It seems that Elin Hilderbrand definitely has a charming muse. And that muse is none other than the island of Nantucket. Neither Nantucket nor Ms. Hilderbrand let us down in her latest novel, The Castaways. Told from six different perspectives, the story had me entranced from the start.

After a tumultuous year, with Greg fighting off accusations of an inappropriate liaison with a student, he and Tess set off on an anniversary sail, hoping to get back the trust and love that seems to have left their marriage battered and broken. The kids are dropped off to close friends Delilah and Jeffrey's house to play with their boys, and Tess' cousin and confidante Andrea has packed a sumptuous picnic lunch for them to enjoy while sailing. Fast forward a few hours and Andrea's husband, police chief Ed hears from the Coast Guard that they drowned and is asked to identify the bodies. Now he has to break the news to Andrea, who saved Tess years ago from drowning and promised that if she was spared, Andrea would become a nun. Andrea makes this connection immediately and blames herself, quickly losing herself in an overwhelming grief and despair. Ed now has to break the news to Chloe and Finn, Tess and Greg's seven year old twins. Delilah asks Andrea to let her keep the twins for the summer so they can be with their friends, but Andrea staunchly refuses to allow anyone but herself to have the children. Phoebe has already hit the bottom of her grief, and has been locked in a glass room inside her mind, heavily medicated, watching the world go by since the moment she felt her twin brother Reed jump to his death September 11th from the 101st floor of WTC1, minutes after she talked to him and he promised he'd be okay. That day she lost her brother, herself, and so much more. Told from the perspectives of close friends Addison, his wife Phoebe, Delilah, her husband Jeffrey, and Andrea and her husband,

The Castaways reels you in from the beginning and keeps you involved from start to finish. Surprising relationships and feelings are disclosed throughout each person's story of dealing with their loss. Elin Hilderbrand definitely stands out to me. I first read her novel The Love Season, and eagerly anticipated her following two: Barefoot and A Summer Affair. After reading The Castaways, I'd have to put this at the top of my list of her must reads. Don't miss this book when it's released in July!

Don't miss the reviews for this book on these sites today!

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