The Perfect Couple, by Elin Hilderbrand
Goodreads ¦ Amazon¦ Barnes & Noble
Series?: No
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: June 19, 2018
Length: 480 pages
Source: ARC
Format: Paperback
Times Read: Once
Rating: Just how I like my summer books–murdery

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: the groom’s wealthy parents have spared no expense
to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate.

What I Liked: As you’ve probably noticed, I don’t read much adult fiction. I don’t enjoy it as much, and if I don’t enjoy it I don’t read it. But Elin Hilderbrand is usually an exception. Her books (that I’ve read, at least) always take place in the summer on Nantucket and feature a wide range of characters. But this one also featured something a little MURDERY, which really made me excited.

♥ The Setting. One of my favorite book settings is anything that takes place surrounding a wedding, which this definitely was. It also features a wedding weekend on an island, which reminded me of a little something…

Have you guys seen this because OMG it’s so so good and I need more people to talk about it with.

It’s not the best comparison because only one person dies in the book instead of almost all of them, but it had that same kind of vibe for me. A weekend that was supposed to be beautiful and fun turned scary and dark.

♥ Some of the Characters. I can’t really say much because so much is revealed so slowly, but I really, really liked some of the characters. I can’t even say who because you don’t know if they’re good or bad for awhile, but in their own words, “In case you have any doubts, I’m in love with you.”

♥ Nantucket. Have I ever been to Nantucket? No, and I can’t think of a reason I ever will be. But I sure do feel like I’m there when I read Elin’s books. Her writing and descriptions transport me to toes in the sand, falling asleep with an ocean breeze, and eating lobster rolls on a bistro patio (And I don’t even like seafood, you guys).

♥ The ~Secrets~. WOW there are a lot of secrets in this book. They’re all hiding something, so most of them are suspected by the police. And most of them I DID NOT SEE COMING.

♥ The Dead Character. Since the blurb doesn’t even tell you who dies (except on Goodreads where it says the bride-to-be which lololol no), I don’t want to say. But we got to know them a LOT more than I anticipated, since they are dead right from the first page. I appreciated getting to spend time with this character, to understand everyone else’s feelings and motivations. Also? I just really liked them.

What I Didn’t:

⊗ Some of the Characters. Again, I can’t say much. But several of the characters didn’t do much for me, which was a problem because they’re important to the story. One of them wonders why two people are in love with them, and I couldn’t help but agree. Why ARE two people in love with you, you bland wet blanket?

⊗ The Ending is a Little Too Rushed. I realized I only had about 5 pages left and still didn’t know what really happened. I wondered, how will they wrap all this up in a satisfying manner? Answer: they will not. There are just too many characters, too much going on, too much left unresolved. And while I didn’t at all suspect the killer, I could have probably appreciated it more if we found out with more than one page to go.

⊗ The Secrets. While some were great, some were just…there. And some were downright dumb. It started to feel like literally *every* character had to have one, and some of them didn’t further the plot or characterization at all (I’m looking at you, Robin. The entire mention of you is unnecessary).