“A heart-wrenching page-turner told with warmth and humor.”—People Magazine (Pick of the Week) “A rich testament to the power of second chances.”—Women’s WorldA Publishers Weekly and USA Today Bestseller!From the New York Times bestselling author of Good Luck with That comes a new novel about a blue-blood grandmother and her black-sheep granddaughter who discover they are truly two sides of … black-sheep granddaughter who discover they are truly two sides of the same coin.
Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy and bluest-blood New England stock, but that didn’t protect her from life’s cruelest blows: the disappearance of Genevieve’s young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes of grief and built a fashion empire that was respected the world over, even when it meant neglecting her other son.
When Emma’s own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother’s doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her–until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back…but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley.
So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?
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Kristan Higgins is a goddess!! Truth be told, I held onto this book and didn’t read it for almost 6 weeks just holding onto the anticipation. I knew once I read it I would have to wait forever for her next book!
Thank you, Kristan, for another amazing book with all the good, bad, happy & sad feels that life holds but with the knowledge that in spite of all life is truly worth living.
Bravo!
By anyone’s measure, Emma London has had a tough start. Her mother committed suicide when she was eight years old, her father literally abandoned her to be raised by his wealthy mother, Genevieve who threw her out when she became pregnant at eighteen. She left Connecticut for Chicago to live with her father and daughter and was later dumped by her baby’s daddy (you get most of this in the first chapter lest you think I’m being spoilerish). Despite all this, she’s an accomplished therapist with a doctorate in psychology and she’s raised a wonderful child. So when Genevieve calls her after almost seventeen years of silence with a request for them to spend the summer in Connecticut because she’s dying, Emma’s inclination still is to hang up the phone. However, after some wrangling, she and daughter Riley make their way to Connecticut.
I’ve made no secret of my love for this author’s books, embarrassingly so. I’ve felt from the beginning that they were more closely aligned with contemporary fiction than romance and I’m thrilled that she’s now full out embraced the genre. This story sunk its tentacles into me from the first page and I wasn’t ready for it to end when I reached the last page. Her characters aren’t just likable, they’re relatable and resilient. The storytelling is outstanding, lacking big dramatic twists but chock full of compelling plots. Emma, Genevieve, Riley…all of them and others are so well defined you’re able to vividly imagine them.
This was my first time listening to a Higgins book and it was a great decision to do so with this one. There are four narrators who all delivered excellent performances, especially the voice for Emma. She got the character with all of her sass and vulnerability and knew the difference. I started this for a long road trip and the miles just melted away as I became engrossed in this story of redemption and forgiveness.
I’ve given you the setup and that’s all I’ll share about the story because you should read or listen to it for yourself. Know that you’ll be engaged from the start and be rewarded with a wonderful reading experience. It’s a fascinating story that has mystery, betrayal, love and romance. I loved this book and it just reinforced why Higgins still remains an auto read for me.
(Thanks to Recorded Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
4.5 stars
Last time I read a book by this author (2017!!!) I complained about being all caught up with her books and having to wait a long time between books now. This time the length of my wait was my own darn fault. I somehow skipped Good Luck With That last year. Don’t worry, I will be remedying that soon.
As usual, Kristan Higgins knows how to make me laugh and cry and get mad. Feel despair or hope. She also knows how to make her readers feel sympathy for unlikable characters. I’m talking about you Genevieve! When you’re first reading this story, you may not believe me about that. And I’m not saying I ever fully loved Genevieve. But I did find some level of sympathy for her while wanting to punch her in the throat.
Although we get some input from multiple characters throughout this book, the main story is centered on Emma. Boy oh boy did that woman have it rough. Sure, she grew up rich and had her needs taken care of, but the more I learned about her childhood the more I wanted to cry. The good thing is that her upbringing made her a fantastic mom. Anyone who has had kids knows that some kids are just easier than others. She got lucky with Riley for sure. But that doesn’t negate the fact that she worked hard to be a loving mother who is always there for her daughter.
Which brings me to Miller and his toddler Tess. Oddly enough, although he was raised by a loving family and had an idyllic marriage for quite a while, he is the one I sympathized for the most. The author did such an amazing job of evoking those helpless feelings a parent can get when their kid is just not cooperating with any of our attempts at being “good” parents. Of course, that made him feel like a terrible parent which led to feelings of guilt. Which make Emma and Riley the perfect people to come into the lives of Miller and Tess.
I’m not classifying this story as a romance since the story does not revolve around a romance. There are elements of romance in this story for sure. So as not to give spoilers I’m not going to say much more than that…but it seems there is romance around every corner in this book that, again, I’m not classifying as a romance.
While I sit here trying to write this review, I feel like so much happened in this story I can’t possibly talk about it all without adding a lot of confusion. But, while reading the story, I never felt like it was too cumbersome. Everything flowed beautifully and smoothly from beginning to end.
It may not seem like it at times as you’re reading this book, but this story will give you hope in the end. There are sad and terrible things that need to be addressed along the way that will make you wonder how everyone will feel joy eventually. It happens. I promise. Kirstan Higgins always come through.
https://allingoodtimeblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/17/life-and-other-inconveniences/
I’m a big fan of Kristan Higgins and every book is better than the last. This book is about relationships – good and bad; and how you think you know someone but then they surprise you and you wonder if you ever really knew them. It made me look at relationships in my own life a little differently. I also loved the multiple narrators. They all did a wonderful job! I hope we find out what happens to Tess and Riley.
I so loved this book, right down to the last page. It’s a story of mothers and daughters, nuclear families and blended families … and the families we create for ourselves out of necessity over a lifetime. One of my favorite Kristan Higgins novels!
I received this book as an advanced copy. It is my first Kristan Higgins book.
Emma is hypochondriac as we begin. She is a professional, a therapist who must decide if she and her daughter will spend time with her dying Grandmother when she calls to request they visit with her this summer. The story entwines thoughts and daily communications to involve the reader in the lives of its characters.
I wondered about the format, but it works with the circumstances and the personalities to take you through the processes of life. I will not tell you more, as you will not receive the full effect and story when you read it. Do pick up this book, as you can even do as I DID. Read a chapter or two at a time, if needed, coming back to pick up the story with the next addition…
Wow! I think this is Kristan’s best book, and that’s saying a lot, since all of her books are fantastic!
I think this is my favorite KH Women’s Fiction yet. It certainly made me laugh out loud, even though I knew the next second she’d break my heart–and she did.
Though I do miss the more romance-y contemporary romance books Ms. Higgins used to write, I can’t deny that I love the way her more recent relationship fiction books (I refuse to use the label women’s fiction, UGH) go for a deeper dive into a wider variety of relationships. Life and Other Inconveniences is no exception–in addition to the slow burn central romance (which I wanted more of, sigh…), this book looks at all kinds of relationships: mother/daughter, father/daughter, mother/son, (great) granddaughter/(great) grandmother, friendship…I’m sure I’m forgetting one or two here, but they were all complex and richly explored and even when they were train-wreckish they were fascinating. I loved watching all of the relationships grow and change throughout, and one day hope to eventually be able to forgive the author for making me SOB toward the end.
(Seriously–have tissues handy. Like a box or two, at least.)
I listened to the audio version, which was wonderfully narrated by a solid cast of voice actors–honestly, there wasn’t a bad voice in the bunch!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
This book, yes just this book! Be ready to laugh and cry and sometimes both at the same time! The characters are realistic, with an in-depth portrayal of what it is like to love and lose. Emma lost her mom to suicide and is basically just dumped on her grandmother, the aristocratic and so proper Genevieve. When she disappoints her grandmother, Emma is banished to live with her maternal grandfather and to make her own way in life. She ends up with a Ph.D. in psychology and the single mother of a beautiful and intelligent young teen named Riley. The men in the book were mostly weak and unhelpful to the women whose lives they affected. The exceptions are Paul (Emma’s pop or grandfather) and Miller, a neighbor to Genevieve who has suffered his own losses and faces many challenges in life. I loved the story and how it was told from the viewpoint of the characters, even some of what I might consider minor ones. I devoured this book daily during my reading time, eager to find out if Emma and Genevieve would patch up their relationship, to find out what would happen with Miller and his little terror of a daughter Tess, and to discover what would happen to Riley. It is difficult to choose a favorite character since they are all so great that by the end of the book, I felt that they were all friends whom I had gotten to know well. That’s what a great job Kristan Higgins does in writing! I was captured by the story and lived it with the characters! Fans of women’s fiction will definitely want to read this book, to savor its wisdom and to talk to others about its life lessons.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased a copy of this book from RJ Julia Booksellers. I was not required to write a positive review, but it was my great pleasure to do so. The opinions expressed are my own.
This was a really good book! Emma, Riley, and the Gorgon kept you thoroughly entertained. I admired Emma and her ability to use her wit and charm with her grandmother in order to keep some peace, it couldn’t have been easy to be in her situation. The only thing that didn’t impress were the antics of the 3 year old Teas…I’ve never run across a toddler quite that bad and I hope I never do!! I was happy the way the way the story ended. Happy to know what happened to Sheppard as well as learning that Clark had finally freed himself of that burden. The title was certainly fitting as life does create some inconvieniences that can be be very hard to handle!
Kristan’s best book yet!
Heartbreaking, emotional, and real. Those are just a few of the words that come to mind when I think of this story. I adored Kristan Higgins’s romances, and I have really enjoyed witnessing her growth in her last several novels that have moved to address difficult issues. This novel continues in that vein. Her characters are real people with real emotions and struggles. She tackles their lives and issues with compassion and just the right amount of humor.
I don’t know how, but Higgins keeps getting better, and her novels are a “must-buy” for me.
#lifeandotherinconveniences #kristanhiggans
I was provided an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Berkley, through Netgalley.
I loved this new novel from Kristan Higgins. It was refreshing, heartwarming, and fun! Higgins created characters that jumped off the page. The characters were so strong, I was never confused about whose point of view I was reading. This was a book I could have read in one sitting had life let me, but I was always eager to get back to it when I was forced to put it down. My favorite character was Miller, a widowed single father. His struggles to raise his not-so-angelic three year old daughter were hilarious, but inspirational. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the scene that introduced them. And while this book had multiple characters and subplots, they all worked well together, leaving me satisfied in the end.
This is my kind of book: “a blue-blooded grandmother and her black-sheep granddaughter discover they are truly two sides of the same coin.” From the first page some aspects of this novel were predictable, but in a comfortable way. Sometimes you just don’t want too many twists and turns in the plot as you read how the characters are able to reconcile their differences. The book uses a variety of points of view (changing with the chapters), which helps the reader to learn about each character, keeps the plot moving forward, and allows the reader to stay immersed as the story develops. Themes of parenting, choices, family, and truth are woven throughout. Four generations of strong women are featured in the book and their dynamic of mothers and daughters was memorable. The ending was satisfying and a little emotional. Even now that I’ve closed the book I find myself continuing to think about these characters as if they were real people.
Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Didn’t like it as much as her other books, but she hasen’t written a bad book yet. Just expected more of her trademark humor.
Life And Other Inconveniences will soon become a favorite on readers bookshelves. We all have families and so will relate to the characters and their life stories. This book will remain in your thoughts long after you finish reading.
I had so much to do last weekend, but what did I do? Start Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins. I should have known better, because once I started I couldn’t put it down. The characters – realistic, funny, human – sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. I’ve never been a big fan of reading first-person POV, but it works here, and even though we’re in the characters’ heads, they hold back on us so there are surprises along the way. Go ahead and start this book, just make sure you’re willing to read late into the night and maybe even take a day off work so you can finish it. You won’t be sorry.
I’ve read many of Ms. Higgins’ books and enjoyed each one. As she’s moved into the Women’s Fiction category, her talent in writing compelling characters, uniquely insightful topics, and witty dialogue, truly shines.
There are so many places in this story where a different comment or action could have changed people and situations in so many ways. It truly reflects that what you say and do affects people. Ms. Higgins doesn’t hesitate to address serious issues and how long-lasting the effects can be.
I highlighted so many areas, laughed out loud, got teary and more. Ms. Higgins’ personality shines through after reading her Facebook posts and newsletters when she mentions her desire to save a life, her heroic firefighter husband, and beyond precious children.
The story covers several generations with losses, love, unplanned situations and even a bit of mystery. There is no over-simplification of love and life and the story depicts the messiness of dysfunctional family drama.
The story is mostly from Emma and Genevieve’s point-of-view but also from other characters which helps develop the story and gives special insight to the character’s lives.
I loved the characters so much with such different personalities and character traits to make this a complex and compelling story.
This is my first five star read of the year. Congrats to Ms. Higgins as she takes on many difficult topics and situations and writes a story that you can’t put down. She wrote a unique story with a satisfying and perfect ending.
I highly recommend this gem!
This has got to go in “one of the best books I’ve read” pile! Absolutely fabulous story integrating love, loss, and family. You will hate to see the end coming it’s that good. Enjoy!