Here's to Us Paperback – February 7, 2017

Elon writes wonderful and quick reads. Love the way she changes chapters and characters.

Everyone cheats seem to be the moral of this story. Although, we also have grief, anger, pettiness, forgiveness, and closure.Here's to Us is the story of three women who have all loved one man. Deacon Thorpe has died at the age of 53. He was a famous chef celebrity who was a great father but a terrible husband.Let's talk about his three wives and their children:Wife #1: Laurel. Laurel was his first wife. She meet Deacon when they were in high school. She fell for him and his loneliness. She thought she could make him happy and for a while they were happy. They have one son together, Hayes. Hayes is currently hooked on heroin but no one knows it.Wife #2: Belinda Rowe. Belinda is a famous Hollywood actress. One look at Deacon and she wants him. She's a lonely person too and she can recognize it in him as well. After getting married, Belinda tried to get pregnant to no avail. They share one adopted daughter, Angie. Angie's currently dating a married man. She was also the child who spent more time with Deacon since she's also a chef and she worked at Deacon's restaurant.Wife #3: Scarlett Oliver. Scarlett was a fresh debutante from the south when she met Deacon. Scarlett was Angie's nanny (yes, a horrible cliche) and she wanted Deacon while he was married to Belinda. They shared a daughter, Ellery Thorpe who's still a kid.Now that Deacon is dead, his best friend, Buck will meet all the wives at the home that at some point they all shared with Deacon, American Paradise on Hoicks Hollow Road in Nantucket Island. As you can imagine, the wives don't get along and all three under the same roof can mean nothing but trouble. To make matters worse, Deacon was in trouble financially and in a few days, they will lose the house that meant so much to him - and surprisingly to them too.The death of Deacon forces the women to spend time together. They will try to stay civil with each other. However, old resentments are brought back to life and secrets always find a way to surface in the worst possible way.My favorite character was Laurel. She was the nicest wife. She had always loved Deacon. She had been there when he needed someone by his side. Belinda had a lot of issues. She was an unhappy woman but she cared for her adoptive daughter Angie although she had a terrible way of showing it. I couldn't warm up to Scarlett. She was self-centered, deceitful and superfluous.Now to the things that bothered me.I thought Laurel had more sense than to settle for Buck. Just because she was getting older, didn't mean that she needed to be with Buck. What Buck let Belinda do was not a small thing. I for one didn't agree with Laurel letting him get away with it, no matter that he could wear a pink shirt with whales on his shorts.Like father like daughter. Angie spent her time complaining about her mother, Belinda, and her shortcomings but she wasn't any better. She was currently sleeping with Joel, a married man.Don't get me started on Hayes. He loved his heroine and spent all his time high as a kite. He was present in body only.Here's to Us is an emotional story that made an impact. Despite having issues with some of the characters as a whole, I really enjoyed this story. I love how Elin finished this book. I thought it was a great way to end it.Cliffhanger: No4/5 Fangs

Another great book by Elin Hilderbrand. It does not disappoint! An easy read which takes place on the beautiful island of Nantucket.

I have reviewed Elin Hilderbrand books before and have often remarked that "I love to hate her writing". This is because I get caught up with her super preppy Nantucket characters and their storylines, even if I deplore their lifestyles. All in all, however, her books are well-suited for summer beach reads and tend to put the reader in the mood for lobster, swimming, and bungalow living. So when I heard that her new book, "Here's to Us" was out, I ordered it first thing. I even put down another book I was reading to get right into that "Nantucket mood". Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed by the shallow characters, the dark side of their lives including blatant adultery and drug use, and the fact that they really weren't that interesting. In a way, the three wives could have been on any one of the Housewives shows and were just as vapid. I disliked each one of them, from the first wife, Laurel, who at 53 was an impossibly gorgeous, make-up free blonde with her high school figure and sweet social work nature to Scarlett, the pampered Southern debutante, who openly cheats with her high school boyfriend and spends money like it's water. And then there's the setting - about 1/3 Nantucket, 1/3 NYC, and 1/3 Kentucky. Say what? If I wanted to read about the various streets in Manhattan during my carefree summer, I wouldn't turn to an Elin Hilderbrand book! Missing was the cheery summer laid-back feeling of prior books, and instead we had to hear about the financial waste of spoiled spendthrifts who care very little about their fellow human beings. I was so bored with the plot line, that I started imagining that the character, Laurel, was really Elin Hilderbrand which then started me musing if Elin Hildebrand perhaps now lives part time in Manhattan and wanted to give kudos to the restaurants where she goes. Anyway, I'm giving the book 3 stars because (of all things) I'm anxious to try Deacon's 4 recipes at my next summer party. Maybe if I host a party with these recipes, I'll get that wonderful, salty air summer vacation feeling that was seriously lacking in this book.

Interesting story good beach read

Great read. I highly recommend

Love, love, love this author...always a brilliant story with amazingly defined characters. Funny, clever, sad, with marvellous attention to details of surroundings, food, etc. Always hooks me in and I can't put her books down....don't know how she does it every time...

I liked the characters. I wanted the book to keep going so I really home there's a follow up book.

I've read so many Elin Hilderbrand books and have never been disappointed. The storyline of Here's to Us was unique and the characters were colorful and quirky. Another very enjoyable Nantucket experience.

Have read every book elin has written she is a brilliant writer and sets her books on Nantucket just makes you want to go there this book is a fabulous read fantastic storyline a real page turner how she does it when battling with breast cancer I can't imagine