I've read a couple of Elin Hilderbrand's other novels and enjoyed them. I found "Golden Girl" to be a good summer read as well. She has a nice way of describing Nantucket and the lifestyle there, and I liked how she alternated voices in the novel. I found the concept of having Vivi look down on her family from Limbo or wherever she is and give them nudges to help them along to be a very engaging device for moving the plot along. I also enjoyed the character of Martha as her guide with her many scarf iterations! I'm not someone who sticks with books I'm not enjoying, but I kept digging back into this novel to see what happened to all of the far-from-perfect but quite authentic characters.

Once again, it's summer and how can you not love an Elin Hilderbrand story?
Vivi lives on Nantucket with 2 of her 3 grown children. While running one morning, she is killed by a hit & run driver. The book takes you in each chapter through what she herself, her children & Nantucket are feeling & dealing with.
By the time who hit her is revealed, the reader has just figured it out. Perfect ending, some tears, excellent "summer" read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Ms. Hilderbrand for the preview in exchange for an honest review.

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. What would summer be without an Elin Hilderbrand book? Every summer for as long as I can remember, I’ve looked forward to one of her books. And I’m so glad to have been able to review this one as this is definitely on the top of my list of her books. Elin’s books are all set on Nantucket, and I look forward to going back and visiting the residents there every summer. In this particular book the approach and circumstances are a bit different however we are still visiting with families with different lives and unique problems. I did feel that at times it was a little bit slower than maybe some of her other stories, but that wouldn’t keep me from recommending this book, it was sensational. I really enjoyed my whole reading experience in this book.

3.25 stars

It's a beautiful day in Nantucket. Novelist and mother of three, Vivian Howe is out for a run near her home. Unfortunately, she is killed in a hit and run. After her death she is assigned Martha, who allows Vivi to watch what occurs for one last summer. She is given three "nudges" to change the outcome of what happens on earth. She watches her three children, Willa, Carson and Leo. All of which have things going on in their lives that well, a mother worries about.


Vivi learns the secrets of her children, protects her own and follows the investigation into the hit and run which killed her led by “The Chief” Ed Kapenash. She also worries about her novel which contains a secret from her youth.

I have been all over the place with the rating of this book. Although it is well written, it was slow at times and although I enjoyed it, I wish it has moved faster. Having said that, I liked the idea of watching from above, that our deceased loved ones are watching over us, the learning of secrets, and the giving of "nudges".

As the other books I have read by her, I found this to be well written and enjoyable. I just didn't seem to enjoy it as much as other reviewers so please read their reviews as well.

An enjoyable beach read.

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hilderbrand is truly the queen of beach reads! I am so happy I started reading her works, and this book is a unique one!

Vivi, author and mother of three, is killed in a hit and run accident, but she soon is sent to watch over what happens on Earth for one last summer, also being granted three “nudges” to change the outcomes.

Beautiful backdrop, engrossing idea for a story… this should be the next book you cuddle up with while on vacation!

I expected some pomposity, but it was definitely a little over the top I generally like her books because they are what I call my go to feel good books. This one unquestionably did not meet that standard.
However, others might find that this is there type of book and that is great!
This has a touch of supernatural from the beyond which is off the wall and a little bit of mystery. I am a lover of a good crime mystery, but I figured this one out, but this one was more about the people than the crime itself.
I don’t want to give any spoilers, but Vivian Howe is a mom who is killed and she has three grown kids that she is allowed to watch from above. The heavens above give her three attempts to guide her kids into making the right decisions or choices.

Like I said the book has its negatives and positives.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Interesting depiction of old vs new money and family dynamics...All set against the beautiful backdrop of Nantucket. Throw in the addition of a low key mystery and you have an enjoyable, easy to read summer tale by Elin Hilderbrand.

Elin Hilderbrand can always be counted on for contemporary fiction, with complex female characters and a great beach read. The characters in Golden Girl don't disappoint, though they are extremely privileged. I wasn't happy to begin the book reading from the point of view of Vivi, a ghost, because I feel that's been done so many times.
Still, I enjoyed the book. I liked that the underlying mystery of the "narrators" death gave us a logical timeline. I liked that even in Nantucket, a place that has come to represent the American Ideal, issues of racism, sexism and abuse must be confronted. I think Elin Hildebrand acknowledged the issues, without hitting her readers too hard with them... we don't pick up a self-described beach read to rehash the issues we deal with in our regular lives.
Golden Girl did exactly what a good summer book should. I look forward to the next one!

Is it really summer without a new Elin Hilderbrand book? This is another beautiful story that will transport you immediately into a love affair with Nantucket — but this time, incorporating the truly unique and creative perspective of the spirit of a person no longer alive. At first, I was wary of this approach. I don’t usually come to my summer love beach read books to get metaphysical. But I should not have worried, because the spirit of the departed heroine is as strong, lovely and beautiful as all of Hilderbrand’s heroines. As always with Hilderbrand’s books, you will experience a range of feelings from exhilaration to heartache, and your affection for her well-drawn characters will grow inside your chest to the very last page. Also as always, the story tugs you in and you soon find it is deeper and more reflective than most of its contemporaries.

Ye, it’s another hit from Elin Hilderbrand - and I already can’t wait to read her next one.

After finishing Golden Girl, I feel a bit conflicted. I'll say that Elin Hilderbrand is a beautiful writer, and Golden Girl begins with a really interesting premise. The book follows the family and friends of Vivi Howe after her unexpected death, however, we also get Vivi's perspective as she watches from heaven with her assigned angel Martha. Vivi is allowed three nudges to influence life back on Earth. What follows is classic Elin Hilderbrand, family drama, infidelity, and romance all in her signature Nantucket setting.

There were a few things about this novel that made me cringe a bit. First and foremost there was the poorly made joke about Anne Frank (this line has been removed from future copies). The choice to center the police investigation around one of the few Black characters in the novel also rubbed me the wrong way. I would be hesitant to recommend this book because of those issues, but I imagine that devoted fans of Hilderbrand will probably enjoy this novel.

Another great one from Elin Hildebrand. As always, her books make me want to live on Nantucket. I really liked that this read like her classic style of writing, but with a murder mystery thrown in, similar to The Perfect Couple, along with including some familiar characters from that novel and others. Fans of Hildebrand’s books will not be disappointed in Golden Girl.

Golden Girl is a typical summer beach read, mixed in with a little It’s a Wonderful Life and Our Town. Elin does it again!
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. #Netgalley #Golden Girl

Golden Girl by Erin Hildebrand is the same kind of book we typically think of as Erin's specialty, but its delivery was a little different. Vivi has just died. She was hit by a car when she was out jogging and discovered by her "son," Cruz, who immediately became a suspect. The story is told in real time and in flash backs, all by Vivi. A guide from heaven is there immediately to take Vivi with her. She lays out the rules. Vivi has until Labor Day to watch over her family, then she goes to join the celestial choir. She also has three "nudges" which she can use to push for a different outcome...just nudges, not miracles. She doesn't want to be dead. Her newest book , Golden Girl, is about to be released and this time she will hit number one, she just knows it. But she is, dead. While watching she learns things that upset her. She relives past moment (another benefit) and sees them in a different light, given all she has learned. The story does hop back and forth.

Vivi had a huge influence on plenty of people. She doesn't know who killed her. She must learn that along with everyone who is still alive. So, the story is a mystery, of sorts. She's a terrific character. Even dead, she's extremely human. She loves her kids, including Cruz and wants nothing but the best for them. She uses her nudges wisely, with the advice of Martha, her guide, whom she learns also had a life, once. Humans are so flawed and this story exposes a lot of those flaws. Begin privy to the whole story, not just the parts she could see when she was alive, changed the way she thought about people. It is an exciting look at heaven, making it not as frightening as it often is. She made mistakes, as well, but her death has put some of them right. It's a very positive tome, with a happy ending, not an easy task when the heroine has died. A very enjoyable read.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Golden Girl by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #goldengirl

This was interesting, but definitely not my favorite one of Elin's books. I didn't love the premise of the story, but I did enjoy hearing about what the people still here were up to!

This was a little Our Town, It's a Wonderful Life, and Hot Topic (how much can we cram into this book?) all in one. Quick and easily consumable though.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.
I have never read a book by Elin Hilderbrand but her books check out pretty often. This being my first book by her, I was very disappointed. I didn't think it had an emotional connection to the reader. It was boring in the middle. I really didn't want to finish it but I did. I thought the story was dry.

“Golden Girl” is another great story by Elin Hilderbrand! Her novels never disappoint! Alway set in beautiful Nantucket! The characters feel real along with the drama that faces each one of them on this quaint little island! Love the heroine, Vivi and her children: Willa, Carson, and Leo, each unique in their own way. Cannot forget Savannah, JP, Brett, Amy, Cruz and Marissa, and the rest of the residents of Nantucket, in Viv’s circle, who help make the up the plot, full of twists and turns, leading up to an unexpected ending!

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand was a very different sort of book for her. One thing that is the same is the way Hilderbrand captures human emotions and portrays characters that we want to champion even when they are making not so great decisions. I was captivated from the first page and she never lets me down. Summer wouldn't be summer with an Elin book!

Another great read from the Queen of summer reads!! Blue Bistro has been my favorite Elin book for a very long time but this one is just as good!!!

Vivian is a divorced author with 3 children. She is killed in a hit and run and is met by Martha in The Beyond. She is granted 3 nudges….one for each child. She spends the summer watching them and unfortunately finds out that they all have some issues,

There are the Nantucket references of restaurants and scenery that we have grown to love from an EH novel. This was a book about grief, family struggles, friendship and growing up!! Really enjoyed it!!’

Once again everything you expect in a good beach read - emotional drama, a mystery that needs solving and even a ghost!