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mlg9's review against another edition
2.0
This is a book where each chapter is told from a different character's perspective. I didn't feel like it was done very well in this case, and there were some characters I really didn't enjoy. However, I thought the story line was itneresting enough that I kept reading it. It might've been 2 1/2 stars... about average... but definitely not better than that.
kenziecriswell's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
kateniedfeldt's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve read these books in the wrong order and this book made me like the characters less.
courcor's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really liked the first book of the series (Summer Affair) but this one seemed to drone on without really getting anywhere. I thought eventually I had reached the climax but it kind of fizzled out, and then the book was over. The only other feedback I feel like might be worth sharing is that there are essentially 8 main characters to follow. In the beginning it was so hard to track who was who and whose partner was whose. I got it by the time it ended but it took some time to get there. Fingers crossed #3 is more exciting.
peregrinep's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bethpeninger's review against another edition
4.0
The Castaways is about a group of friends who have to live life after 2 of their members die in a tragic accident. Their story is told by each one of them and combines past and present to bring us up to speed. Hilderbrand does a seamless job of weaving together the past and present in each character's voice, the reader never feels confused about who is talking and what part of the story they are telling. The Castaways tell the story of Tess and Greg and their friendship with them as they also reveal their own private torture about the part they each feel they played in the deaths of Tess and Greg. This book is a vivid portrait of friendships woven so tightly together that sometimes love looks like hate, it takes the reader through the realities of grief and the journey of finding the way back from grief, and it displays how true love can be and is healing. I really enjoyed this book.
tarheeltegan's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed "The Perfect Couple," so I picked a few more Hilderbrand books to try out as summer reads, even though chick-lit isn't usually my genre. This one was... not good. I had trouble finishing it. The characters were SO boring, petty, and 1-dimensional. How is it possible that 8 people can be "best friends" and yet all be lusting after each other and having affairs and lying to their spouses? Andrea was perhaps the worst-- so rude, so selfish! The women were all hysterical the whole time while the men were stoic or drunk, which isn't a trope I care for. And the book could've used some serious editing. There was no mystery, no drama, no tension... just an endless inner monologue of 8 boring people. I may try reading 1 more since I liked "The Perfect Couple," but this book wasn't for me.
erinclem's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
Honestly would have loved a story just about the phoebe plotline, but overall a solid read-did lose interest for a little and had to do a bit of a reread from the beginning but after kicking it off again it picked up, but was a more sad than satisfying ending
dontpanicjess's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
theminimalistreader's review against another edition
4.0
This was full of drama, like, FULLLLL of drama!!