March 1, 2020
The Frosts, a wealthy family living in small-town Connecticut, may seem like they have it all, but their world is shaken when the patriarch, John, has a stroke and loses his ability to speak. Suddenly his wife, Barb, has to reevaluate how invested she will be in a marriage that had been heading toward divorce; his younger daughter Sadie no longer has her dad as her main cheerleader, and his older daughter Juliet, a successful architect, grapples with a secret she discovers about her dad. Now back in her hometown, Sadie gets reacquainted with her old fling, Noah, who is still in love with her, and they can't deny their chemistry. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different family member, and each character grows and changes in some way. VERDICT Established author Higgins (Good Luck with That) has once again created well-developed characters who are flawed yet good-hearted; this family's ups and downs will resonate with fans of women's fiction and uplifting stories. [See Prepub Alert, 12/9/19.]--Sonia Reppe, Stickney-Forest View P.L., IL
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Starred review from April 1, 2020
Secrets are revealed and old wounds are healed as a family attempts to deal with a medical emergency. Barb Frost knew her marriage wasn't perfect. She and John had been married for 50 years, but she was unhappy and thinking about leaving, keeping herself busy as first selectman of their small Connecticut town. But then John has a stroke. Barb and John's daughters rush to the hospital to see him--responsible architect and mom Juliet has always been Barb's favorite while freedom-loving artist Sadie was her father's girl. Things are bad enough, but then Barb gets the shock of her life when she goes through John's phone--and finds out he's been having an affair. Barb tries to keep the secret from her daughters, knowing it would upset them, but the girls have struggles of their own. Juliet is dealing with secret panic attacks and feels like she can't handle being a perfect wife, mom, and career woman. Sadie, who moves back home from New York City to help care for her dad, now has to confront Noah Pelletier, her high school sweetheart and the man she's never been able to forget. He wanted to marry her and stay in their idyllic small town, but she wanted to explore the art world in New York--but now, she's not so sure that was the right decision. Higgins handles difficult topics with aplomb, mining even the darkest subjects (infidelity, infertility, mortality) with a sense of humor. She resists painting her characters with broad strokes, allowing readers to see the humanity in each person. Sadie and Noah's love story is angst-filled enough to warrant its own steamy romance novel, but the most touching relationships are the ones Barb has with her daughters and her best friend, Caro, who is Barb's constant companion as she deals with the fallout of John's stroke. As Barb puts it, love doesn't "have to be romantic to encircle you in its arms." A masterful exploration of all kinds of love--romance, family, and friendship--that will make even a cynic cry.
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April 13, 2020
Higgins (Good Luck with That) serves up a punchy, angst-ridden multigenerational women’s contemporary. After 50 years of marriage, Barb Frost—selectman of Stonington, a small Connecticut town—is preparing to divorce her husband, John, with whom she’s grown apart. John then suffers a catastrophic stroke, and Barb learns he’s had a mistress. Barb and John’s daughters are going through pain of their own: Sadie, a struggling artist in New York City (and John’s favorite), has a dead-end job and a philandering boyfriend; Juliet, a successful architect (and Barb’s favorite), is unnerved by stiff competition from a young upstart and former mentee at her firm, and suffers crippling panic attacks. After John’s stroke, Sadie moves back home to help care for him and comes face to face with her first love, Noah, who had followed her to New York before their relationship fell apart. Meanwhile, Juliet worries about work and whether she’s been a failure to her husband and two daughters. The plot, told in shifting perspectives from the three women, expertly intertwines each of their dilemmas and moves along briskly thanks to the charming, snappy prose. Most importantly, Higgins excels at creating multidimensional, sympathetic characters, an ability that is on full display throughout. This sparkling story is perfect summer reading fare.
April 15, 2020
The Frosts, successful lawyer John and selectman Barb, are thriving and proud of their two grown daughters, Juliet, the elder, a successful architect, mother, and wife, and Sadie, who works as an art teacher in New York City. John and Barb are days away from celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary when John suffers a stroke while riding his bike. The resulting brain damage renders John a shadow of the man he once was. Heartbroken, Barb stumbles on some unexpected news while scrolling through his phone that causes her life to unravel at an alarming rate as she rethinks the past 50 years. Higgins' (Life and Other Inconveniences, 2019) latest is another amazing exploration of the meaning of family, this one focusing on how love changes within the confines of a marriage. Told from alternating points of view by each of the four Frosts, the novel shows readers every stage of each relationship, from loving to loathing; post-stroke, nonverbal John's perspective is exquisitely done. Readers will cherish this one to the very end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)