Emma London has made a life for herself despite the circumstances of her upbringing. When her mom committed suicide, her absent father left her to be raised by his mother, the rich and rigid matriarch of the family, Genevieve London. But when Emma became pregnant as a teenager she was unceremoniously kicked out of her home to raise her daughter alone. So when Genevieve calls her home more than a decade later because she's dying, all of Emma's instincts scream to stay away. It's only for her teenage daughter's future that she acquiesces. Now she's faced with the dark story of her past as she and the people who raised her question what really makes a family.

This is a story about grief, coping, healing, and forgiveness. I couldn't put it down.

Yes, I love Gilmore Girls -- and I loved this story of a woman and her grandmother coming to understand one another. An absorbing read.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big Kristan Higgins fan. I discovered her novels a few years ago when she switched from writing romance to women’s fiction, with If You Only Knew and On Second Thought. I fell in love with these sister-stories filled with heartfelt family drama and romance. (Seriously, go read those books. They made me laugh, cry, and sigh I’m contented pleasure on the last page). Since reading those books, I went back and read ALL her prior ones, which are romance novels, sweet and funny and delightful.

So. I was thrilled to get an advanced e-copy of her latest, Life and Other Inconveniences. Like her recent novels, this is women’s fiction/family drama with an element of romance. The story centers on the relationship of Emma London with her grandmother Genevieve, a fashion mogul who raised Emma but then kicked her out when Emma got pregnant at the age of 17. Now Genevieve is dying, and her last request is for Emma to bring her daughter (now a teenager herself) to spend their last summer together.

The narrative alternates primarily between Emma and Genevieve, and I liked getting to know prickly Genevieve and the slightly neurotic Emma. We also have chapters from other characters, including Emma’s teenage daughter, Emma’s self-centered father, and Miller, a hardworking widower who ends up being Emma’s love interest.

Higgins has a knack for writing relatable characters and for keeping me engaged. I just enjoy hanging out in her stories. Still, this one felt a little cluttered with the multiple points of view and all the many, many issues we confront. Child abandonment, entitlement, teen pregnancy, aging, suicide, mental illness, tuberous sclerosis, grieving, missing children, parenting. It’s all well done, but there was a lot going on.

Overall, I loved the book. Kristan Higgins remains one of my go-to authors for engaging women’s fiction. This isn’t my favorite of hers (seriously, go read the ones I mentioned above) but I felt my time with it was well spent!

Thanks to @Netgalley and @berkleypub for my free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Releases August 6, 2019!

Loved this book. Definitely for fans of Frederik Bachman. Fantastic character development, just enough intrigue, a little romance, what’s not to love. OK, for some, there will be a little too much tidiness, but I am all in favor.

Kristan Higgins seems to be trying to move away from romance to issues-driven women's fiction, a la Jodi Picoult. Life and Other Inconveniences is definitely a more successful entry than her previous book, Good Luck with That. This is a well-written, well-paced, well-plotted book. I enjoyed getting to know the several generations of strong women coping with loss and tragedy, and I was moved by the struggles and reconciliations in their story.

There were genuine moments of humor, but I miss Higgins's light touch in her earlier series. I'll be curious to see where she goes from here.

Kristan Hannah gets better and better! This is a heart-warming and satisfying read! Told in alternating perspectives, the story of Emma and Genevieve and how their losses and life decisions have rippled through their family. Emma is a struggling single mother haunted by her mother's suicide, father''s abandonment, and her grandmother's decision to throw her out when she was a pregnant 18-year-old. Genevieve has never recovered from the disappearance of her young son, and it colored the way she has dealt with everyone else in her life since. As she is readying herself to die, she must confront her own shortcomings, her grief, and the granddaughter she let walk out of her life,.

If you love stories of a summer spent away from home in a gorgeous beach setting (which I do), this will not disappoint. Our main characters are flawed and lovable. I recommend as a book club choice or an immersive summer read!

I loved this read! The characters are surpassingly well developed for what seems to be “chick lit.” I felt the writing seemed to improve as the book went out, the beginning felt a little too “try try try.” It has a little bit of everything - romance, mystery, family dynamics.

Kristin Higgins stakes her place in the pantheon occupied by Kristin Hannah and Jodi Picoult.
This is the story of Emma, who’s depressed mother committed suicide, and who’s father dumped her on her grandmother. That same grandmother kicked her out when she got pregnant in high school.
After a lifetime of struggle to get her degree and to provide for her daughter, Emma is stunned to be told her grandmother is dying of a brain tumor, and wants her and her daughter to spend a “last” summer with her. Emma’s decision is fated to change more lives than her own.

Things have never been easy for Emma. When her mother died, her father deposited his 8 year old daughter at his mother’s home, and Genevieve raised her granddaughter. Until she got pregnant at 18—then Genevieve kicked her out and she went to live with her mother's father, where the two of them raised her daughter, Riley. Emma supported herself through school with a variety of jobs until she finally got her counseling degree. Out of the blue, after no communication for many years, Genevieve, that grandmother who had banished her as a pregnant teen, asks her to bring Riley and stay for the summer. What are her motives? She’s very wealthy—is she trying to buy Riley’s love? Does she regret her unkindness? Emma and Riley will find out as they spend a never to be forgotten summer at Genevieve’s mansion, Sheerwater. This is Kristan Higgins at her best—humor, a page-turning plot, and her trademark multi-dimensional characters. Highly recommended.

The book took a while to get into and decide I would ride it out. Not because it was bad but because the subject matter was so heavy. The story was sad and frustrating and super emotional. FYI not a good book to read at work during lunch hour unless you like choking back tears for the rest of the day. It was a moving story and uplifting in ways but much heavier than I had expected. I tend to gloss over the summaries of books and went for this to get a cutesy romance read. This wasn’t that but it IS a great book. Just be prepared.

This was a wonderful book about family, secrets, old wounds and learning to forgive. It shows you for everything that happens there is a consequence and it can alter people’s lives.

Life and Other Inconveniences is a great family drama. I can always rely on Kristan Higgins for an easy to read book that takes me away.

I love Kristan Higgins. I have read all her books. Her last book was disappointing to me but this one was wonderful! I love her characters and her humor.. I have this book on order for the library. Cant wait for them to read it!

Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins is told in multiple voices. Higgins often uses POV in her novels, but it's usually limited to two or three characters slowly unveiling their stories. Life and Other Inconveniences has more, and as a fan of this author, I was skeptical. I should have known better. A good number of these characters aren't likable and I struggled with the story. Chalk that up to the reader going through issues that parallel this novel, because Life and Other Inconveniences is another home run from Kristan Higgins.

Emma is a single mother living with her grandfather (Paul) and daughter (Riley). When her other grandmother, the famous Genevieve London, summons Emma back to her ancestral home, she begrudgingly obliges. Genevieve is ill and wants to meet her great granddaughter before she dies. Emma, Riley, and Paul descend upon the posh Connecticut community and Genevieve isn't the same because of it.

Higgins brings her humor, doggies, and romantic element to Life and Other Inconveniences. You'll recognize the things you love about this author in the pages. I won't get into details, because the book is too precious to give away details. I will say that I am a better person having read it. I'm going through family things right now (who isn't?) and having read Emma's story, I'm a better person. Chapter 15 will gut your heart out; its humanity is what kept me reading in a sea of seemingly unlikable people.

This is a book I needed. Forgiveness, grace, kindness are things I needed this week and this story gently brought it home. Life and Other Inconveniences is a winner.

Loved this book! Life and Other Inconveniences is Kristan Higgins best book yet. To call it a romance novel is underestimating the relationships of the story. The book is about dealing with loss, illness and family in all forms. There are laughter and tears between the pages and I did not want it to end.

Another heartwarming, life-affirming story from one of my all-time favs, Kristan Higgins.

In a Gilmore Girls kind of setting, single mom Emma and teenage daughter Riley live with Emma’s maternal grandfather in small-town Downers Grove, IL. A surprising phone call from Emma’s estranged paternal grandmother (the renowned fashion designer Genevieve London) is met with initial contempt. However, when Riley is subjected to intense bullying at school, Emma agrees to move to Connecticut to nurse Genevieve through her final days.

Nobody writes relationships like Ms Higgins. She tackles all kinds — romantic, family, and friendships — and portrays the process by which they can develop, heal, or detach when necessary. Her later books have taken on more difficult subjects — moving on from earlier, more hilarious, novels such as Just One of the Guys (my personal favorite). These new characters have more difficult pasts featuring tragedy, bad luck, or ignorant child-rearing, and are struggling to move forward in a positive way. Joining the characters as they heal by becoming more aware, more open, and more comprehending of the nature of their connections, is an educational and encouraging journey.

There is always a key romance at the heart of any Higgins novel and this one is no different. I love the way she focuses not just on the hot sex, but the deep emphasis on underlying feelings of connection and acceptance that fuels it. As an extra bonus, scattered throughout are great scenes where Emma lets awful people have it in an articulate, fury-driven, good-guys-win way. Very, very, satisfying for reader!

I've been a big fan of Kristan Higgans, but this book seemed a little more along the lines of Kristin Hannah and Emily Griffin than her usual stories. Yes, her characters were funny and charming, but it had a lot of family drama complete with tear jerking moments. Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I read it, but I didn't hate it. It just wasn't for me.

Emma London has made a life for herself that she is proud of and suits her. From the time her grandmother kicked her out of her home, she needed to find a way to support herself and her unborn child. Turning to her grandfather on her mother's side, she is given a place to live and moral support, if not financial assistance. Years later, her grandmother calls her, claiming to be dying of cancer and wanting to meet her great granddaughter, Riley. Should Emma give in and allow her grandmother and daughter to meet? How does Riley's father and his new family fight into the scenario? This was a fun book to read, but at the same time, makes you think about forgiveness and how families never really lose the ties.

Kristan just keeps getting better and better. Thoroughly enjoyed this read. Very fast moving and not dull at all. Could not put this book down.

Emma reunites with her grandmother, Genevieve, when she is summoned after many years of separation. A totally addictive story told in a straight forward manner that has humor as well as serious moments. Not to be missed.