I was intrigued by the book description and really had little knowledge of death doulas. Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for this arc. Mason engages a death doula (Nova) under false pretenses and they begin to have an unexpected relationship. How easy it seems for professional lines to be crossed in this occupation. Told from multiple povs you get a good feel where this story is going. Yet because the main characters were so engaging mostly this book made me feel sad. Although that’s not always a bad thing, sometimes it makes you realize to always live your best life and make everyday count. Not a bad message for a story about learning how to die.

I could not put this book down and had tears in my eyes as it ended. I didn't know much about the book, other than the high-level premise and that it had a beautiful cover (and I've enjoyed the author's previous books). I prefer not knowing too much about a story before starting it, and therefore my review contains no spoilers. Nova, who is an end-of-life doula, has returned to her hometown of Cincinnati, and works with Kelly at her Parting Your Way practice. The first several chapters not only introduce the beginning of the series of events, but also give away the end. I was so surprised that the author would give away the ending so early on and I wasn't sure what to expect for the rest of the book. But Jessica Strawser fills in the in-between back and forth in time in a truly beautiful, thoughtful, soulful, very effective way. She fleshes out each of the characters so well that I could relate and appreciate where they were each coming from.
There are many sensitive topics that are covered in this story, so please be careful and inform yourself of the trigger warnings before reading this book. But for those who can deal with an emotional storyline, read this newest novel by Jessica Strawser which comes out on March 22nd.
Many thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Next Thing You Know is a book I will likely never forget. This story of true love at the most inopportune time is so real, moving, and yet heartbreaking at the same time. Jessica Strawser is a talented storyteller. Five stars.

Thank you so much publishers for the opportunity to review this book! I had previously read a book by Jessica Strawser so I knew she was an author that I connect with! It was completely different than the book I read previously by this author but she knocked it out of the park. It was very deep and very sad at moments but you also can feel extremely hopeful! There are heavy topics here including death, cancer, and suicide.

I think I have read every book Jessica Strawser has written and I highly recommend them all. With that being said, this book is quite unique. I never heard of a death doula. Mostly birth doulas. This was a difficult read and I definitely thought this was a very difficult topic to read about. The main characters are Mason who is seeking a death doula and Nova , who works for Kelly is assigned to Mason, a gifted indie musician. There are many twists and turns in this book especially at the end. I was very glad that the author cleared up all loose ends so as a reader we didn’t have to wonder what really happened at the end. I felt it was a little to long but all in all I felt the author explored a very difficult topic of death and death at a young age. Jessica Strawser is a very gifted author and it is a depressing topic but I highly recommend this book. I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC for am honest review. (less)

Nova Huston is a death doula, someone whose job it is to help an individual transition at the end of life. Ranging from emotional support, medical advocate to family mediator and more - Nova fills in whatever gaps the terminally ill patient needs. It is not an easy job to navigate but together with her boss and mentor Kelly they run a small successful practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. One day Mason Shaylor a handsome musician walks into her office. With shaky hands and apparent surgical scars, Mason is much too young to be looking at his final days. Remaining guarded and reluctant to fill out any of the necessary paperwork that new patients usually require, it is hard for Nova to figure out what Mason truly desires. As the two spend more time together, their connection and chemistry is undeniable. Nova encourages Mason to find forgiveness, acceptance and even if he cannot play guitar like he used to, his remaining days can be filled with love and even music. This beautifully written, heartbreaking and heartwarming story of family, love and trust is both hard to read and necessary. End-of-life is part of life - and very few of us understand how to approach this knowingly. Choosing to live is as important as choosing to die with dignity.

This story is told from multiple points of view.

I had no idea what a doula, much less a death doula was or entailed. The concept was interesting.

So what does a singer/songwriter have in common with a death doula? Apparently quite a bit.

Mason Shaylor approached Kelly Monroe to inquire about her services. Kelly mistakenly thinks that Mason came to Parting Your Way for a relative and is taken aback when Mason declares it's for himself.

Kelly sends Mason to her partner, Nova Huston, her premature death specialist on staff.

Mason's disease has ruined his career and he's not very forthcoming with Nova, barely fills out the paperwork. Nova basically wings it. Nova shows up at his home and pushes him to do things with her help. Against rules, Nova brings along Mason to another client's home, introduces him as a friend. Nova hopes that Mason will see Glenna's upbeat attitude despite her death is imminent.

Nova pushes Mason too far, which ends with him leaving. Soon after, Kelly and Nova are confronted with Bonnie Shaylor, Mason's mother, confronting them and making allegations that could ruin Kelly's business and causes Kelly to doubt Nova's intentions all along.

The heart of this story is about perceptions and the ability to see things from another point of view.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin's Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

I enjoyed this story. This is my first book by this author which I enjoyed and look forward to reading more from this author in the future. This is a well written story about what happens when life steps in and throws you some curve balls. What it takes to live life and expect the unexpected some times. I enjoyed being pulled into the story from the beginning. The characters are true to life and I enjoyed the roller coaster they took me on. This is an engaging story that was hard to put down. They are connectable and supportive to each other which made the story easy to read. They have great growth as well as great growth of the plot throughout the story. I really enjoyed this book and it is worth the pick up. It made a great afternoon story for sure. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When I first started reading this book I was so invested in the story. I had to find out what happened, I needed to know how things ended up the way they did. Unfortunately, this only lasted for the first half of the book. Once it hit the halfway point it felt like the story was dragging on and on. Eventually it just lost me and by the end I just didn't care.

Another thing I didn't like was all the POVs. There 6 POVs across 4 timelines. 2 of the POVs and 2 of the timelines were only mentioned once. There was too much jumping around between characters and timelines for me. I thought it was extremely annoying and unnecessary.

The Next Thing You Know has a unique premise with well developed characters that I easily connected with. This book will leave you feeling a wide range of emotions. If you’re a crier, you’re definitely going to want to have your tissues on hand for this one.

This book is touted as Me Before You meets A Star is Born and I've got to say, that's pretty accurate. It starts off strong, the non-linear storytelling adding to the mysterious unfolding of events. As much as I loved and enjoyed Me Before You, I had a hard time getting into this story. The characters I found a bit lacking, and though I thought the story was original enough especially with the end of life doula concept, it failed to maintain my interest. I think this story just isn't for me though I'm confident other readers will enjoy it.

A Star is Born meets Me Before You is a pretty accuarate depiction of this one. We meet Nova and end of life doula who picks up a new client Mason a former indie music rising star when he shows up on her doorstep proclaiming his life is over due to a detiorating condition that won't allow him to play music anymore. This one resonated and played with my heart strings the way Jodi Picolt usually does. Stawser does a fantastic job of building up characters and makes you feel all the feels for their complex yet completly realistic lives. This was a powerful story about love and loss, life and death and what it truly means to live a life well-lived.

***Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

The Next Thing You Know covers an unusual topic- a death doula. End of life care is desperately needed so I was intrigued by the idea. Nova was extremely good at helping others live out their best life but not so good at dealing with her own life. Mason thought his life was over until Nova showed him the joy of living. There were many goid parts to this book, words I could highlight. But to me it dragged. Sometimes too many words. But I am glad I read it. Lots of foid for thought.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Have to admit I’m a sucker for unlikely romances. Jessica Strawser delivers a beautiful novel about death, dying, and making peace with your demons before you leave the living.

Nova is a death doula. Her place is to assist the living with preparing for the end. Usually terminal patients, but sometimes people just trying to figure out how to best organize for the inevitable. Her partner/boss is Kelly. Kelly started Parting Your Way when she found a need for kindness at the end of life. Kelly’s residence is also her office, as most of their work takes place in the client’s home.

In the annex, above the garage, is Nova’s office and living space. Not very big, but big enough for Nova’s needs. Nova has spent the last few years jumping from place to place and job to job. But when she found the option to be a death doula, it seemed the perfect fit. Nova has the ability to connect with people and make sure that their wishes are met. Especially when it comes to the end of life.

When Mason walks into Kelly’s office looking for assistance, Kelly decides he is not going to be the person that she wants to help with his end of life. After all, he’s young. He’s too young to be facing his mortality. So she sends him off to work with Nova. Nova initially finds Mason to be difficult. He won’t play along with the exercises and forms she requests. So she tries a different tactic, by working with him on his terms.

This novel is so amazing. I absolutely loved the topic of the death doula, because while it’s something we all will inevitably face, it’s not something any of us want to deal with. These two women make a living helping the living face the dying. They are there for their clients right up until the end, which isn’t an easy task for anyone.

I honestly can say that I would highly recommend this novel to anyone. It’s not an easy topic, death, but the way this story unfolds between now and before, it weaves a story of life, death, and what keeps us going in the darkest times. Definitely a good read. This is one I may read again and again.

I was excited to see that this author had a new book. I really enjoyed one by her I read last year, A Million Reasons Why.

The subject matter of this one is unique and new to many of us. It is about Death Doulas. They provide a comfortable path, mentally, practically and spiritually, to those that are terminally ill. Two women, Kelly and Nova, are partners in the service.

One of their younger clients passes away tragically and unexpectedly, all hell breaks loose. The deceased person's mother wants the service investigated for encouraging death. The mother contacts the police. She contacts news media. It all blows wide open and sets up the “conflict” portion of the story.

There were also personal backstories about the 2 doulas.

I found the whole counselling process is interesting. In some ways, it was more “New Age-y” than I expected. I appreciated the practical aspect of it. I loved the relationships formed. It would take a very specific type of person to be able to provide this service.

It's not an easy read, partly because of the subject matter. But, also because of the writing style. It jumps from one narrator to another for each chapter. Normally that does not bother me. The transitions did not seem smooth for me. The transitions often involved changes in timelines. To me, it felt somewhat disjointed. I was almost halfway through the book before I really felt vested in the story. Because of this, I am not giving 5 stars.

I loved the ending. Resolution and hope. What more does one need?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Nova Huston is an end-of-life doula, helping terminally ill people make peace with their impending death. When she lands Mason Shaylor as a client, Nova doesn’t recognize him as the indie-favorite singer-songwriter who recently vanished from the public eye. She knows only what he’s told her: That life as he knows it is over. His deteriorating condition makes playing his guitar physically impossible—as far as Mason is concerned, he might as well be dead already. Except he doesn’t know how to say goodbye. Nova knows that you should always keep a professional distance from clients, but the more time she spends with Mason, the closer of a bond they develop, until the lines become blurred. Can Nova show Mason that life can still be worth living, even if you can no longer pursue your dreams?
This book was so good. It was emotional & raw, and hard to read at times but too good to put down. It went back and forth between past and present and was told in multiple viewpoints, so you got a well-rounded picture of the events past and present. This is perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, Cecelia Ahern and Elizabeth Berg. I loved this book and think you will too.

I was interested in the concept of this book, but the execution was not well done, in my opinion. The story is non-linear, and takes place during two timelines, with multiple POVs. Each chapter fluctuated between first person and third person. I feel like the non-linear-ness of it lost the emotional value.

I applaud the author for broaching the subject of death doulas, and I firmly believe we can and should do better with how we deal with death. However, I could not connect with the characters at all, and it was missing that spark, that indefinable something that makes me truly care for the characters.

The topic was interesting, but the characters were not. Sorry, I appreciate the opportunity to read this book, but it was not for me and so I will not be reviewing it on social media sites.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jessica Strawser for an ARC of this book!**

"Sometimes I think life is a terminal illness."-Spencer Tracy

You may have heard of doulas who deliver babies...and postpartum doulas who help new parents care for themselves and their new baby after birth...but have you ever heard of a death doula? These particular doulas provide care in a very different way: they serve to help those who know their time on earth is nearly up safely from life to death, dealing with all of the logistics and smoothing the transition, allowing a person who is terminally ill to focus on what REALLY matters with the time they have left. At Parting Your Way (pun intended, mostly), Kelly and Nova handle these clients, Kelly exclusively catering to the elderly set, while Nova handles clients of any age.

When rocker Mason Shaylor walks in the door, neither doula is acquainted with him or his fame, his career at a current standstill after injury has prevented him from playing his beloved guitar. But since Mason falls at the younger end of the spectrum, he is quickly paired with Nova. What neither expects, however, is a blossoming kinship, set against the backdrop of a ticking clock. What does fate hold in store for these two...and will secrets held close to the prove destructive to any chance of hope that love can miraculously conquer all?

The blurb for this book compares this story to Me Before You, and in some ways...this is almost painfully accurate. So much so that it almost felt that this plot was inspired by that one, but with the added twist of the death doula casting a new light on the situation. However, where the characters of Louisa and Will absolutely carried Moyes' book, this one had a somewhat substantial cast...and I have to say, I did not connect with a single person. I'm not sure why this was, but what started out as a feeling that maybe it would take a while to dig deeper into their collective psyches instead became the sad realization that nothing about these characters felt REAL.

Mason was supposed to be the gruff and cynical rocker (not so successfully) burying his pain...but I didn't buy it. He didn't ever seem inaccessible or unpleasant to begin with, just a bit boring. Nova was in some ways just as bad....painted at the beginning as a bit of a wild child, I didn't get that feel from her through her dialogue, her actions...or anything else. All of the other characters, including Kelly's daughter Willow, were equally bland. In a novel that needs you to MOURN, you first have to build a connection to feel any sense of loss (or fear of loss!) in this sort of plot. Since I didn't have it, the emotional component was completely absent and THAT was a loss keenly felt.

This timeline also constantly bops back and forth, from past to present and back again, and arbitrarily has a few chapters here and there narrated by others outside of our two leads, and I'm not sure there was a need. It was confusing enough to keep track of when and where we were at without adding more narrators. There is also a fair amount of time spent on subplots, from Mason's relationship with his family to Nova's dealings with her own, reporters, and the like, and none of the excess felt like it helped establish the main theme. I didn't buy into the relationship between Mason and Nova, and for this book to truly work, that is essential.

I do feel that Strawser picked an interesting topic in death doulas to explore that I haven't read about before, and I do applaud her for thorough research and thinking outside the box. Unfortunately, I think I would have been more interested by some of the research materials Strawser cited at the end of the book than this novel itself...and might have even had more of an emotional connection as well. My favorite part of the book takes place at King's Island (being the roller coaster fanatic that I am) but even that portion stalled in its own way (no spoilers!) I know Strawser has the goods, but after recently reading a book about grief, love, and music that DID touch my heart, The Next Thing You Know just didn't quite hit the mark.

3 stars

💫 The Next Thing You Know 💫
By Jessica Strawser
Publisher: St Martin’s Press (March 22.2022)

Singer songwriter Mason shows up at an “end-of-life” doula’s sidestep. The owner of this practice is Kelly who typically deals with older men and women; so his case gets passed along to her assistant Nova. It’s an instant connection even if they’re not sure why. Mason is elusive about his diagnosis and Nova seems to be ok with less information. Besides which, her job is not a medical one, but rather assistance at accepting the end-of-life support.

Through flashbacks and multiple POV we understand that Mason falls off of a bridge in a car accident…. And he left a suicide note. But what leads from that to the police knocking on Kelly & Nova’s door is the fact that his family never even knew he was dying. Or sick for that matter. So why all the secrets and did he really commit suicide?

I kept flip flopping with interest on this one. I wanted to connect with the characters but it felt like we didn’t get enough time with each one .. and that could be because of the constant flip of POVs. I loved Nova and wanted to cocoon her but then also didn’t like Maggie for interfering.
I wasn’t surprised by the ending but I’m glad it ended that way 💛 it felt right even if bitter sweet.
3.5-4 stars