What a rollercoaster! I cried! I laughed! This hit so hard, and I loved it. There’s so much I didn’t know about euthanasia before reading this - and I used that as an opportunity to research. Thank you!

Eudora Honeysett is near the end of her life. She's 85 years old and she wants to die on her own terms. When she learns of a clinic in Switzerland that helps people do that very thing, she's determined. While she's waiting to find out if her application is approved, a new family moves into the neighborhood and the eccentric, 10-year old Rose, worms her way into Eudora's life along with widower and fellow neighbor, Stanley. The unlikely trio embark on a friendship that has Eudora questioning everything. Will the arrival of Rose and Stanley into her life change her mind about her death?

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett was achingly, heartwarming. I felt for Eudora, who had a hard life, which was chronicled as flashbacks throughout the book. I could understand that she did want to lose control over her mind and faculties and become a burden to those around her, or to spend her final days hooked up to machines and being monitored by strangers. I silently cheered when precious Rose came into her life and lifted Eurdora's spirits and caused her to look at life a bit differently. Stanley made me laugh with his sarcasm and quick wit compared to Eudora's prim and proper demeanor. This is not my typical genre but I felt it was an important story and gave me pause to think about how my own grandparents or other elderly family and friends could be feeling during their twilight hours.

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett has surpassed all else that I have read this year. Simply put, I LOVED it! Eudora has such a charming quality even while being borderline snippy at the beginning. Her new friendships level out the snippy and we are left with the true Eudora. I think people of all ages can relate to some of her thoughts and background. A line I love: “People are too busy staring at their telephones, endlessly searching for some truth that will never come, idly sniggering at infantile video clips of goodness knows what, never stopping to notice the universe around them or the people in it.” Because uhm yeah - scrolling through Instagram or twitter and we are missing out on what is right in front of us! Another line I loved: “She shivers with dread at the prospect of new neighbors.“ This is so me at 33 years of age... dreading the (possible loud and annoying) change but it turns out to be a glorious addition to her life! Do yourself a favor and get a copy or two of this book - you won’t regret the time spent with these characters!

I loved this book and was sorry when it ended. It told a beautiful story - at times humorous, at times heart-breaking - from the perspective of a woman near the end of her life, dealing head on, yet delicately, with the difficult issues of aging and dying, while maintaining a sense of joy about life and new possibilities.

Such a sweet, heartfelt book. The relationship reminded me of my own Grandma. I laughed and I cried. I highly recommend!

This is a lovely, poignant heartwarming novel about aging, love, friendships , sadness and joy. The characters were so well-depicted and the story believable. And Rose, what a bundle of energy, excitement and color. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. A good pepper-upper for any age.

I have never been so touchingly captivated by a book about death. Our central character is Eudora Honeysett. Through flashbacks we learn Eudora's life story- the losses and pain that she's lived through- and how she came to be an 85 year old woman living a lonely life without friends or family. Through a chance encounter she learns about a service in Switzerland that offers people the opportunity to die on their own terms, and she decides to pursue this course of action. While she waits for the logistics to be worked out, a new family moves in next door, and their colorful 10 yr old daughter worms her way into Eudora's formerly quiet and solitary existence. The duo quickly becomes a trio when young Rose also befriends an old widower down the street, and Eudora begrudgingly realizes they've found their way into her heart.

I cried more than a few tears as this story closed, but they were the best kind of tears. The author handles the topics of friendship, aging, and death with dignity both gently and tenderly. Definitely recommend!

I received this book in exchange for my opinion, which I am always happy to offer.
#NetGalley #TheBrilliantLifeOfEudroaHoneysett

Eudora Honeysett has had enough of life. She's 85 and has no family nor friends and her body is failing her. She feels her life has been fully lived and doesn't want a drawn out, painful death without dignity. When she is given a pamphlet by a stranger about assisted suicide at a clinic in Switzerland, she is interested and starts making plans for a death of her own choosing. Then ten year old Rose moves in next door. Rose is a whirlwind of color and energy who promptly decides that Eudora is delightful and her new best friend. Through Rose, Eudora meets Stanley, a recently widowed man who is happy to join their friendship trio. As Eudora finds herself reluctantly drawn into Rose's joyful existence, she remembers her own life and the choices she has made, and the parallels between her own childhood and Rose's. This is a rich novel with two unapologetic heroines- Eudora and Rose. Rose is more than simply the precocious child next door, the author details her well as well as acknowleging that a child who's best friends are senior citizens might struggle with her own age group. Also, Eudora is not suicidal, she just feels she has reached a suitable end, and the book in detailing her life, shows how this is for her a choice for dignity and not despair. This will be a good choice for book groups as there is a lot to discuss- elder rights, end of life choices, parent/child relationships, and many more.

Every part of this novel is worth your time. The character's depths and relationships are fun to read all while understanding Dora's plan. Rose is perfectly real with her acceptance and curious about everything. The tragedy within Dora isn't known for awhile as circumstances keep changing.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

This novel has a really interesting and unique premise. I'm glad to see a book with an old woman as a main character, and it's great to see such an explicit discussion of end of life plans, death doulas, and so on. That said, the novel didn't really land well with me. I felt that some of the characters and dialogue (in particular, Rose) were cliche and felt surface-level. In terms of the main character's backstory, I felt that the characterization of her younger sister, Stella, felt especially hard to understand; was she a sociopath or just terribly selfish? We have a main character with so, so many challenges in the background that it feels less and less realistic, especially because none of the individual events get a deep amount of interiority or analysis. I feel that others may connect better with this book, and I can see it as a readable, accessible text that covers some important ground in a unique way (death, old age, etc) but it wasn't a fit for me at all.

A book for women of a "certain age" or women who know them. Eudora is in her 80s and has lived a full life, but now with her body slowing down and no family or close friends to keep her occupied, she has had enough. She contacts a clinic in Switzerland to arrange her death with dignity and on her own terms. Things seem to be going smoothly until 10 year old Rosie moves in next door.

This sounds like the set up for a soap opera or an overly predictable "awwww!" movie on the Hallmark Channel. Fortunately, that is not the case. Instead we get a look at a remarkable life and insight into aging, family, friendship, and more. Eudora's life is told in flashbacks, and it is wonderfully romantic and tragic, touching and heartbreaking. Everything from her past explains her present. And Rosie !! What a wonderful character. She's a force to be reckoned with but never a caricature. Instead we see a child full of wonder and love and insecurities. Sometimes I was laughing out loud, and sometimes I was moved to tears.

This is a lovely book for fans of A Man Called Ove or Eleanor Oliphant. There are a few surprises and a satisfying ending. What more could you ask.

This is a new entry into the recent spate of novels which begin with a cranky, bitter, oldster and end with a heartwarming celebration of life.

Eudora Honeycutt is 85 and is planning to end her life with the aid of a Swiss clinic. In alternating chapters we witness her life’s transformation into one worth living and the historical events that brought her to the situation: alone and calmly planning to end her life.

The best character in the present story is the irrepressible 10-year old girl who moves in next door and befriends Eudora. That character draws the reader in and makes the book worth reading. The other characters are friendly and pleasant but not (for me) very believable. I had more trouble with the historical sections — it’s a long, sad story that is told in without nuance so that it is too easy to think of obvious alternative choices Eudora should have made.

It’s a feel-good book with a strong pro-people, pro-friends, pro-life message full of caring social workers and is an easy, light, read for these difficult, dark, times.

The best part about this story is the sweet relationship between Eudora and the young girl next door. They needed each other and helped each other through their challenges. The fact that Eudora had flashbacks to different experiences in her life brought in a historical feel and helped me to see why Eudora behaves and thinks the way she does. I really enjoyed the story and as a bonus, it helped me understand my elderly mother better and the life and feelings she is experiencing.

Eudora Honeysett ,85 years old has decided to die on her own terms, as she’s had enough of her life so makes arrangements for assisted suicide. But then big hearted 10 year old Rose moves next door, and slowly reintroduces Eudora to the joys of living as a true friendship grows between them and her neighbor Stanley, who shows her many kindnesses. Alternating chapters go back to Eudora’s childhood when she promises her father as he’s going off to WW2 to always look after her mother and baby sister , Stella. When her father dies, Eudora’s whole life, even as a child, makes it her lifes work to make sure the two of them are taken care of and happy. Her mother is ungrateful and not much of a mother at all, and Stella is more than a handful so Eudora is constantly refereeing the hate between her mother and her sister and really has no life.
A beautifully written and wonderful story filled with life lessons. Perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove.

If you loved A Man Called Ove or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, then this book is for you. Touching and poignant, 10 year old Rose teaches Eudora the meaning of life, friendship and facing death. You will fall in love with plucky Rose who has her owns fashion style and brashness. At 85 years of age, Eudora finds friendships that have eluded her her entire life. The story reveals her sad and overbearing family dynamics that lead Eudora to a life of servitude to her mother, guilt over her sister and lost loves. This is a thoughtful book, beautifully written.

What a lovely, lovely story! It was a delight following Eudora’s late life, and I quite liked how you had a glimpse of what her life was and might have been had she made a different choice.

I love Eudora Honeysett. She’s old, fierce, smart, funny and ready for her life to be over. Other than her cat, she doesn’t feel she has anything to live for. That is, until Rose, a young child, moves in next door and charmingly inserts herself into Eudora’s life. Eudora will never be the same.

Eudora is certainly a woman of a different era. Proper British upbringing in the midst of WWII troubles. She adores her father who asks her to care for her Mum and the baby soon to come while he has to go to war. Then Dora's life gets turned upside down and she finds herself being the caretaker of both Mum and sister Stella, never really having a life of her own. The author immerses us in Eudora's present life as we are treated to a piece of her history at the end of each chapter. We better understand why Eudora now 85 and alone has decided to go to Switzerland and legally end her life, i.e. if she passes scrutiny and steps. But then young Rose and her family move in next door and Stanley shows kindness that politeness dictates she returns. Before you know it, Eudora finds herself with true friends. One can't help but be drawn in to this wonderful story which had me smiling for most, and sobbing for much of the end. The small touches that accompany the life of a senior living alone, who then embraces visiting a senior center despite her reservations, how so many present moments relate to memories of a younger time are true to life. Eudora, despite her age and solitary lifestyle, still knows the importance of taking care of herself, and though she contemplates death, is not the type to give up on the day to day. We can tell she is not depressed; she is more determined. As the story closes, we come away learning that fear is not as powerful as one may think when it comes to death once we understand it is just a natural part of living after all.

What a lovely book! So many great life lessons here and so timely with what’s going on in the world right now. How loneliness doesn’t have to rule or waste your life. How if you open your heart and mind, there could be a mountain of happiness as close as next door. I love Ruby and her parents but a part of me thinks that there aren’t many families like that anymore. People nowadays are too selfish and cold. If anything this book is a reminder of how things could be and should be if only we choose to wake up.

Eudora Honeysett is getting old. She has lived a long, if not particularly fulfilling life. She has no family or friends and has convinced herself that it’s just fine that way. Ten year old Rose moves in next door and turns Eudora’s ideas around. As Eudora makes additional friends and begins to enjoy herself, her self-imposed shell begins to crack. A decision that Eudora had previously made seems less like a good idea until a breach in one of her friendships changes her mind again. I couldn’t put this down as I wanted to see what Eudora decided. Annie Lyons crafted very believable characters and very believable scenarios. I look forward to reading other works by Ms. Lyons.