We got the life that we wanted: GOLDEN GIRL.

Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Author Vivian Howe, well-known on her beloved Nantucket, is out for a run when she's struck by a car and killed. Vivian goes to the Beyond, where she's assigned a Person, named Martha, who gives Vivi three "Nudges" to use over the course of the summer. She's allowed to watch her family until Labor Day, when she'll pass to the next step. Vivi can use those nudges to change the outcomes down on earth, as she watches over her children: daughter Willa, who is struggling after three miscarriages; daughter Carson, a wayward bartender; and her young son Leo, who is struggling with his relationship with his high school girlfriend.

In GOLDEN GIRL, Hilderbrand writes that she hopes her characters "feel real," and she always seems to have the magic touch, because they really do. My favorite thing about opening a Hilderbrand book is that you get completely lost in the story, no matter what. The supernatural element here is different from the typical Hilderbrand, but no matter what, her storytelling remains strong, and I felt lost in the world of Nantucket and Vivi's family, including her kids, her ex-husband, and his girlfriend.

This is a rather meta story, as Vivi is an author writing a book called GOLDEN GIRL as well. You learn about her past through her flashbacks, as well as about her family as she watches over them. It's so easy to get immersed in the story and get entangled in Willa, Carson, and Leo's lives. And, as with any of Hilderbrand's Nantucket novels, it makes you long for the beach.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. 4 stars.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Smashbomb ~ Instagram


View all my reviews