Reviews

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

mintomillk's review against another edition

2.0

i wanted to like The Perfect Couple, and i walked away from it with mixed feelings. credit where credit is due, Hilderbrand's writing is really good and draws you into the world and family she's created. she's descriptive enough just to make her characters feel real and to give you an impression of the kinds of settings and events they participate in, and the relationships she constructs between each individual is masterful and carefully thought out, so that there are no gaping holes in believing why someone would care for someone else, someone would dislike another person, etc.

however, when i finished this book i ultimately felt a bit mislead. it's written as a police murder mystery with the involvement of a murder and the policeforce, but the murder and the police all take a backseat to the complicated family drama of the Winburys. there could have been more balancing of the police figuring out secrets and the family trying to either cover up or expose one another to their own benefit, but ultimately it became a case of the police catching on only after the Winbury family has made certain revelations.

finally, and a big reason why i rated this novel so low, the main character. Celeste Otis is SO infuriating and i cannot for the life of me figure out why everyone in the book likes her so much -- every single person has nothing but good things to say about her, all the men fall in love with her and her beauty, and anyone who is against her is written off as either jealous or vindictive. yet Celeste is about as exciting as watching paint dry -- she does nothing for herself, and mopes instead about how awful and hard her life is to be marrying a millionaire and having so many men chase after her and all that. she doesn't even seem that upset about her best friend's death -- we are told she is, but her internal monologue is too busy idolising her parents' relationship and lamenting over the man she can't have than worried about there being an actual murder right outside of her house. just an awful character that ruined my enjoyment of the story entirely because of the central focus around her.

cornpop22's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The writing was captivating and the author kept you engaged by giving you bread crumbs to the “who dun it” that kept you guessing to the end. New insight to the characters was spread out along the way. I personally found the ending to be underwhelming and disappointing but it was an enjoyable read none the less!

marycbruce1215gmailcom's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

rdyourbookcase's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

4.5

The ending had the potential to be unsatisfying, but the last few pages helped. I'm watching the show now, and after episode one, I'm curious as to how the changes they made will affect the story and the ending.

tanzila2207's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

brandimshook's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This book lulled a lot in the middle. It was longer than I think it needs to be. The turns were supported and a bit expected. 

The police ruling of the case was frustrating. I can see where it would be an interesting way of finishing it to an author. But I hated it. It was so unrealistic. Also, all characters were annoying and impossible to like except for the locals. Everyone down to the bride were the worst people with no communication skills and very few brain cells to rub together.

Also the extremely specific references to millennials and pop culture ages this book poorly and it drives me crazy.

dbrew624's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

dfuller4787's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

laurenclaire99's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this and how different it was from the five star weekend! I felt like the characters and relationships were all complex which added to my uncertainty of “who did it” & I wasn’t necessarily surprised by how it all played out but the author did a good job of leading the story to the conclusion. I will say Elin Hilderbrand seems to have a thing for writing about affairs and infidelity so I’m hopeful future books I choose to read by her don’t follow this trend. Excited to watch this on Netflix very soon!

abagailb11's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0

I was super hooked from the beginning and I loved the plot twists along the way but the ending wasn’t my favorite. I’d still recommend it to my friends!