Review: The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand (audio)

Title: The Perfect Couple

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Narrator: Erin Bennett

Published: June 2018, Hachette Audio / Little Brown & Company

Length: 12 hours 8 minutes / 480 pages

Source: Audio – via Hachette Audio via Libro.fm   / Print – via Little Brown & Company

Summary: 

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. 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.

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.

My thoughts: Nothing says the start of the summer season better than having a new Elin Hilderbrand book in hand!!! I was fortunate once again to see her at this year’s Book Expo where she was signing copies of her latest book and handing out a beer – I have not missed this signing once in all the years I’ve been attending Book Expo and I adore getting to see Elin as much as I enjoy that beer at the end of a crazy few days!

This book was such a fun, beachy read with a new twist thrown in – this time Elin sets a murder mystery within her story and let me tell you, this one really kept me guessing the entire time! It’s amazing just how many secrets one uncovers within a family when investigating a murder that happens on your property. I’m sure the last thing Greer expected when she planned this big shindig for her son and his future bride was to have all their dirty laundry exposed during the course of an investigation…and yet, that is just what happens.

I love the characters that Elin creates – they are so full of life and richly drawn, but at the same time, they are not always lovable…try as you might. And that’s the beauty of them – because as much as you might not like who they are or what they do, you cannot walk away from them! You need to find out as much as you can about them and what they end up getting themselves involved in. These characters are flawed for sure, but they are real and authentic and that’s what makes them so appealing. And I also loved that Elin brought some old familiar characters into the fray this time, especially Chief Ed Kapenash from The Castaways, who has a pretty big role here. Perhaps this is going to be a new trend for her…that we will see some familiar faces here and there? After all, Nantucket is a small island!

The mystery really kept me guessing from start to finish. I kept thinking I had it all figured out each time a new secret was revealed, only to be completely thwarted – I never would have gotten to that ending in a million years! I liked that the mystery was light and not bogged down – as the investigation was going on, there was the typical Elin storytelling – a good mix of crazy drama and a look into family relationships. She really has a knack for delving into the complexities that make up a family and yet manage to keep you completely engaged and wanting more!

I adore Elin and her writing, and the only thing that makes me sad is that I now I have to wait until her next book comes out…

Audio thoughts: This was such a fun book to listen to and I think Erin Bennett really did a great job. She was able to give each character their own distinct voice and personality, and her tone and pacing were spot on. Even her accents seemed to be authentic, which makes for a more realistic portrayal of the characters. I enjoy listening to Elin’s books on audio and Erin Bennett did a good job bringing this story to life!