Every book by Elin Hilderbrand is my new favorite, and GOLDEN GIRL is my newest favorite (though 28 SMMERS will always be right up there). This is a different look at the usual landscape, coming from high above in heaven after the protagonist, Vivi, has died after a hit and run.

So Vivi, looks down at her family in Nantucket after her demise and watches (intervening a bit) as they adjust to the tumult and change following her death. I loved the concept (hope the author is right and we all get a view.

This is a great read and I know book groups will love reading this and discussing the situations that ensue. Of course, asking what changes we would make if we had powers now or “later.”

So, thank you Netgalley for this absolutely delightful novel. What a pleasure!

I enjoyed this book very much. It has everything scandal, family drama, romance and mystery. Vivi is a best selling author, who lives on Nantucket. She goes for a run and is involved in a hit and run. She dies instantly. Vivi gets to watch from above for the summer. She is assigned her person Martha, who helps her with her three nudges and when to use them. Vivi gets to see how her family and friends handle her death. She also gets to go back in time and look at her life. I loved some of her references to certain things - name of a boat. If you are a fan of Elin Hilderbrand, you will pick up on them. Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.

Another typical beach read. Fans will enjoy it. Wish I had a house in Nantucket. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

"Eventually, all of them are going to have to learn to live without you. This summer is going to end....Summer always ends." -Elin Hilderbrand, Golden Girl

In her twenty-seventh novel, Elin Hilderbrand tries something new....she's written "beach reads" "escapist novels" simple love stories, she tried her hand at a murder mystery a few years ago with The Perfect Couple, and this year, Hilderbrand has decided to tackle a paranormal element....and shockingly, it kinda works. This book is also a murder mystery, and if you're a fan of EH, the Chief Ed Kapenash is back with his witty observations and sharp dialogue.

The set-up of Golden Girl is relatively simple, Vivian Howe is a successful New York Times bestselling author who is divorced and has three children, and lives on Nantucket writing beach novels about Nantucket...(wink wink nudge nudge).....and then she is murdered in chapter two in a freak hit and run accident where she ascends to the above and meets Martha, her Person, who is assigned to help her transcend to heaven...Martha gives Vivi a summer viewing window to look down on Nantucket on her grieving family and make three "nudges" to push her family members in the right direction to change the course of there lives, before she must face the fact that the summer will eventually end, and her family must accept that Vivi has died and things will never be the same.

I liked the novel alot, it made me happy somehow....a book about the power of forgiveness and grief, and the struggles that a family has to overcome when they face the very sudden loss of a loved one. If you've ever lost someone to a freak accident, I think this book will connect with you on many levels.The book was heavy and full of dark topics that we've now come to expect Hilderbrand to tackle.

I don't think the murderer was a big surprise....I guessed who it was the minute the first red herring clue was dropped and I was right....but, I don't think that was Elin's point in writing this book. She doesn't want you to read the book trying to find out who murdered Vivi. She wants you to read this book and know that life does get better. Everything happens for a reason, and sometimes, we can't change destiny. This is going to be a very poignant read for many people this year in the trying times of COVID-19.

Does the book have some flaws? Yes. It's too long...could have been wrapped up quicker, and there's too many flashback scenes to Vivi's past....but at the same time, I loved every one of those scenes, they are what gave Vivi's character so much heart and made you root for her. So the book is probably a 4.25, but it's expertly written and was exactly the book I needed to read today, and I finished it in under 24 hours....so it's getting the 5th star! My favorite Hilderbrand remains 28 Summers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown for the advanced copy of GOLDEN GIRL.

The Golden Girl was wonderful! Vivi Howe is a mother of three young adult children and a novelist of beach reads. Her life is unexpectedly cut short by a hit-and-run accident. She's given three "nudges" to use for her loved ones left behind. Then there is the mystery of the driver responsible for the accident that killed her. I loved the fact that you get a glimpse of characters from previous Hilderbrand novels. I consider this her best novel to date!

One of the most loving and heartbreaking books I’ve read. Elin has outdone herself with this one. Raw, compassionate, and hopeful. I loved EVERY page