Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Published: March 22, 2022
Source: ARC E-copy via Pubisher
Summary:
A musician facing the untimely end of his career. An end-of-life doula with everything, and nothing, to lose. A Star Is Born meets Me Before You in this powerful novel by the author of A Million Reasons Why.
As an end-of-life doula, Nova Huston’s job—her calling, her purpose, her life—is to help terminally ill people make peace with their impending death. Unlike her business partner, who swears by her system of checklists, free-spirited Nova doesn’t shy away from difficult clients: the ones who are heartbreakingly young, or prickly, or desperate for a caregiver or companion.
When Mason Shaylor shows up at her door, Nova doesn’t recognize him as the indie-favorite singer-songwriter who recently vanished from the public eye. She knows only what he’s told her: That life as he knows it is over. His deteriorating condition makes playing his guitar physically impossible—as far as Mason is concerned, he might as well be dead already.
Except he doesn’t know how to say goodbye.
Helping him is Nova’s biggest challenge yet. She knows she should keep clients at arm’s length. But she and Mason have more in common than anyone could guess… and meeting him might turn out to be the hardest, best thing that’s ever happened to them both.
The Next Thing You Know is an emotional, resonant story about the power of human connection, love when you least expect it, hope against the odds, and what it really takes to live life with no regrets.
My thoughts:
This is the third book I’ve read by Jessica Strawser and once again she manages to give us quite the emotional story. I wasn’t quite sure I was going to be able to read this one as I had just lost my dog, but I have to say that while this book is sad, it is so much more than a book focused solely on death.
This is such a thought-provoking novel. Death is something we tend to not like to talk about or even think about and yet it is inevitable. And I’m so glad that I had the chance to read this book because it really makes you think and consider your own end-of-life. Yes, this is is a sad and heart-breaking read, but it’s also one full of hope and it’s inspiring at times, too.
I loved the way this story was told – it just grabbed me and never let up. Alternating from the present to the past, it slowly fills in all the pieces to the puzzle so that you finally get the big picture of what happened. It is mostly told from Nova and Mason’s points of view, though occasionally we hear from some of the other characters’ points of view as well. But the flashbacks, while at times might be a bit confusing, really do make sense the way it is told, and I just loved this. We get crucial information at just the right time and once it all comes together, I was left stunned! That reveal at the end came without any hints and I’m glad it wasn’t one of those things that was left open to interpretation.
This book really captured my heart and left me with lots of food for thought. While it is a bit heavy at times, it really would make for a good bookclub pick as there is so much to discuss here. It takes you on quite the emotional journey but to me, those are always the best reads!
