Barb and John Frost have been married for fifty years and live in a small Connecticut town. During their marriage, they raised two daughters, Juliet and Sadie, who are now adults. Barb has been contemplating divorce for some years now and is going to move forward with her plans. Their marriage has been stale for many years while she kept herself busy as the town selectman. Her plans are put on hold when John suffers a massive stroke.

Their youngest daughter, Sadie, is single and teaches art in New York City. She always had a close connection with her father and decides to help care for him when he returns home from the hospital. Juliet Frost remained near her childhood home after college and always seemed to gravitate to her mother for support. She is a successful architect with two children and a doting husband. These two sisters have never gotten along and diverged into different lifestyles. All three women are now forced into close proximity and each must work through their issues.

Always The Last To Know by Kristan Higgins is the second book that I have read by this author. This story depicts the complex relationships among family members during a crisis. It includes sibling rivalry, emotional outbursts, sadness, regret, and the powerful bonds of love. This book will touch your heart while validating the family dynamics that exist for us all.

Always the Last to Know is another outstanding women's fiction title from Kristan Higgins. As usual, all the characters are richly drawn, especially the women, though I thought John's sections were amazing too, and you can't help but find someone to root for and someone's story that you identify with.

One of the best things about Higgins's writing is how she makes you feel like you're part of the story and that warm and cozy feeling you get while reading the book and afterwards. Always the Last to Know is like a big hug and who doesn't want that these days?

Very highly recommended.

DNF @ 40%

I’m usually a fan of Kristan Higgins’ books but the characters in this were insufferable.

Thank you to the publisher & author for my review copy.

A beautiful and memorable story and one that is the perfect way to dive into a book with Kristan Higgins. Definitely on my keeper shelf!

This book certainly grew on me during the last quarter of the story. Complex feelings.
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So many mixed feeling here! I don’t think I have felt as much anger before while reading a book. I was expecting something completely different and I have to say that I honestly did not care for any of the characters.

Every one of them had flaws. But don’t we all? The good news is the author completely changed my mind the further into the book I got.

It wasn’t until about the last quarter of the story that I started seeing these characters for who they were. Except for Noah. Noah was amazing throughout the story, and to be honest, he was the main reason I kept reading the book.

But that says something about a talented author. Someone who can create characters that you love to hate and then slowly turn your heart around and pull those tears out of you as she does it.

Higgins keeps the reader on their toes with the subtleties and the perfection of her character development. I saw myself and many nuances of my own family in this book and those mixed feelings are probably from my own recognition of family complexities.

The ending was a long time coming. But I can say it was satisfying and even surprising in a more than a few ways.

If you are one that loves family sagas and an intense story, this is definitely one to check out.

This story was not what I expected. Told by 4 different points of view (each of the family members), there was a lot going on! My heart broke for each and every one of them individually and when I was done, I wasn't quite sure who had my allegiance.

Did I side with the mother, Barb? After so many years of marriage, she's ready for a divorce only to find her husband has a stroke?

Do I side with John, the father? The cheating bastard has a stroke...

What about Sadie? She's still heartbroken from relationships past and present and now her precious father has had a stroke...

Or do I side with Juliet? She's the eldest daughter, mother's favorite, and is hiding in the closet having panic attacks and trying to paint the perfect picture of her life...

In the end, can't I feel for them all?

Kristan Higgins writes fantastic romance and women's fiction. Always the Last to Know shows that she continues to grow as a writer as she delivers a complicated family story that is emotional and realistic. Though a bit predictable, this book is a satisfying relationship read. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I didn’t expect to like this story as much as I did based on the description, since I’m not usually a family drama kind of a girl. I had only requested it on #netgalley because I had heard so many great things about Kristan Higgins’ books. I ended up really loving this one. I was sucked into the storyline. My favorite parts were the sections told from Sadie’s point of view. Barb and John are celebrating 50 years of marriage soon with their two daughters Sadie and Juliet. Barb isn’t happy. On the day that Barb is going to leave her husband he is in a horrible accident. Sadie rushes home from NYC to help care fo her dad and Juliet is worried about her own marriage. The story mainly is told from Barb, Sadie and Juliet’s points of view (with a few chapters from John). I really enjoyed this book and would rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

2 1/2 stars rounded up to 3.

Sadly, this just wasn't the book for me. I should have just DNFed it since I wasn't enjoying it, but for some reason, I'm terrible at doing that and keep thinking if I read on it will redeem itself. I should be clear that I don't think this is a bad book (in fact, lots of people enjoyed it!); it's just not the kind of book I enjoy (though I have liked others from Kristan Higgins) and missed the mark for me.

The book starts with a terrible accident in which John suffers a massive stroke. While at the hospital with him, his wife Barbara discovers he's been having an affair (after seeing text messages on her phone). Unfortunately, she can't even start to resolve things with him or even truly get angry and instead must take care of him as he slowly recovers from his stroke. The book is told from alternating points of view between Barb and her two daughters, Sadie and Juliet.

It's hard for me to totally put my finger on why I didn't really enjoy it, but I think it's because I was just bored most of the time. There's nothing really special about any of the characters, it was hard to really like them (though I definitely don't feel like likable characters are necessary for my enjoyment of a novel) or connect with them. It's the kind of book that I'll completely forget about in a few months. I often enjoy lighter books like this between heavier reads, but this one just didn't hold my attention.

I enjoyed getting to know the Frosts. This story exemplifies the storybook family that, under closer examination, has numerous cracks. Told from multiple POVs, it gives an in-depth look at how the fissures can be mended and made stronger. The pacing can be slow at parts, but I was engaged and curious. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.

Another tear-jerking, warming novel from Kristen Higgins. I love how her books aren’t just romance novels with happily ever afters. She understands that there are always struggles in life, love and even among grandparents!

Thank to NetGalley for letting me read this book for my unbiased review. I enjoyed reading this book but it was a little slow. It is actually a good beach read or just a summer light read. I kept expecting there to be more from the plot and the ending was not as I expected either.

Always the last to know is a heartwarming gem, not to be missed. Finding love through friendship, family or romantic partners. This heartfelt story follows a marriage of 50 years- sisters that grew apart and find their way together. Loves lost and found. This family drama will melt your heart and shows you that you can find love and acceptance at any stage of life. 4 stars.

Kristan Higgins (Life and Other Inconveniences, If You Only Knew), does a wonderful job encapsulating the messy, mostly loving, complicatedness of family life in Always the Last to Know.

Sadie Frost has a pretty good life. She’s an art teacher in New York City, she has a boyfriend she thinks she wants to marry, and she’s mostly happy. Obviously, her life isn’t as good as that of her elder sister Juliet, who is a successful architect with a handsome British husband and two perfect daughters; but Juliet has always been the favorite of their get-things-done mother Barb, and Sadie is much happier being the beloved child of her low-key father, John. It all mostly works, until John has a stroke, and the Frost women all get a sudden does of reality.

Struggling artist and school art teacher, Sadie, lives in New York City. When her father has a stroke Sadie returns to her childhood home. Just like most families, what you see may be picture perfect, but in reality, there is a whole lot more than meets the eye. This is a story about relationships - good, bad, new, old, family, and unresolved.

I am definitely a fan of this author’s contemporary romance books but woman’s fiction is not what I usually read. However, I really enjoyed this book. For me, it was a slow (not in a bad way) read that kept me engaged.

I am thankful to have read an ARC of Always the Last to Know, the latest book by Kristan Higgans. She tells the story of the Frost family (possibly distantly related to Robert Frost) in Stoningham, Connecticut. Barb, the matriarch, is seventy-five, active in town politics and planning to divorce her husband, John, of fifty years. Barb''s two daughters are Juliet, "Perfect Since Birth", award-winning architect and fantastic of mother of two pre-teen daughters. Sadie, Barb''s disappointing daughter, but her father's favorite, fled Stoningham, Connecticut for New York to pursue her art, leaving her first love, Noah, behind. The Frost women gather when they get the call that John had a bicycling accident and had a severe stroke. Sadie moves home to take care of her beloved father, Juliet adds even more to her overflowing plate and Barb discovers that her husband has been having a torrid affair with a younger woman. The three Frost women have to come to terms with the impact of John's illness on their lives, and their relationships with each other.. Sadie becomes reacquainted with Noah, who has had a baby with their friend Mindy.. Sadie buys a ramshackle old house, gets an adorable dog and tries to resist the pull to stay in Stoningham while clinging to every small advance in her father's recovery. Juliet is trying to deal with panic attacks, her prickly teen-aged daughter, and a young female architect who is the next "it" girl and threatening all Juliet has worked for, as well as fearing for her marriage in light of the discovery of her father's infidelity.. And Barb is trying to manage everything as usual, and beginning to resign herself to a life caring for a husband she no longer loves.

Always the Last to Know is a whirlwind of emotion. The characters are so well developed, flawed in spite of seemingly perfect lives. I loved the relationships between Barb and her daughters, Sadie and her Dad and Noah. Higgins's descriptions of Stoningham are vivid and detailed. You will end up wanting to move there. The ending was fantastic - no spoilers - but it was one of the most satisfying ending that I've read in a long time. I will definitely read Kristan Higgins's other books, and eagerly await her next work.

Kristan Higgins' most recent offering, Always the Last to Know, is a pitch-perfect picture of a family in crisis. That might sound a bit depressing, but Higgins is able to infuse the story with exactly the right amount of humor which, while not necessarily going to cause you to laugh out loud, will at the very least raise a few chuckles a few times as you read.

John and Barb Frost have been married for fifty years, and while they're not madly in love the way Barb once thought they were, she considered them to be pretty happy, or, at least, she wants people to view them that way. Really though, Barb is ready to bid married life farewell. At seventy, she's finally decided to divorce John and tackle life on her own terms. She knows this will come as a shock to their daughters, but she can't bear the thought of staying married to John for any longer. They just aren't connected anymore, and Barb wants a chance to find some kind of happiness for herself. She's not sure what that will look like, but the prospect excites her.

Then, just as she's gotten up the courage to tell John she's leaving, she gets a phone call from a nearby hospital, informing her that John has suffered a massive stroke and might not survive. Of course, she rushes to his side where she is eventually joined by their daughters Juliet and Sadie. The three women wait for news, each battling her own complex feelings about their family unit and how John's stroke will impact their futures.

Juliet adores her mother, but has never been close to her father. In fact, she's come pretty close to hating him over the past few months, and she's not sure whether or not to share these feelings with Barb. It feels wrong to drop the bombshell of John's secret affair at a time like this, and yet, the thought of not revealing the truth doesn't sit well with her.

For her part, younger daughter Sadie has idolized John since she was a small child. She's never gotten along particularly well with Barb or Juliet, but John was always her rock. With his health so obviously on the line, Sadie is forced to re-evaluate everything she thought she knew both about her family and herself.

The three Frost women are strong and resilient, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses that make them feel incredibly life-like. Their relationships with one another are pretty messy, but the same can be said for mothers, daughters, and sisters everywhere. Kristan Higgins manages to get into the hearts and minds of these characters in such an intense way, bringing their gifts and vulnerabilities to light in a way very few authors can.

There's so much love in this book, but not the sweet, pure kind that exists in fairytales. Juliet is married with two daughters, and she worries her husband might one day decide to leave her for someone more laid-back and fun-loving. Sadie has been in what she considers a serious relationship for the past couple of years, but when her father's illness forces her to move back to her hometown for the summer, she comes face-to-face with the guy whose heart she broke shortly after they graduated from high school. Both sisters have some tough questions to answer about who they really are and how they want their lives to go, and those answers don't always come easily. This novel is chock full of emotions, some pleasant and some not, but each and every one is handled with sensitivity and grace.

If you're tired of stories about beautiful people living beautiful lives, Always the Last to Know could be the perfect book for you. As always, Kristan Higgins pays tribute to women everywhere, celebrating both their achievements and their struggles. It was so easy for me to relate to these characters since their circumstances were similar to those in my own life as well as the lives of the women I love. This story really does contain a little of something for everyone, making it a book I'm thrilled to recommend to women everywhere.

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Kristan Higgins has definitely made the transition from romance to relationship fiction (or women's fiction, to use the sexist term from the publishing industry). Her newest book, Always the Last to Know, is another multi-viewpoint family drama with plenty of heart and pathos. Barb is on the verge of asking John, her husband of 50 years, for a divorce when he has a bike accident caused by a massive stroke. Their two daughters, driven architect Juliet and free-thinking artist Sadie, rush home to take care of their father. Everyone has issues they're keeping from the rest of the family, be it panic attacks, boyfriends who won't commit, or giant secrets that could destroy everything.

One thing I did not like: I don't mind a novel narrated by different characters, especially when the author does a good job of differentiating their voices, as Higgins does here. But I was a little confused by the fact that some of the characters speak in first person, while others are narrated in third person. It was kind of jarring. I could understand it for the father, since he was obviously impaired by his stroke, but why does one of the daughters also have to be in third person?

This was a well-plotted, beautifully written story of a fractured family. There's a whole cast of town characters providing comic relief--and sometimes more drama. Heartwarming and real.

I have nothing nice to say so I'll leave it at that. I believe I'm done reading this author's books.

I don't usually enjoy family dramas, but I thought this was really heartwarming and fun. I really appreciated the slow pace of this book. Some books are just meant to be slow burns, and I am okay with that when the payoff is great. I also thought Kristan Hannah did a great job on alternating POV. Sometimes that can bog the story down, but here it was great to see how each character reacted to the father's situation.