Amazon.com: Customer reviews: The Identicals: A Novel

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 16, 2022

I enjoyed reading this book, albeit long in some places, and would recommend it to everyone because who doesn’t enjoy Elin Hilderbrand? The story weaves in and out two locations and two sisters with the backdrop of family drama. Tied up neatly at the end, so you don’t have to puzzle over all you’ve read for weeks and can’t start a new book because of the one you just finished.

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MrsLeif

Great summer read!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 22, 2018

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Fourteen years have gone by before identical twins Harper and Tabitha Frost face each other again. Instead of the twins being close, they have been estranged and had barely any contact. When their father passes away, Tabitha and their mom will travel to Nantucket for the wake.

As teenagers when their parents' divorced, a game of rock, paper, and scissors will be the deciding factor in their separation. The winner will go to live in Nantucket with their easy-going father. The loser will stay in Martha's Vineyard with her mother and her clothesline store. The end result is Tabitha stays with her mother and Harper goes with their father.

As forty-year-old women, their lives have not been what they wanted it to be.

Tabitha is a single mother to Ainsley. She's too uptight and resentful. A loss in her life marked her and she has never been the same. She broke up with her longtime boyfriend when he asked for more. She's a poor parent figure to Aisnley.

Harper's life is in turmoil. She has taken care of her ailing father for the last year. She has seen him lose the battle and die. Her personal life is a mess. She's having an affair with her dad's married physician and she recently started dating a younger cop whom she's not in love with. Her reputation in Nantucket is all unfavorable.

Ainsley is popular, conceited and a brat. She has no respect for Tabitha whom she calls by her first name. She's also drinking, partying too much and is surrounded by friends just like her. The exception is her boyfriend, who's nice until he breaks up with her and decides to date someone else.

A new situation will make the twins switch islands and this is when the story is unputtable-down.

Talk about drama! The Identicals is a synonym for family dysfunction. Between the sibling rivalry, the secrets from the past, the many mistakes each woman have committed and a poor relationship between mother and daughters, this is an exceptional drama magnet. One I enjoyed it tremendously. I love how the author was able to make all the women in this novel mature emotionally in a natural way making it believable.

So why not a five fang?

I didn't like that the men in The Identicals had so little determination to fight for the women they have fallen for. They took too long.

The best part was Fish's epilogue. I love, love, love that Elin Hilderbrand used him to provide it. It gave me a huge smile.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

6 people found this helpful

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Sue Jones

Twins!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 13, 2022

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This was a good read, kept you interested you didn't want to put the book down. A lot of twists and turns. Love the visuals of both Islands. Makes you want to visit. Enjoy!

3 people found this helpful

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SWITCHING PLACES...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2017

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Harper Frost is laid-back, easygoing. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. She likes a beer and a shot and wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything fashionable. She’s inherited her father’s rundown house on Martha’s Vineyard, but she can’t hold down a job, and her latest romantic disaster has the entire island talking.

Two beautiful islands only eleven miles apart.

Tabitha Frost is dignified, refined. She prefers a fine wine and has inherited the impeccable taste of her mother, the iconic fashion designer Eleanor Roxie-Frost. She’s also inherited her mother’s questionable parenting skills–Tabitha’s teenage daughter, Ainsley, is in full rebellion mode–and a flailing fashion boutique on Nantucket in desperate need of a cash infusion.

One unforgettable summer that will change their lives forever.

After more than a decade apart, Harper and Tabitha switch islands–and lives–to save what’s left of their splintered family. But the twins quickly discover that the secrets, lies, and gossip they thought they’d outrun can travel between islands just as easily as they can. Will Harper and Tabitha be able to bury the hatchet and end their sibling rivalry once and for all? Before the last beach picnic of the season, there will be enough old resentments, new loves, and cases of mistaken identity to make this the most talked-about summer that Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket have experienced in ages.

My Thoughts: I loved the alternating narrators in The Identicals: A Novel . Harper Frost, living on Martha’s Vineyard with her father Billy has been estranged from her twin Tabitha for fourteen years.

Something happened all those years ago that kept them apart. On Nantucket, Tabitha is struggling with raising Ainsley, her rebellious teen, and she would love nothing more than to escape.

When Billy dies, there is a reunion of sorts…but it does not go well. Someone mistakes Tabitha for Harper and throws a drink in her face.

Harper has definitely stirred up some animosity from the folks on the Vineyard, so when she and Tabitha change places, what could happen next?

I loved how they each stepped into the other’s life, sort of, and something about this exchange stirs up in me a bit of empathy for the other.

Finding love on the “wrong” island could be just what the two need in order to forge a reconciliation. I found myself rooting for each of them, as I stepped into the perspective of who happened to be narrating. A five star read for me.

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Carolann

this story is like a guided tour of these two islands🥰

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2022

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Good read with very clear descriptions of these two famous islands. The twins are as different as the islands are different.
This is an enjoyable read.

2 people found this helpful

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B

The Identicals!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 2, 2022

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I loved every part of the amazing book…if possible I would give it more than 5 stars.
The author has such an unbelievable understanding of human nature that it is almost eirie. Also of DOGS. This resonates with me, because I love my 14 year old Shih Zu so very much.

I now want to read everything that she has written….thankful that I am on vacation and had so much time to enjoy this one and 2 others.

3 people found this helpful

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Toni Lynn Keating

Excellent

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 19, 2022

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I could not put this book down. Great read, drama, family, love,complicated relationships. It had everything. Kept you intrigued throughout the entire book.

4 people found this helpful

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caliblues

The Parent Trap makes a decent summer beach read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 23, 2021

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Identical twins. Separated at divorce. One to Martha’s Vineyard with Fun Dad. One to Nantucket with Demanding, Proper, High-Expectations Mom. The girls are then further estranged by a family tragedy.

As adults, Harper & Tabitha may still look alike, but they have very different personalities and lead very different lives. Although things aren’t going that well for either twin.

So naturally they switch places.
Hilarity ensues.
Mad hijinks occur as the women are constantly mistaken for one another.

Not really.
They do swap islands.
And a fair amount of dialogue consists of “No, I’m Harper” and “No, I’m Tabitha”.
But they mostly do not try to pass for one another.

Hildebrand does have a way of writing that can elevate an everyday story into a romantic tale. This isn’t my favorite of her books, but I enjoyed it. The characters are likable, and it’s fascinating to learn about the distinct and unique characteristics of each island.

The sweet epilogue is written from the point of view of the dog. And the very best part? The dog doesn’t die.

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Susan

THE PARENT TRAP for seniors?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2017

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In the mood for light summer reading, I chose THE IDENTICALS, despite the premise. I was not a fan of THE PARENT TRAP when I was a ten-year-old, but I thought the adult version of the twin switcheroo might be entertaining. After all, the book received glowing reviews from many readers, many of whom gave it five stars. After slogging through more than 400 pages, I thought, "It must be me; not you."

Tabitha and Harper, 39-year-old women, are identical twins. Due to circumstances surrounding their parents' divorce, Tabitha lives with her mother on Nantucket; Harper, with her father on Martha's Vineyard. Harper, like her dad, Billy Frost, is the fun twin. She partied her way through Tulane and does not stop when living on the Vineyard. Tabitha, on the other hand, is a buttoned-up version of her mother, a clothing designer and boutique owner. Her daughter, Ainsley, is an entitled teen who breaks all the rules. Tabitha's son, born prematurely, died shortly after birth, and this sad event has caused an inexplicable rift between the two branches of the family.

When Billy Frost dies, a reunion of sorts takes place at his funeral. For reasons not entirely logical, Harper and Tabitha agree to switch islands. Harper, together with Ainsley, move to Nantucket while Tabitha remains on the Vineyard. Why Harper, the party girl and rule breaker, is supposed to get Ainsley, the party girl and rule breaker, on the straight and narrow makes little sense to me but little in THE IDENTICALS does.

The story, filled with minutiae, meanders along for over 400 pages and reaches a predictable conclusion. Every meal, for example, is described in excruciating detail; only the recipes are missing. Because the main characters eat countless meals, I could have been reading a book on regional cooking. At some point, however, I became more interested in the food and drink than I did in the story.

The inability of the respective islanders to realize that the twins had switched places also defies credulity. Young children, before their characters are fully developed, can pull off a switch, but Harper and Tabitha are nearing middle age and had not seen one another for 14 years. Can anyone believe, for example, that prim and proper Tabitha morphs overnight into a woman who wears cut-offs?

I quickly tired of the cutsie names for everything from shops and restaurants to paint colors. Having spent time on both islands, I do not remember every business named with a not-so-clever play on words. At least, the famous Black Dog is left intact.

Having just finished a grueling psychological thriller, I looked forward to some light reading. THE IDENTICALS was too light for my taste. It's not you; it's me!

43 people found this helpful

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Eldest Daughter

Twins. The Mystery of our Lives.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2017

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This was a very good read. When I was in grammar school, there were identical twin girls in my 6th grade class. They were so identical! I thought back to how their friendship must have compared to these two in Elin HIldebrand's book, The Identicals. In high school, our group of girls included another pair of identical twins. Sharon and Sharleen have remained dear friends, and we try to meet once a month for lunch. We are now 74 years old. I will recommend this book to them. I have always been able to tell them apart, although many cannot. They have completely different personalities. Their dear mother is still alive, and she is now 101 years old, so it is wonderful to get the monthly news of how their mom is doing. The twins are good friends, and live near each other. One of them has been married several times, and she is now single. They are beautiful in every way. Back to The Identicals: The plot was fun, although somewhat unbelievable. But that is what reading is all about for me-escaping and learning about new experiences, places, and people. I absolutely loved how it ended.

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5 star		64%
4 star		24%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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