A remarkable story relating the thoughts, reactions, and adjustment of a family and a wife’s best friend after the wife’s unexpected death. Bill’s, Ali’s, and Annemarie’s thoughts and actions mirror the devastation of everyone and are powerfully portrayed as they move through the first year after Annie’s death. Life after Annie is bleak and filled with pain for the survivors as each is vastly dependent on her. Annemarie copes with her addiction. Ali is swamped with all the caregiving she must do for her brothers. Bill is completely lost. They all hear Annie;s words in their heads giving advice and counsel. A very touching novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Anna Quindlen's newest masterpiece, After Annie. When Bill's wife and the mother of his four children dies suddenly on their kitchen floor, the family is thrown into a tailspin of unfathomable loss. Annie was funny and loving and honest and ever-present, and her loss is felt deeply - and differently- by everyone who adored her. Her oldest daughter Ali takes on the role of caregiver for her three brothers and her distraught father, who has become more emotionally unavailable as he tries to process what his life looks like without Annie. Also devastated by the loss is Annemarie, Annie's forever best friend and a recovering addict who wants to be there for Annie's family but has to face some issues of her own first.

Unforgettably poignant, raw and heartbreakingly real, this is one of Anna Quindlen's best novels to date.

Annie is a loving wife and mother who suddenly dies and the repercussions of her death rock her family to the core. Divided into the four seasons after Annie's passing, this story focuses on her husband Bill, and their three children Anthony, Benjy, and Ali and how Annie changes their lives with her absence. Teenager Ali has a difficult adjustment, but the support of those around her helps heal and restore her through the difficult year. Anna Quindlen is a favorite author of mine, and she brings out the grief, hope and humor for the future in each character as they navigate through their loss. The positive ways that Annie influenced and loved her family and friends is very giving and allows her family to recognize how she touched each of her them by continuing her legacy.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this wonderful book to be tentatively published in February 2024.

Quick! Read this book before someone you know dies, or after if you missed that opportunity. The book will help you understand the reactions of the people who were close to that person, and might even let you understand your own grieving a little better. As the characters in After Annie discover, there is no one way to grieve, no right or wrong way, no easy way. "Getting over it" and "moving on" are myths, as these people discover amidst the painful interactions with one another and the rest of the world. A therapy session in a fictional read, this is a book for us all.

Annie dies suddenly at a young age from an aneurysm. Her husband, four kids, and best friend have no idea how to move on. The things they do initially aren’t the best strategies for dealing with loss.

This started off slow and, for me, a little confusing because four main characters had names that started with the letter “A.” It got better as it went along and ended well.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 12, 2024.

This is a beautiful story of grief in its most raw form. It displays perspectives of a pre-teen daughter, best friend, and husband of Annie.

I found Anne, Annemarie, Ali confusing at times and had to reread passages to remember who they were talking about.

Anna Quindlen has mastered the art of writing about the human condition. In After Annie she takes an unvarnished look at what transpires in the year following the sudden, unexpected death of Annie --- wife of Bill, mother of four young children, and best friend to Annemarie. The aftermath of grief is told through the eyes of husband Bill, her thirteen year old daughter, Ali, and best friend, Annmarie. Annie has been an emotional compass for each of these characters, and the book unfolds as each deals with the loss of her guidance and love. Quindlen writes with tenderness and raw emotion, and we see into the hearts of these characters as they deal with the very real day-t0-day realities of surviving life minus the person you most loved and relied upon. Quindlen does not sugar coat. Some may say the book is just too depressing. Ultimately though, she shares a message of healing, hope and the legacy of love.

This book was astonishing. A beautiful, poetic telling of how people move on after the unexpected death of a wife/mother/friend, I found it deeply moving and realistic. All the characters felt like people I would know, even small side characters. I also appreciated that this book focused not only on Annie's husband and children, but also her best friend - rarely do we get to see grief from all aspects of someone's life.

I would suggest this book for fans of books like Hello Beautiful and The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, or anyone who is struggling with grief. And may everyone be lucky to have a mother, wife, and friend like Annie.

Such a true glimpse of grief and the way we process death alone, even when we’re not alone.

This was a character study, not very plot-driven, so you need to know that going in. I felt viscerally upset by a few of the characters’ choices but I’m happy with where they landed at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy! 3.5 stars rounded up

I read this book after finishing an action-packed trilogy and was worried that the timing would be off.

However, I needn't have worried because this book got ahold of me, and I fell deep into the story of the Brown family, reeling from the loss of their matriarch, Annie.

Although a book centered around a woman dying is certainly sad, this told a tale of so many more complex emotions than just sadness. It tells of an unshakeable lifelong friendship, about the ways of finding happiness in a seemingly ordinary life, and about the difficulties of parenting and showing up for your children in varied ways they need you to.

The characters are so vivid, and their struggles are so real that you feel like you're a member of the family going through it all alongside them.

This is a beautifully written novel and I'm so thankful that #netgalley sent me this ARC of #afterannie it was a pleasure to read it!

If you like Anne Quindlen you’ll like this book. I could simply end my review there! I have enjoyed her other books, and I liked the characters in this one; I just thought the story developed a tad slowly. This is a book about grief, and not surprisingly she had great insights on the subject.

Another Anna Quindlen classic-sad, but heartfelt family story. It hit close to the heart. Thanks NetGalley for the early read!

Oh, this book. As usual, Anna Quindlen’s writing is superb, but this book is so tender in many ways, navigating its characters through the loss of Annie from different perspectives. I enjoyed every bit of it, and I appreciated the authentic voice of the characters.

"After Annie" is a work of contemporary fiction that looks at the aftermath of a family after the unexpected passing of one of its key members.

When 37 year-old Annie Brown unexpectedly passes away after suffering a brain aneurysm, it completely changes the lives of her family and close friends. Her husband Bill struggles to fill in her shoes as the sole parent of their four children, and 13 year-old Ali, the eldest of their children, attempts to take on many of the burdens and responsibilities of her mother - a daunting task for any child. Meanwhile, Annie's best friend Annemarie is the one who knew Annie the longest, and also struggles with the loss of her best friend in tandem with her previous traumas and addiction. Each chapter is told from a different person's perspective, and across pages, more and more of each family member and their past and present is unraveled.

There are a lot of heavy and weighty topics covered in this novel, and many of the passages are heart-breaking and thought provoking. I appreciated the additional insights and layers to each character and their stories that were revealed and how interconnected they were. However, even with my preference for character-driven novels, the pacing and timing felt sluggish and the constant jumps from past to present also felt like they threw off the direction of the novel at times. There's also a number of side characters and family members that were included that didn't feel like they contributed much to the story and seemed more to be distractions from the main storyline. I think a more cohesive storytelling would have made this a 4-star novel for me.

Oh, simply, oh.

Anna Quindlen sees the world peopled by individuals who are flawed, who are running down aimless corridors, who are adrift, and who do not even know their limits or their full capacities in life. Her characters find a way to speak to those quiet moments hidden in the recesses of one's soul......pulled out only when needed or when forced. Those who only wish for peace and get a marching band in full glory instead.

After Annie deals with the heavy subject of death. Death visits those who never gasped their first breath as well as those you've lived a might long time. In the case of thirty-seven year old Annie, it came quickly and beyond unexpectantly. We will hover within this story as Quindlen presents the aftermath of this loss.

Bill, Annie's husband and a plumber by trade, is left with such shock that he can barely function as a father of four children. Ali, at thirteen, must step up her game plan and provide for her three brothers. All the while, Ali is carrying the weight of profound sorrow while keeping her family's heads above water. So much responsibility for one so young. Ant, at eleven, vents his grief through anger and the younger two, Benjy and James, can't possibly put words to their feelings.

Quindlen steps outside of the immediate family and introduces us to Bill's mother, an acid-toned woman that people continue to tolerate way beyond the line drawn in the sand. And then there's Annemarie, Annie's best friend since childhood. Annie kept Annemarie from falling over the edge time and time again. In Annemarie's case, there's no stopgap now.

After Annie is not a perfect read. The subject matter is heavy-duty and its telling sometimes goes down winding roads. But Quindlen speaks in a voice that will almost gut you at times. She captures the essence of the human experience within beautiful tones while going deeply into the ugly and the painfulness of life. She points out that you can never outrun your feelings. And so often we try to do just that. We shove reality deep down into the recesses of our hearts to be dealt with some other time. We soldier on. Life continues on while dealing out more heartache and stress., while at the same time, being the walking wounded. Save a space for After Annie. It's what makes Quindlen......Quindlen.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House and to the talented Anna Quindlen for the opportunity.

Beautiful kind story of a lost family that all grieves in their own way. The characters and story were so relatable. You feel for them all and miss them when the book ends.

What a sad book! What a hope filled book! What happens to a family when Mom dies, just like that. Harrowing, painful and sad, this story hurt my heart. Anna Quindlen has created a very possible story. No spoilers here, but suffice it to know, that this book needs many deep breaths!

As a long-time Anna Quindlen reader and fan, I was excited to receive an ARC of her latest novel. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing it!

Although I knew the book's premise, I was unprepared at how hard this story of a young mother's sudden death and its consequences hit me (probably a result of two close friends of mine having lost loved ones suddenly and unexpectedly this past year).

But forging on, I found myself deeply absorbed in this heartfelt story of loss, love, and what it is like to try to built a new life when the pillar of your old one has suddenly, shockingly vanished. As usual, Anna Quindlen's characters are wonderfully, vividly drawn, and we come to know and grieve with them, as well as learn much about Annie.

My criticism would be that some (though certainly not all) of the issues the characters face "after Annie" are overcome or are resolved a little too unrealistically (in terms of either time or circumstance). Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly recommend this moving, beautifully written novel. 4.5 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review.
Annie, a wife, mother, and friend, dies. From the funeral through the first year of her passing, we watch the husband, the children, and the best friend grieve.
I wanted to love this book as one about strong family connection and the impact one woman can have on those closest to you, but the just was sad and hard to hold on to. Flashbacks in a sentence with the present made me stop and say, wait, what? The flow for me was herky jerky, as I just didn’t care for the writing style. There is a reader for this book but it’s not me. Wrong book, wrong time.
2*

After Annie
Annie Brown, wife of Bill Brown & the mother of his 4 young children, died of a brain aneurysm. The book examines how her death affected her husband, her oldest daughter Ali, her best friend Annemarie and her sons.
Annie had married young after she became pregnant with Ali. Bill, a plumber, relied on Annie for most things. She took care of her family while working full time as an aide at a local nursing home. Without her, Bill was lost. Ali was forced to step into the many roles her mother had even though she was only 13.
Annemarie and Annie had known each other from their first day at school. They were very close. Annemarie seemed to have a perfect life: a successful business, a loving husband, & a beautiful home. However she had a dark secret: she had become addicted to pain killers and other drugs after a dental procedure. Annie eventually helped her friend beat the addiction but it was a difficult task.
The story spans the year after Annie’s death. It highlights the struggles everyone close to her had adjusting to their lives without her.
I enjoyed the book even though it dealt with a difficult subject: the death of a young mother. The author understands the plight of a blue collar family struggling to survive. I have read other books by Anna Quindlen and am always impressed with hher understanding of women whose lives are very different from her own.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.