The Perfect Couple

Soon to be a Netflix limited series, from New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand comes a "quintessential summer read" (People) about the many ways family can fill our lives with love -- if they don't kill us first.

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496 pages

Average rating: 7.14

181 RATINGS

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8 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Kt052
Sep 04, 2024
8/10 stars
I was pleasantly impressed
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Ali Nurmikko
Sep 03, 2024
5/10 stars
Started off really liking where this novel was going and then all of this sudden I got so bored. I enjoyed the side plots of all the characters and the lure of never really knowing who’s guilty. However, the book was 100 pages longer than it needed to be. And for the whole investigation to be turned over overnight and deemed an “accident”????? meh. Unrealistic and just a huge let down for all that there was to read. Idk it felt like there was soooooo much happening in so many side plots and nothing really wrapped itself up? It was good, not great. I’m still going to watch the Netflix movie of it.
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Barb Baldrick
Aug 22, 2024
Just Wow
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MrsRichardson
Aug 20, 2024
10/10 stars
Loved this book! The right amount of scandal and extremely clever. Felt like I knew the characters
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JHSiess
Feb 03, 2024
8/10 stars
There's going to be a wedding on Nantucket. There's nothing unusual about that in the summer. But the wedding of Celeste Otis to Benji Winbury will be a lavish affair hosted by Benji's parents at the Winbury estate. Celeste's parents, in contrast, come from modest means. Karen, her mother, thought she had beaten breast cancer, but it has metastasized in her bones and she has been advised by her physician that she has only a few months to live.

On the morning of the wedding, the body of Merritt Monaco, the Maid of Honor, is found in Nantucket Harbor by the wedding planner. The wedding cannot proceed as planned, and Chief of Police Ed Kapenash begins the investigation into what happened the prior evening following the wedding rehearsal and dinner. Everyone is a suspect, including Celeste, Benji, and his mother, Greer, a best-selling mystery novelist. Also on the list of suspects are the groom's father, brother, and even the Chief's own teenage niece, Chloe, who is employed by the caterer. The best man, Shooter Uxley, is missing.

One thing becomes clear as the investigation proceeds: no couple is perfect.

The Perfect Couple is an engrossing story about a young woman swept off her feet by a charming man from a wealthy, well-connected family. Celeste is the Assistant Director of the Bronx Zoo, the only child of parents she adores. Her father, Bruce, works in the suit department at Neiman-Marcus. Karen's medical state has gutted Celeste -- and she doesn't even know that the cancer has spread to Karen's stomach and liver. In response to Karen's condition, the wedding was moved up to ensure Karen's attendance. However, since becoming engaged to Benji, Celeste has developed a troubling stutter that causes her mother to worry about whether Celeste is making the right decision.

The Winbury family, despite their wealth and power, have their own issues. Greer's latest novel has been rejected by her publisher who demands an immediate and complete re-write. Benji's brother, Thomas, has a troubled marriage and his father, Tag, has a long history of infidelity which Greer has chosen to overlook.

Throughout what was supposed to be the wedding day, the investigation proceeds as Chief Kapenash tries to discern why Merritt was in the water where she drowned. Details are revealed about the relationships of the suspects and what really happened at and following the rehearsal dinner. Secret motivations and overheard conversations demonstrate who might have had a motive to kill Merritt, who had her own skeletons in her closet, including an affair with her married former employer.

Hilderbrand infuses the Otis family with humanity. They are devoted to each other, despite one large secret that is revealed to Karen as the day wears on. In contrast, the scheming, entitled Winbury clan have their own secrets and reasons to want Merritt eliminated. Through it all the question of whether Celeste really loves Benji enough to marry him lingers.

Hilderbrand keeps the action moving forward, revealing titillating details that pique reader curiosity. The Perfect Couple is reminiscent of Agatha Christie's mysteries -- everyone is a suspect and when the killer is finally revealed, most readers will have guessed incorrectly. The characters are diverse and entertaining, and the story is surprisingly moving with a satisfying ending. Hilderbrand is known for her engrossing "beach reads" does not disappoint with The Perfect Couple.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.




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