THE BASICS
- Title: Winter in Paradise
- Author: Elin Hilderbrand
- Genre: Contemporary Fiction
- Structure: Linear third-person narrative from altering viewpoints
- First Line: “It’s the first night of the new year.”
Synopsis: Spend the coldest days of winter on a Caribbean beach with New York Times Bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand. Join New York Times Bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand on the stunning beaches of St. John for the beginning of her thrilling new winter series-The Paradise. Welcome to Paradise, the first book in the Paradise series, has everything that readers have come to know and love about an Elin Hilderbrand novel, plus a healthy dose of intrigue. Irene Steele’s idyllic life-house, husband, family-is shattered when she is woken up by a late-night phone call. Her beloved husband has been found dead, but before Irene can process this tragic news, she must confront the perplexing details of her husband’s death. He was found on St. John island, a tropical paradise far removed from their suburban life. Leaving the cold winter behind, Irene flies down to the beautiful Caribbean beaches of St. John only to make another shocking discovery: her husband had a secret second family. As Irene investigates the mysterious circumstances of her husband’s death, she is plunged into a web of intrigue and deceit belied by the pristine white sand beaches of St. John’s. This exciting first book in the Paradise series will transport readers to a new beach locale-another world that Elin knows as well as her beloved Nantucket-and have them longing for winter
THE GOOD
I struggle with this one. I went into this book knowing that it could really go either direction and without a clue as to which direction it would take. I was hoping it’d be a positive experience, obviously. And, at some points, it was. After finishing it, I realized that I still don’t feel strongly either way. This is a true “middle of the row” book for me. Here are a couple of my highlights:
- The author has history with this location and it shows. I appreciate her note at the beginning of the book as well that recognizes the devastation recent hurricanes have caused. I will say that having an author know a place so well does come across in books and adds a true sense of authenticity to the story.
- I like that these are not your run-of-the-mill characters set in this scene. Usually when I come across stories like this one, it’s a flustered 20- or 30-something woman trying to make it in the city, sometimes trying to be supermom, and her husband’s family is in some loft Europe city. So, I loved that we’re getting a new perspective and more interesting characters.
THE UNFAVORABLE BITS
I think I would’ve rated this book higher if I had the history of other book reviewers of having read Hilderbrand’s previous work. This is apparently an off-shoot from another series she just finished. So, if you’ve followed that series, you’ll probably love this.
As a newcomer, there were some things that struck me and didn’t rub me the right way. First, I felt like I could skim this book and get the story down pat. The context wasn’t interesting for me, which is a shame because the plot line is extremely interesting. However, it felt like it didn’t take.
There were too many characters going on. I love books written from multiple perspectives, but this one came off as awkward, choppy, and hard to follow. It was good when it was just the main character and the best friend of the “other woman”, but then more and more characters were added. Pretty soon I was asking myself what was the point and where was the relevancy.
As always, I give you a heads up about strong language or graphics in case you’re sensitive, or if the person you’re recommending the book to is sensitive. This book does not have many occurrences of strong language or graphics, but I think the adult crowd will enjoy this read more than the younger crowd.
CONCLUSION
I rate this book 3/5 stars. This was a true “middle of the row” book for me where I didn’t feel strongly one way or the other. I love that the characters are interesting and not your standard, run-of-the-mill crew. But, I think the book fell flat when it came to interesting context. I think if you’ve been a fan of Hilderbrand’s past work, then you’ll probably love this new release and new series. As a newcomer, I just didn’t feel a connection.
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I received Winter in Paradise from the Book of the Month Club. It was so great to receive personalized book recommendations at my doorstep! Honestly, I’m not sure if I would’ve picked up and experienced Winter in Paradise if it wasn’t for BOTM. You can join the club here for under $15 a month!
