Oh rich people problems.

This one is such a slow build- like super slow. The absolute TENSION between the siblings is a lot- like at first it was entertaining and expected, but it quickly turned into an 'ugh, this again' reaction from me.

Overall this was a complex family drama and a great character study,

Give me a multi-layered dysfunctional family drama any day and I will gobble it up. Chock full of unlikeable characters I don’t know why I was compelled to keep reading but I devoured this in a day and loved the themes of identity, class, sexuality and race. Although it was a slow burn I felt the pacing was perfect to help understand the complexity of the characters and I felt overall satisfied with how their stories concluded.

Couldn’t get into this one - good premise but just wasn’t for me! I would try reading another book by the author, but this one just didn’t work for me.

I tried so hard to get into this one but it just wasn't holding my attention. I ended up giving up on it about half way through.

The latecomer was a very slow burn book for me. I think that it was quite different from what my expectations were for this author. I was thinking mystery/suspense but this one turned out to be a family drama. I love Julia Whelan as a narrator and I think a lot of people will enjoy this book - it was just not for me. I did like the authors previous book very much.

I’d describe The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz as a family drama on steroids. I really only have three words to sum up this book: SO MUCH DRAMA! Yeah sure, the members of the Oppenheimer family are very wealthy and prestigious, but they’re also extremely dysfunctional, disconnected, and distant. I don’t think I’ve ever read about a family quite like this one before. I’m going to be very honest about my first impression of this book. I almost DNFed it! The first two or three chapters really dragged for me. I was completely bored and disinterested. The writing style just wasn’t working for me. I found it very wordy and overly descriptive. It also took a long time to get to the real guts of the story. But once it got there…OMG. So incredibly worth it. I was totally engrossed with each member of the Oppenheimer family. The constant twists, turns, and big reveals provided plenty of entertainment value, and many layers to the story. I was impressed! In my opinion, the author spent too much time on the backstory of a few secondary characters. In all honesty, this book could have been shortened by 100 pages or so. For that reason, and because of my issue at the beginning, I had to knock my rating down a bit. I’m settling on 3.5/5 stars for The Latecomer! Definitely worth the read!

SYNOPSIS: Three siblings are desperate to escape one another and the upending of their family by the late arrival of the fourth.

REVIEW: I love family dramas. They are my favorite genre, and if you tell me something is going to be about complex family relationships or family strife, I'm automatically in. So when I saw the synopsis for this book, I knew I had to have it. I have to say, it did take me a minute to get into; I had to give it up for a bit and return. However, when I did, I'm glad, because I loved this literary piece. It's not enthralling, by any means, and won't capture your attention from the very start; but the story and plot is good, and if you're into family dramas like me, the complexity in which this family story is woven is going to grab you.

All in all, it was an enjoyable piece, and I'd read more from this author again.

VERDICT: 4 STARS

I had high hopes for The Latecomer by Jean Haniff Korelitz after reading the synopsis and seeing some of the early praise come in. However; I found this novel to be dry and couldn’t get past the first twenty percent of the novel via audio.

Might have been a case of bad timing but I just couldn’t get into this one. It’s a DNF for me. Thank you to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

Picked this up after loving the Plot by this author. Clearly a talented author. I found this to be stimulating enough but a little forgettable

DNF. Unfortunately, this was a book I started multiple times but could just not get into. I appreciate having the opportunity to read this book, it was just not a good fit for me as a reader. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my gifted review copy.

THE LATECOMER is a layered and immersive literary novel about three siblings, desperate to escape one another, and the upending of their family by the late arrival of a fourth. It follows the story of a wealthy NYC based Oppenheimer family, Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances to their triplets born during the early days of IVF.

With themes of guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics at the center of the story.

Overall I enjoyed this character driven story, and the audiobook was done well, narrated by one of my absolute faves, Julia Whelan.

*many thanks to Celadon and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for sending me an arc of The Latecomer. I was interested in the family and especially the triplets. I’d say this book is literary fiction and to be honest that’s my least favorite genre. Overall it was interesting but it was very character driven and quiet slow.

"The Latecomer touches on the topics of grief and guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics."

This was just a book I really didn't jive with. I didn't love the characters and found it hard to feel invested. I think this one just wasn't for me not that the book did anything wrong. It felt like so much was happening at once and yet nothing at all was happening for the plot. Definitely more character driven than plot given, like many generational novels. I think that I may enjoy the authors other work and it is clear that her writing is established and done well.

The narration of this book was great, no complaints about the narration.

Convoluted family drama that was hard to follow listening to the audiobook. Slow burn and a bit too long for me. Missed the mark for me, glad so many others loved the book.

I loved The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz, so I was excited to read The Latecomer. This book is a character-driven family story that takes place over 20 years. The narration was good but it was difficult at times to follow the multiple POV. I needed to really focus as I listened.

Thank you, Macmillan, for my gifted copy.

A family drama with so much going on (maybe a little too much going on!), with a slow burn. I think it was ultimately a bit long for what it was!

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Latecomer by Jean Haniff Korelitz.

Wow, what a story! I just love a long family saga, especially when it is as complex and intertwined as this one.

You would think that being a triplet would mean that you have close sibling relationships, but if you are an Oppenheimer triplet, that is not the case. And as much as Johanna would love to see her set of three leave the house for college together and bonded, they instead leave as practically strangers. Desperate for one more chance at getting it right, Johanna has one more baby late in life, Phoebe. And maybe through this latecomer, this family can finally set free some of it's secrets and find each other.

This novel plays the long game, so go forth with patience, it takes a minute to really take off. Once it did though, I was HOOKED. It's not heading anywhere fast, you go for the journey, the relationships, the hurt, and the healing. I enjoyed this a lot.

Honestly? I thought THE LATECOMER was so good, I'm annoyed by the cover. While it might convey a pregnancy during the early days of IVF (test tubes), I'm not sure it keys the reader in to what a sweeping, well-written novel awaits.

THE LATECOMER tells the story of the Oppenheimers, beginning with patriarch Salo's time at Cornell and continuing through to his children's college years. There's tragedy and daily drudgery on display, as Jean Hanff Korelitz tells the story of a family in all their many imperfections. That is to say, there's a fair amount of unlikable behavior; also, this is a book about a family that feels real.

Still, as interesting as the plot and characters are, it's the writing that's the showstopper for me. Paired with the brilliant narration of Julia Whelan? Excellent reading experience. One I'd recommend first and foremost to fans of Jonathan Franzen's Crossroads, but really anyone into well-written family sagas. THE LATECOMER is a bit of a doorstopper, and I'd have read another 100 pages.

I tried about 20% of this one but it just wasn't working for me- after talking with some trusted sources, I don't think this book is for me.