Library Loans - The Kristan Higgins Edition

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Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins
Published by Berkley on June 9, 2020
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

Sometimes you have to break a family to fix it.

From New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins, a new novel examining a family at the breaking point in all its messy, difficult, wonderful complexity.

The Frosts are a typical American family. Barb and John, married almost fifty years, are testy and bored with each other...who could blame them after all this time? At least they have their daughters-- Barb's favorite, the perfect, brilliant Juliet; and John's darling, the free-spirited Sadie. The girls themselves couldn't be more different, but at least they got along, more or less. It was fine. It was enough.

Until the day John had a stroke, and their house of cards came tumbling down.

Now Sadie has to put her career as a teacher and struggling artist in New York on hold to come back and care for her beloved dad--and face the love of her life, whose heart she broke, and who broke hers. Now Juliet has to wonder if people will notice that despite her perfect career as a successful architect, her perfect marriage to a charming Brit, and her two perfect daughters, she's spending an increasing amount of time in the closet having panic attacks.

And now Barb and John will finally have to face what's been going on in their marriage all along.

From the author of Good Luck with That and Life and Other Inconveniences comes a new novel of heartbreaking truths and hilarious honesty about what family really means.

When their father suffers a stroke that leaves him weak and non-verbal, the Frost family comes together to care for him.

I have developed a strong affection for Higgins' stories. This is probably the first one where the characters weren't pulled through the wringer, but it was still engrossing. The strength of this novel was in its exploration of family dynamics, growing older, and love.

I have to say that I was most invested in Sadie's story. The youngest daughter in the family, Sadie left home for college and never came back. But as daddy's girl, she returned to care for her father. Once home, she was reunited with the her first love, the love of her life, Noah. I am trash for second chances, and the fact that these two had not been able to find their forever with someone else and STILL felt love for the other person was enough to make me cross my fingers and hope that they could make it work this time around. Higgins really toyed with my emotions with respect to these two. I may have shed some tears for them...just saying.

Other storylines were really lovely and touching as well. Barb's relationship with her best friend Caro, as well as the relationship between older daughter, Juliet, and her husband were standouts. The reflections that they all had were really something though, especially Barb looking back on her fifty year marriage. Higgins also treated us to John's point of view. Though he was mostly non-verbal, she let us into his head, and I am so glad she shared his thoughts with us.

As always, it was a pleasure reading a book by Kristan Higgins. Always warm and touching with humor and big infusions of joy.

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Good Luck with That by Kristan Higgins
Published by Berkley on August 7, 2018
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.

For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it's coming to terms with the survivor's guilt she's carried around since her twin sister's death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it's about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother's and brother's ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.

But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson's dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.

This book really hit close to home. I have struggled with my weight and body image my entire life, as well as with disordered eating. I was thin and I was fat, and the world is definitely more hospitable to thin people. It's a reality, it's something the main characters in this book had deal with.

Georgia, Marley, and Emerson met at fat camp where they formed a life long bond. From beyond the grave, Emerson challenged Georgia and Marley to complete the list of tasks they wrote when they were teens. All these things seem somewhat banal but were things they avoided as fat girls. With each task, Marley and Emerson learned more about themselves and even came to terms with things that had been holding them back.

I always feel like Higgins can be tough on her characters, but this was really a wonderful personal journey for both Marley and Georgia. I celebrated all the positive steps they took and how those actions resulted in such major gains for them. I was happy that they found people who loved them beyond their looks, and also how this list had a ripple affect on people in their lives.

Overall, a very emotional and touching story which was brutally honest and thoughtful. Another solid book from Higgins.

Have you read anything by Higgins?
Let us know in the comments!