When I heard that Netflix was turning one of Elin Hilderbrand’s books into a TV show, I knew that I needed to read the book. I am a fan of all of Elin Hilderbrand’s books. She grew up going to Cape Cod in the summers, which is right by Nantucket, and all of her books are set in Nantucket, so she has loved that area her whole life. Her books are my favorite because of the setting. I love Nantucket’s laid-back, preppy mood, and reading her books transports me to Nantucket, even though I have never been there before. If I do go someday, now I’ll know all the best spots to go.
Hilderbrand published “The Perfect Couple” in 2018, a mystery/thriller, which is slightly different from her normal family drama genre. The book is about a fabulous wedding in Nantucket. Celeste, the bride, is a laid-back, slightly awkward but charming girl. Her fiancé, Benji, is from a wealthy family that has a home in Nantucket. They decide to have their wedding quickly because Celeste’s mother is dying from breast cancer and only has a few months left to live. Benji’s mother, Greer, is a renowned mystery novelist who takes over the wedding planning, so the wedding is done perfectly to her standards. On the morning of the wedding, a body washes up on shore, and no one knows who committed the murder.
I loved the book and finished it in two days. It was captivating and exciting and kept me wondering until the last minute. I finished the book a few months before the Netflix series came out, so by the time I could watch the series, I had some time to think about the book and wonder what would be different in the series.
Both the book and series are set in a perfect house by the beach in Nantucket. The scenery makes the book and series feel like a perfect world.
The series starts out with an intro of the whole cast dancing to a Meghan Trainor song “Criminals.” This is clearly a play on the meaning of the show because the whole cast dancing seems quite idealistic and “perfect,” but then the song contradicts it.
The main character’s name, Celeste in the book, has been changed to Amelia. There are also a few other name changes, with the housekeeper’s name changing from Elidah to Gosia, and the family friend Featherleigh changing to Isabelle. A third Winbury brother, Will doesn’t exist in the book but he is in the series. Each episode leaves the audience thinking one person is guilty, then the next episode leaves you thinking it’s someone else.
In the book Celeste and Benji have a different dynamic than Amelia and Benji do in the series. Also in the book, Celeste develops a stutter and is a more anxious person before the wedding, but Amelia in the series is not nearly as nervous or anxious pre-wedding and seems pretty aloof.
Both the series and the book definitely poke at the lives of the wealthy and their problems. Greer Winbury is so consumed with the perfect wedding, family, and appearance that she fails to form relationships with her children.
SPOILERS START HERE!!!!
There are also a few differences between the storylines. In the book, Tag Winbury gives Merrit Monaco (Celeste/Amelia’s Maid of Honor) a pinky ring, but in the series, it is a bangle bracelet.
The main difference between the series and the book is the ending. In the book, Abby (Celeste’s future sister-in-law) puts one of Greers sleeping pills into a drink that she thought was going to Featherleigh (who her husband was having an affair with), but the drink goes to Merritt instead. Merrit went on a kayak ride with Tag, but her drowning was accidental because she went into the water to retrieve her ring that fell off. The sleeping pill hit her as she was swimming to get the ring, and then Merritt was found the next morning, floating in the water.
In the show, Abby deliberately drugs Merritt. She crushes up a pill that her husband took from Amelia’s mom, who has cancer, so the medication has strong effects. She unknowingly gives Merritt a pentobarbital pill(a medicine that is used to treat seizures that calms the nerves) that Thomas (her husband) took. She puts it in a glass of orange juice, and then kindly gives it to Merritt, before holding her underwater and killing her. Abby’s motive in the series was to kill Merritt, who was pregnant, so her husband could get access to his trust on time. Because Merritt was pregnant with Thomas and Benji’s future half-brother, their access to their trust would be delayed because the youngest Winbury would be resetting the time for 18 more years.
Overall, there are some differences between the book and the series, but both were so well done. Both the series and the book have a great element of surprise, and the setting makes the story so fun and captivating. I love a TV show but I also am a big reader, so I think it is best to read the book first, then watch the show.
