Here is a book that is in turns heartbreaking and hilarious. Andrew's public persona hides a sparse and secluded life which in turn hides a string of tragedies. The layers of defense produce situations awkward and appalling. Layering his personal life with a profession which forces him to search for people connected to solitary corpses was a stroke of genius. This is a very funny book. It is also thought provoking, heart warming, and ultimately glorious.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Andrew is an eccentric man who lives in a fantasy world. His idiosyncrasies are bizarre, but the final explanation pulls everything together and it becomes easy to empathize with the reasons for his actions.

I loved the book. Highly recommended.

Unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me. While it is written well and I felt happy that Andrew finally found a sense of purpose and peace, it defied logic for me too many times to be able to enjoy it. Why is a lie about someone’s personal life detrimental to their career? Why is it material for blackmail? The whole premise was too flawed for me to enjoy the book

Andrew's job is not one that would have me going to work looking forward to the coming day. He works in public health and his job entails going to the homes of people who have died alone and sorting through their belongings looking for living relatives or friends. He has a good heart, a loving family, and a beautiful home, so why do these strangers 'follow' him home every night?
Andrew's home life doesn't exactly mirror the picture he has painted to his coworkers. A lie and Andrew's own personal demons have enabled him to live a fantasy life, but when a new employee Peggy joins the team, his carefully constructed life feels much less appealing. If he wants a better future, one that won't end with him all alone, he'll have to confront his past and choose to live.
This was definitely a sad story on many levels. All the people who died alone and all the various reasons that brought each of them to that place made me wonder how often this happens. Andrew's choices arose from events in his past, but unlike those who seemingly have no one who cares, he gets the chance to decide how to live the rest of his life. Don't get me wrong, I thought this was beautifully written and this book is also full of hope. I won't spoil it for anyone by saying any more about Andrew, except that I was rooting for him to come out of his shell and embrace life.
I enjoyed my reading time with How Not to Die Alone and it really made me consider what I could do in my community for those who might be living in isolation.

I love a good character! Although at times I admit to wondering how Andrew could be quite so pathetic, his sense of humor and his particular charm definitely had me rooting for him the entire time. I also have to admit that I did not see the true story behind his lie coming.

This book has a good amount of witty/dark humor, and i found it entertaining. The main character wove a large lie in his life and he's face with having to either unravel the lies, or keep up the charade. Entertaining but also touching.

An interesting book with very witty dialogues. It provides an insight into the increasing isolation of people and the compassion humanity needs to regenerate. I read it in one sitting and if a book can hold one’s interest unwaveringly then it is definitely worth reading. Simple, poignant and relevant. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

The idea sounded great, and they were many parts of this book that felt clever and winsome, But in many ways this book felt disjointed and never really got 1000% off the ground, to be fair this may have been exacerbated by the very distracting layout of the galley, and I may choose to re-read it after it has been published in proper form to give it another chance. But this copy in this form really never did it for me