This book is lovely. It’s character driven with eccentric people you like and people you just want to bop over the head, but they’re all very real.
Jane, a second grade teacher meets Duncan, who has slept with everyone in the town and still mows his ex wife’s lawn. Their relationship falters but when they pick up again they seem to form a “found” family, Jimmy, who needs them, Aggie and Gary, Jane’s best friend and Jane’s painful to take mother, as well as a few others. This book is about their relationships with one another, and days that string together to make a life.

I think I’m in the minority with my review but this book just didn’t do it for me and certainly didn’t warrant 5 stars! The summary of the story is what attracted me to it in the first place. Jane is a young teacher recently moved to a small town in Michigan when she meets a handsome and charming older man, Duncan, whom she falls head over heels in love with. Duncan, however, seems to have had a relationship with almost every woman in town and is still best friends with his ex. His past causes Jane to constantly doubt their relationship and his loyalty to her. The author introduces us to quite a few quirky characters which adds some humor to the story. There are also heartwarming moments particularly with Jane and Duncan’s relationship with their developmentally delayed neighbor, Jimmy.
My issue with this book was with the plot or I should say the lack thereof. I felt as though there was no purpose to this story and at times became bored with it. Overall, the author did a decent job with character development however I felt as though she could have made Jane a bit stronger. I found myself getting annoyed with her constant self doubt when it came to Duncan and their relationship.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the story and characters of this book! The main characters are Jane and Duncan centered around a small town in Michigan. Jane is a 2nd grade teacher which makes for some very funny moments. And Duncan is a woodworker among other jobs he performs. Duncan has a reputation of “being with many woman” which is well known around town and the surrounding area. The friendships and relationships of several quirky characters makes this book such a fun read. I had many laugh out loud moments.

Early Morning Riser was an all-around enjoyable heartwarming story of family, love and personal relationships through time. Thank you NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, and author Katherine Heiny for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review #earlymorningriser #GoldintheAir #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. It is a character-driven story, and the characters are all engaging and authentic. It was fun to join them on their journey over the twenty years or so covered by the book. Recommended!

At first, the main character seems a little bit delusional, and then you realize that she is just human. The character development in this story is captivating, and you will certainly feel enmeshed in the small town setting. This book demonstrates how a community can be created and flourish in a way that is deeply Midwestern.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this novel! I was drawn to this title from the bright cover and immediately was taken from the first few pages. The story centers around our main character Jane, a second grade teacher who starts dating Duncan after moving to a small Michigan town. The story goes from there and delves deeper into themes of personal relationships, family and happiness. The book gave me warm, cozy vibes that are hard to top, that are sometimes exactly what you need from a book. I loved this novel so much and I will be seeking out Heiny's earlier work "Standard Deviation" and hope it evokes the same feelings this one produced!

I loved this book! An equally tender and hilarious read. Haven't been able to pick up anything else since finishing it!

4.5!
Pretty sure everyone will be buzzing about this book when it comes out this spring. Parts of it made me laugh out loud. Such endearing characters that are so perfectly imagined. I'll be thinking about them for a while.

As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to read it, and WOW it did not disappoint. Beyond thrilled to have been able to read this early on and be able to recommend it. This novel depicts small town inferiority and life perfectly. So relatable! Please read!

Heiny delights with eccentric characters encircling Jane, a second grade teacher who falls for the most promiscuous man in town. Together they create a found family revolving around Jimmy, a kind hearted, simple soul.

I absolutely loved this book. When I finished reading it I just sat here feeling very warm hearted. I’ve always rolled my eyes at the reviewers that when the book ended they felt like like they lost a bunch of friends. Funnily, this book made me feel like that. It’s a story about my friend Jane. She shares some really humorous moments as a teacher, a mother and as Duncan’s girlfriend. She has friends that you will love hearing about. Her friends are wacky, annoying and funny. I highly recommend this book to all readers of women’s fiction. Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC. In exchange I have written an honest review.

This is a book I didn’t realize I liked it until I finished reading. There wasn’t anything flashy or mind blowing, instead I was left with the feeling of sometimes life doesn’t go exactly the way you expected, or even wanted it to go, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fulfilling, beautiful life.

I fell in love with Katherine Heiny's writing and brain (HER MIND) thanks to 'Standard Deviation,' to the point where I was nervous about reading the forthcoming 'Early Morning Riser' - how could it possibly live up to her debut novel?

Well well well! From the first pages, I could tell 'Early Morning Riser' would end up on my favorites list. The writing is lovely, genuinely funny and pleasantly offbeat. The story itself is expansive, which initially made me nervous; when a book covers a large portion of a character's life, then of course the character will encounter some of life's common, terrible tragedies. Luckily for me, Heiny always swoops in with humor, and at the end of the book, I felt like I was watching the series finale of a prestige TV show.

'Early Morning Riser' reminds me a lot of 'Olive Kitteridge,' both because of the format (it is absolutely a novel, but several chapters can function as standalone stories) and because every character is so realistic, unique and fully human. I don't know how to describe the plot without sounding corny, and it's not a corny book.....I'll simply say it's a celebration of community and of family in every form, and in my opinion it is perfect!

As always, an enjoyable read from Katherine. I do wish there was a little bit more plot driving the story.

I really enjoyed her earlier books so I knew I would like this and wasn't disappointed. She really has a relatable voice and I identify more with her characters more than most. Not a whole lot happens in any of her books but it is always relatable. Just a quirky fun book.

I'm SO excited about this book. I see the title has changed since I read it (previously called Gold in the Air?) and I adore the cover. This book is 100% incredible. Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, Heiny's wit and charm is on full display here. Everything I hoped it would be.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Heiny's previous two books, and was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it was not interesting to me. The story involves a young woman who moves to a small town and quickly falls for the town's Casanova. This gentleman remains friends with all his ex-lovers and all their lives become intertwined. There is no gradual development of the relationship between the two, and I never got a sense of the mutual attraction, or much of either of their personalities. Although she doesn't enjoy sharing this man, she resigns herself to it ( strangely, he does not break up with her, although it is clear his previous relationships were all brief, and he broke them all off).

They quickly move in together (again, no real sense of the timeline or what they see in each other) and their lives become one with his ex-wife and her new husband, along with a seemingly autistic young man who becomes a surrogate man-child in their lives after the sudden death of his mother.