Four couples have built an idyllic life in Nantucket together. Friendships, business partnerships, raising kids together – it’s the best. Except for the secrets they are keeping from each other. When tragedy strikes, those secrets threaten to break them all apart. Will their friendships – and their marriages – survive the summer?
Nantucket author Elin Hilderbrand continues her Nantucket series with book 2 – The Castaways. Following four couples through a tragic loss that changes the town, this novel explores what it means to be loyal, even after death, and how far we will go to protect what we have. This novel juxtaposes the small-town romance trope with mystery and suspense. Beyond all, this is a novel about community and pulling together through a tragedy that threatens to tear them apart.
I give The Castaways 4 out of 5 stars. I liked this book but felt like it was missing something special. I had a hard time connecting to a few of these characters and the children often felt like an afterthought both as part of the plot and in the writing of the story. I also had a challenge with the story’s romance plot points. At times, it felt like a Hallmark movie and other times it felt like a challenging love story. Again, I liked where this was going, but felt like something was missing.
With themes of adultery, drug use, and parental loss, this book would be best directed to more mature audiences over 16. If you love Hilderbrand’s other works like the Paradise series, you will like this book and series, too. I would also recommend this book to readers who have enjoyed other books like Mary Kay Andrews’ Summers at the Saint, Emily Henry’s Beach Read or Liz Moore’s God of the Woods.
I chose The Castaways for the Read With Lindsey Reading Challenge prompt “beach read”. This has become one of my favorite prompts over the years. With writers like Hilderbrand, Andrews, Henry, and Harvey, there are so many great options for this challenge. What books are you taking with you to the beach?
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Bungalow, Sarah Jio
- Current audio book: William Henry Harrison: Young Tippecanoe, Howard Peckham
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