Here's to us: a novel

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Language
English

Description

Three romantic rivals in one crowded house equals plenty of room for jealousy in this surprising and heartwarming story from New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand.

Laurel Thorpe, Belinda Rowe, and Scarlett Oliver share only two things; a love for the man they all married, Deacon Thorpe—a celebrity chef with an insatiable appetite for life—and a passionate dislike of one another. All three are remarkable, spirited women, but they couldn't be more different. Laurel: Deacon's high school sweetheart and an effortlessly beautiful social worker; Belinda: a high-maintenance Hollywood diva; and Scarlett: a sexy southern belle floating by on her family money and her fabulous looks. They've established a delicate understanding over the years—they avoid each other at all costs.

But their fragile detente threatens to come crashing down after Deacon's tragic death on his favorite place on earth: a ramshackle Nantucket summer cottage. Deacon's final wish was for his makeshift family to assemble on his beloved Nantucket to say good-bye. Begrudgingly, Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett gather on the island as once again, as in each of their marriages, they're left to pick up Deacon's mess. Now they're trapped in the crowded cottage where they all made their own memories—a house that they now share in more ways than one—along with the children they raised with Deacon, and his best friend. Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett each had an unbreakable bond with Deacon—and they all have secrets to hide. 

Before the weekend is over, there are enough accusations, lies, tears, and drama to turn even the best of friends—let alone three women who married the same man—into adversaries. As his unlikely family says good-bye to the man who brought them together—for better or worse—will they be able to put aside their differences long enough to raise a glass in Deacon's honor?

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Contributors
Bennett, Erin Narrator, narrator., nrt
Hilderbrand, Elin Author
ISBN
9780316375146
9780316375153
9781478909392
9781478909408
UPC
9781478909392

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Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Elin Hilderbrand and Nancy Thayer both write novels that feature characters dealing with the issues that face every woman; love, death, family and friendship. Both authors write novels that are character-driven and set on the island of Nantucket. -- Nanci Milone Hill
Both authors focus on women's lives and relationships in character-driven novels. Their leisurely-paced writing is emotional and sometimes bittersweet as characters' pasts are explored and secrets unearthed. The realistic complexities of the characters' lives and problems makes them easy to relate to regardless of the novels' settings. -- Lauren Havens
Both Elin Hilderbrand and Emily Giffin write emotionally engaging stories about relatable women navigating the complexities of their lives and relationships. Though the characters face serious situations, the books never become maudlin and always end on a hopeful and heartwarming note. -- Halle Carlson
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Though Jean Kwok's catalog includes some thrillers and Elin Hilderbrand's is exclusively relationship fiction, both are known for character-driven stories about the ways people interact that are equal parts moving and high-drama. -- Stephen Ashley
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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

In Hilderbrand's latest outing, three wives (two former, one current) and their children gather to mourn and celebrate the life of the man they all loved at the island home they shared with him. Celebrity chef Deacon Thorpe lived passionately, on a quest to re-create the feeling of a single perfect day spent with his father when he was 13 years old. That memory centered on Nantucket, where he celebrated his earliest success by buying a cottage and building years of memories with his family. Nearly 30 years later, each of them changed by their relationship with him, his wives (high-school sweetheart, award-winning actress, former nanny) address their rivalries while their children (travel writer and heroin addict, brilliant young chef, nine-year-old princess) grieve. Deacon's best friend, manager, and executor has learned that the money is gone and the house is in arrears. No one wants to lose it, and only one of them has the resources to save it. Ideal for new and old fans, those who enjoy tales of rarefied angst, and beachgoers.--Moroni, Alene Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Library Journal Review

Deacon Thorpe propelled himself from an impoverished childhood to a life of fame and wealth as a celebrity chef, but it was never enough. He left a wreckage of wives and kids behind when he unexpectedly died at his favorite place, a rundown Nantucket summer cottage. Deacon's third wife, Scarlett, a beautiful Southern belle and his former nanny, couldn't be more different from his first wife and high school sweetheart, social worker Laurel, or his second wife, Hollywood actress Belinda. The only things these ladies have in common are their love for Deacon and their jealousy of one another. So bringing them and their offspring together in a small cottage to say farewell to Deacon is a recipe for disaster. All the old secrets and resentments quickly come to the surface as the assembled mourners try to cope with this loss. Still, just maybe the sun, surf, and memories will help them find a way to forgiveness and new beginnings. Verdict The best-selling Hilderbrand (The Rumor) writes another juicy, beachy family drama set against the beautiful backdrop of Nantucket. Her stories are as alluring as the island itself and as delicious as the included recipes such as champagne cake. [See Prepub Alert, 1/4/16.]-Melissa DeWild, BookOps, NYPL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kirkus Book Review

A celebrity chef's sudden death leaves his widow, exes, children, and best friend in a quandary. And since this is a Hilderbrand novel, is there any doubt that the dilemma involves Nantucket real estate? A somewhat dilapidated (or at least, dated) and decidedly downscale beachfront cottage known as American Paradise serves as plot driver and central symbol. As his success grew, Chef Deacon Thorpe bought the house with his first wife, Laurel, as a repository of happy memories for his son, Hayesthe kind that Deacon himself had been denied. (He had one idyllic day on Nantucket with his own father, who then mysteriously and permanently disappeared.) Deacon and Laurel never wanted to upgrade the house, and there are still reminders of earlier inhabitants, including a ghost supposedly occupying the smallest attic room. Now, Deacon has died (on the cottage's back deck, of a coronary), leaving nothing but debt. American Paradise is facing foreclosure due to the three mortgages Deacon took out, unbeknownst to his family. Surprisingly, or perhaps not given Deacon's (and Hilderbrand's) sense of humor, he has left the place to his three spouses, current and formerLaurel, Belinda, the movie star he left her for, and official widow Scarlett, the Southern belle who was the nanny for his and Belinda's adopted daughter, Angie. Best friend Buck, Deacon's long-suffering fiduciary, has called the wives and children to American Paradise to scatter Deacon's ashes anda duty Buck has been dreadingread the will. Each member of this unique blended family has a say, as they squabble over turf and mull over their past and ongoing missteps, loves, and addictions. Angie, a talented chef in her own right, prepares lavish meals (rendered in mouthwatering detail, including recipes). The question loomsif Deacon's Nantucket legacy can't be shared, can it be saved? No one captures the flavor and experience of a summer placethe outdoor showers, the seafood, the sand in the floorboardslike Hilderbrand. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Booklist Reviews

In Hilderbrand's latest outing, three wives (two former, one current) and their children gather to mourn and celebrate the life of the man they all loved at the island home they shared with him. Celebrity chef Deacon Thorpe lived passionately, on a quest to re-create the feeling of a single perfect day spent with his father when he was 13 years old. That memory centered on Nantucket, where he celebrated his earliest success by buying a cottage and building years of memories with his family. Nearly 30 years later, each of them changed by their relationship with him, his wives (high-school sweetheart, award-winning actress, former nanny) address their rivalries while their children (travel writer and heroin addict, brilliant young chef, nine-year-old princess) grieve. Deacon's best friend, manager, and executor has learned that the money is gone and the house is in arrears. No one wants to lose it, and only one of them has the resources to save it. Ideal for new and old fans, those who enjoy tales of rarefied angst, and beachgoers. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
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Library Journal Reviews

After celebrity chef Deacon Rowe commits suicide on Nantucket, his childhood sweetheart and first wife rounds up Deacon's other ex-wives and all his children for a final good-bye (and some personal reckoning) on the beautiful island. With a 250,000-copy first printing.

[Page 51]. (c) Copyright 2016 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright 2016 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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LJ Express Reviews

Deacon Thorpe propelled himself from an impoverished childhood to a life of fame and wealth as a celebrity chef, but it was never enough. He left a wreckage of wives and kids behind when he unexpectedly died at his favorite place, a rundown Nantucket summer cottage. Deacon's third wife, Scarlett, a beautiful Southern belle and his former nanny, couldn't be more different from his first wife and high school sweetheart, social worker Laurel, or his second wife, Hollywood actress Belinda. The only things these ladies have in common are their love for Deacon and their jealousy of one another. So bringing them and their offspring together in a small cottage to say farewell to Deacon is a recipe for disaster. All the old secrets and resentments quickly come to the surface as the assembled mourners try to cope with this loss. Still, just maybe the sun, surf, and memories will help them find a way to forgiveness and new beginnings. Verdict The best-selling Hilderbrand (The Rumor) writes another juicy, beachy family drama set against the beautiful backdrop of Nantucket. Her stories are as alluring as the island itself and as delicious as the included recipes such as champagne cake. [See Prepub Alert, 1/4/16.]—Melissa DeWild, BookOps, NYPL (c) Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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