Thursday, August 8, 2019

Tour Review & Giveaway - - Life and Other Inconveniences


Life and Other Inconveniences
by Kristan Higgins
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Reviewed by PJ
 



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?


My thoughts:

Talk about an emotional wringer. Kristan Higgins ripped my heart open and dragged out just about every possible emotion with this story. Fear, anguish, anger, betrayal, hope, affection, acceptance and, finally, forgiveness and love. By the time I got to the last page I felt like a limp dish rag. This is not a book I'll be re-reading. But it's a book I'm very glad I read. 

These characters, and what they endure, are vividly portrayed in heart-wrenching detail. Some of the things that happen to them haunt me still. But it's not all sadness and angst. Higgins' well-known humor and compassion are woven throughout this powerful story that also includes emotional growth for several characters, forgiveness of past wrongs, reconciliation, redemption, a heart-wrenching mystery solved, and reason to believe in a happy future, with a worthy love, for Emma. 

The characters are flawed, not all likeable, but all memorable. Higgins has a gift for writing this type of character and imbuing them with the complex, human characteristics, both good and bad, that make them leap from the pages of her books and into my heart. Characters that make me care about them, even when I don't much like them and those who snuggle into my affections and remain there. She doesn't give them easy paths but she helps them look within and discover the strength, determination, and unconditional love necessary to find forgiveness, to choose happiness, and to fight for the happiness and well-being of those who hold their hearts. 

This is a powerful tale of the ways people respond to the heartaches and challenges life throws in their way and how those responses chart the course of their lives and relationships. Keep the tissues handy. You'll need them. 


Do you enjoy women's fiction novels?

Tell me about the last book that made you cry. 

One randomly chosen person will receive a mass market paperback copy of Good Luck With That from the publisher. (U.S. addresses only)





22 comments:

  1. I do love women's fiction and last book that had me ugly sobbing was Rebecca Yarros' The Last Letter. I cannot imagine any more horrible sobbing than this and I had read several other real tear jerkers, Barbara Delinsky's Three Wishes to name one. I have not read any Higgins in awhile but have enjoyed the ones I have read in the past. Thanks for the chance to win.

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  2. I like variety and that's definitely most of what I read. The last one to make me laugh and cry was Once Upon a Tartan by Grace Burrowes.

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  3. I've read only a few Women's Fiction books and right now, I can't remember the titles and none that I recall ever made me cry. All this being said, I wouldn't mind a chance to read another book in that genre. Thanks for the chance.

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  4. Women's fiction is meaningful and captivating as well as emotional. It explores life, the trials and tribulations and is realistic and profound. A novel which captured all of that and more was The Secrets of Flight by Maggie Leffler.

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  5. I do like womens' fiction - I cannot remember the last book that made me cry, probably was Home Again by Kristin Hannah.

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  6. I like some women's fiction more than others. I'm not into really depressing stories.

    The last book that made me cry, ME BEFORE YOU by JoJo Moyes.

    Your 5* books are must reads for me.

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  7. I do enjoy women's fiction. I really enjoy all of Kristen Higgins' books!

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  8. I do enjoy women's fiction, though I don't seek it out often. I think the last one that I read along that vein that made me cry was THE FRIEND ZONE. Not quite as heart-wrenching as you described but close...and I will likely be skipping this one. I love Kristan's works, but her women's fiction require too much of me. I want laughter and joy in my fiction reading more than the emotional angst and high/lows.

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  9. I do like women’s fiction but don’t read it very often. I think the last one I read was The Future She Left Behind by Marin Thomas. I cried a few tears.

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  10. I do enjoy WF.

    Before We Were Yours made me cry a lot.

    denise

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  11. Great review--sounds like an unforgettable story! I do enjoy women's fiction--we all need to laugh and cry at the same time--it's all part of being a woman and a human being. Jodi Thomas is another author who has written many wonderful books. Her "Mornings on Main" and "The Little Teashop on Main" are beautifully poignant.

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  12. I do like Kristan Higgins works. I like women's fiction. It generally has a theme which makes me think. That can be painful for me, but I do it anyway.

    I finished a book called The Time of Our Lives by Abby Williams. It is a British story about 2 women who become friends - one is elderly the other in her twenties and both have suffered recent losses. It has humor, but it also has some angst about a life situation. A really well done book.

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  13. I actually just started reading women's fiction. So far I'm liking it. It's got a little romance with angst and relationships. I do like it.

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  14. I like women's fiction. I've read several of Kristin Higgins's books. I will have to be in a mood to sit down and read this book. The last book that made me cry was How To Walk Away by Katherine Center. As for a series, its was the 3 books by Julie Ann Walker called Moonlight and Memories.

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  15. I have read books that have brought me to tears, but I can't think of any I've read lately.

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  16. I think some of the books I've enjoyed may have been labelled as women's fiction - I just want a good story with hopefully a bit of romance.

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  17. Jennifer Robson’s The Gown made me cry.
    One of the characters had lived in France during WWII and her story was very emotional.
    Can’t wait to read this KH book!

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  18. I have just started reading more women's fiction and I've enjoyed what I've read so far!The only book I can think of that I've read lately that made me cry is "The Last Letter". I really enjoy Kristan's books and I can't wait to read this one.

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  19. I do enjoy that genre. Don't recall that last book that made me cry.

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  20. The last book that made me cry was a Nicholas Sparks book, I think it was The Best of Me or A Turn in the Road, I cannot remember which.
    Natty's Mama (Karen T.)

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  21. I like some Women's Fiction better than other. I need my HEA. Last book that made me cry was this one, Life and Other Inconveniences. I love Kristan's books. Thanks for the review PJ!!

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  22. I'm reading (and loving) this book right now, so don't enter me in the giveaway. Thanks for the post.

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