After Annie by Anna Quindlen is a beautifully written story of loss, love, grief, and learning to move on after death of a loved one. When Annie Brown dies suddenly, she leaves behind a loving husband, four young children, and her best friend who had depended on Annie to keep her from returning to her addiction. The story is divided by seasons and is told in the third person, revolving through the reactions of Bill, her husband who had married her because she was pregnant but had truly loved her and struggles to imagine life without her, thirteen year-old Ali, already mature beyond her years but now forced to take on responsibilities for her siblings, and Annemarie, the best friend, who has always been dependent on Annie for support and is unsure how to continue sober without her. These characters are three dimensional and it is easy to empathize with them. The story is poignant and heartbreaking but never sinks into melodrama or manipulation. It allows the characters to work through their grief and ends on a hopeful note. A beautiful story, almost impossible to put down.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Random House Publishing Group and PRH Audio for my #gifted copies of After Annie! #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beautiful. Raw. Emotional. Profound. THIS BOOK! Oh how I loved this book. I can’t stop thinking about this book. This book is simple, yet at the same time, is complex. You fall in love with each and every character and their grief journey after Annie dies. You watch them grow and change despite the fact that a big piece of them is missing. It is so hard to put into words how much of a connection I felt with this book. This book is for anyone, but I feel like those who have lost someone very close to them will resonate with this one the most. This is a book I will certainly read again and will probably get more out of it each and every time I read it. You will not want to miss this beautiful story about hope. You will be hugging your loved ones a little tighter once you are finished.

Posted on Goodreads on February 27, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
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**Posted on Amazon on February 28, 2024
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The first thing we are told is that thirty seven year old Annie has died, in a tragic and unexpected manner. The novel then brings her to life through her relationships with her husband, children, and friends. The grief process each goes through feels unique and heartbreaking, but hopeful just the same.

The characters are wonderfully fleshed out, and authentic. The prose is beautiful and even though we know the “main” character has died, the book is un-put-downable.

Recommend to everyone, because eventually, we all experience grief. Thanks to NetGalley and

Random House for putting this on my radar. The novel releases today, February 27, 2024.

When Annie Brown dies suddenly, her husband, her children and her closest friends are left to find a way forward without the woman that has been the anchor of their lives. This book is deeply moving. If you've ever lost a parent or a partner, this book will hit you with all the feels. It's a little drawn out in the middle, but once you get past some of that the story is truly raw and real.

Thank You Net Galley and Random House for the free e-galley.
Publication Date: February 27, 2024

I loved this book! This is a beautifully written story of life, loss and the love that sustains us all. Annie is a young wife and mother whose sudden death at home from an aneurysm has devastated her family. Alternately narrated by Annie's husband Bill, her daughter Ali, and her best friend Annemarie, it is a book that is just so moving and profound! It follows the family and friends for the year after Annie's death as they deal with their loss and begin to move forward slowly. Through the memories of all those she touched, Annie emerges as the wonderful, ordinary, loving, woman with unrealized dreams of her own, who held them all together. As the family moves forward, their own stories of growth as they come to terms with their loss, are full of hope, and new beginnings. Anna Quindlen has created a heartfelt story full of memorable, realistic characters that I will long remember. I found the book very hard to put down! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

Well-written and poignant. This beautiful story chronicles the seemingly ordinary life that Annie Brown built . . . her work, her family, and her best friend Annemarie. Through these flawed characters, we see that life is a crafted landscape of many colors and a tightly woven thread holds our compartmentalized quilt together. In death the thread snaps, that precious connection is lost, and it all becomes so loose and fragile for the ones left behind. I'm always appreciative when a novel like this comes along to remind us to cultivate empathy, to live fully, and love each other well while we still can.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of After Annie for my unbiased evaluation.  5 stars

This was my first time reading a book by Anna Quindlen! I've heard of her but had never read her work. She's a fantastic author and I look forward to reading more of her work. 


"After Annie" was a surprisingly quick read for this slow reader. I really enjoyed the way she tells the story of Annie using Annie's husband, best friend and oldest child. The juxtaposition of a mother who truly cares for her family and community vs one who does not is shown in the side stories that she weaves. I also really enjoyed the way she shows the impact one woman can have on so many and that society truly relies on the hidden work women do for both their families and their friends.

This book wasn’t quite what I expected. I loved all of the different perspectives from those who had lost Annie (children, best friend, husband), and the book had beautiful, descriptive language in it. But I found several areas extremely dry while people relived their past with Annie. Some sections felt like they dragged on and on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

After Annie is a beautifully told story of about a young mother who dies of a brain aneurysm at the very beginning of the book. We see how her husband Bill, her four children, her best friend Annemarie, and other family members cope with her death. We get glimpses of Annie told through the memories from each of them and how great a loss it is for all of them. This is a book about family, loss, friendship, addiction, growing up, and moving on all expertly woven together. I read this book in just a couple of sittings as it was hard to put down. Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for the advanced copy.

With AFTER ANNIE, Anna Quindlen tells the story of what happens after a beloved wife, mother, friend, and accomplished woman dies, leaving her hapless and good guy husband with four children under the age of fourteen. Multiple points of view propel the story of what comes next, including those of widower Bill Brown, adrift without his powerful anchor, Annie's oldest child Ali who is exceptionally aware, intelligent, and wonderfully perceptive in her struggles to take on child care and running a house, and Annie's best friend Annemarie. With Annie's voice in their heads guiding their thoughts and actions, her beloveds flounder their ways to a new way of life without her. I was overwhelmed by the gentle touch and compassionate voice of this extraordinary story about ordinary people bowled over by tragedy. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

I can't say enough incredible things about this book. In the first sentencer, we learn that a young mother of 4 has died instantly and all of a sudden, and she leaves behind her children, her husband, and a best friend who she has a deep and complicated relationship with. Their worlds are completely rocked and shattered, and we as readers get to see the fallout.

Even though we never really directly meet Annie, I loved her so much by the end. One of those people who probably assumes she is unremarkable or passing through the world relatively unnoticed, this entire story brings to light just how special these people are to the ones who love them.

There were sentences that broke me, where I had to hide my tears from my 3 year old sitting next to me. It made a fellow mother feel a bit more seen. Quindlen has once again done something beautiful with her words and characters that will resonate with everyone who picks up this book.

Another incredible book from Anna Quindlen. A woman in her late thirties is in the kitchen with her husband and two kids when she suddenly collapses and dies. (Not a spoiler; happens in Chapter 1.)

Her family is in shock, especially the husband. He's not that familiar with the family routine so he becomes frustrated and withdrawn. His thirteen year old daughter starts taking on her mother's chores along with school. She doesn't know how to articulate how overwhelmed she is and is not sure who to talk to.

The story deals with how Annie's friends and family handle the first year without her. They all make natural mistakes as they grieve but find a balance by the end.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher.

It's only February and I know I've read what will be one of my favorite reads of the year. After Annie is a heartbreaking and beautiful story about love, grief, and loss. Anna Quindlen's writing never disappoints and she tells the story from the perspectives of Annie's children, her husband, and her best friend. How will they survive the crippling pain? How will her readers? Who do we become without our mother? I loved this sad, but hopeful book.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

AFTER ANNIE by Anna Quindlen is a heart-wrenching and touching story of love, loss, friendship and family that will remain on my mind for a long time to come. When Annie Brown dies suddenly before the age of forty, her husband, four young children and her best friend are overwhelmed with grief and struggling to exist without her. The story is told three points of view, Annie’s husband, Bill, her thirteen-year-old eldest daughter, Ali, and her closest friend, Annemarie. Bill is completely lost at first, having no idea how to care for his family and soon retreats from their lives, seeming to them to have moved on. Ali is suddenly thrust into caring for her younger brothers, forcing her to take on responsibilities never meant for a teenager. Annemarie is devastated by the loss of her dear friend and without her, fights to maintain the sobriety she fought so hard to achieve. The way each character deals with their profound loss is portrayed with kindness and compassion. I felt like I knew the characters personally and their heartfelt emotions touched my heart deeply. I loved this beautifully-written and tender story and recommend it most highly. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

A young family struggles after the sudden death of the mother. As a reader I wanted to hug the daughter and yell at the dad. The storyline of the mother's best friend was distracting at times. Overall a well-written, sad book about dealing with grief.

After Annie is a moving portrait of a family navigating grief and loss. Annie Brown is a wife, a friend, and a mother to four children ages 13 and under when she dies suddenly of an aneurysm. This raw, powerful story is told over four seasons from the perspectives of her husband, her best friend, and her oldest daughter Ali as they struggle to cope with the loss of the woman at the center of their lives.

Simultaneously heart-rending and hopeful, this is an immersive read that paints of a vivid picture of Annie and those who loved her most. Anna Quindlen’s prose is beautiful and profound, and her ability to capture and distill human emotions to their essence has never been better than it is here. A deceptively ordinary story made extraordinary through its quiet but visceral depiction of love and loss, I was moved to tears over and over again by its insights.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me an advance copy of this book.

After Annie was my first Quindlen and won't be my last. I enjoyed this book and see why she is so beloved. After Annie begins with the tragic and sudden death of Annie, a wife, a mother of four young ones, and a best friend. We follow those left behind as they navigate life without her. This look at a very specific and tender moment in time for a family is simple and sweet and sad. I appreciated how well we get to know Annie through the stories told about her and what a beautiful way to keep a person alive. This will make you cry, but its a worthy cry.

After Annie is a stunning and heartbreakingly beautiful portrayal of death and grief and its impact on a singular family.

When Annie Brown dies suddenly, her husband, her four young children and her closest friend are left to struggle without the woman who centered their lives. Bill Brown finds himself overwhelmed, and Annie’s best friend Annemarie is lost to old bad habits without Annie’s support. It is Annie’s daughter, Ali, forced to try to care for her younger brothers and even her father, who manages to maintain some semblance of their former lives for them all, and who confronts the complicated truths of adulthood.

As we follow each of these characters through an entire year following Annie's death, we learn more about Annie and her character as a wife, mother and friend. Her impact on these three lives as well as her community is immeasurable. The story is infused with Quindlen's trademark emotional and empathetic writing without becoming overwhelming or maudlin. I loved her message about moving on and how it doesn't mean forgetting your loved one or lessening your relationship with the deceased.

This subject matter may not be for everyone, but I adored this book. It is a heavy read full of emotions that span the spectrum of love, loss and grief.

This novel by Anne Quindlen continues her storied writing career. Quinlan deftly brings to life Anne Brown and her family. Anne is only briefly alive: she collapses and dies in the first few pages, leaving her family and us to continue without her.
One feels as though we know and love Anne, her daughter Ali, husband Bill, best friend Annemarie and the rest of Quindlen's vivid characters. This is a wonderful story of how a family survives the loss of their anchor.

This is my first book by Quindlen, and I can see why she's popular. The sudden death of a young mother leaving three children and a husband behind to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives is deftly explored as they traverse the first year without her. There is also her best friend, who feels like part of the family even if she isn't seen that way, whose loss is no less intense than the others. At times I felt a bit lost in the story, almost as if I was experiencing the grief along with the characters, and the rudderlessness that often comes with the loss of the anchor. Disturbing, but effective if it was meant, and serendipitous if not. A well done portrait of a family struggling to survive trauma.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group, the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.