I picked up The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand at just the right time when I was craving a book that had a lot character development and messy relationships. This one is the second in Hilderbrand’s Nantucket series (though, I’ve read these out of order—more on that in a bit!). As usual, Hilderbrand delivered her signature mix of messy relationships, complex characters, and heavy topics, all wrapped up in her atmospheric Nantucket setting.
This book is definitely a bit of a slow burn. The chapters alternate between the main characters’ perspectives, which meant the character development and relationship dynamics took some time to fully unfold. That said, the slower pacing worked for me because I was in the mood for the classic Hilderband style.
The ending was just lovely. Similar to Moriarty books, Hilderbrand ties a nice bow on the end of her stories and tends to hit you right in the feels with a bit of unexpected emotional weight. She always sneaks in a moment or two that leaves me a little misty-eyed, and The Castaways was no exception.
The story dives into some pretty heavy topics—grief over the loss of a best friend, the death of a family member, drug addiction, infidelity, and navigating messy relationships. It’s a lot, but it’s also what I’ve come to expect (and appreciate) from Hilderbrand’s writing. She knows how to balance the weight of these issues with the humanity of her characters, making even the messiest moments relatable.
I read this one now because I recently got a copy of The Swan Song, the fourth book in the Nantucket series, and figured it was time to fill in the gaps. Earlier this year, I read A Summer Affair (the first in the series), and while you don’t need to read it before this one, I’m glad I did. Interestingly, the characters don’t overlap from the first to the second book, so you can easily pick this up as a standalone. I also realized I’d read the third book ages ago without even realizing it was part of the series!
If you’re a fan of Hilderbrand’s writing, you’ll feel right at home here. This is classic Elin—relationships, secrets, and a little Nantucket magic. It’s not a fast-paced read, but if you’re in the mood for a story that builds slowly and pays off beautifully, this one’s for you.
Have you read this or any of Elin Hilderbrand’s books or the Nantucket series? Let me know your favorites!
The Chief & Andrea: Parents of two teens, Kacy and another unnamed child.
Addison & Phoebe: Wealthy couple, no children together. Addison has a teenage daughter, Vanessa, from his first marriage to Mary Rose.
Jeffrey & Delilah: Parents of two young boys, Drew and Barney.
Greg & Tess: Parents of twins, Chloe and Finn.
Thom & Faith: Owners of the restaurant where Delilah works and the venue where Greg plays guitar.
April Peck: Greg’s student, who may or may not have had an affair with him.
Key Relationships:
Jeffrey once loved Andrea and nearly married her before returning to his farm roots.
Addison and Tess were having an affair.
Greg and April Peck’s relationship is ambiguous, with conflicting stories about who pursued whom.
Tess and Andrea are first cousins, with Andrea acting as a sister/mother figure to Tess.
Plot Summary:
Backstory and Key Events:
The novel alternates between the current timeline and flashbacks to pivotal moments in the group’s intertwined lives, each section told by a different character, no chapters:
First couples’ trip to Las Vegas: Greg’s subtle actions (like touching Delilah’s leg) plant the idea of a future affair in her mind.
Last couples’ trip to Vermont: Tess and Addison grow close and begin their affair.
The April Peck Incident: Delilah, infatuated with Greg, believes April’s account of their relationship over Greg’s, leading to tension and jealousy. Tess struggles to forgive Greg for the incident.
Greg and Tess tragically die in a sailing accident. In the aftermath, the surviving characters wrestle with grief, secrets, and complicated emotions.
Current Timeline:
Andrea: Struggles with taking custody of the twins and deals with her grief by obsessively revisiting memories of Tess in Greg’s office. She becomes increasingly controlling and unkind to Delilah, who wants the twins for the summer.
Phoebe: Struggles with addiction, confesses to giving Tess a strong opiate before the accident, and eventually gets clean. She organizes a successful island event and announces the creation of a nature trail dedicated to Tess and Greg.
Addison: Confesses to Andrea that he and Tess had an affair. Later discovers a letter from Tess declaring her love for Addison but her decision to stay with Greg.
Delilah: Leaves the island with all four children, hoping for a fresh start. She snaps under the pressure of caring for them when they all fall ill and decides to return home.
The Chief gathers the group to share Greg’s last words to April: that he loved his wife and would never speak to April again. He urges everyone to focus on raising the twins to be good people and to move forward together.
A Year Later:
The nature trail dedicated to Tess and Greg opens.
Phoebe has a newborn son named Reed Gregory, symbolizing hope and new beginnings for the group.
