3.5 out of 4 stars.

“It is what you would expect it to be”.

A perfect beach read. Only problem? I read it in November. I try and keep with the mood of the season but I had been on the wait list at my library essentially since June of when this book was released so out of respect to my patience I had to read it. I should of known starting out that I wasn’t in the right mind set to hear about bikinis, beaches, and the summer breeze. How depressing when I live in New England and it is icy rain out!

Deacon is the protagonist of the book and he is a chef that has tattoos and a promiscuous lifestyle. He has been married three times by his late forties and all three of his wives do not believe they can trust him to stay off drugs and alcohol. However, his intentions had always been in the right place and they all still shared a special spot in their hearts for him. Not to mention they have all had children with him so they are ultimately a large misfit family whether they like it or not. This is why when he turns up dead at his run down Nantucket home everyone not only feels sadness but also believes it was a long time coming. However, after the autopsy was complete, Deacon’s body showed no signs of illegal substance. He was finally clean after all these years! Oh the irony.

With Deacon’s passing, Laurel, Belinda, and Scarlett (the three wives) are now left with just each other. They never liked one another due to their utter differences but also that they all were jealous of Deacon’s attention that had to be divided. They are able to be mature enough to come to Nantucket, Deacon’s favorite place and last place of breath, in order to join together and spread his ashes.

What follows is a lot of tears, confessions, lies, coming together, and falling apart.

I recommend this book if you are on the way to the beach (I wasn’t),  love nantucket (never been), or can relate to a modern family dynamic (everyone can) so it is one of those stories that is on the cusp of being a home run or a flip-flop. You would have to decide because I am still up in the air!

I know that I wish it featured Deacon alive longer because I was fascinated by how his brain worked (or didn’t) but the majority was the relationship between the wives and at times it got a little one-dimensional. Although they are all deranged in their own ways it was all predictable. Deacon was a great character and I wish Hilderbrand could keep up with that in books to come because I am intrigued.