The Surfing Lesson

by Elin Hilderbrand

A digital edition short story about a wife coming to terms with her fading marriage from bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand. Margot's reservoir of romantic feelings for her husband Drum is running dry. But while the family is on vacation in Nantucket, Margot finds an opportunity to potentially regain her romantic love for her husband - in the form of Hadley Axelram, his ex-girlfriend. She is counting on jealousy as a relationship defibrillator. But after forcing her surfing-god husband to make plans for a surfing lesson with Hadley and her son, Margot is left to reminisce about the summer she fell in love with Drum, and the unexpected blossoming of their relationship. When she sees Drum and Hadley spending time together, will the spark reignite - and will her marriage be saved? Or will she find that love is truly gone from this relationship?This touching short story about a poignant stage in a marriage explores the backstory of Margot Carmichael, one of the stars in Elin Hilderbrand's novel Beautiful Day.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Summer Reads, Audiobook, Beach Reads, Short Stories

37 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2013

About the author

Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.

Facebook.com/ElinHilderbrand

Pinterest.com/ElinHilderbrand

Reviews

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

How did I miss it was a short story? I was all engrossed in it and it just ended!

[Allison]

This is a short story that introduces a character in the new book Beautiful Day not out yet. Kind of pissed I paid $2 for it on kindle

[Terric853 · Rating 1 out of 5]

At the end of this short story, I said, "Really? Are you kidding me?!" I would not recommend it.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 5 out of 5]

As she stands in line for ice cream with her family, contemplating divorce from her husband Drum, Margot sees her nemesis Hadley, who happens to be Drum's old girlfriend. Old memories of jealousy fill Margot's head. Then she has an idea, an idea to encourage Drum and Hadley, an idea that would make divorce so much easier.

This short story is a prequel to the upcoming BEAUTIFUL DAY. Eli'n Hilderbrand is a masterful storyteller. She pulls you in with likable, yet flawed characters who are both complex and compelling. I can't wait until Beautiful Day hits the stores!

[(NurseLisa) Square Granny from Ohio · Rating 5 out of 5]

kinda difficult to "rate" as this is just a short story to provide us an introduction/back story for "Beautiful Day", which is coming in June.

still, i am intrigued and was disappointed when this story ended so i consider that a very good sign" :)

enjoy fellow readers!

cheers,
NurseLisainOhio ---> twitter, pinterest, instgram, foursquare, goodreads.
**tweet me if you would like to be NOOK FRIENDS & swap books with me***

[Lisa Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elin sucks me in EVERY time! I knew I shouldn’t have read a short story! It just makes me wish for a really long novel! And this one mentioned The Blue Bistro! My absolute all-time favorite Elin book! 💙

[Ilse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kort verhaal ... was me hier niet bewust van ... niet echt mijn ding meestal omdat je dan vaak de diepgang uit een echt verhaal moet missen. Dit was hier ook niet anders; net toen ik er een beetje in kwam, was het boek al uit.

Was het eerste "verhaal" dat ik van deze auteur heb gelezen, maar ga in de toekomst zeker wel eens een wat dikker boek proberen lezen ook.

[Kiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t wait for Beautiful days to come out this was the perfect prequel to the new book.

[BHK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please read the amount of pages this story contains before purchasing!! Yes, it is a VERY short story and more like a single chapter. It is also a nice little insight into Drum and Margo’s past from Beautiful Day (which I loved and highly reccomend).

[Melissa Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read Beautiful Day.

[Stace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this knowing it was a short story but I wish it had been the full 45 pages that I downloaded instead of being 24 pages with a sneak peak at anther book making up the difference.

[Mariana 𓅰𓇼 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elin Hilderbrand is one of my favorite authors, but what was this??? I was so confused with the ending (read it 3 times) and I still don’t fully understand how the story ended. I understand it’s a prequel so I might give a shot to the sequel. I would’ve given this book 2 starts but I’ll do three since I liked the mini plot twists, hope the next book gets better!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Disappointing short story from an author I've grown to really like. I feel like it just ENDED but not really. Not sure if this will end up being a teaser for a new novel but the whole story felt rushed, somewhat disconnected past to present and an unfinished ending. No likey.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but sad knowing feelings can change with time.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short story...but just when you get invested in the characters, it’s over. Even knowing this going in, it’s a bummer to reach the end.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

What!? That’s the end!? Ended abruptly and honestly just made me feel sad. Did not like this one.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

i started this 4 months ago and totally forgot ab it until now. It is what it is for a short story, I was honestly confused the whole time but it def was a quick easy read! And set at the beach which is always a win for me

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but it left me wanting more of course. I say of course because that is usually what short stories do for me.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of reviews on here complaining about this being a short story and being surprised when it ended, but if you can introduce characters enough in just a few pages that we're upset when it ends... that's a gift. Hoping these characters are in another book as others have suggested.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short & Sweet.

[Katie Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very short story as a prequel to Beautiful Day

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope I find out Margot & Drum's fate in Beautiful Day!

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5 rating)
A novella that seemed even more like a short story, this felt like literally a chapter. Period. With Hilderbrand, readers of my reviews know, I always want more! That said, I did enjoy, both, THE SIXTH WEDDING, and, SUMMER OF ‘79. But this one was lacking.

The title of this “short,” leads readers up to the point of the story: “If I (Margot) can get him to give the lesson, it will answer this personal quest for “freedom” that I seem to want…I think.” (Quotes are mine.)

A dying mother’s last message to her daughter hits home; “Ever since you were a little girl, you’ve been too hard on yourself. It’s the curse of the first born. You need to cut your self some slack, allow for your imperfect moments. You need to be your own best friend” (p. 15). As well, this words are most telling of the main character, and help readers understand her “self sabotage”….or is it?

“Jealousy as a defibrillator” (p. 5).

On Love - “Nobody knows where it comes from. And, nobody knows where it goes” (p. 12).

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This is a very short story that is good for what it is. If you like the author's writing you should enjoy this well enough.
Margot’s fallen out of love with her husband, Drum. While on vacation in Nantucket, Margot has an idea about how to rein her romantic love for her husband by pushing him on an ex-girlfriend, Hadley. However, after forcing him to spend more time with her and her son teaching the son how to surf Margot reminisces about when she fell in love with him and how their relationship bloomed. She is now looking to see if Hadley and Drum will have reunited feelings or if she will figure out how he really feels.
This was as good as a very short story can be. It definitely leaves you wanting more and to know how everything will work out for the people involved.

[Kady Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know this was a short story but it was so short that there was no character behind any of the main characters. It was based on the main character, Margot, being bored with her husband, Drum, where she would cause unnecessary drama between Drum and his ex, Hadly, a woman who tries to seduce men. It's understandable to be insecure about your partner's ex, but pushing your Drum into Hadly, who he's over with (and who Margot is clearly not over), is very childish. Learning not to care is hard, but I would think that those who are in their thirties don't care as much about others because they realize how precious their own lives are. I rate this one star because I did not connect with the story and to be honest, Margot's behavior just irritated me.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Elin Hilderbrand and you want to meet your reading goal, I recommend this short story by her. Like all her short stories, I would read it as a book if it were one! I can’t really tell what’s going to happen with Margot & Drum, but Drum seems like a stand up dude. Hadley deserves bad things to happen to her, what a turd sandwich! Overall, I would say 3/5 stars ⭐️ because we only get Margot’s POV and it kind of ends inconclusively, but depending on your reading preferences that may be higher for you!

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to rate a Hilderbrand this low but thats how it goes sometimes. When I got this on my Kindle I had no clue it was a short story. I read it in maybe half hour?

The story of a married woman who wished her husband went back to his ex. If I say more Ill give the entire thing away.

My issue is that the story just seemed like rambling. The end left me feeling 'meh' and it was just forgettable.

[Maria Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the short story narrated by Thérèse Plummer. What surprised me most is how much I could feel the main character. I really felt a lot of empathy for her. From the outside it's difficult to understand why she is so hard on herself and why she is so unsatisfied. It's not much about agreeing to her ways or judgment whatsover. It's about feeling like her and the author really made me feel her. We don't get the answer to the "why" in this story. It made me speculate.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This eBook teaser for Beautiful Day just irritated me. I like Elin Hilderbrand books, so was excited to read this. But essentially it is the story of an discontented wife with a husband who is hot, kind, considerate, thoughtful, faithful, and long-suffering. I believe in spark, but three kids in with a husband who loves you, I guess I really couldn’t relate to the protagonists discontent at all. Disappointing for sure.

[James Tomasino · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is well varied for tone and pacing and her sense of POV is incredibly strong. The work is too short to measure character growth and change or judge the ability to orchestrate a longer novel, but this little window into a few scenes does convey a strong ability in character work. I can see where the appeal comes from.

If you're a romance reader and haven't tried her books she might be worth giving a go.