The Identicals: A Novel

Didn’t want it to end. I’ve read almost every one of her books. So impressed with Elin’s ability to write.

Fun read. What's up in the somewhat sorted lives of Tabitha and Harper. It has a strong YA vibe. *Very* easy, and sometimes simplistic, reading. But it satisfies and let's one contemplate things like, self-doubt, sibling rivalry, making your own destiny/fate, the heart wants what the heart wants, how NOT to raise a teen, etc.. I read it because someone picked it for book club, otherwise I likely wouldn't have. Shows inside the life of 40 yr old sisters, one set of teen age kids, and even some septuagenarians.

just finished reading this book. its a long story, but it covers many scenarios. Elin writes about the beach, islands, travel and does it well. great characters, the twin sisters. good beach bag book for the end of summer.

If you’re in the mood for something that is light hearted and fun, something that doesn’t take itself too seriously, read this book! I read this book on vacation in one day and I very much enjoyed it. I enjoyed all the characters…I laughed, I cried, and it made me want to go visit both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I read the entire book. Harper was the only character that was easy to like. She was loved her father. She was one bad decision away from prison time. But on the whole was a good person. The other characters were easy to dislike. Most interactions, between the other people, were hostile or cruel. The men seemed clueless. The teenage drama was over the top. I've read many books by this author and enjoyed: the storyline, the islands, and the characters. This book won't be on my list of favorite books.

Fourteen years have gone by before identical twins Harper and Tabitha Frost face each other again. Instead of the twins being close, they have been estranged and had barely any contact. When their father passes away, Tabitha and their mom will travel to Nantucket for the wake. As teenagers when their parents' divorced, a game of rock, paper, and scissors will be the deciding factor in their separation. The winner will go to live in Nantucket with their easy-going father. The loser will stay in Martha's Vineyard with her mother and her clothesline store. The end result is Tabitha stays with her mother and Harper goes with their father. As forty-year-old women, their lives have not been what they wanted it to be. Tabitha is a single mother to Ainsley. She's too uptight and resentful. A loss in her life marked her and she has never been the same. She broke up with her longtime boyfriend when he asked for more. She's a poor parent figure to Aisnley. Harper's life is in turmoil. She has taken care of her ailing father for the last year. She has seen him lose the battle and die. Her personal life is a mess. She's having an affair with her dad's married physician and she recently started dating a younger cop whom she's not in love with. Her reputation in Nantucket is all unfavorable. Ainsley is popular, conceited and a brat. She has no respect for Tabitha whom she calls by her first name. She's also drinking, partying too much and is surrounded by friends just like her. The exception is her boyfriend, who's nice until he breaks up with her and decides to date someone else. A new situation will make the twins switch islands and this is when the story is unputtable-down. Talk about drama! The Identicals is a synonym for family dysfunction. Between the sibling rivalry, the secrets from the past, the many mistakes each woman have committed and a poor relationship between mother and daughters, this is an exceptional drama magnet. One I enjoyed it tremendously. I love how the author was able to make all the women in this novel mature emotionally in a natural way making it believable. So why not a five fang? I didn't like that the men in The Identicals had so little determination to fight for the women they have fallen for. They took too long. The best part was Fish's epilogue. I love, love, love that Elin Hilderbrand used him to provide it. It gave me a huge smile. Cliffhanger: No 4/5 Fangs

enjoyable read I liked the plot and characters in the story line. I found it easy read and could not put it down.

This book was so good that when I finished I immediately bought another book by this author.....Here's to Us. Also excellent!! Well written and great story both on Martha's Vinyard and Nantucket!

I loved this story. I love this author. This is the 13th book that I have read if hers. She is the most fantastic story teller. Highly recommend anything she write.

Elin Hildebrand books are my guilty pleasure. They tend to the unrealistic, sensational, a little naughty, BUT they are well written page-turners, and I love the settings of Martha’s Vineyard which I visited one magical day, and Nantucket, which I hope to visit before i’m too old to travel from the UK. The Identicals gave wonderful descriptions of both islands and their communities, which I hope are accurate. Neither twin came across as particularly likeable in this particular book but when you hear that their parents made them decide which parent each of them should live with when they divorced, it’s hardly surprising. There’s always a more or less happy ending, and mostly predictable, but as a holiday read, or any time you want some absorbing escapism, this book and others by Hildebrand are hard to beat.

I always enjoy her books so much.

I dud quite enjoy this book even though it felt hard to understand how a pair of identical twin sisters could have survived a fourteen year estrangement when living so close to each other. I found Tabitha largely unlikeable for most of the book and found it hard to believe that those around them could have allowed the status quo to carry on for that long. As the sister of identical twins who live 9 hours apart(by plane) but speak daily I found their relationship hard to believe. The stupidity of the parents even more. What I enjoyed the most was the opportunity to dip into the lives of those who live on Nantucket and Marth’s Vineyard and to learn more about them. I had no idea that the two islands were as estranged from each other as the twins are in this story. Obviously, the islands aren’t estranged, it’s the islanders perpetuating custom and tradition. Their traditions and determination to maintain their ways of doing and saying things differently can irk at times like the way they say “up island” or “down island”. It can feel very contrived. Has anyone ever noticed that Elin Hilderbarand takes product placement to a new level in her books though in her case it’s “venue placement”. It made me wonder whether she is paid to celebrate all the venues repeatedly mentioned in her books as I know they all exist. The story of Ainsley and her high school gang was well drawn and felt very real and believable, unfortunately. I enjoyed her redemption though. Despite my criticism of the book, my first thought on finishing was that I wanted to know what happens next so that probably says it all!