Reviews

In the first sentence of this book, Astrid, a woman in her mid-sixties, witnesses the tragic death of an acquaintance her own age. The sudden finality of it shocks Astrid into a series of changes, changes that reverberate through the lives of her children. I loved most of this book- it is by turns heartbreaking and hilarious- but I think I’ve read too many books of this type recently, because it dragged a bit towards the end. Four and a half stars rounded up.

thankstomylocallibrary's review against another edition

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funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

jl27's review against another edition

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2.0

This was my book club's July pick and ended as a DNF For me. I tried; I really did. I just couldn't get into it.

northerly_heart_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jaec11's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The kind of fiction I love; family focused and interconnected

This family of 3 siblings and their families is so imperfect, it makes them so loveable. The complicated relationships are so lovely to read, the connections between parenting and their children so excellent. I probably could've used more

about nicky and his relationship with Cecilia, but i love Cecilia and Robin and how imperfectly perfect they are together. The title is so fitting as a reminder that even adults have problems and are complicated and need love

Pg-13+ swearing and mature content

Content Warnings

marci_travels's review against another edition

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3.0

This book caught my attention because of the back jacket copy with the line, " who gets to decide, so many years later, which were the mistakes that mattered?"
The book starts out well although there are a few too many asides such as, "So much of becoming an adult was distancing yourself from your childhood experiences and pretending they didn't matter, then growing to realize they were all that mattered and composed 90 percent of your entire being."

And then we hit the soggy middle. The story goes from a solid rumination of "Life is short, seize the moment, to let's just toss every hot button topic in the blender and call it today's blended family. By the time, I hit the 3/4 mark, I felt that Straub was writing to some publisher's checklist of "this is what makes a bestseller today."
The checklist didn't work for me.

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