Review of Elin Hilderbrand's The Identicals
I have to start by saying I was not sure if I was going to read The Identicals. I did not know if it was a book that would keep me entertained enough to read it. I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading it to find that it was not boring, it was a great book. As the title would give away, it is about identical twins, Harper and Tabitha Frost. They are about as different as two people could be. Tabitha has a daughter that she does not seem to be able to control, Harper has a dog named Fish. Tabitha works at a boutique for a clothing line for her mother while Harper has tried many different career paths and is currently a delivery person. They are different in every way, except for their looks, even their own mother has a hard time telling them apart.
While the twins once were very close and spent a lot of time together, their parents divorce changed all that. They were separated from each other and each was sent to live with a different parent. They both wanted to go with their dad, but Harper won rock, paper, scissors so she went with their dad to Martha's Vineyard, while Tabitha was with their mother on Nantucket.
Even after their separation because of the divorce, they still had a relationship, until a tragic event tore them apart. They remained apart for years, until another tragic even put the wheels in motion for them to reunite. When they reunite, it is not a pleasant experience, Tabitha is still very angry with Harper and she cannot control herself when it comes to not being nice to her. Tabitha's daughter, Ainsley has different thoughts and would love to get to know her Aunt Harper better. They have to deal with the hits life is giving them and try to find a way back to each other in the process.
It can be a little confusing when you first start reading the book, the chapters go back and forth between the sisters and the islands. When they switch islands it gets a little more confusing, but it becomes clear again once you get used to that. The sisters are very different so you should have no problem with confusing them, they think different, dress different and have different attitudes, it is hard to believe that they are twins except they look exactly alike, which sometimes confuses people in the books, it would be fun to be an identical twin, even just to confuse others!
This book far exceeded my expectations, it is just another lesson to learn, do not judge books by their covers or their summaries. I am very glad I gave the book a chance and I love Elin Hilderbrands other books. She has an unique way of writing and telling stories. She can turn a regular person's life into an exciting story that makes you want to read more, if you want to explore some of her other books I will provide links below, the link for The Identicals is above. I will be reviewing more of her books so check back soon!
