Book review: “Always Last to Know” by Kristan Higgins

Thank you @berkleypub for my gifted copy of “Always Last to Know” by Kristan Higgins! (pub date 6/9).

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 & John, married almost fifty years, are testy & 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; & 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 & struggling artist in New York on hold to come back & care for her beloved dad–& face the love of her life, whose heart she broke, & 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, & 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.

From the author of “Good Luck with That” & “Life & Other Inconveniences” comes a new novel of heartbreaking truths & hilarious honesty about what family really means.

I received this book back in January, so hopefully I can articulate how I felt about this book when I read it in February. It is told from 4 POV’s (Sadie, John, Barb & Juliet) & it sort of felt like 4 books combined because each person’s POV was so well voiced. I had to grab tissues a couple times! “Always Last to Know” is a very poignant, heartfelt, emotional & riveting tale of family dynamics, betrayal, resentment, loss, romance & forgiveness.
This would make a fantastic limited series on Hulu or Netflix. I really loved it just like I did with the other Kristan Higgins books I have read. This is a fantastic story that will truly captivate it’s readers. Look for this book this Tues, 6/9, at your local bookstores. Click HERE to find it using BookStoreLink.

Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal & Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 19 novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages & sold millions of copies worldwide. Her books have received dozens of awards & accolades, including starred reviews from Kirkus, The New York Journal of Books, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal , People & Booklist. If you want to keep up with Kristan’s new releases & get a free short story, sign up for her mailing list at www.kristanhiggins.com.
Her books regularly appear on the lists for best novels of the year. Kristan is also a cohost of the Crappy Friends podcast, which discusses the often complex dynamics of female friendships, with her friend & fellow writer, Joss Dey.
The proud descendant of a butcher & a laundress, Kristan lives in Connecticut with her heroic firefighter husband. They own several badly behaved pets & are often visited by their entertaining & long-lashed children.