Tough one to review. Two thirds of it had me making myself slog thru it. One third redeemed it. Josie had me flummoxed between liking and loathing her. Ara is such a tragic hero. Emma's kind of annoying.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a love/hate with this book. I liked how it explored the concept of family and how we fill our perceived roles, plus how we can love each other in ways that maybe others don’t see or feel as love. On the other hand, I did not like any of the characters. They were all very selfish.

I loved the characters of Emma, Ara, Josie, and Bertie. The story of these sisters and their mother was one I could relate quite a bit to and I saw pieces of myself in each of the characters. This was a story about love, loss, and forgiveness and what all of those mean for each of the characters.

After having enjoyed The Great Transition, Nicholas Fuller Goggins’ debut, I was excited to receive an advanced copy of his sophomore novel, The Frequency of Living Things. It didn’t disappoint! It’s a gripping family drama about Bertie and her three adult daughters who have faced personal tragedies while also trying to do their part to right societal wrongs. Goggins has created memorable characters who I rooted for although they are flawed. The novel also contained some surprising twists I didn’t see coming. I recommend this book to others who enjoy family dramas with strong female leads. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

Josie is the youngest sister but she’s always taken care of her older twin sisters. Emma is determined to make a new record and bring their fame from their one album back. Ara may be detoxing in jail, but she is using it as a break from her sisters.

Fans of the Blue Sisters will enjoy this one. It definitely has many similarities. I love a good sisters story. This one has a lot to it as we go back to the mother’s story and how that comes into play for the future. This story took me to some unexpected places. You’ll shed a few tears as you go on this journey with the family. I loved how there were different perspectives as well.

“I’m a survivor. I don’t have to run from trouble. I can make trouble myself.”

The Frequency of Living Things comes out 8/12.

A story of sisters. They have conflict but still love each other. Ultimately a story of what family means

Emma and Ara are rockstars whose band is on the way to just being known as a one hit wonder. Their mother, Bertie, cares so much about helping others that she's barely around for her own family. And their younger sister Josie is the opposite - she's always there to help no matter what. Ara struggles with addiction and this ends up landing her in prison while her sisters stop at nothing to get her out.

As a protective and super engaged sister, I felt for Josie but even I have my limits! Josie dropped everything for her sisters, even if it meant straining relationships and causing herself insane stress. I found this a bit much. I also struggled with liking the characters at times because of the choices they made throughout the story. I did really love Ara's character though - I think addiction is such a tricky topic to write about but it translated well and realistically in this story and Ara was relatable, strong and inspiring.

When it comes down to it, this story is about family and how complicated life can be with them. If you like family dramas and stories with strong sister bonds, I'd recommend this. Don't blame me if you cry a few times like I did!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Nick Fuller Goggins has touched upon a gambit of traumas and social injustices experienced by many human beings, focusing particularly on one family and their friends, plus others who impact their lives. The story revolves around three sisters, their mother and those who influence their life’s experiences. Woven throughout the book are storylines about drug addiction, science, music, human rights activists, uncertainty, prison life, loss, loyalty, love and the consequences of choices we make. If you like books about these tough issues, this book is for you. If you’re looking for something light and uplifting, try a different book.

Two factors almost prevented me from reading this book. First, after reading the description posted on NetGalley of what the book entails, I immediately thought the book would be way too depressing to even remotely enjoy. I opted to download the book because the publisher sent me an opportunity to read and review the book. I figured I give it a chance and not allow any issues being faced by my family (nothing like the ones in the book) sway me away from the book. Some potential readers might elect to pass on the book if they feel the topics hit too close to home. Others will revel in reading stories about these meaty topics. Reading the description, again, after finishing the book didn’t cause the same sense of potentially being depressed by reading the book. I knew the content and outcomes, so I knew I wasn’t depressed by them! It did occur to me that the description cuts to the chase, relaying major attributes of the characters as they approach the wrap up of the book. Upon finishing the book, I actually felt neutral about the content, not emotional charged by the topics.
The second potential showstopper for me was the style of writing during the first chapter. For me, the sentences that were short phrases or one word thoughts created a choppy lack of flow to the prose or dialogue. I wasn’t keen about reading over three hundred pages of choppy thoughts. Once the prose flowed more freely, I became more engaged in the story. I did tend to scan the more scientific passages within the book. Scientific terminology is Josie’s thing, not mine. At times, I wondered if some things were included in the book as a vehicle to show off the author’s knowledge, more than to enhance the story.

Each chapter is titled with the name of one of the characters. Individual story lines about the Tayloe family members are woven together throughout the book, illustrating how past choices and events of one person impacted the current thinking and actions of other Tayloe family members. The time frame of each storyline often changes from present to past events, then back to present. Some transitions were initially a bit confusing, such as when Bertie’s chapters about meeting her husband started. I don’t recall that there was a transition, just a sudden launching into Bertie’s past history. As the book progressed, I became accustomed to this approach to switching time frames.

All in all, reading The Frequency of Living Things created a few moments of “I wonder what happens next”, but I had more moments of “where is this going, why do we need to know this?” I was never really totally engaged in the book. The action towards the end of the book was heart pounding, but was it believable? After reading all the details throughout the body of the book, the ending felt a bit rushed. But, I was glad to have finished the book.

Such a great book about sister relationships and family relationships. This book talked about hard topics but handled them so well and really gave you a look at how it can affect the person and others. This book was such a good read about resilience and family. I recommend this book 100%

Lots of family issues and hurt relationships are unpacked in this title. I found it well written and intriguing. The characters captured my attention from the beginning. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Frequency of Living Things by Nick Fuller Googins due to be published August 12, 2025.
Josie may be the youngest sister, but she takes care of everyone. When Ara, one of her twin sisters, calls from jail, it isn’t exactly a surprise, and Josie knows exactly how to snap into action. Emma, the other twin, wants to be in charge, and thinks, after the success of their one gold record, that an album from jail would be just the thing. Bertie, who raised her three daughters as a single mother, has always taught them that family won’t always be around to take care of you. Will they be there for each other when it counts?
This was a new-to-me author and a good read that brought in some hard topics – addiction and abortion, but they were both handled well. The family dynamics were interesting between the twins and the younger sister being in charge and the usually absent mother who was always too busy to raise her children. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though there were some rough topics and the total irony of the ending.
#NetGalley #NickFullerGoogins #AtriaBooks #TheFrequencyOfLivingThings

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. This book is about three sisters, their individualism and their interconnectedness. Josie is the youngest, yet functions as the oldest because she is like a mother hen. She is the responsible sister to her more free-wheeling twin sisters, Emma and Ara. When Ara lands in jail, this is no surprise. But Emma sees monetization in this - for long ago, the twins were a successful musical group, and Emma thinks Ara's creative abilities from within jail would help rejuvenate not just the group, but the sisters themselves. What Emma does not take into account is the mental state of Ara, who is desperately trying to change the trajectory of her life - even if it means removing herself from her family. Finally, we have the matriarch, Bertie, who never put her girls first as she was taking care of others. But seeing the path her children are on, she finally faces her own reckoning.

I enjoyed the exploration of the twins relationship in this book - how they could be so connected on many levels, and then how one would break away and the impact that would have on each of them. I thought the author did a great job of handling deep topics, such as addiction - this did not overpower the overall storyline, but was also real and accessible. This is really a good book if you enjoy the dynamics of family and looking through a different lens for the relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Frequency of Living Things is a primarily sister story— about twins, Ara and Emma, and their sister, Josie, who have found their way into adulthood in a dependent, intense, and fraught connection with the added stress of a mostly absentee mother. Ara and Emma formed a band that experienced very early, intense success with a severe drop in popularity shortly thereafter and Josie has been along for the ride to act as a manager, both personally and professionally, for all of it. What emerges in this story is what happens when all of this is thrown into immediate chaos, with Ada’s involvement with drugs leads to her arrest, leading the three sisters into a whirlwind of emotions and activity.

This book was an interesting take on a sisterhood story and had a number of sharp turns that felt fresh and kept me reading throughout. I really enjoyed Ara and Emma’s characters as it was interesting to explore their dynamic as twins, as sisters, as bandmates, etc. and to see how much their lives were affected by Ara’s physical and later emotional distance from Emma. The story covers a lot of heavy topics and emotions related to addiction but, I felt like the author handled them well. The character of Josie felt a little unbelievable or maybe just a little ridiculous to me because of how heavily she managed and coordinated her sister’s activities and lives; I understand that this might be the reality for some families, especially when someone is struggling financially or with addiction but, I didn’t feel the extent of exasperation that I might expect in this type of case; it almost felt like Josie reveled in it and enjoyed this sense of control a bit too much to be realistic, given the circumstances. But, perhaps this is just my interpretation as an external reader. Otherwise, the pacing of this book was good and I enjoyed the overall reading experience. I would rate this at a 3.5 stars.

In any case, this book was a quick read and I think anyone interested in sister stories or contemporary fiction would enjoy this! I would caution a reader that there are trigger warnings in this book related to suicide and addiction to be aware of. However, I think it’s still a good read and would recommend it!

I love books about family and resilience. The Frequency of Living Things by Nick Fuller Goggins was an excellent read.