Once again everything you expect in a good beach read - emotional drama, a mystery that needs solving and even a ghost!

When Elin comes out with a book -- I do happy dances. I'm not saying every book she's ever written is my favorite -- but when she does it good -- it is almost perfection!! And truly I believe that's why I keep coming back.

This book - perfection!! Such a great summer book and the fact that the title Only Elin can take the concept of death and turn it into a page-turning summer book.

Just in case she reads her reviews -- Elin we will keep reading your books if you keep writing them!!!

I really thought this was a great book, enjoyed it! Elin always writes a good book! This was enjoyable and a great summer read!

Wonderful novel. Its storyline is multi-faceted, with depth and surprises. Although I knew who the driver was fairly quickly it didn’t matter because I wanted to know how all the characters developed.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Thanks Net Galley for the ARC

When I first started this I was a little wary… angels… the afterlife… it felt like a departure from her normal writing. However a few pages in and were in Nantucket and getting all the Elin signature moves. I really enjoyed this, the book and characters were relatable and showed depth while still being trademark Elin. I would recommend. A perfect summer read.

Vivian “Vivi” Howell is a celebrated writer and resident of Nantucket. Or was…. On a beautiful June day she was killed by a hit-and-run while on her morning run. She’s brought to heaven and with her advisor, Martha, is given the opportunity to view her family for the summer. And she’s given the use of three “nudges” - opportunities to make 3 changes in the lives of those she loves.

Her family is in a bit of turmoil. Her adult children each have challenges that they are facing. Willa is struggling with bringing another pregnancy to term, her wild-child Carson is in trouble at work and her personal life and Leo, her youngest, is hiding a secret. Plus, there’s the mystery of who the driver of the hit-in-run is. There are a lot of nudge-worthy events! However, with her trusty Hermès-wearing advisor in tow, Vivi will make the right decision in time—won’t she?

I absolutely couldn’t put this book down. I loved the charming setting of Nantucket—and may need to plan a trip to see if Stubby’s burgers are as good as promised! The characters were well-written and the plot was interesting with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged. Plus, the changes in setting between heaven and earth (or possibly the in-between?) kept the book interesting and fresh. Golden Girl was a fresh take on a beach read and definitely one to add to the top of your TBR (to be read)!

Once again, Elin Hilderbrand captivated me from the beginning within just a few pages. Two things stood out to me: 1) The characterization and character development was strong; 2) more depth than some of her other novels in the sense that grief was explored in different ways from multiple character perspectives. I truly enjoyed this book, and I would recommend to anyone, whether they’re faithful Elin fans or not.

I love Elin Hilderbrand. She is the Queen of the Summer Beach Read for a reason. This book was another fun summer read. Vivian Howe is killed while out for her morning run but who did it? The rippling effects that her death has on her family and her community is so interesting to see.

4.5 stars. I liked this way more than I thought I would! I actually got really wrapped up in everyone's stories and found it hard to put down. I did think the POV sections with the island of Nantucket as a narrator (essentially the collective humanity of Nantucket) was a little odd but there weren't many sections of that. I will definitely read more of this author's books!

Loved this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance e-copy. Will be happy to recommend widely to readers at the public library.

Bestselling author, Vivian Howe, is out for a jog when she is hit by a vehicle and killed. She ascends to a place she is able to "view" her world as life continues without her. She follows the police chief as he tries to solve her hit and run, she follows her kids as they adjust to her death, she follows her ex-husband and boyfriend as they move on. And then there is a boy from her past that makes an appearance. She's watching as her book raises up the bestsellers list and hopes he will understand and forgive her for writing their story. And in the meanwhile, gives him a second chance at his music dream.

It's an unusual viewpoint in a story, but very interesting. The characters are well developed and enjoyable. It's another fantastic Elin Hilderbrand story -- a little heavy for a beach read for me, but a great book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I've only read a few Elin Hilderbrand books but this was my favorite so far. The storyline balances deep, meaningful topics in a light summery setting nicely. I always find books about writers a little strange, it feels like they break the 4th wall in a strange way. I started to feel that way at first because Vivi seems to mirror Elin herself very closely. But as the book went on, that strangeness fell away and I became immersed in the story. The themes of family and parenting tugged on my heart and my tear ducts too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. I've read Elin Hilderbrand's "Paradise" trilogy and enjoyed them. They are good beach reads and the characters are interesting. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book due to the premise. Vivi is a best-selling author who is killed on her morning run by a hit-and-run driver. She ascends to an area for the afterlife where she can temporarily watch over her family and give limited "nudges" to point them in the right direction. I ended up liking this book so much, I read it in three days. Vivi's family includes an ex-husband, and three adult children. The characters are complex and very complicated. Because Vivi still seems "alive" in her holding pattern, its as if a death hasn't occurred at all. Elin Hilderbrand's description of Nantucket came to life for me. I'd recommend Golden Girl to anyone - not just fans of Elin Hilderbrand.

this was my first book by this author, and i requested it before knowing about the controversy. it really unsettled me when i read that part and then i checked other reviews to see if anyone else felt the same and discovered the whole thing. really disappointing, and yeah. didn't make me want to read any of her backlog.

This is a wonderful story of love and loss. Elin Hilderbrand seems to get better and better with each novel. The characters in the story are so fleshed out and relatable. I also love callbacks to her previous stories. Such an engaging and quick read. I love going back to Nantucket with each new novel.

This was, embarrassingly, my first novel by Elin Hilderbrand, so I’m not too familiar with her stories. However, if the rest resemble Golden Girl even a smidge, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. As someone who lost her mother unexpectedly at the age of 27, this novel hit home. Not only did I love Vivi’s perspective from the Beyond, but I also loved the backstory and each character’s summer story. This one was an outstanding read, whether you’re on the beach or not.

Before I read this book, I wasn't sure if I'd like it. I'm not typically a fan of the person looking down from Heaven storyline. BUT, as usual Elin Hilderband delivers! She wove a fun and clever summer read together with a heartbreaking storyline, and the book was an easy and unputdownable read!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had requested the ARC of this book from #netgalley before I knew of the controversy. I was granted access to the book after I heard. I was torn as to whether to read it or not. Frankly, the controversy clouded the whole book for me. In addition to the laughing about Anne Frank, the whole book felt unsettling to me. I expect more from the authors I read.

I am usually a huge fan of Elin Hilderbrand's work, and overall I did like this novel but there were a few things that bothered me that caused me to lower my rating. I can't really say what those things are without giving away some of the plot points of the novel so this is a bit of a spoiler, but I feel like this book's content could be triggering for some people who have struggled with miscarriage. What I did love was the way the novel was set up with Vivi watching over what happens after she is gone down below, and also the suspense element of who what happened to Vivi and who was responsible for it. There was tons of great drama and for the most part I did enjoy it.

I don’t really consider myself a big Elin Hilderbrand fan. Her books can be a little too easy, a little too formulaic for my taste, and to be honest I’ve only read a few. One of those was last year’s 𝟸𝟾 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴, which I truly loved. I listened to it on audio and was such a fan that I put it on my 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶 list. So, when faced with a six hour drive, I decided to spend it with the fabulous Erin Bennett, listening to 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋, Hilderbrand’s 2021 offering. I was hoping to get substance in line with her previous novel.

Did I? Sadly, not really. I’m sure many Elin Hilderbrand fans will love 𝘎𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, and it did entertain, but honestly the whole story felt like a big cheat to me. I don’t want to give anything away, so I can only speak generally. The entire storyline of this book was woven around a premise that gave the author permission to make unlikely plot points “make sense.” It felt very lazy, and way too easy. Top it off with the story being predictable and all too neat and tidy and you have one disappointed listener.

I hope I haven’t offended any Hilderbrand fans, but I just feel like she sort of phoned it in with this one. However, listening to Bennett's narration elevated the story and, as usual, was fabulous.