I love a book with different character perspectives and flashbacks in time, and Amy T. Matthews latest novel, Best, First, and Last did not disappoint.

The novel tells the story of three generations of women who have various experiences with heartbreak. The matriarch of the family, Bonnie has just lost her husband, her daughter Sandy is going through a painful divorce and grand-daughter Heather has just broken up with her boyfriend and terribly unhappy at work. Bonnie decides to take the three of them on adventure to Machu Picchu for her 70th birthday. While climbing to the summit, the women must confront their pain and discover happy possibilities for the future.

If your looking for a new read to cap off the summer, I’d recommend Best, First, and Last.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I read this a while ago, but am well behind with my reviews and trying to catch up!

Three generations of women (grandmother, mother and daughter) embark on an ambitious adventure hike to Machu Picchu, instigated by the grandmother of the trio in honor of her 70th birthday. The story is mostly told from the POV of Heather, the youngest of the three, but we hear from the other two as well. There is a lot of history, hurt and dysfunction between them, and although the book plays out in the present, there are lots of looks back at the past and working through emotional baggage. Parts of this were very funny, particularly the interactions involving the grandmother and her innate bossiness - and parts made me want to tear my hair out. Boundaries. Set and respect them. Overall, I found this a surprisingly appealing read.

As I read Best, First, and Last of three women and their mother / daughter relationships I kept thinking, a therapist right now for them would be good! What complicated relationships, and come on,  set and respect boundaries. But at least one of them can't and probably two of them. At times it was downright embarrassing to be around them.

They are all going to hike the Machu Picchu trail, but most of the book is about getting there and pulling out some of their emotional baggage. It's a story about an outer journey and an inner journey for all three. It's a story of grief, struggle and secrets. And the culmination comes as they actually get on the trail.

All three women make big gains, so very much a women's fiction book. I enjoyed it and appreciated the way their story developed. Interesting title to the book and I think by the end of the book I had made my decision as to what it refers to.

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

3.5 stars

I'm realizing more and more that this type of story that follows older women rediscovering themselves I really like, this one was no different.
I really liked the story, I liked how the author decided to tell this story, the author's writing and the way she added the romance stories making the book much more dynamic.
But besides the life story and growth of our characters, what I liked the most was just the main romance and how the author managed to make a mature romance, I loved the way our main couple dealt with their problems, I found it realistic and that's what I liked most about this story.
This is a book that would make a great film, very dramatic with things that you know wouldn't happen in real life but with very well done characters and developments.

Such a fun read and journey. I laughed and I cried, but I loved the healing of old wounds. This was a very uplifting book.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This book was everything! Three generations of women come together (not willingly!) for a trip to Peru and to conquer Machu Picchu. Heather (the granddaughter/daughter who is broken up from her stalker boyfriend, Sandy (the mother/daughter who is in the process of divorcing her cheating husband,) and Bonnie/Bon (the grandmother/mother who is recently widowed from her 3rd husband and the organizer of this adventure of a lifetime.)

This book is clever, heartfelt, complicated, emotional and just plain fun! The chapters with the past history give such a deeper understanding of each featured character and how it molded her into who she is in the present.

And oh, Romeo...sweet sigh.

The full circle moment and the ending was perfection! Though I wouldn't complain if there was an extended epilogue or short story giving us a little bit more!

5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed Best, First, and Last as 3 generations of women embark on an experience where they learn more about each other. We have Bonnie (Bon), the Grandmother/mother, who just lost her third husband Junior, around the same time as her 70th birthday. Then there is Sandra (Sandy), Daughter/mother, going through a divorce after being cheated on for years. Finally there is Heather, Daughter/granddaughter, who is trying to break up with her boyfriend, but keeps finding herself sleeping with him.

Bon, spurred on by her next door neighbour's grandson, Bonnie takes Sandy and Heather to Peru to hike Machu Picchu. Bon was such a fun character, despite all she had been through, she was determined to make the most of it. The story is mostly told from Heather's point of view, but we do get some chapters from Bonnie and Sandy. Over the trip we learn more about each of the women and I quite liked the relationship they had where they annoyed each other, but you could tell they really cared for each other.

The holiday romance for Heather added fun to the story. I found their banter and texts amusing. Plenty of twists and revelations along the way, the story was a great read.

Heather, her mom, Sandy, and her grandma, Bonnie, go on an adventure for Bonnie's 70th birthday. Bonnie convinces them they need to hike the Incan Trail to Machu Picchu. As they go on their grand adventure, they share their heartaches, stories, and secrets (as the blurb says) and get to know each other better. By opening their hearts, and letting go of the pain, they set themselves up for happiness to come.

I laughed and cried while reading this book and wish so very much that my mom was still alive to go on this type of adventure, or at the very least read and love this book the way I did. All of the characters are relatable, likeable, and have something worthwhile to share with us.

Three generations of women, all dealing with their own grief and trauma, go together to climb Machu Picchu.

Life is full of synchronicity. I was reading this and another book, alternating every 100 pages or so and oddly that book also had a Machu Picchu connection. If you enjoy stories focusing on generations of women within a family, this is a great one. There’s a lot of grief and bitterness to work though, but also a lot of rebuilding. It’s a vacation where secrets are revealed and grandmother, mother, and daughter all get to know each other in new ways. The story was even more emotional for me when I learned Bonnie’s character was based on the author’s grandmother.

“I want some damn fun. I want to embrace something different, to run toward something, rather than waiting out my final days watching the clocks secondhand tick toward death.”

Best, First, Last comes out 6/25

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this wonderful book by Amy T. Matthews. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Three generations of women are struggling. Heather has just broken up with her on-again off-again boyfriend, working at home, and miserable because the other women in her life are too. Mother Sandy is in the midst of a divorce and bitter. Grandmother Bonnie is mourning the death of her third husband and has taken to carrying around his urn everywhere she goes. When Bonnie's neighbor's grandson tells her of his upcoming adventure to hike Machu Picchu, she is determined not to spend her 70th birthday miserable as well. She invites Sandy and Heather along with everyone's emotional baggage. Let the fun begin!

I loved this author's previous book, Someone Else's Bucket List, and this was another charming, heartwarming, relatable story with great characters. This story unfolds in the best of ways - in the present, the women are in Peru but as they begin really talking to each other and sharing their stories, we learn about their pasts. The descriptions of the places they traveled added another dimension to the story, and you felt like you were going along with them on their adventure. Lots of life lessons here to not hold on to grudges and live life fully, along with a healthy dose of romance and humor. Great read to put in your summer travel bag.

Bon, her daughter Sandra and her granddaughter Heather thought their hike in Peru would be a good experience but they didn't expect that it would be more rewarding to them as a family, Each woman has recently experienced a blow- widowhood, divorce, breakup-but this isn't about fixing their love lives it's about fixing their hearts. It's realistic (love the back and forth) and it made me smile more than once. Thanks to Netgalle for the ARC. A good read.

This is an absolute must-read for anyone who is a daughter.

Seriously. The portrayal of daughter relationships in this book is poignant and beautiful.

The main character voices in the story are the granddaughter (Heather) and the grandmother (Bonnie) - the mom's story is told in bits and pieces through the eyes of the other two.

I laughed and cried. Unexpected 5-star read.

"It's not running away," Owen told his grandmother. "It's running to."
Running to. Bonnie felt the splash of the words like cool water on a hot day. "

"I mean, inside me. I'm full of traps: mousetraps and bear traps and trap doors - all lying in wait for me to take a wrong step."

"I have these Post-It notes stuck behind my computer at home. And there's a purple one that says, 'Don't look back, you're not going that way.' ... "I mean, I think you have to look back. I think you can't go forward without looking back."

A loving story about three generations of women who have secrets that come to life on a trip to Peru. Well written characters and a plot that was believable with many laugh out loud moments interspersed between sadness and anger as the women try to come to grips with the issues in their lives. Ms. Matthew’s knows how to write a story that keeps the reader glued to the pages.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

I liked the description of this book, but it completely captured me the more I read it.
Bonnie is a meddling and spunky grandma, Heather is 20smth who feels bit stuck and Sandy is hearbroken because of her unfaithful ex-husband and Bon has a scheme to get them all together on a trip to Peru.
It was a beautiful story, i loved the humour of Bonnie and related to Heather a lot, also being 20smth woman who has mother who tends to dump emotions on you. The way the dynamics of all the characters felt so real was beautiful and I loved the forgiveness they were able to give themselves and their family through it all.
One minute i was laughing at Bonnies antics and next I was on the verge of crying because of what they have been through, definitely will come back to this book as it just made me feel so good even though it covered serious topics as grief and difficult family dynamics..

Readers will enjoy this book. You will appreciate going on the hike in Machu Pichu and appreciate even more the story of 3 generations of female relationships: Heather the granddaughter/daughter, Sandra the daughter and Bon the grandma. All with love stories, coming of age stories, and rejection and acceptance. Romance in the month of May always win. Incredible unexpected events and secrets make for intrigue and reading suspense. Oh, what tangled webs in this book, but love wins—both maternal and romantic. May your life be filled with such love. A solid, good read.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the advanced review copy. #BestFirstandLast #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this author's previous book, Someone Else's Bucket List, which was the perfect blend of women's fiction and light romance. This book focuses on the lives of three generations of women.

Bonnie is turning 70 and her third husband has just died. The novel starts out with her, which I am happy about, because in my opinion, she is the most interesting character. She has lived a full life and has loved and lost but the main relationship she is trying to maintain is the one with her daughter Sandy.

Sandy was the most difficult for me to connect to - she is manipulative, selfish and lacks empathy for others. Even when I read her past love story I felt very little sympathy for her. She is a good foil for the other two women though, as she creates all the drama.

Heather is somewhere in between. I liked her little fledgling romance with Romeo and there were some funny moments between them, but by the end of the book, I felt a little dissatisfied with where their relationship was left. In the end, even though Heather is rewarded for being brave, there doesn't seem to be a solid resolution to her romance.

Fortunately, the other relationships are nicely resolved and tied up with a bow, so if you want to read a book about healing, set against the backdrop of beautiful Peru, then this is the book for you.

I received an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s not uncommon to skim the synopsis of a book and think that it sounds “pretty good”. But it’s not everyday that you start reading that book and instantly fall in love with everything about it.

Best, First, and Last was a fantastic book that had me hooked beginning to end. I fell in love with every character, their stories, and their relationships more & more as the book progressed.

The author did an amazing job at making you feel immersed in the setting whether you were in Peru or Shitsville, Az. I felt like I was there with each character, feeling their pain, their love, and their laughter.

I absolutely loved the way she went about telling the main story as well as each background story. Especially when she went back in time to 1969 and completely changed the tone, slang, etc to better immerse us in the setting. She did a great job making it feel like I was reading a completely different story while staying true to what was happening in the main plot line.

If you can’t tell, I’m obsessed with this book and I can’t wait for this to release and share it with friends!

Relationships can be complicated. Mother/Daughter relationships are almost always complicated, at least for part of the time, especially the time that daughters want to act grown before their time. Sometimes the relationship remains a rollercoaster well into the adult years. That is the case in this story. Truths not told, misunderstandings, self-doubt, guilt and remorse all combined into a web that even the strongest spider could not weave, and surely mere mortals cannot escape from, unless the old hurts come to the surface and then healing can begin.

I truly love this extremely emotional tale. I had tissues handy, and I suggest that you do also. It centers around a grandmother, her daughter, and her granddaughter. The author wrote a believable story that I was drawn into immediately and held captive until the final page. The characters are wonderfully created, perfect for their roles in the plot.

There is a romance also intertwined in the pages and to me, the situations surrounding it was absolutely believable also. Living in what is often called the biggest, small city, I often have situations where I meet someone, then see them again, and again, and then find out all the people that we both know, as if it were fate driving us together (as it is in this story).

I highly recommend this fantastic book and hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading this amazing book. I will be telling all my reader friends to grab this book and begin reading it at once after it is released on June 25th!

Best, First, and Last by Amy T. Matthews is a heartwarming and relatable romp, filled with humour and drama that revolves around three generations of women in the same family.
The characters range from the immediately endearing Bonnie, mother and grandmother to heart-broken and bitter Sandy, and harassed and introverted Heather respectively. Each woman is dealing with her own troubles, and some of those troubles can be traced right back to the other two. Throw in a plethora of secrets on Bonnie's part, a philandering ex-husband on Sandy's, and a new, surprise love interest on Heather's, and the entire situation deteriorates hilariously as the book progresses.
Yet there are serious lessons to be learned for each of the three women, and by proxy for the reader as well.
This is a well-written and entertaining page-turner that leaves you feeling good once you reach the end. I've definitely put this author on my watch list!
I am happy to have received an ARC of #BestFirstandLast from #NetGalley.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.