Three women and two children step off a plane in Nantucket. There's Vicki, mom to the small two boys, who has recently learned that she has lung cancer. There's her sister, Brenda, an academic reeling from losing her job after having an affair with one of her students. And then there's Vicki's friend, Melanie. After many IVF treatments, Melanie is finally pregnant; but, she's also found out husband, Peter, is having an affair with a colleague. They've come to Nantucket to try to heal Vicki--who will be going through chemo--and escape their problems. Watching them is twenty-two-year-old Josh, an aspiring author stuck working at the airport. Soon the lives all three women (and kids) with intertwine with Josh's.

"Three women step off a plane."

"The most miserable-looking people he had ever seen. That's what Josh had thought right from the beginning. And no wonder."

I read this book while away for work, away from my family, stuck in a hotel room in the evenings, exhausted and spent. It might not have been the best choice in hindsight, as this book is rather brutal and sad in its own right, but it wound up being a great diversion. I love Elin Hilderbrand's books, and this was an enjoyable one, despite the sadness. I liked the characters, but loved the Josh the most, our wannabe writer who finds himself caught up in the drama of these women.

And it was easy to get caught up in their lives and craziness. Brenda and Melanie had melodrama, but Vicki, oh Vicki, her storyline broke my heart. I've always had this fear of cancer and leaving my own kids, so this one struck me right in the gut. This book is really heart-wrenching--and doesn't shy away from the hard stuff: Vicki's chemo, her fears of dying and leaving behind her kids, how sick and terrified she feels. It's a tough read, but it's also hopeful and a great story of friendship and family.

Overall, I enjoyed this one, and it only cemented my desire to keep reading Hilderbrand's back catalog. 3.5+ stars.

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