Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

"You're my sunshine and my light, my treasure, my prize; you're the fire in my eyes...my golden girl, my girl so bold, your path I'll clear, your heart I'll hold."

                -lyrics to song "Golden Girl" by Brett Caspian, from the novel

A friend recommended this book and I enjoyed it. I am not sure I have read others by Hilderbrand but apparently she is known as the "queen of beach reads." This one would surely be a great beach read but with a unique twist. 

Vivian Howe, prolific author of novels set in Nantucket, is killed by a hit-and-run driver while out for a jog. She goes to heaven, the "Beyond," and meets her angel, "Person," named Martha. At first Vivi, as she is called, isn't accepting that she will not see her 3 grown children again or find out if her current novel, Golden Girl, will make it to #1 on the Bestseller list. Martha cannot, or will not, answer all her questions but she does allow her 75 VW and a 3 N provision. Say, what? That is, 75 days of a viewing window to watch what is happening below and 3 nudges, in other words, 3 chances to change what is about to happen on earth.

There is a good bit of suspense to make the novel a page-turner: Who hit Vivi? and What on earth is the mysterious photo texted to a group of folks? The reader must guess for quite a while before the truth is known. In the mean time, Vivi needs to find a way to keep a secret from her past from coming to light (having to do with a high school boyfriend and the song title mentioned with the quote.) Also, she is so tempted to use her nudges to help her kids who all have their own secrets and/or demons.

I kind of hated that one of the least likeable characters was a Southern girl and an Auburn grad. (I attended A.U. for two years when I lived in Alabama.) Also, I have been to Cape Cod but was wishing I had been to Nantucket. 

I rate Golden Girl a 4. It might have been a 5 except it didn't compare favorably to Ordinary Grace, the last novel I read which has higher literary value, in my opinion. I found it annoying that Hilderbrand uses parentheses so frequently.