The Castaways: A 'fab summer read' (The Bookbag) from the Queen of the Summer Novel - Tapa dura

'A gem of a summer read with a glamorous location, elite lifestyle, and Hilderbrand's appealing take on the constant stress that fills the lives of women everywhere' * Booklist on A Summer Affair * '[A] beautifully written, emotional novel' * Sainsbury's magazine on A Summer Affair * 'Touching and uplifting' * U Magazine on Barefoot * A fun read * Star on Barefoot * 'This book was a great read - you really care what happens to the characters. Perfect holiday reading. I didn't want to put it down' * Candis on Barefoot *

They hadn't known, then, what was coming. They didn't know about September 11th, they didn't know about miscarriages and love affairs, they didn't know about a girl named April Peck. They didn't know they were going to die. Back then, they had been happy.' From the outside, the close-knit circle of friends calling themselves 'the Castaways' share an idyllic lifestyle on the charming island of Nantucket, blessed with money, children, beauty and love. But when Tess and Greg are killed in a tragic boating accident, orphaning their seven-year-old twins, it sends devastating shockwaves through the rest of the group. As the friends grieve, the truth behind their relationships gradually begins to emerge in a chain of staggering revelations. And for the first time they are forced to ask the hardest of questions. Can you live without the person who made you whole? And how do you mourn for a secret lover and a relationship nobody knew existed? An utterly absorbing novel exploring the tangle of secrets and lies that can lurk beneath even the closest of relationships . . .