The Perfect Couple

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 34,204 ratings

Price: 21.83

Last update: 01-08-2025


About this item

From New York Times best-selling 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 wedding season on Nantucket. The beautiful island is overrun with summer people - an annual source of aggravation for year-round residents. And that's not the only tension brewing offshore. When one lavish wedding ends in disaster before it can even begin - with the bride-to-be discovered dead in Nantucket Harbor just hours before the ceremony - everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash digs into the best man, the maid of honor, the groom's famous mystery novelist mother, and even a member of his own family, the chief discovers that every wedding is a minefield - and no couple is perfect.

Featuring beloved characters from The Castaways and A Summer Affair, The Perfect Couple proves once again that Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of the summer beach book.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Susan K. Baker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Can't put it down!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2025
    Riveting from start to finish!! Love, lust, murder and millionaires all rolled into one book. HIGHLY recommend it, its powerful and moves quickly. I read it in two days can't wait for more.
  • Aly H
    4.0 out of 5 stars Beach read meets murder mystery in this fast paced novel.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
    Elin Hilderbrand once again brings her readers to the shores of Nantucket, this time for the event of the season. The wedding of Celeste Otis and Benji Winbury promises to be an epic party, and no expense has been spared. Tragedy strikes on the morning of the wedding, however, when a body is discovered just hours before the festivities are set to begin. With the immediate family and bridal party all staying at the house where the wedding is, everyone becomes a suspect in the ensuing murder investigation. As information is gathered and suspects are questioned, it becomes clear that each and every person at the beach house has secrets to hide.

    With the Netflix adaptation for this novel dropping in September, I wanted to make sure that I read the book first (because in almost every case, the book is better than the movie). I have read books by Elin Hilderbrand before, and have thoroughly enjoyed them, so I was excited to give this one a try. Almost instantly, she draws the reader in. The plot is super fast paced, and it fluctuates back and forth between present day, and events that happened in the past which culminate with a body in the ocean.

    There were so many characters in the book, but while there was a perpetually changing POV, it was still easy to follow along with what was going on. One of the things I loved most about the laundry list of characters was that each one of them had some aspect of their backstory that let the reader believe that they had something to do with the suspected murder. My convictions over “who dun it” changed with almost every chapter, and I found myself second (and third, and fourth) guessing my conclusions as the story progressed.

    This book truly had a little bit of everything. It was part murder mystery, part romance, part family drama, part wealthy society chaos, and I ate it all up. There were characters to love, characters to hate, and everything in between. I loved the Agatha Christie feel of having all the suspects forced together while the detective works his magic. I also loved that it checked off the boxes for both page turning suspense and perfect beach read. I had high expectations for this book from the start, and it absolutely delivered.
  • KittyMama59
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping and Sad
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2024
    Elin Hilderbrand never disappoints, but even more so in this page-turning novel from 2018. Upon conclusion of this book, I am reminded of a famous quote by Sir Walter Scott, 1808 - “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” This darkly provocative novel exemplifies this, as we meet this very wealthy family who seems to have everything - including many secrets. The story centers around the wedding of Benjamin Winbury and Celeste Otis, and takes us through their meeting to the aftermath of the wedding. Do these individuals finally get a happy ending - I hope so, someday. Well worth reading.
  • Ocean Lover
    3.0 out of 5 stars Loved the beginning but so let down by the ending
    Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2024
    I was immediately drawn in to this story when I started. We go to Cape Cod & Nantucket for vacations and I have an obnoxiously rich relative who has owned a home on Nantucket all her adult life. My middle name and my Mom’s first name come from Nantucket. Having known people like the groom’s family, I found the descriptions of the homes, clothing and attitudes to be true and very entertaining. To be able to put so much detail into the people, places, things etc, and then spend only two pages on a lame and, in my opinion lazy, reveal of what happened was incredibly disappointing. It felt like the author got a call from her agent saying she missed her deadline so she took 20 minutes to finish the book. To be so incredibly descriptive of everything in the book except the reveal of what happened was a huge letdown. The father’s kayak was given a better description and detail than the reveal of the details of how the victim died. It even took me a moment to realize I had finished the book until I turned the page and saw the author’s acknowledgements and immediately thought, “What the heck, did I miss something?”. I guess I was looking forward, while reading, for the exploding fire cracker reveal at the end and got a dud that wouldn’t light. I wish the end could have been as detailed and exciting as the rest of the book.
  • would-be tai' chi master
    4.0 out of 5 stars Quite a Surprise!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2024
    This book was well written and constantly pulling the reader into the plot. There is a lot going on so it is worth continuing to read. I look forward to seeing more from this writer.
  • Christy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2024
    Elin NEVER disappoints! She didn’t in this book either. She’s become my favorite author. This story is one of love, intrigue, deception, wanting power, secrets, hope, heartbreak and wanting something to succeed so bad…. that even when you think it can’t, you find there is always a way.
    Elin finds a way to nab you, right away. She’s got you turning pages so fast.. before it, you’re done.
  • Rebekah Chaney
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, Murder-Mystery/Beach Read
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2024
    The Winbury family is full of wealth and elegance and shows it among their lavish lifestyles and many luxurious homes. One in particular is at Nantucket and is soon to be the setting of their youngest son's wedding. Benji and Celeste were supposed to get married the Saturday after the 4th of July, but instead, the bride wakes up to find her maid of honor dead at the beach. Was it an accident or was it a murder? The chief of police and Detective Nick (The Greek) are determined to find out. They uncover a multitude of secrets and discover that even the most beautiful and rich families are never what they seem.

    I thought this was a GREAT read! I loved it and honestly didn't know who did it or what happened until the end. It was a great murder-mystery/beach read. I cannot wait to watch the series on this book coming out on Netflix! I had tried an Elin Hilderbrand book once before and was not impressed, but this book has made me want to give more of her books a try. If you like a classic, well-written mystery novel set during the summer at the beach, then this book is for you!
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2024
    I enjoyed the characters and the storyline woven each so well. You’ll be guessing until the end. Would love to see how Celeste and Shooter end up!

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