One of Purewow’s “Best Beach Reads of Summer 2018”Winner for Best Book of 2018 of the Fresh Fiction Awards!New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins is beloved for her heartfelt novels filled with humor and wisdom. Now, she tackles an issue every woman deals with: body image and self-acceptance.Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp … 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.
A novel of compassion and insight, Good Luck With That tells the story of two women who learn to embrace themselves just the way they are.
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One of my favorite books of the year! So many of us can identify with the struggles of the main characters. Anything Kristan Higgins writes is guaranteed to be full of heart and…always…funny.
In GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, Kristan Higgins takes the reader deep into the hearts of her utterly relatable characters with this bold, unflinching look at a reality every woman thinks about, every day of her life–body image. If you like stories that celebrate women’s challenges and triumphs, you’ll love this book.
I got so invested in Marley’s and Georgia’s lives (and Emerson’s history) that I finished this book in two days despite being on a business trip. Although these characters all struggled with self-esteem issues related to being overweight, the message of the story translates to any kind of confidence problem that stems from personal appearance (like, for example, my hereditary hair loss).
What’s the message? Happiness in life comes through self-acceptance and courage (to be honest and open and loving). No weight loss, nose job, or hair transplant will magically give you a better life, so don’t put off living your life until that “someday” comes along.
There were also so many other themes that hit home, too. It makes you take a hard look at how we all can often judge a book by its cover, or fail to realize that everyone around us—even those who appear to have the perfect life—is struggling with some problem (maybe the same problem, or maybe something different). The story also touches on what makes a family—is it blood, or love, or some combination of the two?
I cringed when I saw some of my own demons reflected in the characters’ poor choices, got teary a few times, and laughed out loud at others. Kristan always infuses her work with such fantastic, sharp humor, you can’t help but smile even when the subject matter is tough.
The important point about this book is that it made me really stop and think about how I want to live the next decade of my life. Do I want to bemoan my hair loss and obsess about how gravity has changed my 50+-year-old body, or do I want to invest my time and energy in the people and passions of my life? Well, I think the answer is clear, which is why I wanted to give the finger to the Spanx store I passed in the Atlanta airport yesterday. Not just a rack of garments, mind you. An entire store—bright red, lest you miss seeing it—dedicated to making women feel that they don’t look good if there is a lump or bump anywhere on their bodies.
There are so many messages out there to make women feel insecure, it’s really time we all take it easy on ourselves and each other. I think that’s what Kristan wanted this book to say, and I hear that call.
P.S. Dibs on Rafael as my new book boyfriend.
New York Times best-selling author Kristan Higgins’ eighteenth novel, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, follows three women—best pals Emerson, Marley, and Georgia—whose lifetime battles with obesity were the bonds that brought them together. The death of one provides the catalyst for self discovery, change, and acceptance for the other two.
As always, Higgins does a marvelous job of bringing her characters to life. You feel their pain, want to shake some sense into them, and want to make them your besties. It’s always great when you find a book that can make you laugh and cry in the same chapter.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristan for my AUTHOR PROVOCATEUR podcast. Listen here:
Podbean: http://bit.ly/KristanHigginsGLWTPod
Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/KristanHigginsGLWTiTunes
SoundCloud: http://bit.ly/KristanHigginsGLWTSC
My goodness this one was intense! There are still all the light and funny parts that you’d expect in a KH novel. IE, “Camden give me a piggyback ride!” Also humping bunnies. You’ll have to trust me on that last thing.
Anyway, yeah. It’s great but also sad. The part that hit me the hardest was Georgia’s grieving over the end of her marriage. Keep the tissues handy.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. Meet Emerson, Georgia, and Marley, three best friends who meet at a “fat” camp during summer when they were teens. During the years they have grown, their weight has yo-yo’d, and they have sort of drifted apart. Well, Emerson has drifted from Georgia and Marley. Emerson passes away and leaves the other two a list they all made at that camp as teens. They see it as a kick in the butt to move on in their lives. Higgins treats us to another wonderful book full of female friends and wonderful relationships. If you have never read a Kristin Higgins book before, then you should pick this one up!
Wow! This book touched home for me in so many ways. Your self perception doesn’t always have to do with the number on the scale. It has to do with what you see in the mirror when you look at yourself. I’ve always struggled with my weight & I can tell you that even when I’ve lost weight, I still see the same overweight girl in the mirror. I think that Kristan Higgins has done an excellent job starting a dialogue regarding the issues of weight & self esteem. She brings her warm & witty writing style to women’s fiction & writes with honesty & depth. I found this an extremely emotional book to read & found it extremely realistic. I do feel society has pushed unreasonable & unattainable body images. Society has also become very rude & judgmental in interactions with anyone not “conforming” to the standard. I applaud Kristan Higgins for her bravery in attempting this topic & for her brutal honesty on it.
Three girls go to fat camp. The rest of the book is how their thoughts about their weight affect the rest of their lives. Well research, painfully accurate in emotional depth, Higgins had opened her heart and poured out her soul for this story.
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT IS A HEART-WRENCHING STORY ABOUT LEARNING THE HARDEST LESSON OF ALL- SELF-LOVE.
When best friends, Georgia and Marley, are called to their summer camp buddy’s deathbed it is a catalyst for change in their lives. All three girls had varying issues with weight loss, family acceptance, and ostracization and attacked the problem in different ways.
Emerson comes from an abusive background and uses food as a crutch, and later an addiction that ends her life.
Marley has a loving supportive Italian family, but feels unfulfilled both through lack of a meaningful relationship and the death of her twin at a young age.
When Georgia’s parents divorced she was left in the care of an cold, vindictive mother and brother with anger-management issues. She never felt good enough (read thin enough) in the eyes of her mother and the self-hatred carried into her marriage and caused her divorce.
This book hit home in so many ways. The dream as a child/teenager is to be accepted and liked by your peers. If you’re different in ANY way, the hyenas will rip you apart. It takes a strong family unit and a competitive spirit to survive those years- a friend you can trust helps, too.
I was one of the lucky ones. I kept my head down, did my work, and had a good support network. But, those years of doubt and anxiety carried into my adult life and contributed to the introverted person I’ve become.
It’s hard to admit that out loud. Overweight kids/adults would sooner be invisible than thrust into the spotlight. For some, like Emerson, it even means death.
Diversity comes in many forms; race, religion, sexuality. I believe body image should be included. Now is the time to change attitudes. Be the person who looks beyond the obvious to the essence of those who are afraid to speak and reach out to them.
It matters more than you know.
Finally someone wrote a book with characters dealing with food addiction/body image issues/obesity! As a woman who has ALWAYS struggled with my weight and body image, Good Luck With That resonated very deeply. Good Luck With That is the story of 3 young girls that meet at fat camp and their struggles as they grow up and become adults. Struggles with eating, relationships and dealing with the “skinny world”. There were times I laughed out loud and some that brought me to tears. To anyone that has struggled with weight and body images, this is a must read!
This book broke my heart and put it back together again. As with all of Higgins’ books, it made me laugh and cry in equal measure – but this book is another level beyond what she’s done before. It’s so deftly, brilliantly, and insightfully written that it wrapped me up and had me examining all sorts of my own ideas about my weight and food. As I read, I kept thinking of people I really wanted to hand this book to. I’d like to buy a case of them and just gift every woman I know with a copy.
Gorgeous book. Absolutely read this one.
Heart warming and realistic. I smiled and shed tears on the same pages. Self acceptance and self image is an issue for every one of us. This book hit close to heart.
Good Luck With That – read it because it’s for all of us who have fought that fight over body image. The characters are real, funny, emotional, and at times make me think I’m looking in the mirror. As usual, Kristan Higgins has written a book that sucks the reader in, tosses her around the emotional maelstrom, then spits her out in the end with a heartfelt sigh.
Thank you so very much for the book. The three ladies have became my best friends. I can relate to Emerson. Georgia I know how she feels. Marley she’s that right on time best friend. Georgia and Rafael romance when it ended I was angry. But when it started back up I cried. Marley and Will romance was the best at the end it was right on time. Enjoying the life that you are in was the point. Because we are always going to have haters. I loved the book I couldn’t put it down. Thank you so very much.
I loved this book! I laughed out loud and cried drippy-nose tears. It compelled me to think a lot about the prejudices and ugliness in our society toward overweight people. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT is thought-provoking and full of heart and is certain to be another NYT bestseller. Kristan Higgins’ writing confidently guides the reader through her story, replete with life lessons, right to the satisfying end.
As usual, Kristan has hit it out of the ball park. The story had me laughing, snorting, and crying. Not all at the same time, fortunately. Our childhood issues follow us throughout our lives if we cannot face them and resolve them. Emerson’s untimely death pushes Georgia and Marley to take a hard look at their own problems and do something positive about them. How many of us have started off with “when I lose some weight I’m going to……”? Don’t postpone life until the ideal conditions are in place. It’s never going to be perfect!
Review for the audio version. Loved the three narrators.
This was my first Kristan Higgins book and it won’t be the last. It is an inspiring, heartbreaking, thought-provoking story about self-perception, body image, self-acceptance — and families. And a bit of humor thrown in, too. I could relate to so many of the characters, male and female.
My dog loved the chapters where Emerson is writing in her journal. Every time I finished one of those, he got to go for a walk. The author should have researched pet rabbits and their care a little better (what ever happened to “Zeus” anyway?)
Sappy ending, though.
Who doesn’t like a fulfilling story with food, love, loss, and friends?
Emerson, Georgia, and Marley met at a weight loss camp when they were teenagers and developed a long-lasting bond. Georgia went to law school, and became a nursery school teacher at an established private school, and Marley stayed close with her, and opened her own healthy dining delivery service.
Emerson chatted with them frequently, but she kept herself distant, ashamed of her weight and declining health.
The story is told from three perspectives. The reader follows Marley and Georgia through their daily family dramas, issues in their love lives, and the challenges they face with eating and exercise. Emerson shares her journey through a diary to an image she has of herself as a skinny woman.
I found myself wondering if the author has experienced any of the biases as I read the novel. The descriptions of the daily routines and the bullying seemed to come from someone who had endured the same treatments.
I found myself relating the most to Georgia. She seemed to have developed body dysmorphia, and even though she was at a healthy weight, she still kept searching for the ideal weight created by a society that values symmetrically pleasing, thin women.
There were so many other issues touched on in this book: the loss of a family member, the effects of abuse, suicide prevention, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and so many more. This is definitely a book for a reader who agrees that society’s perspective needs to shift in a more positive way.
I recommend this book to any woman who struggles with weight gain or loss, or an individual who may feel as though he or she is outside the accepted definition of normal.
This book will make you question what you thought you knew and challenge you to dodge past the people who stand by idly, accepting the critical remarks of others, and cheer for the small accomplishments of the people who may need it the most.
To be perfectly honest, this book is a bit uncomfortable to read. That’s kind of what makes it so amazing. As a woman, I sometimes saw myself in the role of one of the three main characters. But, to my chagrin, I also saw myself reflected in those around them that judged them.
Other than a few circumstances with Emerson, the author doesn’t really get into detail about the weight or overall size of these women. We know Marley is curvy and considered overweight by most standards, but also takes care of her health with regular exercise. We know Georgia has always been ridiculed for her weight, although we also know she is smaller than either Emerson or Marley and is very particular about the foods she eats. I found this to be a great tactic by the author as the reader can put herself into any character’s shoes throughout the story.
As much as this is a very deep story with several layers, it still had moments of joy and laughter. I absolutely adore the relationship these women have and how they are able to say and do anything without judgement with one another. Marley’s family is wonderful. There are some definite issues with her mom and how she deals with grief, but overall they are such a loving and supportive bunch it’s hard not to want to be part of their inner circle. Georgia’s family, for the most part, sucks balls. My stomach would literally ache while reading some of the interactions and memories Georgia had of her mom and brother. And the interactions between Georgia’s brother and nephew brought me to tears more than once. So, what I guess I’m trying to say, is this story is a bit of an emotional roller coaster.
The love these women find, and think they find, along the way are an added bonus to this story. I think many have been in Marley’s shoes at some point in life, wondering if there’s more to a relationship than being a booty call. Georgia’s insecurities that tear her love life apart bit by bit. And Emerson latching onto a man who is so kind and loving in some ways that it’s hard to see he’s not as altruistic as it first seems.
It’s no surprise this book comes from Kristan Higgins. She is a master at getting to the heart of women and their relationships.
With all that was happening between the three friends Marley, Georgia, and Emerson their friendship remained strong. The bond between the three girls remained strong even after the death of one of the three. Their journey in life has been one that will leave you laughing, crying, cheering, and amazed. Two friends keep the promise they made to their dying friend. You will enjoy this book and the amazing journey the three girls had and the friendship that still remains even after the death of their friend. I think all women should read this book. No matter what kind of journey you are on or what life has given you, never give up and always stay positive.