Title: The Rumor
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Published: June 16, 2015 by Little, Brown and Company
Rating: 3.5 stars
Synopsis: Madeline and Grace are best friends, living on Nantucket and the envy of their neighbors due to the beautiful lives they lead. Both women are in great marriages, have beautiful children and they even find the time to go on double dates. However, this summer everything is about to change in their lives when rumors and gossip start running rampant. Madeline, a writer in the midst of crippling writers block (while also facing a mound of bills) becomes desperate and makes a drastic decision on her manuscript topic. On the other hand, there’s Grace who is working hard to transform her backyard into an oasis, or more aptly, a garden of Eden. However, when she starts getting close with the landscape architect working on her project, the rumor mill runs wild. As the gossip escalates, Madeline and Grace must face the possible loss of the happy lives they have always lead and as the women work to set the rumors straight, they might find that the truth is even worse than the gossip.
Likes: I don’t know about you, but I have been all aboard the Elin Hilderbrand train this summer, and The Rumor did not disappoint. Hilderbrand’s books always leave me longing for delicious food, sunny days (though admittedly not the kind I get in Arizona), and juicy gossip. This book had all three! I listed to this book and was hooked from day one, I was listening in my car, in my office and really anywhere that I had the opportunity. I loved the friendship between Madeline and Grace, the troubles that both of them were going through in private, and the lives their spouses and children were leading- also in private. There were so many complex layers to this story that I could not get enough of. Also, the fact that the main love interest just so happens to be a Landscape Architect was fabulous for me since that is my husband’s procession as well! Overall, I loved the rich detail in which Hilderbrand describes her characters’ lives, from the way they were feeling emotionally, the delicious food they were eating, and the complex thoughts going on in their day-to-day lives.
Dislikes: While I loved so many things about this book, I did have a couple of dislikes. For example, I struggled with the teenage characters in this book. I felt like overall they didn’t add much to the story, I wasn’t very concerned with their outcomes and overall, I could have done without them. However, the thing I struggled with the most really came down to the ending. I felt a bit confused and unsatisfied at the end of the book, which was so disappointing because I was such a fan the whole way through. I felt that Eddie left things in a very confusing way, Benton left things beyond confusing and Madeline’s wrap up with her new book felt a little too well wrapped up and perfect for me. All in all, this was a great story with a bit of a letdown for an ending. But it is a great summer read and I would highly recommend the audio version as well.
Books & Bunny 