Review: The Perfect Couple

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to Edelweiss, Little, Brown and Company and Elin Hilderbrand for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Is anyone really the perfect couple? Well it seems like Celeste and Benji are the closest thing to it as they come. Everyone around them are so envious of how perfect they are, so in love. Celeste is a down to earth girl who values the important things in life and Benji is the rich, desirable bachelor whose heart Celeste has captured. Celeste is very close to her parents, Karen and Bruce, especially now that her mother is dying of cancer but has always had a hard time making friends. She didn’t grow up with money and has always had to watch her pennies. She is head of the zoo, preferring the company of animals over humans, with the exception of Merritt, her coworker and best friend. Benji is the polar opposite. He is sophisticated, knowledgable about fine wines and exotic dining experiences and the kind of rich that gives him access to anything his heart desires. He always had a party to go to, or some exclusive, flashy event, but now, he prefers to just spend time with Celeste, introduce her to the finer things in life and take care and protect her. Benji’s mom Greer is a famous author and his dad Tag has been having an affair with Merritt. On the morning of Benji and Celeste’s wedding, Merritt turns up dead on the beach. Who could have wanted her dead? Did Greer find out about her husband’s infidelity? What were Tag and Merritt fighting about that night? Why was Celeste’s overnight bag fully packed and at the front door the night before her wedding? These families have many secrets and only once they are revealed will we know why Merritt died that night.

Well, unfortunately, I couldn’t give a perfect score to this novel. I have read and enjoyed many of Hilderbrand’s novels before and was really looking forward to this one. They are usually a light read, perfect for summer and this one showed a lot of promise. What I love about Hilderbrand’s books is that the setting is always integral to the story, almost like an additional character. In this one Nantucket is the backdrop and I was left wanting more. I wanted to be swept away and I felt like I only got a taste of the island’s life. The characters were well drawn and at first I was invested in what was happening, but as the book progressed I just didn’t care about them any more. Like a pretty girl with little personality you date her but when it stops you are not that broken up about it. I made it to the end because it was an easy read and yeah, I wanted to know what happened. In this story every character has a secret. Main character, side character, I mean I was waiting for the dog to have a secret. So many of them weren’t even relevant to the story. What was the point? It didn’t enhance the mystery, there was no build up only to reveal that secret didn’t lead you to the answer. There has to be a craft to the story to make it super exciting and extra special. So, a solid three star - readable but I wanted more.

View all my reviews