are everywhere you turn, which makes it quite interesting as the police try to figure out if foul play was involved in the death of the maid of honor. Almost every character has something to hide. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t want to put it down.

4/5 stars!!! I love Elin Hilderbrand and was SO excited to receive an advanced copy of her newest one from NetGalley! I was completely pulled into the characters' lives and could not stop reading until I figured out what happened! My only gripe with the novel is the amount of affairs -- every couple had someone cheating!! The ending was unexpected, although not shockingly so. Overall, a very enjoyable read!!! (Also, I love the recurring characters from her other books in minor roles!!)

Thanks to Elin Hilderbrand, the publisher, Little Brown, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

As Summer on Nantucket begins, the Whitby estate of Summerland is gearing up for the wedding of the year. But when the maid of honor is found dead the morning of the wedding, everyone involved starts to unravel and their deepest secrets come out as the police investigate the death of Merritt Monaco. Hildebrand delivers some of her best work yet as the story evolves and the reader begins to realize there is no such thing as a “perfect couple.” The characters are well-developed and the plot moves quickly as the each characters layers are revealed in a timeline of events that go back and forth between past and present.

I listened to this mystery novel on CDs during a long cross-country drive. I was surprised when the book concluded at the end of disk 9, since there were 11 disks in the box. I kept listening and realized that the disks labelled 9 and 11 were identical. Everything that was supposed to be on disk 9 was missing. That includes a key scene between Celeste and Shooter that seemed to have occurred in her NY apartment, which is briefly referred to on disk 10. So depending on how you see it, the real disk 9 wasn't available to listen to, the disk 9 I actually listened to was full of spoilers, and disk 10 was anticlimactic. Since the book is a whodunit that cost me $35 and 12 hours of my time, I'm pretty annoyed.

Woah. This book was amazzzzzzzzzing! I’ve read a few of Elin’s books and enjoy her writing style. This book is, hands down, her best book yet. Wow. I actually didn’t want it to end. I liked every single character in the book. I definitely think there should be a part 2 to this novel for sure!

Buy this book right now!!

I couldn’t put it down. A romance and a mystery rolled into one. I knew it couldn’t be the most obvious suspects. It’s a book about wealth, love, infidelities, friendships, death, cancer, and family. I wouldn’t mind a follow up series with Celeste and Shooter.

Thank you so much for the free review copy Little Brown! ? It has been kind of stormy and grey here, so I was delighted to escape to the intrigue of Nantucket in The Perfect Couple! I had never read Elin Hilderbrand before, but I can see why her books are often associated with summer reading— this would be perfect for the beach or pool. The story centers around a high society wedding in Nantucket, where no one seems to be telling the whole truth. The matriarch is a famous mystery novelist, and there are plenty of bookish references, which were so fun to come across. A lot of fun with an interesting cast of characters— and LOTS of family drama!

The perfect couple was the perfect book. I found myself wanting to go to bed so I could start reading it. I love all her books and this one didn’t disappoint me. Waiting for the audiobook to be available. I want listen to the story again.

I have recently become a big fan of Elin Hilderbrand's novels. When I saw she had a new novel out, I knew I had to read it. The Perfect Couple is set in Nantucket, as most of her books are. A wedding is set to take place on this beautiful island until the maid of honor is found dead the morning of the wedding. The story of the bride and groom, and their friends and family, is told in the present and through flashbacks to the start of their relationship, all while trying to solve the mystery of how the maid of honor died.

I was enjoying this audiobook, I listen while on my treadmill. There are 11 CDs with the book and when CD #9 was playing, the book ENDED with the usual credits, etc. I couldn't figure it out and put CD #10 in to see if there was anything on it. It began playing a part of the book that I hadn't heard before but obviously should have been somewhere in the middle of the story!
In other words, these CDs are ALL MIXED UP! Hey the store, somebody's asleep at the switch over there!

Good book, held my interest and was full of family dynamics and secrets. Certainly kept you wondering what happened and how will it end. I've read all of Elin Hilderbrand's books and she consistently uses the same characters for her novels so it feels like I've known the characters for years. Quick, good read.

I quickly became hooked on this story and stayed hooked until the end. However, at the end, I wished she would have “sewn up” an important storyline ...I wanted just a little bit more of the story.

I was so excited to start reading this book. Elin Hilderbrand is one of my favorite authors and I find myself reading her books over and over again. As much as I wanted to love The Perfect Couple, I just couldn’t. It felt like it was just thrown together and very disjointed. Glad I checked it out from the library instead of purchasing as I normally do.

Elin Hilderbrand creates n interesting murder mystery. Iro nically, one of the characters is also a murder mystery author and clues us in that the kiler is usually "hiding in plain sight . Shoud you marry for love or is money enough?

Until this book, I loved every Hilderbrand book. This book discusses an author who's most recent book has been rejected and rightly so...she didn't put much into it. That is how I feel about The Perfect Couple. There is a lot of recycled verbiage from other books put into this one and there was not much to the ending, as well.

Very enjoyable book. I have read all of Elin’s Nantucket books and it was great to see the return of some favorite characters. The summary on the store is incorrect- it is the maid of honor who is found floating, not the bride to be- this is an important oversight.
This book was a fast, interesting read- loved the merging of investigation with the Nantucket theme.

I’ve read most of Elin’s books and this was one of my favorites. As usual the story makes you want to keep reading and the mystery of this story was great with many different plot turns. I also appreciate that the story is told for multiple characters’ perspectives and timetables! Fun beach read for sure.

I LOVE Elin Hilderbrand. Once again she has provided an amazing beach read - but this time with a murder mystery twisted within. I couldn't wait to figure out how everything turned out. Reading each chapter was like unpealing layers of the onion and she had me hooked with each character's drama.

First time I've read an Elin Hilderbrand. I liked it a lot but it was not my favorite out the beach reads of this summer. Although i do hope she writes another book with these characters. I loved Celeste!! I also now need to go to Nantucket.

5 stars doesn’t seem like enough! This book was fantastic and, by far, my favorite summer read so far. The characters were described so well that at times I felt like I personally knew them. I loved the sense of mystery that came with this -not scary at all. A perfect murder mystery for summer...or was it a murder? This is a MUST read!

This my first Elgin Hilderbrand book, and may be my only. The reviews were so good and I was looking for an easy poolside read, I thought to give it a try.
Going back and forth in time can be an effective tool. This time it gave me whiplash. The characters were not developed therefore not interesting enough for me to care about.
The book left several loose ends, how’s Karen, what happened to the water glass?
Surely the police didn’t rule it an accident without following the pills?
Who sent the picture to Shooter?
Who makes up names like these characters?
I did finish the book, but came away disappointed.
My advice it’s not worth the time to read or the money it cost.

You know summer is around the corner when Erin Hilderbrand has a new release! It's summer and there's no better place to be than Nantucket. The Otis and Winbury families are excited for the upcoming Nantucket wedding of their children Celeste Otis and Benji Winbury. As with most weddings, they bring out a bit of family drama and, in this case, some family secrets. The picture perfect weekend quickly gets turned upside down when the Maid of Honor, Merritt, is found dead on the morning of the wedding. As the investigation gets underway, secrets of the Winbury family come out and it leads to a lot of questions and not many answers. It quickly becomes apparent that no one is perfect. Reading this book was like being a fly on the wall of a well-off family that's filled with drama. I absolutely devoured this book at the pool over the weekend. This book was a bit of a departure from her typical books, but I found it refreshing and still very much quintessential Elin Hilderbrand.

THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand is a fast-paced, entertaining story of secrets, lies and family intrigue. Like most other Elin Hilderbrand books, there is a beautiful setting, vivid descriptions and colorful characters that make you feel like you are right there with them. The morning of a glitzy wedding being held on an exclusive Nantucket estate, the maid of honor is found dead by her best friend, the bride. The rest of the story unfolds as the unexplained death is being investigated. The authorities interrogate the family, friends and staff of the bride and groom and try to determine who is telling the truth and who is hiding something. The story is told from several perspectives, alternating between the past and present. Everyone becomes a suspect in this possible murder mystery. Secrets are revealed with perfect timing and I never guessed the whole story until it was revealed in the end. THE PERFECT COUPLE was a quick and enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.

The Perfect Couple was engagingly, delicious from the very beginning. Elin Hilderbrand grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. This was my first Elin Hilderbrand read but will not be my last.

This book was bursting with mysterious twists and turns together with engaging and interesting characters. This read boasts many well-developed characters and the author does a good job of giving you just enough development of the characters as to not overwhelm. I was delighted by the storyline as well as the “never seen it coming” scaffolding. I highly recommend this book.

I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

5 stars doesn’t seem like enough! This book was fantastic and, by far, my favorite summer read so far. The characters were described so well that at times I felt like I personally knew them. I loved the sense of mystery that came with this -not scary at all. A perfect murder mystery for summer...or was it a murder? This is a MUST read!