A Perfect Harvest is a very funny book about a dying man who's searching for meaning in his life. And he does find meaning: donating his organs, thereby saving the lives of eight people. But his admirable decision ends up getting him involved in legal controversy and a musical based on his life. I've been a fan of Bill Fitzhugh's unique comedic style since I first read Pest Control twenty years ago, and this novel does not disappoint.

This book is about Miguel who’s 35 and been diagnosed with 2 terminal illnesses! However thats all i can review as i thought that the writing of this book was terminal!

“A Perfect Harvest” was an interesting and funny book about friends, life and organ donation. The main character wants to leave something behind when his life is over. It delves into the ability to donate your organs and asks why can’t you donate more than eight. The book had good reasons for multiple organ donations and would be a great book for discussion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Farrago for this ARC for an honest review.

I loved the beginning. The initial premise is interesting, and the way the main character receives and reacts to the awful news were fun and out of the ordinary.
However, I'm afraid it lost me completely once the narrator comes into the story and the plotline about a musical gets going. I would have loved a short story where it's just Miguel, his two friends, and the bad guy. That story would be fun, realistic, and engaging. The story we got was, unfortunately cringe-inducing, forced, and a waste of good ideas.

Much appreciated that NetGalley and Farrago Books allowed me to read in exchange for an honest review.

If you don’t laugh, you will cry. One way that people cope with bleakness is to try and find the funny things in life. Recent lockdowns would have been a lot harder for me without my family to keep me smiling. Diagnoses of terminal illness is no laughing matter, but you still find people who will keep positive, but how do you write this in fiction? Are you able to balance the tone between lightness and the subject matter? Bill Fitzhugh has tackled this balance before and does so again in The Perfect Harvest, but does it have the perfect balance?

When Miguel Padilla leaves his doctor’s office it is not with one terminal diagnosis, but two. Alongside a degenerative disease, Miguel also has an aggressive brain tumour. His lifespan will now be months and not years. With a newfound sense of mortality Miguel decides to leave this Earth having achieved something, saving the lives of others through the perfect harvest of eight major organs. However, US law states that he cannot have assisted death and donate organs. Miguel’s last fight will be to see justice done and also.... help write a musical about the last weeks of his life.

During the 90s I read a lot of crime fiction mixed with comedy. There is something wonderful about a book pitched perfectly if the tone is pitch black. Bill Fitzhugh was one of these authors and Perfect Harvest returns to one of the author’s favourite topics, organ donation. Fitzhugh uses comedy and crime to reveal a lot about a hidden industry and seems a little seedy when you shine a light on it. A monopoly that does not pay the families, but companies get paid by the hospital. You could argue that the private sector has an interest in keeping replacement organs at a rarity to drive up prices.

Unlike the previous books in the Transplant Tetralogy, Perfect is not a crime novel, but is still about the law. The story revolves around the court procedures, think John Grisham with laughs. This does allow Fitzhugh to inform the reader about various philosophical principles around organs – are they property, do we have the right to kill ourselves by donating organs? Academically, these are interested avenues, but are a little dry. The book lacks the pressure and thrills of a cracking crime thread.

There is an internet troll who bubbles away in the background, coming to the fore towards the end, but that role is periphery and although Fitzhugh tries to use the role to add suspense, it does not. Instead, the other major part of the book is the comedic aspect of a musical being made of Miguel’s last weeks. This comes from the narrator of the book, an untrustworthy theatre producer who somehow manages to get buzz for the show. Throughout proceedings he reveals song for the upcoming musical; these are not good and not funny. They are also not bad enough to be funny. This comedic side plot just does not work.

With a comedic element that falls flat and a threat that does not threaten, A Perfect Harvest relies solely on its exploration of organ donation culture in the US. This is interesting, if a little dry. It would make for a good non-fiction book, but Fitzhugh fails to capture the right balance this time around. This is a shame as the author has previously written fantastic moral pieces that are action packed, funny and thought provoking. This book is not that, it is a miss fire for the author, but should not stop readers from trying the first two books in the series.

A comical read. Kristine, Javeed, and Miguel are lifelong friends. Miguel is told he is dying and he and his friends set out to make the most of the life he has left. This brings a host of characters into his life that exposes the good and bad of the organ transplant world. It is told in a cynical and comical way but is yet informative.

This was not for me. The format was just offputting and the narrator grated on my nerves. The story concept is good but the execution was terrible. All the painful song lyrics, the trite conversations, the mentions of moisturizer etc. they all just got to me

This was well written dark humor, but I wasn’t a fan of the musical component…while .mostly a stylistic component, it pushed some scenes too ridiculously over the top

This was a weird book.

This is about a man, Miguel Padilla, who is diagnosed with not one, but two terminal illnesses. He takes stock of his life and realizes that he has not left anything behind to say "I was here." He decides to be an organ donor, preferably now while everything is still functioning and decides to challenge the law to be "harvested to death." The Perfect Harvest alluded to in the title refers to the maximum number of viable organs that can be harvested from a donor, which is 8. Miguel wants to exercise his right to die and also his right to donate organs except they are not mutually exclusive.

Throw in a con-man theatrical producer who wants to turn Miguel's story into a musical, something akin to Repo - the genetic opera or Sweeny Todd, except Miguel's intentions are more honorable and there is no revenge to be had...

The book borders slightly on the absurd in terms of the fast track in front of the courts and the physician-assisted suicide law. This book will certainly raise a lot of hackles, as mentioned in the story itself, with varying opinions on Miguel's motive for doing this and all the political accompaniment to the right to die movement.

Overall, I found the book to be funny at times, poignant when it needs to be and honestly I thought it made good social and economic arguments for its causes.

Miguel Padilla has received the worst news you can receive. His doctor has diagnosed him with not one, but two terminal illnesses. The odds of one terminal illness are low, but two? But Miguel wants his life to mean something, and has a desire to help others. He’s decided that he would exercise his right as an organ donor and donate his organs—all of them.

This is the beginning of a legal debate—based loosely on a situation that happened previously in Georgia. The case of donation laid out various issues surrounding donation, the ethics, and the business of organ donation. The black market for donations was also explored.

I didn’t realize when I picked up A Perfect Harvest, that it was the fourth in a series. Being late to the party didn’t seem to matter, as the book can also be read as a single book and didn’t seem to be reliant on the previous book. The writing was smart and the issues were interesting, presented well and told with humor—a donor musical anyone? Overall it was an interesting, educational and fun read.

I really struggled to get into this book. I didn't quite grasp the writing style and struggled to find the humour that I think it intended to have. I have not read any of the previous books in the series which may have contributed to my disappointment.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A comic look at conflicting laws affecting human organ transplants. The narrator is a playwright; sometimes the dialogues are hard to follow and the asides get long winded. Overall, a comedic look at hard issues.

Three doctors are beginning there careers when one is terminally diagnosed with a few years left to live. When they decide rather quickly to donate as many organs possible and legally. What could go wrong. Satirical and sometime funny this is a fun book to sit back and smile with. It reads fast and is perfect to wrap summer up with.

Miguel has been given not only one terminal diagnosis but two. Rather than waiting for his body to deteriorate to a point that would render his organs useless, he decides that he wants to allow others to live by having all of his transplantable organs harvested while they are still viable. This book brings up an interesting legal debate concerning organ donor and right to die ethical questions. While both Heart Seizure and A Perfect Harvest highlight the absurdity of two ethical issues I did not find this book to be much fun as Heart Seizure.

A Perfect Harvest by Bill Fitzhugh continues what the author refers to as his transplant tetralogy. This is the latest (fourth) in a series that features independent characters and plot lines around organ transplantation, and through the writer's adept creation of humorous situations, helps the reader to consider issues that surround these procedures while enjoying laugh out loud fiction.

In this offering the protagonist receives bad news of two simultaneous life ending diagnosis. Through the friendship of his contemporaries (a male doctor, a female lawyer) he begins to look at the possibility of his life ending during a multi-organ donation. The author wryly goes right to how society might react; accolades from some, and hatred from others. Soon, the idea that for me brought the heartiest laughs was the introduction of a Broadway (or off-off-off) producer who wants to make a musical of the protagonists life and conclusions what that begins to be written as events in the book transpire.

What is especially wonderful about Fitzhugh's work is that it exposes the reader to the very issues and situations that will arise around it. The reader has the choice to consider and ponder deeply these realities. However, they are couched in page turning, laugh evoking fiction, so even if the reader does not want to engage in the seriousness of the topic, they can be assured that it only presents the stage for an enjoyable literary romp.

Perfect! A hilarious trip into the twisted and unhinged world of the one and only Bill Fitzhugh where human organs, harvesting organs and selling organs right and left become a reason to keep you in stitches for hours. Devioulsy good and uproariously entertaining, this latest installment left me totally gobsmacked by the egregious adventures and misadventures of Miguel Padilla, a really endearing moron and his unbelievable journey into Absurdistan.
Spechless I was left at the end of this unforgettable romp. Go ahead, dive into it because its priceless fun, the type of fun that must be enjoyed without any moderation!!

Many thanks to Netgalley for Farrago for this terrific ARC

Things I liked:
-Interesting plot and characters.
-Great amount of research.
-Funny and sarcastic bits.

Things that could’ve been better:
-Writing style. I disliked how the narrator interacted with his audience. Felt more like a screenplay.
-The songs? They weren’t interesting or funny.
-Characters’ emotions seemed superficial.
-The story just didn’t work. It felt all over the place. It was draggy and at times boring. I was extremely close to not finishing it.

Overall, it spoke about an important issue which I was happy to read and learn more about but it's a 2.5/5

3.5 ⭐️

The story was interesting, funny, compelling, informative, and unique. It was well-written and a delight to read. The characters are amusing and adorable. Some pertinent social and cultural issues surrounding organ transplants and the processes involved were added to spice up the story and I guess it did help to keep the reader's attention.

The story follows Miguel Padilla, a psychologist, who was diagnosed with two terminal diseases. Trying to avoid the sufferings of his terminal diseases and finding a way to leave a legacy, Miguel, with the help of his friends, filed a lawsuit of exemption against two laws implemented in the State of California, namely, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act and the Physician-Assisted Dying Law.

The premise of the story was appealing but then it just became a mediocre read for me when a theatre producer joined the story. Turning Miguel's story into a musical stage play adds up to the uniqueness of the narrative but I was expecting a more relevant, happy ending for the main character, and sadly it never happened.

This is my first read from the author and I would surely check out his other works. I'm thankful to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

This was unusual but entertaining. I recommend it.

Sorry, I couldn't finish this book. I enjoyed the beginning, but after about a third of the way through it started to drag. After about 50%, I started to skim the pages, and finally gave up when I reached nearly 60%.

I had read this author's Pest Control many years, and loved it, but A Perfect Harvest was nowhere as much fun.