Quite honestly, there is something about Elin Hilderbrand's writing that makes a reader just want to sink their toes into the sand. This is the third book of the author's that I have read, but it was certainly not my favorite. The Identicals refers to 40 year old twin sisters, Harper and Tabitha. The two sisters have held a tense stand off for many years, but their father's death and their mother's ill-health brings them into reluctant contact with each other. Not to mention that Tabitha's sixteen year old daughter, Ainsley is eager to discover what drove the two sisters apart in the first place. A lot of events occur that cause the sisters to re-examine old wounds and memories that they would have rather forgotten.

There is no doubt about it- like her fellow contemporary authors, Luanne Rice, Kristin Hannah, and Diane Chamberlain, Hilderbrand has her finger on what type of heartache can be inflicted on families in a variety of circumstances. I notice the 4 and 5 stars for this book and I have no doubt that there were will be many more. It's just for me, I didn't feel the usual reading pleasure with the setting, the characters, and the plot I am tired of families fighting and I am really, really, really tired of siblings being stupid- real life and in fiction! I have one sibling and he and I made a promise a long time ago that we would never descend into pettiness like so many of our other relations. In the book, Harper and Tabitha stay silent on the death of Tabitha's infant son and when it was all revealed as to what actually happened- I literally had to put the book down and say " This is so stupid!" Which was definitely, a surprise to all the people at the cafe I was sitting in this morning. In fact, I was quite bothered by the actions of many of the characters, I have absolutely no clue what would ever enter the mind of a woman that the best way to get back at her sister is to have a bunch of sex with random men. Or that the best way to get back at your high school boyfriend or your mother is to engage in all kinds of juvenile behavior.

Verdict: It will work for many, but I definitely failed to connect with this family drama.

Harper and Tabitha are in their late 30s and are identical twins. When their parents split up about twenty years ago, Harper went with her father to Martha's Vineyard and Tabitha stayed with her mother on Nantucket. The two sisters, who were very close before the divorce, felt the distance. Then a tragedy happened about 15 years ago that split them up emotionally even more.

Harper has had a hard time holding a job in the past and is been dating a married man. Tabitha has been working with their dominating mother running their mother's dress shops. She has a teenage daughter named Ainsley and, wanting to be a "cool mom", hasn't invoked many rules ... so Ainsley is running around with the wrong crowd and getting into trouble.

When their father dies, the sisters switch lives for the summer. Harper moves to Nantucket and runs their mother's dress shop and takes care of Ainsley. Tabitha moves to Martha's Vineyard and starts to renovate their father's house to sell it. Unfortunately she has to live with Harper's reputation.

I liked the writing style of this book and found it an easy read. The writing is in third personal perspective with the focus on the different characters and what was going on in their lives (the chapters are labeled).

I didn't find the main characters likable, though. Harper had made some questionable decisions in the past and doesn't have any friends. Tabitha has allowed herself to be under her mother's rule all these years and is a bad parent. Ainsley has been taking advantage of the fact that Tabitha is a bad parent. There is a happy ending and all the characters learn their life lessons throughout the summer and become more likable.

Summer isn’t official to me until I’ve read Hilderbrand’s latest book and when I saw that The Identicals was a book about sisters, I was pretty excited. Sister relationships always intrigue me, but a book about twin sisters is even more appealing to me, there’s just something fascinating about the bond they share and the unspoken connection between them. Full of Hilderbrand’s trademark style, this book delivered on all levels and I think it’s the author at her best.

Following in the footsteps of her other books, this is told through various perspectives. Tabitha, Harper and Ainsley all narrate and as Ainsley is Tabitha’s teenaged daughter, it lent a YA feel to her chapters that spiced things up. Tabitha and Harper are twins that have been estranged for fourteen years and they wind up switching locations for the summer; Tabitha heads to Martha’s Vineyard and Harper heads to Nantucket. Apparently there’s a rivalry between the two places and the women both vehemently believe that their home is the superior spot. Part of the charm of Hilderbrand’s books, for me at least, is the idyllic setting of Nantucket. I really enjoyed the addition of Martha’s Vineyard this time, it was cool to get a glimpse of somewhere new in addition to the comfort of the Nantucket setting.

There is a reason that Hilderbrand is hailed as the queen of the summer beach read, she’s more than earned that title, this is her nineteenth novel after all. But it’s more than that, she really has all of the necessary components to create that perfect blend of an ideal summer read. There’s juicy scandal, gossip, family dysfunction, decadent and mouthwatering food descriptions, rich characterization and a vivid setting. To me, nothing is more purely entertaining than one of her books and I’m always completely wrapped up in the world she crafts.

My absolute favorite Hilderbrand novel yet! And that's saying a lot, since I have loved every one of her books. The Identicals lets us immerse ourselves in the rarified worlds of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket while becoming completely enthralled with the different worlds of Tabitha and and Harper. The character development is perfection and the setting descriptions are sumptuous. Summer and beaches, love and heartbreak, motherhood and sisterhood ~ this book has it all in an excellently written package.

One of my favorite books of summer 2017 so far!

This book will be featured in a new release round-up on theloudlibrarylady.com on release day.

The doyenne of domestic dysfunction delivers another delicious novel about duplicates...The Identicals. Elin Hilderbrand is a master at capturing the subtle and obvious in another book about mothers, daughter, children and the complicated webs they weave in this novel that juxtaposes the separative lives of identical twins raised individually by their divorced parents and residing apart on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Yet, this novel could be set almost anywhere as it explores universal themes of jealousy, childhood memories, adult dating, revenge and the angst of teenagers. Not to mention coming to grips and bearing responsibility for our own part in our dramas. As in all her books, everything is tidied up by the last page. This makes for a relaxing summer beach read.

I give this book 4.5-5 stars. It was really good and I read it all in one sitting (which says a lot for an almost-600 page book)! Hilderbrand tends to write about families and their different dynamics and this story follows suit in a BIG way. She gives the perspectives of two twins that have grown separately and apart from each other. There were definitely parts that made you laugh and some that made you think "Hmmm." Great summer read!

The Frosts were the couple always found on Boston’s society pages rather than home with their twin girls Harper and Tabitha. Eleanor Roxie Frost came from Back Bay Society and was happy to snag her handsome, charming husband Billy, right off the dance floor and out of her cousin’s weak arms. Eleanor always got what she wanted, and her latest dress designs and new shop in Boston were making her more popular and wealthy. Her business was taking her away from both her twins and now she and Billy were constantly arguing. The girls were away at boarding school, thank goodness for that handy privilege of wealth, but there was only one choice for annoying husbands.
Finally, at 17 Eleanor and Billy were divorced and the twins were told to pick a parent to live with, “because Eleanor couldn’t possibly deal with them both,” not while she was moving to Nantucket and opening a new classic shop there. One of them would have to go with Billy, because he was moving to Martha’s Vineyard. They drew for it, scissors, paper, rock. The winner went with Billy.
The twins, torn apart and raised very differently; Tabitha was expected to meet Eleanor’s perfect expectations, even though she got pregnant in high school, forced to marry her boyfriend Wyatt and raise Ainsley, her now 16 year old daughter with lots of teenage angst, alone. Harper had her share of boyfriends, fun and dead-end jobs. She was over educated with impeccable schooling and a college degree to bartend, waitress, and plant for a landscaper; plus deliver packages for a local service, Rooster Express, red hat and all. She survived because she loved her Dad Billy, and Martha’s Vineyard.
But now they’re all at a crossroads, Billy has just died and she needs to notify her mother Eleanor, and her sister Tabitha. It’s been almost 14 years since they have all really been all together, and there’s so much more to reveal, and so much more to happen. It’s been said, “There’s only 11 miles between Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, but it might as well be 11,000.” Don’t miss this family story. It’s Elin Hilderbrand’s best.

While I've never been to Nantucket (or Martha's Vineyard), it's a place I feel I know and one that feels like summer due to authors like Elin Hilderbrand who describe it so lovingly. The islands and what makes them special and unique was such a big part of this book, and how they compare and contrast played nicely next to the story of twins who have, through time and a series of wounds, grown not only apart, but to resent and distrust each other. Circumstance will force them back together over this summer, and they will get a chance to experience what the other has endured. It's an endearing story about family and sisterhood, about what breaks us and what heals us.

I've read many Elin Hilderbrand books over the years but I have to admit this is my least favorite. The story is good, identical twins who were split by their parent's divorce. I didn't like any of the women characters but they did become a little more likable toward the end of the book. They all appear to be selfish and lack some character, especially the school girl bully. Each chapter was narrated by one of the twins, Harper or Tabitha, Tabitha's daughter, Ainsley or Fish, Harper's dog. I think I liked Fish's chapter the best. Set on the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard the scenery and towns are beautiful.

4.5 stars
Two islands (Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket), two sisters (identical twins Tabitha and Harper), and family drama. What more could you ask for in a "summer" book? A perfect beach read written so that I felt like I knew the characters and might just bump into them in the grocery store.

A new book by Elin Hilderbrand is always a cause for celebration. Her books are both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Her characters will stay with you long after you have finished the book. They are so real that you will think you have known them all your life and her plots will keep you avidly turning the pages until you have reached the end. This is a book and an author that I can highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book! I gave this one four stars because it's Elin and it's almost summer. You can feel summer coming off the pages of each book she writes. That being said, I wasn't overly fond of any of the characters in the book - Ainsley, Harper, or Tabitha. None of them had any qualities that made them particularly appealing. You sort of wanted to yell at them to pull themselves together. Harper, a grown woman of almost 40, doing deliveries; Tabitha who can't move forward and doesn't care or parent Ainsley; Ainsley who hangs out with the 'bad' crowd at school and continues to make poor choices that Tabitha ignores. Their mother, Eleanor who caused the separation between the twins to begin with. I love Elin's books and I love her descriptions of the island and in this case, both islands. However, in her last few books, the main characters (with the exception of the Winter series) have been so unlikable that it's hard to give the books five stars. The only way I'll stop reading her stuff is if she stops writing but please, make the characters somewhat more lovable!

When it comes to special bonds, there is nothing like that between sisters. There are times when you love her and don't know how you would live without her, but there are times when you want nothing to do with her and you feel like there isn't enough distance. But the bond is unshakable. You would go to the ends of the earth for her.

Sisters can be maddening, but the love shared is unlike any other.

Having grown up with four sisters (yes, four!) - two of whom I physically lived with, I can speak from experience. My closest sister, my Irish Twin, has been my confidante, my partner in crime, my best friend. She's been my greatest champion and my biggest critic.

I can only begin to imagine what life would have been like if we were identical twins.

In The Identicals, the latest release from Elin Hilderbrand (a twin herself), this relationship is beautifully captured. Through dynamic prose and engrossing dialogue, we are given a peek into what life is like with a twin. Hildebrand chronicles a life of childhood games, fun and ease and then delves into adulthood where things get messy.

Hilderbrand develops characters with ease and brilliance. Each personality within the story has their own nuances and traits that define them. Their descriptions are so detailed, without becoming monotonous, that you feel a part of the community. Get to know the pie maker, the contractor, the rich old lady, the doctor, the bartender - and feel as if you've known them all for years. And, at the core of the story, the twins - Harper and Tabitha. It is difficult to determine who the favorite is because they both become so lovable, for different reasons. You'll find yourself siding with one, then the other, then back to the first, and so it goes. But in the end, you'll wish they were both your sisters.

Set in beautiful New England, a perfect backdrop for such a romantic story, Hilderbrand captures the landscape so easily, you'll think you're actually there. You can hear the ferry boat running the eleven miles between Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. You can taste the clams and hear the Fourth of July Fireworks as if you are there on Lucy Vincent Beach. You can feel the dense heat of a heavy East Coast Summer and want to dip your toes into the Atlantic Ocean to cool off.

And through all of this, you learn one thing - life throws curve balls. It can break the heart and mend it back together. It can knock you down and give you the courage to get back up. But I wouldn't want to do any of it without a sister to hold my hand, tease me and pull my hair, and love me like only a sister can. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will make you want to hug your sister and wish she were your twin. Because, after all is said and done, there is nothing like the bond of a sister.

This is Hilderbrand's usual entertaining story of family dynamics filled with the tastes and scenery of Nantucket, but in this book she adds Martha's Vineyard to the mix. Despite finding the characters pretty much unlikable in the beginning (which almost turned me off from continuing but GoodReads reports were so positive I decided to keep reading), they redeemed themselves as the story progressed. There were no big surprises during the course of the story and it ended up pretty much the way I suspected it would.

I do have one issue about how the characters behaved. I'm very sensitive to not drinking and driving and the main characters did a little too much of that, especially Harper when in the beginning she was imbibing a six-pack of beer along with Jagermeister shots while driving to meet her lover at a beach.

For me, Hilderbrand's books run hot and tepid with this one being somewhere in the middle.

Thanks to the publisher for the NetGalley digital review copy.

Twin sisters Harper and Tabitha look the same but since their parents divorce where they each went with one their lives could not be more different. Tabitha ends up with their Mom and worries about appearances and rules. Harper ends up with their Dad and is the ‘loser’ with no direction. But when their Dad dies and their Mom is injured things change in unexpected ways. A story of family, love, perceptions, expectations, and living life. An enjoyable read.

Love all of Elin Hilderbrand's books and this one was another great beachy read!

This was a fantastic read--the perfect summer book! I think it may be my favorite yet from Elin Hilderbrand. The Identicals is told in alternating viewpoints from identical twin sisters Harper and Tabitha, as well as Tabitha's daughter, Ainsley. In true Parent Trap fashion, Harper and Tabitha grew up with separate parents on separate islands; Harper has lived with her father on Martha's Vineyard, and Tabitha lives with her fashion-designer mother in Nantucket. When their father, Billy, dies, the sisters are forced to reunite after a 14-year estrangement. Things get even more complicated when their mother, Eleanor, breaks her hip, and the sisters trade lives (and islands) for the summer. All the best elements of Elin's Nantucket beach books are here, and the sumptuous food, fashion, and romance add up for a wonderful page-turner that is full of heart. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Little, Brown for letting me start my summer early with this preview copy!

Every year there are certain authors who are always on my beach reading list because their books have come to equate in my mind long vacations, cocktails by the pool, and lounging on a sandy beach. Elin Hilderbrand is one author whose books are always at the very top of that reading list! And I have to say that this year, she is at the top of her game with The Identicals. What a fantastic beach read—it’s fun, breezy, and the perfect escape!

The story takes place on both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, two islands that are very close in proximity, look so alike yet couldn’t be more different. I must say that I think it was brilliant how Hilderbrand begins her novel with associations, comparisons, and contrasts between the two islands, which sets the stage for the introduction to identical twins Tabitha and Harper, sisters who may look exactly alike but just like the two islands, the twin’s personalities are quite distinct and they themselves are completely at odds over past hurts, old memories, and feelings of betrayals.

Although Tabitha and Harper used to be inseparable while growing up, all that changed when they were 17 and their parents divorced. Unfairly, their parents literally tore the twins apart by making one twin live with Billy on Martha’s Vineyard and the other twin live with Eleanor on Nantucket. Since both twins wanted to live with their carefree, laidback father Billy and not their snobby, high class, high society, designer mother Eleanor, this decision is just the beginning of the twin’s growing animosity towards each other. An animosity that leads to a complete break in their relationship when tragedy hits 14 years previously.

The Identicals is primarily told from the perspectives of Harper, Tabitha, and Tabitha’s sixteen-year-old daughter Ainsley. Harper is quite laid back and appears to be floating through her life and through men with scandal and mayhem following in her wake. Tabitha is stuck-up, self-assured, and uptight. Tabitha also has no control over her daughter Ainsley who is a spoiled, disrespectful, and out of control brat.

The two sisters are forced to reunite when their father dies in the beginning in the book. Is Billy’s death the catalyst Tabitha and Harper need not only to work out the problems between each other but transform their unhappy lives?

Another family crisis strikes that forces each sister to switch places—Tabitha goes to Nantucket to handle problems with Billy’s house and Harper heads to the Vineyard to care for Ainsley and work in her mother’s boutique. The change in islands, the interactions and relationships Harper and Tabitha develops with new people, and the relationships that renew between the twins transforms and blossoms both twins into their best selves.

Hilderbrand writes a wonderful story of second chances, renewal, love, friendships, transformations, and family dynamics at their best and their worst. I highly recommend The Identicals. It’s the perfect summer read!

I want to thank NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company, and Elin Hilderbrand for providing me with an ARC of The Identicals to read in exchange for my fair and honest review.

I am a fan of Elin Hilderbrand. It's not summer until I have read one of her books. Last summer I was very disappointed in "Here's To Us", but Ms. Hilderbrand has more than made up with "The Identicals". This book was great--well-drawn characters, engaging plot and an underlying theme about family and love that kept me hooked. Bravo!