Golden Girl: A Musical by Elin Hilderbrand

Michelle A. Storment: Warm family storyline with lovable characters and a nice plot twist. Love how she brings back familiar places and characters from her previous novels.

United States on Sep 23, 2023

Kindle Customer: I loved this book. Anyone who is a mother would be touched by this story. I love the fact that Vivi had the opportunity to have 3 nudges to use to change the course of things. She chose to use them to save her children. It definitely caused me to have such strong emotions. I hope that it’s really like that in the afterlife.

United States on Sep 20, 2023

seniorchoice: I usually read weightier books than beach reads. However, one of the pleasures of being in a book club is casting aside my preconceived notions to read all kinds of literature. Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand, known as “queen of the beach reads,” proved to be entertaining and thought provoking. It had my book club discussing keeping secrets, and an afterlife where we could view our family and friends from above and use the gift of three “nudges” to influence their lives. While jogging main character Vivian is killed by a hit and run driver and ends up in this kind of afterlife. Her son’s best friend is suspected of killing her. Her oldest daughter wants to have a baby and her wild middle child is having affairs with married men. The book is set in Nantucket, where I have always wanted to visit.

United States on Sep 07, 2023

murphysmom: I loved the way Elin writes. She always jumps around from past to present to future. I find myself wishing I was in Nantucket. I have to say I love the way she has represented death without making it dreadful in fact it’s fun

United States on Sep 01, 2023

Lorraine Garant: I really enjoyed reading Golden Girl. I always enjoy Elin Hilderbrand's novels and this one was no exception. A story of love, friendship and for forgiveness. Worth the read!

Canada on Jul 15, 2023

Codie H.: Seemed like a good book, but to me it was dragging. I couldn't get into this one at all although it had a great story idea to it. Maybe this genre or writing style just isn't for me

United Kingdom on Apr 29, 2023

megan: 'Golden Girl' has a paranormal thread that seems a bit wacky, but as an Elin Hildebrand fan, I decided to keep an open mind and read on.
Vivian Howe is a successful Nantucket author of beach novels and a mother of three young adults. 'Golden Girl' is her final novel. (Some similarities to Elin, perhaps?) With everything to look forward to, Vivi’s suddenly the victim of a fatal hit and run incident. Martha, a heavenly spirit (and omniscient narrator) is sent to transition Vivi to the Beyond, but she's sympathetic to Vivi's special circumstances. Because of this, Martha allows her considerable leeway to address some important matters. Vivi is granted the summer and three precious opportunities (nudges) to influence loved ones.
Elin writes about life choices and consequences and there's also a 'timing is everything' philosophy. In GG, Elin paints a complex picture of family dysfunctionality, but she balances this through Vivi, with deep love and a genuine desire to set things right. It also highlights several social issues, such as addiction. The feel of the book is dramatic and quite sad, yet it’s humorous and entertaining, at the same time. Then, there’s the mystery of...

Australia on Nov 22, 2022

Rlovesbooks: I love all her books. They are all special and want to make me move to Nantucket and then again not. This one has a special twist making one be part of the authors views od afterlife and still been in reallife in the story

Germany on Oct 20, 2022

Shelly Hammond: This book left a lot of room in my head for debate when I sat down to type up this review. On one hand there are unlikable characters that were really unlikable but on the other hand there were others that were great.
Vivian Howe, an author of thirteen beach novels and the mother of three almost grown children, is out jogging near her home on Nantucket when she is killed by a hit and run driver. She heads to the Beyond where she is assigned to a Person called Martha. Martha allows Vivi to watch what happens below for one summer. She is also granted three ‘nudges’ that allow her to change the outcome of an event for the living. Now, With her daughter worrying about another miscarrigage, her other daughter staying out and partying all hours, and her son Leo having an on and off relationship with his fairly high maintenance girlfriend, she has to really consider who and when to use those nudges!
Vivi watches as Ed Kapenash, The Chief, investigates her death since she has no idea who it was that hit her. However, her last book contains a secret or secrets from her past that she’s worried could completely tarnish her reputation. With Vivi in the Beyond, she is able to watch...

United States on Feb 16, 2022

D. C. A. Price: Not sure if I’ve ever given Elin Hildebrand just four stars before as I love her books, and really enjoyed this one too, but didn’t enjoy the “Vivi in Heaven” scenario at all. I felt the book didn’t really need it, but clearly other readers appreciated it, so …. It was only towards the end of the novel that I began to guess what had happened so thought-provoking. I love Ms Hildebrand’s style of writing and descriptions of the beautiful island of Nantucket and its varied residents. Can’t wait for the next Hildebrand novel ….

United Kingdom on Jun 29, 2021