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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Summerland in Books

Mar 19, 2020  
Summerland
Summerland
Elin Hilderbrand | 2012 | Romance
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's high school graduation on Nantucket. But this usual time of celebration turns to tragedy when--on graduation night--a terrible car crashes kills one local student, Penny Alistair, and leaves her twin brother, Hobson, in a coma. Penny's boyfriend, Jake, and her friend, Demeter, are not hurt, at least physically. But the crash shakes the island and leaves everyone wondering exactly what happened. Why was Penny driving Jake's Jeep that night? What caused her to drive so quickly and recklessly?

I enjoy every Elin Hilderbrand book I read, and I liked this one, though it wasn't one of my all-time favorites. I didn't find myself greatly attached to any one character, or really pulled deeply into the plot. Honestly, while many of Hilderbrand's books have a dark or sad side, this one was really depressing at times, even though there was a layer of hope as well. It hit very close to home, as I am a mother of twins, so maybe that was part of it. I was a little heartbroken, and my heart went out to Zoe, the mother of Penny and Alistair.

As with all Hilderbrand books, the story is interesting, and she weaves a detailed and intricate tale of island life. There's more than just an accident, with intersecting webs of characters. I liked the parallels and ties between the high school children and their parents. It was an engaging story, with a lot of serious subjects.

I'm glad I read this one, but if you're just starting out with Hilderbrand, there are other books I'd recommend first. 3+ stars.
  
    Virtual Villagers 5

    Virtual Villagers 5

    Games and Entertainment

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    Virtual Villagers: New Believers is the fifth chapter in the award-winning Virtual Villagers series...

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ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Castaways in Books

Mar 7, 2021  
The Castaways
The Castaways
Lucy Clarke | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Castaways was a tense, riveting read - and not a great advert for one of those smaller passenger planes!
Lori and Erin, sisters, go on holiday to Fiji - a treat paid for by Lori. The night before their flight to a small island, the sisters have a terrible argument and Erin disappears. She doesn’t turn up at the airport for their connecting flight either. So Lori boards the plane and it disappears en route to the island.
Two years later, Erin is still trying to find out where the plane crashed and what exactly happened. She’s a journalist, so has some experience of researching information. When the pilot of the plane suddenly appears and is taken to hospital in Fiji, Erin knows that she has to go and speak to him. He’s the only one that knows what happened to her sister. Her employers pay for her to go, under the proviso that she’ll write an article about it.
What I really liked about this, is that the chapters alternated between Erin going to Fiji to see the pilot, and the flashbacks to Lori, the crash and it’s aftermath. If I’d had the book in front of me instead of just a stave (an instalment) to read each day, I probably would have read it in one sitting. Except that I have to go to work!
And for the record, it’s a good job that I have no intention of flying anywhere anytime soon, because the crash scene is frankly terrifying!
Many thanks to the Pigeonhole for helping me with my NetGalley reading (again!), and to Lucy Clarke for reading along with us.