I loved this book. It was similar to A Man Called Ove, but about a woman who has no family and is ready to die. She eventually meets some adorable characters (neighbors), and as you fall in love with them, so does Eudora. Wonderful book.

I received an electronic ARC from HarperCollins Publishing through NetGalley.
Finished this one in tears. A tender ending for Eudora as she dies surrounded by the two people who brought love back into her life. Readers see Eudora's present life and also memories from her earlier years. She recalls events that helped mold her into a lonely woman who is planning to end her life with assisted suicide. She wants control over her death in contrast to the lack of control she has felt over her life. She meets Rose, a 10-year old who moves in next door and wraps Eudora up in friendship and fun. Eudora also becomes friends with Stanley, an elderly neighbor who has his own times of sorrow and loneliness after his wife's death.
Lyons writing style pulls readers in so they are part of the scenes. She slowly reveals information about her characters and provides the right amount for readers to understand their choices. The scene in the airport toward the end is well done for timing and actions. Throughout the story, there are moments where readers will directly relate to a character's emotions and actions.

I started the book and thought to myself that this is going to be too sad & depressing & thought I don’t need this now. I like to give books a chance so I read on & am very glad I did. The characters were so likable except for the ones that made Eudora’s life miserable. It was such a good story all the way to the end. It was nice to read of an older woman rather than the young people most often in novels. It dealt with aging & death in a realistic way. Rose was the heroine of the story & was such an adorable character. I would recommend it to any age groups but especially for my over 60 reading group

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this lovely story! I read this book during the power outage from our recent tropical storm, and it was exactly the escape I was looking for.

Eudora Honeysett decides she has lived enough life and there is nothing left to look forward to. But while making her plans to end her days, she inadvertently begins anew. Her internal struggles with her determination to continue with her plans and the enjoyment of budding relationships with those around her make for a delightful story, with laugh out loud moments, about life, death, and the effect we have on others simply by being ourselves.

“The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett” is another novel of senior regeneration in the publishing fad that was kicked off by the international bestseller “A Man Called Ove.” These novels tend to be titled "The Adjective Noun of Firstname Lastname," and they have cartoonish covers with gray-haired people and pets, so they are easy to spot when selecting books.

Eudora Honeysett, of Suffolk, England, has decided that life past the age of 80 has no more to offer and she is making plans for an assisted, dignified death.

The novel is set firmly and disconcertingly in the present day. Eudora feels that she no longer belongs in the modern world and frankly, she is hostile toward modern life in general. The mobile phone preoccupation of everyone she meets is particularly irritating.

Because she has suffered a fall, Eudora feels increasingly fragile. On the rare occasions when she is not socially invisible, she is in the way and subjected to rudeness from the young. These profane verbal attacks feel like assaults and deepen her depression. Death does not frighten Eudora, but she is terrified at the prospect of losing control over her final years, which she imagines can only be a devolving nightmare. Eudora deplores the political direction of England and the overall state of the world and humanity, and she wants out before things get any worse.

If you know the subgenre, you know that total strangers will appear to change Eudora’s entire outlook and trajectory and make her focus on friendships and delights that are right in front of her, instead of being preoccupied with the doom-and-gloom news cycle and her impending lonely death. Rose, the little girl who is Eudora’s primary salvation, is a fun character, and of course Eudora discovers that she does have wisdom and insight to offer to the small people who will inherit England’s future. “Brilliant Life” is a good refresher about what’s important, of course, and comfortingly describes what new possibilities can open up past 80 if you're lucky enough to have wonderful new neighbors who take a sudden and persistent interest in you and your welfare.

"Brilliant Life" never got too schmaltzy for my taste and had a fair amount of charm and warm humor. I recommend it for light reading if you are still into the golden-years-turn-gold trend. Pun intended: it's beginning to get old.

This is a sweet, gentle tale about a woman who wants to leave the world on her own terms, having never lived by her own terms up to that point.
Eudora is a reserved, old fashioned lady who is growing old in the house she never left, with a bad tempered cat for company. And she is OK with it all. Then along comes a 10 year old dervish girl called Rose who powers through Eudora's reserved nature and gives Eudora a reason to stay around and let loose a little.
This reminded me of A Man Called Ove and The Story of Author Truluv and was just as wonderful. Small action books require beautifully imagined and realistic characters and Annie Lyons did just that with Eudora, Rose, Maggie and Stanley. The idea of community and kindness ran rampant throughout and left me feeling homely and a desire to check on my neighbors. Set aside a day for this one, you won't want to put it down.

I absolutely loved this book. Eudora is 85 years old, and after a long and sometimes heartbreaking life, she decides to apply to a clinic in Switzerland to end her life. As a new family moves next door, life changes radically for Eudora. Ten year old Rose, precocious and quite the unique dresser, enters Eudora’s life and changes everything for her. The book gives us insight into the events in Eudora’s life that left her lonely and hard, but Rose and her family turn things around. I can’t say enough about this book, a remedy during a time when life seems to be handing out lemons. Highly recommend, and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

This book started out very similarly to another book I've read, but the endearing characters quickly won me over. The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett is a sweet story of an elderly woman who has decided she has nothing left to live for. A precocious little girl moves in next door and changes Eudora's outlook on life. Some of the changes in Eudora seem unlikely, as she is crusty and set in her ways, but the loveable Rose makes the reader believe (or at least, go along with) the life-changing impact on Eudora.

Another book in the genre of cantankerous old person brought to appreciate life by a quirky young person. A Man Called Ove and The Story of Arthur Trulove did it much better.

This emotional novel about second chances is a good reminder of the power of human connections. Everyone has a story to tell if we look hard enough.

I suspect this novel will draw a lot of comparisons to those by Frederik Backman, and I can't say that I'd disagree. I've enjoyed all of his novels, so this comparison is a plus in my book. While there are dark moments in the story and I felt that it had a few predictable elements (cute kid who you can't help but find endearing for her relentless positivity? check. curmudgeonly octogenarian who can't stand the busy-busy modern life and whose past factors into the present? check.), I still found the story to be utterly charming and would absolutely recommend it to anyone seeking a pleasant read that makes you think about your own life, the importance of human connection, and what a "good death" means.

Like the aloof 85-year-old Eudora, I could not help but be won over by the human embodiment of sunshine and light, 10-year-old Rose Trewidney, and the recently widowed Stanley whose light ribbing of Eudora brought many a smile to my face as I was reading. The unlikely friendship that develops between the three of them is sweet and warm, even if it isn't entirely realistic. Would a grouchy 85-year-old really warm up to a relentlessly cheery 10-year-old and say yes to things she'd normally run the other way from? Probably not, but sometimes it's just nice to escape with a story that feels like a warm hug. This checked that box for me.

Almost every chapter ends with a flashback to an earlier event from Eudora's life. The reader gets glimpses into Eudora's past from 1940 until 2018, which provides insights to her personality and decisions. I liked the technique and felt that the flashbacks provided just enough background without derailing the present-day storyline. I also liked the fact that present-day Eudora made decisions that might have seemed out-of-character given some of the events that occurred in her past and still weighed on her in the present. While Eudora was shaped by them, she was still open to the opportunities presented by Rose and Stanley as she neared the end of her life.

This review was based on a digital advanced reader's copy that I received via NetGalley. Many thanks to William Morrow and the Book Club Girl Early Read program for an opportunity to take a sneak peek at this novel!

I found this book to be a bit simplistic and the story not as well done as other similar stories. The little girl does not seem very realistic. ARC provided by Net Galley in exchange for a fair review.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons. I had no idea what to expect but I absolutely loved this book and fell in love with the characters! Eudora is an old lady that has been alone the last few years of her life and is looking in to how to die with dignity at her own set time. All of her family has passed away already and she lives a life of solitude by her own choice. Then little Rose moves in next door and a friendship is born between the two. Annie Lyons gives us little snippets of Eudora life from time to time which help explain her solitude and the life she lives. Eudora will have you looking at life a little different and you'll want to move to this friendly little town!
Overall, I enjoyed The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons. I will definitely be recommending it to others and will be looking for other works by Annie Lyons. If anything, I hope this books opens conversations with others about dying with dignity. As an ICU nurse, so many people never have this conversation and it leaves so many questions unanswered. So much needless suffering that could be avoided. Special thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins-William Morrow Publishing, and Annie Lyons for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks you all!!

#TheBrilliantLifeofEudoraHoneysett #NetGalley

Eudora Honeysett is 85 years old, alone , and tired. The highlights of her day are going for a solitary swim and dealing with her somewhat contentious cat Montgomery. She begins to make plans to travel to a clinic in Switzerland where she can end her life on her own terms. A new family moves next door, and 10 year old Rose turns Eudora’s world upside down. Along with a newly widowed neighbor, Stanley they become an unlikely trio. Eudora’s life Is told through flashbacks and we learn how a promise to her dad, sets the course for her solitary life. I could not put this book down. I laughed and cried, and was sad for it to end. If anyone asks for a book suggestion, this will be the one I chose!!

I loved Eudora Honeycutt!!!! This book reminded me so much of A Man Called Over and maybe Eleanor Oliphant. Eudora has had a bit of a rough life and has gone through some not very nice things. She's loved and she's lost and she's sacrificed much to take care of her mom. She is alone now and 85 and she wants to die on her own terms. She is working to be able to do that and into her life enters 10 year old Rose. Rose has moved in next door to Eudora with her parents and sister on the way. Rose has been bullied at her last school and has trouble making friends. You never know when a bright day of sunshine is going to walk into your life and change it.
The friendship that grows between Eudora and Rose is so precious and so beautiful. I love that Rose's whole family takes Eudora under their wing. Rose and Eudora bring another elderly man and neighbor, Stanley, into their circle as well. It was just so beautifully written and poignant and lovely.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick and easy read, it was fun and funny yet still bringing up a very serious and important topic.- is it up to the individual to decide when they are ready to die? Are we every really ready to?
I would definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thanks to NetGalley and Book Club Girls for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just adored this wonderful book about coming to terms with death and with what life has to offer. Eudora Honeysett is 85 and wants to end her life with dignity on her terms. But meeting her 10 year old neighbor Rose and forming a friendship with her neighbor, Stanley, makes her rethink her decision. The book is told in present day but there are short recollections of Eudora's life over the years from her childhood through adulthood that help you to understand how she got to where she is today. It is beautifully written with wonderfully quirky and interesting characters. It reminded me a lot of A Man Called Ove. Thanks to NetGalley and Book Club Girls for the digital ARC.

Thank you for this digital advanced copy of this book provided by Net Galley and Harper & Collins in exchange for my honest review.
Eudora Honeysett is 85 years old and lives alone. She is set in her routines, used to being alone and keeping her feelings and life private. Eudora is checking out information on assisted dying through a clinic in Switzerland. Eudora is tired of living her old age, feeling her body aches and noticing some difficulties with everyday tasks she desires to have some control on how she is to die. She wants to have the choice to die with her own terms. She goes through the process to be evaluated for a planned and assisted death.

Then Eudora has new neighbors move in and she meets 10 year old Rose. Rose is full of life, speaks her mind and likes to dress with lots of color and bling. Rose Instantly likes Eudora and Rose is a force that Eudora cannot get away from. The relationship between Rose and Eudora becomes very special and along with another friendship with a grieving neighbor.

In this story we learn about Eudora's past with some memories and flashbacks which helps explain her life. We learn about how Eudora grew up caring for family members and some sad things that happened with her family. Eudora made choices that involved her family that would forever shape her life.

This reminded me a little of "A Man Called Ove" at the beginning but as it progressed it was uniquely different from it. At times, this story made me smile and it was endearing especially how Rose interacted with Eudora. I miss the dynamics of Rose and Eudora already. I enjoyed the wisdom of the aged and the spontaneity of the young together. I would say it is a light read but it kept drawing me back to it therefore, it deserves a 5 star rating from me.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book thanks to Net Galley and Book Club Girls. What a beautifully written story about life. Things didn’t go well for Eudora but with the help of a precocious 10 year old girl an and older gentleman neighbor who is still missing his deceased wife, Eudora finds joy and friendship.

This was a quick, easy read and I enjoyed how the author gave us glimpses of Eudora's life over the years. I felt the characters came to life through the pages and LOVED the innocence of the little girl and wished she and her family lived next door to me. Definitely a FIVE STAR read!,, Thanks to Net Galley, Book Club Girls and Annie Lyons for an advanced readers e-copy of this book.

The publishers description of this novel as a cross between <i>Me Before You</i> and <i>Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine</i> hit the nail on the head.

Eudora has been alive for 85 years. And she is ready to die by her own terms in Switzerland. She has prepared the paperwork and has set the wheels in motion.

Her plans take a turn when 10 year old Rose moves in next door and Eudora realizes that she has been alive for 85 years but she hasn’t really lived.

Bring your tissues.