BOOK REVIEW: Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins #alwaysthelasttoknow #bookreview #kristanhiggins

“Love isn’t always the thing that fills up the room, or your heart. Sometimes, it’s what sneaks into the in between spaces.”

Those who know me know that tear-jerkers really get to me. Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins is one of those books. Delving into the complexities of family, relationships, and love, this is another incredible book by Kristan Higgins.

Filled with heart!

About the Book

Sometimes you have to break a family to fix it.

From New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins, a new novel examining a family at the breaking point in all its messy, difficult, wonderful complexity.

The Frosts are a typical American family. Barb and John, married almost fifty years, are testy and bored with each other…who could blame them after all this time? At least they have their daughters– Barb’s favorite, the perfect, brilliant Juliet; and John’s darling, the free-spirited Sadie. The girls themselves couldn’t be more different, but at least they got along, more or less. It was fine. It was enough.

Until the day John had a stroke, and their house of cards came tumbling down.

Now Sadie has to put her career as a teacher and struggling artist in New York on hold to come back and care for her beloved dad–and face the love of her life, whose heart she broke, and who broke hers. Now Juliet has to wonder if people will notice that despite her perfect career as a successful architect, her perfect marriage to a charming Brit, and her two perfect daughters, she’s spending an increasing amount of time in the closet having panic attacks.

And now Barb and John will finally have to face what’s been going on in their marriage all along.

Reflection

Kristan Higgins books are written with so much compassion for the characters she creates. Always the Last to Know is about family, forgiveness, love, and heart. Exploring the complexity that comes with families, the book centers around the Frosts.

Barb and John have been married nearly 50 years and their marriage has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Lately it has been more downs than ups, but Barb has been staying busy. When Barb gets a call that her husband John has been rushed to the hospital, she learns that he has had a stroke.

Their daughters Juliet and Sadie couldn’t be more different. Responsible, level-headed Juliet is her mother’s daughter, while free-spirited Sadie is her father’s girl. Still, both daughters want to be there for their parents during this trying time.

When Barb accidentally uncovers a secret on John’s phone, her whole life is called into question. This family has their fair share of secrets and dysfunction, but beneath it all they are still a family.

Filled with complex relationships, Always the Last to Know delivers on many levels. From the pain that comes with the secrets in Barb and John’s marriage to the romance between Sadie and the man she left behind when she left home after high school—there is a lot to discover about this family.

But truly, the most rewarding story for me was the one about Barb and her daughters. This family is imperfect (what family isn’t?) but the bonds of a family are also hard to break. Beautiful!