I didn’t finish this book because I wasn’t interested in the character and the plot line. It’s about a forty-something woman diagnosed with terminal cancer and has about three months left to live. Prior to dying, she decides to write three letters airing her grievances. To Elizabeth and Andy, her ex-husband; Harry, an ex-boyfriend; and Isabelle, her sister. I gave it about a hundred pages and didn’t feel invested enough to continue.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Viking Books for the advanced reading copy.

Death and Other Happy Endings is the kind of story you hope never happens to you. Jennifer is forty something and just been told she has three months to live. She chooses to use this time writing letters to three people who are or were important in her life and with whom she's left things unsaid. The three people are her sister, ex-husband and ex-boyfriend. Jennifer writes for closure. She's dying, so she might as well say whatever she wants. It won't matter in three months anyway, right? I found this story at turns hopeful and depressing. I questioned whether Jennifer had made a good decision with the letter writing. Maybe she was too nice or too spiteful or mean or not mean enough. It's so open ended for the recipients. She gets closure, and they get who knows what. It's a story of love, loss, friendship and facing the end of your life. Still, things never turn out right. Even in fiction. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer has just experienced the worst day of her life. She's been told that she has three months to live. With time running out, she decides to send letters to people that have impacted her life--to say the things that she's always wanted to say. The results of Jennifer's actions take us along a journey through breakups, reconciliations, and emotional surprises. I loved the introspection, and Jennifer's voice. It was empowering to watch her learn to stand up for herself, and purge toxic relationships. The friendships and concessions she made to real friends were so realistic and the bonds of sister/friends was depicted beautifully. I felt immersed in her world, and was emotionally invested in the decisions she made. Beautiful read.

Jennifer Cole has just been told that she has a terminal blood disorder and has just three months to live--ninety days to say goodbye to friends and family and to put her affairs in order. Ninety days to come to terms with a diagnosis that is unfair, unexpected, and completely unpronounceable. Focusing on the positives (she won't have to go on in a world without Bowie or Maya Angelou; she won't get Alzheimer's or Parkinson's like her parents, or have teeth that flop out at the mere mention of the word apple), Jennifer realizes she only has one real regret: the relationships she's lost.
Rather than running off to complete a frantic bucket list, Jennifer chooses to stay put and write a letter to the three most significant people in her life, to say the things she wished she'd said before but never dared: her overbearing, selfish sister, her jelly-spined, cheating ex-husband, and her charming, unreliable ex-boyfriend--and finally tell them the truth.
At first, Jennifer feels cleansed by her catharsis. Liberated, even. Her ex-boyfriend rushes to her side and she even starts to build bridges with her sister Isabelle (that is, once Isabelle's confirmed that Jennifer's condition isn't genetic). But once you start telling the truth, it's hard to stop. And as Jennifer soon discovers, the truth isn't always as straightforward as it seems, and death has a way of surprising you...


I enjoyed the book. It had a way of waiting to continue and root for Jennifer. I felt she found the relationships needed some closure. Truth can be ugly. A good read with meaning.

3.5 stars. A novel about a 40-something year old woman who is diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and give 3 months (if lucky) to live. I overall enjoyed the theme of this book but the writing style seemed immature at times, given the woman is in her mid-40's and a professional. It did surprise me at times but I didn't love the ending and needed more closure. #NetGalley #DeathandOtherHappyEndings #PenguinGroupViking