Barefoot

For my next Elin Hilderbrand book, I read Barefoot.

Goodreads Stats

Why I Read This Book/How I Heard About It

This is the next Elin Hilderbrand book to become available off my Hold list in the Libby app.

Goodreads Summary

Visiting Nantucket for the summer, three women seek peace and comfort as they cope with the challenges in their lives--from marriage, infidelity, and the mayhem of motherhood to scandal, tragedy, and illness.

Three women--burdened with small children, unwieldy straw hats, and some obvious emotional issues--tumble onto the Nantucket airport tarmac one hot June day. Vicki is trying to sort through the news that she has a serious illness. Her sister, Brenda, has just left her job after being caught in an affair with a student. And their friend Melanie, after seven failed in vitro attempts, is pregnant at last--but only after learning that her husband is having an affair. They have come to escape, enjoy the sun, and relax in Nantucket's calming air. But into the house, into their world, steps twenty-two-year-old Josh Flynn.

Barefoot weaves these four lives together in a story with enthralling sweep and scope--a novel that is as fun and memorable and bittersweet as that one perfect day of summer.

First Impressions

I was excited to read this because I have really enjoyed all the Elin Hilderbrand books I've read so far. This one was easy to get into and there were only a few characters, so it was less complex than a lot of her other stuff.

Final Thoughts

This was a sweet story about three sisters trying to escape their lives by spending a summer on Nantucket together. It's an OK beach/poolside read for the summer. I was surprised to find that the whole thing felt very...basic and bland, compared to what I'm used to reading from Elin Hilderbrand. Then, I learned that this was one of her first books ever published, way back in 2007.

As a writer, it's cool to see the progression of an author from their first published work up to their most recent work (15+ years later). I can see that Hilderbrand has grown by leaps and bounds, in terms of character development, plot arcs, and descriptive writing.

I feel lucky that I read this after some of her "better" work because if I started at the beginning and read this book first, I'm not sure I would have wanted to read any of her more recent stuff. If you are a writer and want to see clear skill development over time, read one of her newer works like The Hotel Nantucket, then read this. If you are simply looking for a really great beach/poolside read, though...pick up a different title.

Rating on Goodreads

I rated this book 3 out of 5 stars.

My rating method:

• I rarely rate books 5 stars. I save this for the absolute best books I've read. You know the ones...the ones that you can't get out of your head, even after you've finished them. The ones you think about for weeks afterwards.

• If a book is really, really good, I'll give it 4 stars. If you see a 4-star rating from me, I'd definitely recommend it to you to read.

• If it's just OK, it gets 3 stars. Basically, it means I could take it or leave it. I'd probably read it again because it wasn't terrible. But not like a favorite or anything.

• If I rate it 1 or 2 stars, I would not recommend anyone read it. It either didn't hold my interest or I couldn't relate to the characters/plot.