“The charitable acts that count the most, Greer believes, are those done without anyone knowing.”
If you couldn’t pull yourself away from the secrets, high-society drama, and sun-soaked mystery of Nantucket in Elin Hilderbrand’s The Perfect Couple, you’re certainly not the only one. Nothing hooks an audience quite like a glamorous seaside setting upended by a sudden, shocking crime – where everyone has a motive, every lavish mansion hides a secret, and no marriage is as picture-perfect as it appears on the surface. Whether you fell in love with the suspenseful wedding-weekend whodunit or the addictively dramatic coastal atmosphere, finding your next compelling read can be a tall order. To help you cure your book hangover, we’ve curated our favourite books like The Perfect Couple. Brimming with wealthy families, twisty murder mysteries and gorgeous beachy backdrops, these suspenseful page-turners will keep you guessing well into the night.
The Perfect Couple Summary
It’s Nantucket wedding season, also known as summer – the sight of a bride racing down Main Street is as common as the sun setting at Madaket Beach. The Otis-Windbury wedding promises to be an event to remember: the groom’s wealthy parents have spared no expense to host a lavish ceremony at their oceanfront estate.
But it’s going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons after tragedy strikes: a body is found in Nantucket Harbour just hours before the ceremony – and everyone in the wedding party is suddenly a suspect. As Chief of Police Ed Kapenash interviews the suspects, he discovers that every wedding is a minefield – and no couple is perfect.
The Guest List – Lucy Foley
First up on our list of the best books like The Perfect Couple is Lucy Foley’s beloved global bestseller, The Guest List. On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favours, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service might be spotty, and the waves rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. And then someone winds up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And, more importantly, why?
Check Out Our The Guest List Book Review
The Unwedding – Ally Condie
Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world. She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on Earth? But now she’s travelling solo.
To add insult to injury, there’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a loved and certain future glimmering just ahead. Now she isn’t certain of anything except for her love for her kids and a growing realisation that this place, although beautiful, is unsettling.
The Guilt Trip – Sandie Jones
Rachel and Noah have been friends since they met at university. While they once thought that they might be something more, they are now happily married to other people, Jack and Paige respectively. Jack’s brother, Will, is getting married to the dazzling, impulsive Ali, and the group of six travel to Portugal for their destination weekend.
But when Rachel discovers something about Ali that she can hardly believe, everything changes. As the wedding weekend unfolds, the secrets each of them holds begin to spill, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel. Soon, jumping to conclusions becomes the difference between life and death.
The Lion’s Den – Katherine St. John
Belle likes to think herself immune to the dizzying effects of fabulous wealth. But when her best friend, Summer, invites her on a glamorous getaway to the Mediterranean aboard her billionaire boyfriend’s yacht, the only sensible answer is yes. Belle hopes the trip will be a much-needed break, but once she’s aboard the luxurious Lion’s Den, it soon becomes clear that this jet-setting holiday is not as advertised.
Belle’s dream vacation quickly devolves into a nightmare as she and a handful of other girls Summer invited are treated more like prisoners than guests by their controlling host – and in one terrifying moment, Belle comes to see Summer for who she truly is: a vicious gold digger who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
All We Ever Wanted – Emily Griffin
Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted into Princeton. Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in – but in most ways, she’s a typical teenage girl, happy and thriving.
Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarised, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame. At the heart of the lie and scandal, all three of these characters are forced together – questioning who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.
Apples Never Fall – Liane Moriarty
The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. After fifty years of marriage, Stan and Joy have finally sold their tennis academy and are ready to start what should be their golden years. The four Delaney children – Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke – are all successful grown-ups, and there’s the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon. One night, a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door. She’s bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs.
Then Joy disappears, and Savannah is nowhere to be found. Naturally, the police start questioning the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, has a lot to hide. Two of the children think he is innocent – the other two are not so sure. As the two sides square off against each other, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a new light.
Check Out The Best Books Like Apples Never Fall
The High Season – Judy Blundell
No matter what the world throws at her, at least Ruthie Beamish has the house. Located by the sea in a quiet Long Island village, the house is her nest egg. The catch? To afford it, Ruthie must let it go during the best part of the year. It’s Memorial Day and the start of what Ruthie’s daughter, Jen, calls “the summer bummer”: the family’s annual exodus to make way for renters. This year it is the turn of Adeline Clay, elegant and connected, who demonstrates an uncanny ability to help herself to Ruthie’s life.
When an eccentric billionaire, his wayward daughter, a coterie of social climbers, and Ruthie’s old flame are thrown into the mix, the whole town finds itself on the verge of tumultuous change. But as Ruthie loses her grasp on her job, her home, and her family, she discovers a new talent for pushing back. By the end of one unhinged, unforgettable summer, nothing will be the same – least of all Ruthie.
Check Out These Thrillers That Prove Dinner Parties Can Be Deadly
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
