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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Wonderful true-to-life characters – Georgia, Marley, & Emerson – face what many people have – weight issues. Higgins writes a very touching story of these 3 women facing their lives. Meeting as teenagers in a fat camp, 2 of them must carry out a promise that they make. Very touching story of these 3 young women trying to overcome body issues. Loved the book.
As someone who has struggled with weight and food issues since forever, I loved this book, and the deep dive into our sometimes twisted and deeply emotional relationship with food and our body image. I laughed out loud in places and found myself wiping tears in others. Mostly I loved hwo imperfect and yet strong these characters were – Marley and Georgia were amazing, and Mason (Georgia’s nephew) wasn’t far behind. A brave and compelling read that I highly recommend.
This book gives insight to the real struggles and inner demons people battle daily with themselves. It made me laugh and cry. You’ll get swept into the character’s lives and root for them along the way hoping for their happily ever after. Sometimes tragedy no matter how big or small unfortunately is the push that causes one to finally take the steps needed to get out of their comfort zone and fight for the life the want and deserve. If you haven’t read this one yet don’t hesitate, just read it!
This book left me speechless – what a heavy hitting topic, especially for women. Why are women so hard on themselves when there isn’t a need to be? Why can’t women just live and be who they are? A heart-touching story of a group of women that are forever bounded over their struggles of weight. An easy to relate to story for all women!
I’m a huge Kristin Higgins fan and Good Luck with That is another great book by Kristin. She takes on female body-image issues and weight–two tough ones for me and for most women I know. Food is my drug of choice and reading this book made me laugh and cry. I loved it. I definitely recommend Good Luck with That. xoMaggie
Three girls, Emerson, Georgia, and Marley, meet and develop a lifelong friendship while attending a weight loss camp in their teens. Now in their thirties, Emerson passes away due to complications from obesity and leaves behind a “to do” list for her friends. Many ideas for the list were created years ago at camp and they contain inspirational goals to accomplish after they become skinny.
Neither Georgia or Marley have ever been thin but they want to honor their friend’s memory. Georgia lives with regret over her behavior during a failed marriage. She has always lived with the notion that her size is something that makes her unlovable. Marley had a twin sister who passed away when she was four years old. She carries the burden of guilt over her sister who was the weaker, frailer twin. As both work through the list, they end up addressing their past and the type of relationships that they will accept in the future.
“Good Luck With That” is a glimpse into how body image can play a role in one’s outlook. It can weaken confidence and handicap relationships if friends and family can’t provide support. This story was a unique way of addressing a common issue for women.
Beautifully written! Vivid, emotionally charged characters. A thought provoking and emotion fueled story. I highly recommend it!
As always with Kristin Higgins a great read!
I liked this book. It is not the typical Kristan Higgins books that I have read though so it was a little different. Although it was sadder than I thought it would be.
It was about 3 friends Emerson, Georgia, and Marley who met at an overweight camp when they were teens. We see life from their point of view and their struggles. I was able to keep up pretty well. There was only 1 time there was a switch of people’s perspectives that I had to re-read to figure out who was speaking.
We do find out Emerson’s weight and see how things went downhill for her and those who were accomplices in the problem. For Georgia and Marley we see how their lives change when they start thinking more positive and care less about what others think of them and more about their own self-worth.
Georgia was a lawyer turned Preschool teacher. Her mother and her brother are horrible and always make her feel bad about her weight. So once she found love she did not believe that he could really love her for her the way she looked and the way she was. Plus she hated herself so bad at that point she sabotaged everything. Her dog Admiral and her nephew Mason were the best things in her life. Her dad was a good support person when she was an adult.
Marley is a chef in a loving family. She never was fully comfortable with her weight but out of the 3 she was the most confident. I really liked the characters based on their personalities they sounded like they would be fun to be around.
Emerson ended up working at a call center which according to her made her feel like she had a purpose. We only see Emerson’s thoughts because she passes away in the beginning of the book. She was a sweet person that tried to be nice to everyone she met.
Despite the Death of Emerson I really liked the ending because everyone loved themselves more. They were not as hard on themselves. They started living instead of hiding.
I know I related to the book because of my own self-image issues, a lot that are due to weight. Now I know people may think it’s funny for me to have such issues because I was underweight until I was 30 and it is not the same as being overweight. But I literally looked like if a strong wind blew I would fall over and break. And people did not fail to mention that to me all the time. I have had people who automatically thought I was anorexic or would just tell me I should eat I must be hungry, that I had to have had a eating disorder. People teased me a lot. Although I never did get to the totally hating myself part like a couple of the characters did in the book, the meaning is relatable. Some days it is hard to be in my own skin. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. I had many days where I wished I could gain weight and be a normal size.
I got this for free to read in exchange for an honest opinion from First to read. The opinions in this review are 100% my own.
I recommend this book to everyone. What a wonderful, moving read. I cried and laughed and loved the characters in this amazing book.
Kristan is one of my auto-buy authors because she writes with such humor about some pretty tough topics. This book was no exception. It tackled the difficult subject of obesity and her characters’ lifelong struggles with weight. Many of us aren’t considered obese by the doctor’s charts but still fight our metabolisms daily to keep from gaining more than we should. I know I do. I love food and mostly the wrong kinds. I grew up in Louisiana where food was love. I envy those folks who consider food as fuel. But Kristan, through what I imagine was a great deal of research, handled the the story and the agony of how society treats the overweight, and the truly obese. And how those people, because of that lifelong abuse, treat themselves. The obsession with being skinny, the fixation on food, and the utter agony of being hated for their fat. The eating disorders and other psychological issues, not to mention the physical and medical conditions are many and vary widely. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to dive this deeply into such a sensitive subject unless it were part of my own reality. But I think Kristan did an amazing job portraying her characters with an emotional beauty and soul-baring honesty that readers will appreciate and identify with.
Great title. Great characters. Scary description of obsessions which haunt us and get in out way.
A great story about three teens who meet at a weight loss camp and remain friends into their thirties. It touches on body image, fat shaming, friendship, and loving who you are, among other things. At times it was hard to read because of the struggle they all endured, especially the character Emerson, but it’s well worth the read. At times it brought me to tears, and then to laugh out loud situations that were just so funny! I’m a big fan of Kristan Higgins, and although this is at times a more serious book than her others, it was wonderful!
This is the story of three friends: Emerson Duval, Georgia Sloane and Marley DeFelice. They met at a weight loss camp when they were 17-years old and forged a bond that continued into adulthood. Each woman deals with their body in different ways, all seemingly tied to issues stemming from some form of childhood trauma or body shaming by those who should have loved and nurtured them.
The stories were fascinating as each of the women presented separate insights into the issues surrounding being overweight. We begin with Emerson whose morbid obesity becomes her downfall and we get her story through her journal entries. Despite her own obsession with her weight, we get to know her ideals, hopes and dreams through those entries. She challenges Marley and Georgia to now do those things on the list they created at the camp that outlines all the things they would do when they became “skinny.”
As Marley and Georgia take on the list, they’re forced to confront issues holding them back and keeping them from being their authentic selves. Sometimes the situations were heartbreaking but what resounds so loudly and clearly are the essences of these women. The author gets it right in each circumstance as I’ve either lived some part of their history or lived with someone who grappled with weight.
I found the story brilliant and brave as the author speaks from her own personal experience. You have to read the entire story (some of the critics have cherry picked passages and made assumptions) to truly get the power and triumph of these women. I didn’t grow up with weight issues, but grappled with them as an adult because of the body shaming I experienced in my youth. The negative dialogue in your own head can be even more destructive than others, which only compounds the problem.
This is an important and time relevant story. I’m glad Higgins chose to write it.
(FYI, this story is loosely connected to If You Only Knew & On Second Thought as they are set in Cambry-on-Hudson, New York.)
What an Emotional Read
This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read. The emotions this story pulls from you are incredible. This is much more than a story of two friends honoring their friends last wish. If you have ever felt bad about that way you look or of how you feel others see you this book is a must read. Very powerful message to all of us and a lesson in how to live who you are.
I LOVE ALL HER BOOKS BUT THIS WAS INFORMATIVE ABOUT OBESITY SO MUCH FOOD MENTIONED I GOT HUNGRY LH
This is a wonderful book and there were times I’d swear she was in my head while writing it. So much to relate to, and when the book was over, I missed Georgia, Marley, and Emerson. I listened to the audio version and highly recommend, as each character is performed by a different narrator, which really brought the book to life.
I am guilty of judging over-weight people unable to understand why they don’t care that they take up so much room. This book gave me insight into what they are going through. Hopefully, I will be a better person because I read this book!
As with most Kristan Higgins books only read in public if you don’t mind uncontrollable fits of laughter. This book will make you laugh, it will make you think, it will even make you tear up, but its the laughter that will get you through it. 3 teenager girls meet at “fat” camp and as they get older the list they made when they were young gets forgotten as they try to live their lives haunted by food and being on the other side of “over weight”. They struggle, build lives, one gets married and becomes a lawyer, one becomes a Chef and one just gets bigger. You will love these women because we all struggle, some of us just do it in view of all to see. It’s an unforgettable journey they take and I was cheering them on all the way! I think this book should be a must read for high school students so they can see both sides of the struggle and be better people. Kudos Kristan on a wonderful story.
I’ve loved all of Kristan’s books, but this one most of all. She knows her characters better than any writer I’ve read, and then brings them to heart-breaking life on the page. In GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, she tackles the difficult issue of weight and body issues for women–with grace and humor. Hated for this one to end!