Elin Hilderbrand's latest novel, The Island, tells the story of 4 women over one month on Tuckernuck Island. Birdie's daughter, Chess, is about to marry the perfect man. To celebrate and try to reconnect with Chess, Birdie invites her to spend a week in the old family vacation home on Tuckernuck Island. When Chess calls off the engagement and shortly after the ex fiancee dies in a freak climbing, the accident, the week turns into a month and Birdie invites her other daughter Tate and her own sister India to try and help Chess find her way out of the deep depression she has fallen in. They plan for a quiet, nurturing month caring for Chess, but the island has its own ideas. The reality will turn out to be far more exciting and healing than any of them expect.

This was my first introduction to Elin Hilderbrand and I was very pleasantly surprised. I anticipated a shallow but mildly entertaining summer read. Instead I found impressive depth and detail with all the mess and complication of real life. The characters were interesting, fully realized people who I would be friends with in real life. I enjoyed every minute of getting to know them. If the end is a bit of a fairy tale, all neatly tied up and happy, I liked the book even better for it. A thoroughly enjoyable read and I look forward to diving into the rest of Hilderbrand's work.