Kristan Higgins’ new novel Pack Up the Moon is a beautiful story about love, loss, and grief, and it’s about how to pick up the pieces of your life and start again when the love of your life is taken away way too soon.

The story follows Joshua and Lauren Park, a newly married couple who are just perfect for each other and madly in love. Their happy lives come crashing down around them, however, when Lauren is unexpectedly and tragically diagnosed with a terminal illness and is told she probably only has 3-5 years to live.

What I loved most about this book is how Higgins chooses to unfold the story of Joshua and Lauren. Within the first few pages of the book, Lauren dies and we are presented with Joshua, the grieving widow. It is actually after Lauren’s death that we really get to know her because Lauren has spent many of her final months living writing letters for Joshua that he is to be given in the months after her death. Her thought in doing that is that it will help him better cope with her death and start to live his life again. She also tried to process her own life ending so prematurely by writing letters to her dead father. She talks to him about her fears, about how sad she is that she’ll be leaving Joshua alone and that they never had children, etc. She also communicates her hope that she will be reunited with her father in the afterlife. Each chapter of the novel presents us with either a letter from Lauren to Joshua or one from Lauren to her dad.

I fell in love with both Lauren and Joshua as I read these letters and then read the flashbacks that accompanied so many of them. Lauren is such a beautiful soul and it’s easy to see why Joshua loved her so much and is so devastated by her loss. I loved the glimpses of their life together that the flashbacks provided, and I especially loved Lauren’s letters to Joshua, which were actually quite funny at times and gave him very explicit instructions that she fully expected him to follow, from simple things like go to the grocery store to more challenging tasks like ask a woman out on a date, and because he loved her so much, of course he followed them to the letter.

Pack Up the Moon broke my heart into a million pieces, but at the same time, it gave me hope that there is a way to move forward after tragedy. Keep your tissues handy because this is a story that will make you cry your eyes out, but it will also surprise you with some humorous moments and, most importantly, it will leave you with a full heart because there’s just so much love in the story.

Five emotional heart-wrenching stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A glimpse of what true love is supposed to look like.❤️

Josh and Lauren are a young couple over the moon in love. They have their whole lives ahead of them. Until Lauren receives devastating news. She has a terminal condition known as IPF (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis).

Lauren leaves her husband the best gift she can. Letters from her heart to help him grieve, cope, and move forward. Each letter is doled out at the beginning of the month for an entire year following her passing. Each letter contains words of encouragement to help Josh step out and learn to live and perhaps love once again.

This was one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever read.

I fell In love with Lauren and how brave she was facing her own death but always focused on helping her husband through his grief. And Josh… well he stole my heart completely. Do men like this exist? The magnitude of his love for Lauren brought me to tears. Everyone deserves a Josh in their lives.

I have read a few books recently that had medical themes. Both left me cold in the lack of authenticity. As an RN I have a hard time letting go of these details.

Kristan Higgins did her homework.

I was so impressed by her attention to detail as she described Lauren’s disease and progression. As well as Lauren’s reaction to having a terminal condition at such a young age. Thank you, Kristan!

A buddy read with Susanne that left us both in a puddle of tears.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, via NetGalley.

Hankies Needed!

Just Call Me a Cry Baby, ‘Cuz this Book Made Me Cry Big Fat Huge Tears.

Lauren and Josh are happily married. Perfect for each other. If there actually is such a thing.

Married for a short time when they find out that Lauren has a terminal illness. Though everything about their lives change significantly, their love for each other never waivers.

When Lauren passes, she leaves Josh letters to help him move forward, one for every month the first year she’s gone.

Tears streamed down my face one minute, smiling and then well, laughing the next! Thank you Radley for providing much-needed comic relief!

Somehow, Kristan Higgins is able to accomplish this deftly and I ate it up.

The relationship between Lauren and Josh seemed somewhat unreal at times, as their love for each other was incredible: solid, whole, and beautiful.

A tearjerker that left me both completely bereft and hopeful. Kristan Higgins: thank you for always managing to deliver and then some.

A fabulous buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing via NetGalley for the arc.

Published on Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram.

Kudos to Kristan Higgins, the author of “Pack up the Moon” has written a poignant, memorable, heart-felt and thought-provoking novel. The genres for this novel are Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and Fiction. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. Somehow, Kristan Higgins manages to show us about life and death. This is one remarkable and touching story that I highly recommend to other readers.

Joshua and Lauren seem to be the most perfect couple. Yes, they have their quirks and flaws, but manage to be a partners and bring the best out in each other. Lauren has always written to her deceased father about the things that were happening in her life. She even wrote her dad that she was going to marry Joshua. Joshua has difficulty with changes.

When Lauren finds out that she has a fatal illness, she devises a plan so that Joshua will be able to live his life. She writes a year full of letters that her friend will give to Joshua one month at a time. Lauren actually gives him a special directive in some letters. This is done in such a compassionate and loving way. This is a book that will stay with me for quite some time. Be sure to have some Kleenex on hand. I loved everything about this book!

Thank you @berkleypub for a copy of this book. This book was a tear jerker from the first page. I never cried so much in a book. This book deals with Josh’s grief and the process of moving on after Lauren dies. The book is told in present day as well as letters written by Lauren to her dad that you learn a lot about her. I love how strong Josh & Lauren’s relationship is and how important family was in the story.

This book should have been titled, Pack Up Your Heart. Because, this book will grab your heart, twist it, jump on it, drag it through the mud, and have you begging for more. Oh this book. Oh my heart. Seriously though, this book wrecked me in the best way. I read this book in a day and a half because…I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! I was consumed by this book and by the love that Lauren and Joshua shared.

I should preface this review by admitting that I love books and movies that are tearjerkers. I am drawn to character driven stories that deal with grief and the process of working through it. I love being so vested in characters that I feel their pain, their anger, their angst and their grief. I loved Stepmother, Terms of Endearment and Steel Magnolias (My daughter’s name is Shelby, so…) As much as the book deals with death and grief, it is also heartwarming, endearing, and full of love and healing.

After Joshua and Lauren are newly married, they find out that Lauren has a fatal disease, IPF, which causes fibrous material to grow in her lungs and make breathing difficult. These two are the kind of couple everyone is jealous of – so in love. Joshua is a medical device inventor and turns his life work into finding a solution for Lauren’s illness. The book is told in alternating voices and timelines – but that does not make it confusing. It serves to show Lauren’s thoughts before her death, and Josh’s life and struggle after her death. Although her illness makes it seemingly impossible, she finds a way to live the best life possible with the love of her life. The beginning line is her writing a letter to her deceased father in which she says,

“People carry a terminal diagnosis differently. I wanted to ride on its back like it’s a racehorse, Dad. I think I have. I can’t say that being sick is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, because I’m not an idiot. But it’s an undeniably huge part of my life…and I love my life. More than ever.”

In an effort to soften the loss, Lauren writes a letter for each month of the first year she is gone for Josh to read. Each letter includes one task for him to complete. The letters give him a lifeline, a way to hear from her again, and a focus for the month. The tasks lead Josh to step outside of his comfort zone and meet people he might not otherwise have met. He slowly begins the healing process, surrounded by their families and friends.

This book is a tearjerker for sure, and it is a beautiful story of love and healing. You will love Lauren and Josh’s love story, you will love their families, you will love their friends, you will love their dog and you will love all of their hearts. I loved this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Pub for sharing an advance copy of this book to read and review.

Recommend with no hesitation whatsoever.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Full of heart and excellent writing, just like all of Kristan Higgin's other novels.

Oh, Lordy! Pack Up The Moon has the honor of making me cry the most out of any other book that I have ever read. If you have read the synopsis, then you can probably guess why. Lauren is a beautiful soul whose life is cut far too short by a terminal illness, so there are so many sad parts as the other characters must journey through the first year without her. It might be too much for some readers. If you have recently lost a loved one or are struggling with depression, approach with caution. I don't know if I could have made it through the novel if I were reading it one year ago given my emotional state at that time. As it is currently, I found it helpful to alternate this one with a rather dry nonfiction read.

Despite the pervasive sadness, there are many beautifully written relationships amongst the other characters that are heartwarming, the ending is a happy one, and the overall message of the novel is very hopeful. Neurodiversity is represented positively within the novel.

One of my very favorite parts of the novel, although also a cause of some tears, was the portrayal of the human-animal bond. In the canine characters of Pebbles and Duffy, we can see how much our pets do for us in terms of support, motivation and unconditional love and how much they mean to their people. From what was written in the acknowledgments, I think that Higgins had recently lost her dog and I could see that this part of the novel may be a tribute to her Willow. I am uncertain if this was purposeful or a happy accident, but it could not have been more beautiful or touching either way.

Pack Up The Moon by Kristan Higgins is a beautiful love story (tear jerker) between Lauren and Josh, and the grief he goes through once Lauren passes away.

This is a hard read as it is realistic. Grief does funny things to a person, makes them forget to eat, leave their wallet at home, and basically forget to live. I have a close relative going through chemo right now for Stage 4 Cancer, so perhaps this wasn't the best time to read such an emotional journey. That being said, you can tell the love that Lauren has for Josh and their relationship is displayed through memories and her letters she left behind for Josh to read after she passed away. Lauren is a riot and we get to know her not just through the letters, but because her voice uses the past narrative and then we get to know Josh after she died. Very well done, and easy to keep straight in my opinion.

Heartfelt, emotional ride that is layered with hope! Definitely recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and author Kristan Higgins for this temporary digital advance review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my reviews are voluntary and my opinions are my own!

It’s not like you don’t know what’s going to happen but it is still a gut punch in the end. Lauren Park writes letters to get her husband, Joshua through the first year after she’s gone. Could you write letters like this? I’m not so sure I could.

They haven't been married too long but they are deeply in love. His wife gets ill, and the doctor's aren't sure what she has. When they finally make a decision, it's devastating. It's a terminal disease that will eventually take her life...
Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It was published on June 8th.

Lauren has a good attitude, she wants to stay happy and love her husband as long as she can. But lung disease doesn't give you a lot of time. They try to enjoy life but it comes to an end.

Joshua is upset. He didn't want to lose her and he's not sure what to do next. Then he finds out she's left him letters to be delivered after her death.

While he still grieves her loss, he tries to follow the instructions in the letters. As a year passes, he changes to a more outgoing person. He makes friends, he updates his wardrobe, and he buys a house.

The last letter tells him to fall in love again. Is he ready for that?

Welp, this book wrecked me. The synopsis should really include a warning to the effect of,

“Will make you cry the entire time but also won’t let you put the book down”

Lauren and Josh have the perfect life. Both are thriving professionally and their love for each other is the stuff of fairy tales. But Lauren is dying, and fighting against a terminal disease. Her dying is inevitable, and in an effort to make sure her on the spectrum husband doesn’t revert to his hermit ways, she decides to help more past her death. Each month Lauren has a letter delivered with a taste for him to complete. These letters will help guide Josh through his first year without Lauren with the hopes of mending his broken heart and showing him that it’s okay for him to move on.

Told from both Lauren and Josh’s perspectives this story literally broke my heart in half. Most stories like this I feel are told from the women’s perspective, and I liked how Higgins was able to show the male side of grief. The story line is a bit non-linear, but to me added a tone to the story itself. While Josh’s timeline start from the day Lauren dies and moves forward as we read, Lauren’s timelines starts on the day of her death but moves backwards as we read. I thought the story line written this way was fantastic.

The only negative thing about this story is that it’s a bit long. I think it really felt even longer because it was so emotionally draining. It took me quite a few days to read just because I needed a few days away from the story. Otherwise, this is a completely fabulous story that not only portrays the different stages of grief but also adds in a bit of humor (tastefully) into the story. I personally felt that while this is indeed a heart wrenching story, it is also a story of hope and optimism. .

Higgins has crafted an excellent story of love and while it’s incredibly sad it’s a book I’d highly recommend. Next time you need a good cry, make sure to pick this book up!


Pack up the Moon is out now. Huge thank you to Berkley for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

In Pack Up the Moon, Kristan Higgins once again takes her readers on a roller coaster ride of laugh out-loud moments followed by tears streaming down one’s cheek; if not outright bawling. This amazing, heart wrenching, yet heartwarming and emotional story follows the love of a very special couple; married a short time, fully in love and dealing with one of them having a terminal illness. As sad as the premise is, this book is full of love, humor, hope, and a reminder to not take life for granted.

Josh and Lauren are truly the perfect couple. They are madly in love and following reward career paths. All is good until Lauren’s diagnosis. As Lauren’s disease progresses, she wants to make the most of her remaining life while Josh will do anything for Lauren, he cannot face losing her. He becomes focused on finding a way to avoid losing her and having to live life without her. Lauren knows her husband well, and makes a plan to help Josh move forward after her death. Each month, a letter will be delivered to him, giving him a task to help him face that first year without her. Each letter assists with Josh with the various stages of grief; journey through pain, anger, and denial. Maybe it’s going grocery shopping to buy food or buying new clothes and making a new friend. Other tasks include Joshua’s attempt to host a dinner party for family and friends or getting rid of their bed. Then there’s the visit with a psychic medium and to a kiss with a woman who isn't Lauren. As time passes, his grief makes room for laughter and new relationships. Joshua eventually learns Lauren's most valuable lesson, the path to finding happiness doesn't follow a straight line.

Ms. Higgins wrote an amazing and emotional story that is not to be missed. In typical Higgins fashion, mixed with the teary emotional portions are humorous situations that brought out laughs and smiles. She provided a tale rich with family dynamics, amusing banter, and other endearing characters throughout this story. I highly recommend Pack Up the Moon to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, provided by the publisher.

Lauren and Josh are the perfect couple: young, good-looking, successful, and almost sickeningly in love. But when Lauren is diagnosed with a terminal illness right around their first wedding anniversary, their perfect life is turned upside down. Determined to still love each other fiercely and to live life to its fullest, Josh concentrates on making his wife's days as beautiful as possible -- like renting her a beach house for an entire year when she can no longer travel -- while Lauren focuses on how to help her husband process his grief after she's gone. So she writes him letters. One for each month after she's gone, to help him get through his first year without her. In each, Lauren asks Josh to focus on one thing, one aspect of his life she thinks will help me move through his grief. What follows is a beautiful story of true love, heartwrenching grief, and the healing power of words and the love of those around you.

Thoughts: Oh my gosh, the feels with this one! I literally sobbed. Lauren and Josh are such amazing characters that I found myself wishing they were real and grieving someone who doesn't actually exist. Lauren and Josh's marriage was near perfect and the selflessness they showed for one another is just nothing short of heroic. The secondary characters were all incredibly likable that, even though this is a work of fiction, I was thankful Josh had such a wonderful support system. This entire book had total Nicholas Sparks vibes and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves a good ugly cry! Needless to say, I hugged my husband extra tight after finishing this book.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Pack Up the Moon is such a sad story. A romance that flourishes, grows, and then before it has a chance to have a long life there is a horrible twist. One of the persons learns that they are not going to live a long life, they are going to die well before their time, and they will leave behind the person who has made their heartbeat, their soul shine, and their entire life better.

Lauren is the person who has found out she is going to die. Her illness cannot be cured. I enjoyed seeing how she found the silver lining, she decides that she will live each day to the fullest, find the happiness in each minute, and spend as much time as possible with her husband. The way that she guided her husband, Joshua, through the first year after her death was heartwarming and heart breaking. With each part of Joshua’s journey after losing Lauren I could feel the love that she had for him and the hope that she had that he would find a way to be happy again and hopefully find love again.

Kristan Higgins wrote a book that I felt was different from her other books that I have read but I really liked it. I liked how many feelings were shared, how real the characters were, and how much family and friendship mean to Lauren. Pick up your own copy of this book and open your heart to a heartbreaking, heartwarming, sad and happy story.

This is a book about grief. It is a book about love. It is a book about picking yourself back up and finding hope in those that have left you. And this book is beautiful.

Joshua Park is newly widowed. Not where he thought he would be in life at 30, not sure what to do about anything, and then he gets a letter from his dead wife. The first of 12, one for every month of the first year that she is gone and each one containing a task for him to do. Throughout this year we follow Josh as he navigates loss, moving forward, and making more memories without Lauren.

We also see back in Lauren's life as she navigates her illness, writing to her own dead father as she lives life without him.

This book was beautiful and lovely and made me cry. Stories of young widowed couples are not everywhere and this one is a great story that stands out from many others. It took me on a journey outside of myself and I felt like I was living a year with Joshua Park.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you all that this book is definitely one of the most BEAUTIFUL stories I’ve ever read.

Pack Up the Moon is a story about love and loss. It follows Lauren and Josh (plus their puppy, some friends, and some family) after Lauren is diagnosed with a severe lung disease. Told in a dual timeline/mixed media style the story focuses on Josh after her death, but we get to see their relationship because Lauren has left Josh letters to read. One a month, to help him grieve, to remind him he’s not alone, and to help him eventually move on.

The letters help Josh get through a lot of the “firsts” that he has to experience after her passing. And while a lot of these firsts aren’t easy, even with the letters and the support system that Lauren reminds him to use, they kind of help soften the blow because Josh is able to still feel like Lauren is with him even though she isn’t there physically.

The letters also challenge Josh to step out of his comfort zone, and without giving any of those challenges away I think it says so much about the love they had for each other that Josh follows through with the challenges even though Lauren isn’t there to actually hold him accountable. (Also says so much because Lauren knew exactly what he would need for that first year 🥺🥺)

This story will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will help you believe that everything will be okay. This was my first book by the author and I can say with 100% certainty that I will be back for more.

Are you a book crier? I am a crier by nature so crying in books, movies and tv shows is second nature to me.

But every once in awhile a book pushes me to the brink and Pack Up The Moon was one of those books. So. Many. Tears. It is the story of Josh, a recent widower, who receives a letter each month with a different challenge written by his recently deceased wife, Lauren, once she realizes she is dying of a terminal illness at a young age. Enough said. Oh, my heart. This book is sad. It is heavy. It is depressing. It wrecked me. I found it weighing on me and at times, hard to read without becoming morose myself. Luckily the gut wrenching letters and descriptions of Josh moping around are offset by the humor and sweetness of the supporting characters in Josh’s life. So the whole thing wasn’t a sobfest. Just a warning to have some tissues nearby. And some ice cream.

Alert! 🚨I think I have a frontrunner for my favorite book of 2021!

The gem gave me ALL 👏 THE 👏 FEELS and I couldn’t get enough. When I say it wrecked me, I mean wrecked. Proceed with caution & don’t read if you’re not ready for a book that’ll rock you emotionally, but I encourage each of you to give it a shot when you’re in the right mindset.

The plot line was realistic, Lauren & Josh’s love story was special and the grief was raw & palpable, making for such an enjoyable reading experience. This felt like the perfect marriage of The Two Lives of Lydia Bird & PS I Love You mixed with a little bit of Me Before You & The Fault in Our Stars. I loved the dual timelines and POVs and was so invested in the characters. The book is a little long, but the length didn’t bother me and I still found it to be a quick read.

Thanks @berkleypub & @netgalley for my e-galley! Swipe for synopsis. ➡️

Trigger warnings: terminal illness, death of a spouse

Some might think that Lauren Carlisle Park has a charmed life. After all, she has a great job, an adoring family, a tight group of devoted friends and she’s married to her soulmate.

She might even believe all of that herself – until she finds out that she’s dying. So whatever time she has left, she’s going to cherish it and make sure that everyone around her knows how deeply they are loved. Especially Josh.

Her plan is simple. Each month after she’s gone, he’ll receive a letter. She’ll remind him to keep on living because true love never dies.

“In love wasn’t a phrase. It was how they lived, wrapped in the warm, soft blanket of mutual adoration, and in this moment, on this evening, nothing else mattered. They were untouchable, golden, immortal. He would love her the rest of his life, and he knew, with absolute certainty, that she would love him the rest of hers.
However long or short a time that would be.”

Joshua Park didn’t really live before he met Lauren. She pulled him out of his shell where everything was monochrome and showed him a world filled with all the vibrant colors love. Now she’s dead at only twenty-eight.

Reading her letters each month is equal parts excruciating and heartening. As much as he can’t imagine a world without her, he makes a promise to face life with as much courage as she had facing death. He would try. For Lauren.

“Being on his own wasn’t what he wanted anymore. It was too lonely. He didn’t want to revert to that dorky, solitary workaholic Lauren had dated. He wanted to be more. Loving her, and losing her, had changed him, and he didn’t want to go backward.”

I can say without a doubt that Pack Up the Moon is Kristan’s finest book yet! From the very beginning, the emotions provoked by her words roll over you in waves. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one will recognize them instantly – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. They are all right there and so tangible that it’s almost breathtaking.

The ENTIRE cast of characters is this book will totally steal your heart and make you laugh through all the tears. And in the end, Kristan leaves you feeling a special kind of hope – the kind that makes the struggle worthwhile…