friendship

Solid Elin romance and scandal but not as much twist as some of her others ( )

I love Elin Hilderbrand. I found it rather extraordinary that she wrote this while battling cancer. While this book took place on Nantucket it really could have taken place anywhere. ( )

Elin Hilderbrand writes books set on the beach with interesting characters. In THE RUMOR there is enough drama going on within this cast of characters for about 3 books. Madeline and Grace are best friends. Their kids are dating, and the mothers have vowed to stay out of any drama that ensues from that relationship—and there’s plenty. Madeline is an author who had a bestselling first book and now is struggling to pen her next title. Grace is struggling in her marriage and is contemplating an affair with the landscaper. Her husband Eddie is the island’s realtor and he’s been concealing his financial difficulties… which lead him to do some terrible things. Some of the characters did things that were quite hard to stomach. All of their situations kept me on the edge of my seat reading. I’d have to say my favorite character was Hope, the quieter and nerdier of Grace’s twin daughters who has always lived in the shadow of her popular sister. ( )

I received this book in a "First Reads" giveaway.

I started this book poolside, a fitting locale for delving into The Rumor. It is a great "summer read." Trite at times and with an obvious ending, but entertaining none-the-less. I was also pleasantly surprised by which characters I found myself empathizing with. Hildebrand spun an interesting tale about small town gossip, human fallibility, and the writing process all within the guise of a light beach bag worthy literary soap opera. ( )