Margin Notes: The Rumor


by Elin Hilderbrand

Madeline King and Grace Pancik are best friends and the envy of Nantucket for their perfect marriages, their beautiful kids, their Sunday night double dates with their devoted husbands. But this summer, something's changed, and if there's anything Nantucket likes better than cocktails on the beach at sunset, it's a good rumor.

And rumor has it...

...that Madeline, a novelist, is battling writer's block, with a deadline looming, bills piling up, and blank pages driving her to desperation--and a desperately bad decision;

...that Grace, hard at work to transform her backyard into a garden paradise, has been collaborating a bit more closely that necessary with her ruggedly handsome landscape architect;

...that Grace's husband, successful island real estate developer "Fast Eddie" Pancik, has embarked on quite an unusual side project;

...that the storybook romance between Madeline's son, Brick, and Grace's daughter Allegra is on the rocks, heading for disaster.

As the gossip escalates, and they face the possible loss of the happy lives they've worked so hard to create, Grace and Madeline try mightily to set the record straight--but the truth might be even worse than rumor has it. 
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a great summer beach read. Elin Hilderbrand is a great author--she writes compelling plots, she creates characters that feel like someone you might meet in a rom-com or a TV show on ABC. I thoroughly enjoy them. This mix serves her well, and in this case, she applied it to gossip mongers on Nantucket.

As most HS survivors can attest, the adult world sometimes feels like the HS cafeteria, despite the fact that we're older, the gossip just changes. This book was about two best friends--one who is an author in a strong, love-filled relationship with a son, the other who has two daughters and a husband with somewhat questionable morals / a giant-seeming bank account and a landscape architect who is so handsome.

There were many elements of both of their stories that gave me anxiety of the no! don't do that! kind. I liked the story and thought it was a fun read, there were some characters I really liked--the sheriff, the bookish daughter, the son, the author's husband... I would have loved to hear from them a little more. I think it's great that she writes such wonderful secondary characters.

This was a solid beach read, but it didn't leave an impression beyond being fun. Recommended to social people who are reading at the pool or beach and want something they can "snack" on if you will :)

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