Review: The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

Title:The Identicals

Author:Elin Hilderbrand

Published:June 2017, Little Brown & Company

Format:ARC Paperback, 432 pages

Source:Publisher

Identical twin sisters who couldn’t look more alike…or live more differently.
Harper
Frost is laid-back, easygoing. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of
her. She likes a beer and a shot and wouldn’t be caught dead wearing
anything fashionable. She’s inherited her father’s rundown house on
Martha’s Vineyard, but she can’t hold down a job, and her latest
romantic disaster has the entire island talking.

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

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

My thoughts:It’s the start of summer and I have my favorite summery read in hand – a new Elin Hilderbrand book!!! I was fortunate to pick up this gem at BookExpo this year and even more exciting – I got to see Elin in person and get the book signed! I just love seeing her – she is such a delight and while it was a very quick hi and thanks for writing these fun, summery reads, I loved it all the same! Plus, she was giving away cocktails at her signing – how could you not love that?

One of my favorite things about Elin’s books is that they are always set on Nantucket – my favorite summer reading destination…but this time, she brings in a new setting! She also sets part of the story in Martha’s Vineyard – another place I am sad to admit I have never been to…but hope one of these days to visit. I loved the descriptions in the beginning of the book where the two islands are compared…this helped me to put things into perspective a little bit.

So, about this book – it reminded me a little bit of The Parent Trap – oh how I adored that movies – the original of course with Hayley Mills as the twins. Of course, this book has much more substance than The Parent Trap, but with the twin story and Harper and Tabitha switching islands for the summer – how can you not think of that?

This story also made me think of the bond between sisters…how strong that bond really is. Yes, there is always going to be some sibling rivalry, but when push comes to shove, your sister will be there for you no matter what. Of course, these sisters let that rivalry play out a bit long, much like the rivalry that exists between the two islands, but it turned out it worked to their favor in the end. 

This is an enjoyable summer read, filled with the usual gossip and fun characters that is the trademark of an Elin Hilderbrand book, times two if you take the two islands into account! My only complaint is that now I have to wait another whole year before the next summer book comes out…