Here's to Us

I loved this book - it's clever, entertaining, and heart-warming. You might think that the author would run out of ideas for stories centering on Nantucket Island, but she obviously loves the place and it shows in her writing. This book is about Deacon, a celebrity chef who has recently died, and his extended family of two ex-wives and a widow, plus three children (one with each wife) and friends, all of whom gather at the family's summer home on Nantucket to say goodbye to him. I was sorry to see it end.

My beach bag reading list wouldn't be complete without the latest Elin Hilderbrand novel. This summer's new title is Here's to Us.

Hilderbrand takes us back to her favourite setting - Nantucket. Her descriptions of the island and locale make me want to visit - or better yet - live in a lovely old wooden cottage by the ocean.

One of those cottages has been the vacation home of one man, Deacon Thorpe - and over the years - his three wives and children. But with Deacon's death, the three women and their families have gathered at the cottage to spread Deacon's ashes.

They may have all loved Deacon, but they can't stand each other. This forced togetherness brings up the past both good and bad.

It took me a few chapters to put all the characters show more in their place - who was who, who was related etc. Once I had that down, I formed an attachment with some - first wife Lauren, adopted daughter Angie from marriage number two and local guide JP. I was torn on how I felt about Deacon - he was a conflicted man, but loved his children. Wives two and three (Scarlet and Belinda) were horrid, vapid, vindictive and shallow. Supporting male characters were a mixed bag. I was confused by Deacon's best friend Buck's actions - his long time attraction to Laurel is thrown away for a few minutes of sex with one of the other exes. I found this somewhat jarring and not what I expected from Hilderbrand.

But without having characters that aren't likable, we wouldn't have the tension, recriminations, secrets and ultimately at the end, a form of resolution. I'm sure that some of Hilderbrand's situations are not that far from the truth for some. Food plays a part as well, with many of Deacon's recipes included.

Here's to Us is a good escapist beach read, but I've enjoyed other Hilderbrand novels more. show less

It’s not summer without a juicy new book from Elin Hilderbrand. She is the queen of the beach read. She writes chick-lit with substance.

In "Here’s to Us," Deacon Thorpe, celebrity chef, had a heart attack and died. All three women he has been married to, along with all his children and his best friend meet at the Nantucket home that Deacon adored to mourn him and spread his ashes.

Laurel was wife number one. She and Deacon had Hayes together. Hayes is addicted to heroin. Belinda, famous actress, is wife number two. They adopted Angie together. Angie is having an affair with a married man. Scarlett, wife number three, used to be the nanny when Belinda and Deacon were married, and she was still married to Deacon when he died. Buck, show more long time best friend of Deacon, who is secretly in love with Laurel, is present to break it to them that Deacon left the Nantucket home to all three wives.

Everyone adored and idolized Deacon, but he was a very sad person and no one was able to save him. With each wife, he tried to fill the hollowness and emptiness inside him but he could never quite rid himself of it.

This family has a lot of unresolved issues and there is a lot of underlying tension. They all struggle with anger, jealousy, bitterness, and grief. The drama unfolds as they spend a few days in Nantucket to say goodbye to their beloved husband, father, and friend. As usual, Nantucket is always a charming setting. You can almost feel the ocean air and hear the waves crashing as you read. This is the perfect summer read! show less

I had started a couple of other books and am listening to an audiobook, but I realized that I was in desperate need of a summer read. I needed to be away from my historical fiction for a bit. I needed easy but lovely...and that’s what I got with Here’s to Us.

I really fell for the cast of characters. On the surface, it seems like an annoying group...a guy married 3 times and we meet the 3 wives at a place they all need to be together...drama and blah, right?

But it’s not! They are interesting and developed and I liked them and was invested in their stories. I am really glad I picked this up and it was perfect for what I needed!

The idea of all three of Deacon Thorpe's wives spending time together in the same house seems like a recipe for disaster. And it is yet it isn't.
Deacon Thorpe was a celebrity. He started with nothing and built himself up to be a world famous chef. The three women he married are so drastically different. He had one child with each of them and all six of these people are spending a long weekend at Nantucket, the place they were all the happiest, the place that is really home. All three women, who have come to spread his ashes, all now own one third of the big sprawling house on Nantucket but soon find out they will also be saying goodbye to that home as Deacon was in a financial disaster and the will soon be in foreclosure.
This story show more takes place over a few days and there's so much going on during that short time. This unusual group of people find themselves airing old hurts and mending some fences and while they pretty much all seem mostly dysfunctional and some of them not very likeable (I really wanted to slap some of them) they learned some lessons during that short time. While we didn't meet Deacon when he was alive, chapters of his life were mixed into the story as we become familiar with a man who often still was that little boy chasing that perfect day.
I just love curling up with a novel by Elin Hilderbrand. She writes the most scrumptious tales, so descriptive you can visualize and be there. I am a beach lover and I read her books longing to be on Nantucket. The places she mentions, the stores and shops seem so comforting and places I want to see and go to. I love that her books are light reading for the most part but you still are gripped by her stories, get emotionally invested in them and the characters you swear you'd know by the time you finish that last page. I still have some books to go before I have read all of hers but I like to savour them so I still have them to look forward to. show less

This was the first Elin Hilderbrand novel I have ever finished. I had started a few in the past nad never really gained any traction. I love the odea of a fluffier novel so I kept on trying them. This one worked better for me. I brought it on vacation to Florida with me - so that helped. I liked the story. I found it more meandering than I would have expected and it did take more thought to finish it than I would have thought. I like the Nantucket setting - the characters were interesting enough and I always like a story that spans over more than one life.

Three extremely different women married to the same man come together after his death to a single house, his daughter coming to grips with her complicated relationship with him (and them). What could go wrong? Family is messy, it's not neat in a bow. As a rule I don't like my beach reads too messy, too drawn out with termoil and issues (I have other literary genres for that). Elin Hildebrand does a perfect job of banancing for this reader. Add a stunning location, a bit of romance, and it all adds up to a great read.