From classic rock to bumpin' new pop songs, here's a curated list of crowd-pleasers.
Updated Mar 06, 2025Elin Hilderbrand Reveals a Different Character Originally Died in 'The Perfect Couple'—Find Out Who
Plus, the bestselling author shares why weddings make for such juicy settings.
Photo: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle | Netflix
Weddings are joyous occasions full of love, laughter and celebration—until someone turns up dead, that is. This sets the scene for Elin Hilderbrand's bestselling novel The Perfect Couple, which just dropped on Netflix as a limited series starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Meghann Fahy, Dakota Fanning, and more. It's the very first big-screen adaptation for the beloved author, who's become the face of the beach read genre thanks to her novels like 28 Summers, The Hotel Nantucket and Swan Song.
Amid her highly-anticipated foray into Hollywood, we sat down with the acclaimed novelist to discuss why readers devour tales about wealthy people behaving poorly at weddings. (After all, there's a reason this trope appears in so many of her books.) Plus, she reveals that a different member of the wedding party was originally supposed to die in the story…and the person might shock you.
In this article:
FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT
- Inside the Making of The Perfect Couple
- How to Watch The Perfect Couple
- Shop Our Favorite Elin Hilderbrand Books
Inside the Making of The Perfect Couple
Photo: Seacia Pavao | Netflix
Before it became a Netflix smash hit, the twisty plot of The Perfect Couple came to life at Elin Hilderbrand's kitchen table in her home on Nantucket, Massachusetts. The story follows bride Celeste (whose name is Amelia in the TV show), as she prepares to marry Benji, the trust-fund son of thriller writer Greer Garrison Winbury. The wedding weekend begins at the Winburys' sprawling family estate on Nantucket, but things turn sour when—spoiler alert!—Celeste's maid of honor, Merritt, turns up dead on the morning of the wedding.
Grappling with the sudden death of her best friend, the shocking truth of Merritt's untimely passing reveals a tangled web of secrets, lies and deception that's plagued the Winbury family for decades. In classic Hilderbrand fashion, the book features multiple perspectives of untrustworthy characters that create a tale so juicy, it's utterly addicting.
Published in 2018, The Perfect Couple was Hilderbrand's first venture into the mystery genre—and she tells us that a different character died in the original version of the story. "Initially, when I turned the first draft in, the bride was found floating off the coast," Hilderbrand tells The Knot in an interview. "My editor, Reagan Arthur, said, 'I love so many things about this book, but the wrong person dies.'"
Photo: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle | Netflix
Unsure which direction to take the story, she continues, "I asked her who should die, and she said the maid of honor. And as soon as she said that, I thought, 'Oh, my God, she's right.' So I rewrote the entire novel in six weeks with someone else dying, and it was so much better."
It ultimately took six years for the adaptation to finally hit the screen. Netflix greenlit the series in 2022, and Hilderbrand visited the Cape Cod set once, where she got to watch Nicole Kidman bring family matriarch Greer Garrison Winbury to life. "I try not to even go to Hollywood in my mind [while I'm writing]," Hilderbrand explains. "But when I heard that Nicole was interested in the role, I was like, of course, she's Greer. She is the finest actor of our time, male or female, and I'm in awe of her talent."
Photo: Seacia Pavao | Netflix
Looking back on her repertoire of 30 novels, Hilderbrand acknowledges that weddings appear in quite a few scenes…for one very good reason. "Weddings are so intriguing to me because you're bringing together two families, and the drama is in joining them," she muses. "In the TV show, we see someone from Amelia's side get with somebody on Benji's side of the family, and it causes chaos. When worlds collide like that, there's so much opportunity for drama, and drama is the best content."
The good news for Hilderbrand's fans—or Hilderbabes, as they often call themselves—is that there's more drama in store. Although the author previously announced that her 2024 release Swan Song is her final "beach read" book, she's teaming up with her daughter Shelby to release two boarding school novels, the first of which is expected to drop in September 2025. "Even though it's not set at the beach, it is such an Elin Hilderbrand novel," she promises. "It has all the drama and the scandal, so I think my readers will really enjoy it. I let all the sex, drugs and rock and roll happen."
How to Watch The Perfect Couple
Photo: Seacai Pavao | Netflix
The Perfect Couple, based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel of the same name, is now available to stream on Netflix. Starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Meghann Fahy, Dakota Fanning, Eve Hewson, and more, the six-episode limited drama series dropped on September 5, 2024.
Shop Our Favorite Elin Hilderbrand Books
Once you've binge-watched The Perfect Couple on Netflix, we have no doubt you'll be hungry for more. Shop a curation of some of our favorite Elin Hilderbrand books, including her most popular mysteries and the novel that features her favorite wedding scenes.
The Perfect Couple
Once you've watched the series, go back to the book that started it all. Grab a copy of The Perfect Couple below, and see if you can pinpoint the small details that changed from the page to the big screen.
28 Summers
Published in 2020, 28 Summers follows the bittersweet and heart-wrenching love story of Mallory and Jake, who find themselves entwined in each other's lives every year over Labor Day weekend. Hilderbrand considers this one of her top two favorite stories she's penned over the years—partly because it features so many weddings. "Cooper [Mallory's brother] gets married so many times, which allows Mallory to keep bumping into Jake," she muses. "The wedding scenes in that book are some of my favorite wedding scenes of all time."
Winter in Paradise
If you love the mysterious plotline of The Perfect Couple, you'll devour the Paradise series. The first book in the trilogy follows Irene, a woman whose seemingly perfect livelihood comes crumbling down on New Year's Eve when she learns her husband died in a plane crash. She travels to St. John, an island in the Caribbean, where the confusing details of his death reveal an even more shocking truth: he was living a secret life, and Irene and her sons must embark on a complicated journey to piece together who he truly was.
Beautiful Day
For those who love books about weddings, we'd be remiss not to recommend Beautiful Day. In this Elin Hilderbrand book, the Carmichaels and the Grahams gather on Nantucket to celebrate the union of their children, Jenna and Stuart. The bride was gifted a wedding notebook from her late mother, which outlines every detail of the weekend. But, in typical Hilderbrand fashion, things are never quite as idyllic as they seem. When scandals arise and relationships threaten to crack under the pressure of hosting the "perfect" celebration, this soapy page-turner explores the truths of marriage, friendship and what it means to truly love…and be loved in return.
