Life and Other Inconveniences

Corn oil and mixer beaters. Yep. If you don’t read this book for any other reason, read it to find out how corn oil and mixer beaters could possibly fit in to the story. And nope, no spoilers.

I had just started reading Life and Other Inconveniences when I had to stop and take a breath. Whoa, I thought. This is one intense book. I thought Kristan Higgins’ last book, the marvelous Good Luck with That, was hard hitting, but every character I met in Life and Other Inconveniences went straight to my heart. And if there was any question just how much Emma had been hurt by Genevieve, Emma’s comment, “Have a nice death.” sure answered that question.

Life and Other Inconveniences is brilliantly crafted, with a cast of unforgettable show more characters weaving in and out of Emma’s and Genevieve’s lives. And so many of them are truly awful people. Even if they do something redeeming later, what they have already done remains pretty unforgivable. So many lives affected, changed, stunted by past events and the actions of these terrible people. Sure, there may have been reasons, but still.

Emma, Genevieve Riley, Clark, Paul, Jason, Hope, Miller, Tess, Donelle, Helga, Jamilah– all of the characters, these named and many more, including Sheppard, the lost boy, are vividly portrayed and captivating. Emma’s life reads like a disaster checklist. Genevieve turned to ice when she couldn’t get past her grief. Miller had the fairy tale love story but now life seems like a soap opera tragedy. It goes on and on, everybody has a story and everything seems to be connected somehow. Some are survivors, some give up, some are lazy, some are just mean. But each and every one is fascinating with a story to tell. The setting and atmosphere are like additional characters. Genevieve’s house (house nothing, mansion!) called Sheerwater in Stoningham, Connecticut came to life.

Life and Other Inconveniences is fabulous, charming but tough, heartbreaking and uplifting. Excellent plot, great characters, satisfying ending. And as always when you are reading Kristan Higgins, have plenty of tissues handy. Some for wiping your eyes when you can’t stop laughing, and some for mopping your face when you can’t stop crying. Serious issues are addressed, but there’s a lot of joy and lots and lots and lots of love. Love all around.

You know when you are reading a book and you never want it to end? You realize there's a plot and a point to the story but it’s become a bit secondary in your mind because you don’t want to leave, you just want to spend forever with these people, walk through life with them? Well, welcome to Life and Other Inconveniences and the world of Kristan Higgins. Thanks to Goodreads for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review and thanks to KW for writing another winner. Remember Whoa when I started reading? At the end I took another and thought Double Whoa. I loved this book and recommend it without hesitation. show less

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my kind of book: "a blue-blooded grandmother and her black-sheep granddaughter discover they are truly two sides of the same coin." From the first page some aspects of this novel were predictable, but in a comfortable way. Sometimes you just don't want too many twists and turns in the plot as you read how the characters are able to reconcile their differences. The book uses a variety of points of view (changing with the chapters), which helps the reader to learn about each character, keeps the plot moving forward, and allows the reader to stay immersed as the story develops. Themes of parenting, choices, show more family, and truth are woven throughout. Four generations of strong women are featured in the book and their dynamic of mothers and daughters was memorable. The ending was satisfying and a little emotional. Even now that I've closed the book I find myself continuing to think about these characters as if they were real people. show less

(TW: parental suicide, depression, loss of a child)

Wow, color me impressed. Kristan Higgins has written a very intelligent, thoughtful Women's Fiction novel with almost no trace of her usual man-crazy, baby-obsessed women (one of the heroine's BFFs fits that bill but she's a very minor character). Instead we're treated to a complex cast of characters with tangled family dynamics. There's plenty to ponder about the choices we make as parents, the ways we deal with tragedy and the ability to put the past behind us.

Emma is a strong heroine, a single mother who has raised Riley, a smart, self-sufficient 16 year old daughter who still miraculously displays affection to her. Emma doesn't change throughout the novel as much as she opens show more herself up to new experiences once she confronts Genevieve, the grandmother who cast her out when she became a pregnant, unwed teen. Genevieve is a much tougher character, and I admire Higgins for not making her anything less than flawed. She's done a lot of good for her community and for her other granddaughter who is institutionalized with significant disabilities, but she was a terrible mother to her son and her past cruelty to Emma is hard to forgive.

I also give Higgins credit for creating a love interest for Emma with his own issues. Miller is a widower and a single dad to Tess, a very challenging 3 year old girl. He has some very negative, honest feelings about her but despite them he is trying to be a good father. Although Emma and Riley both turn out to be skilled at handling Tess, there's no magical solution and she doesn't suddenly turn into an angel.

Of course there are dogs (because Higgins) and a bit of humor (not as much as in previous novels), and the ending is hopeful without being unrealistically sunny. Life and Other Inconveniences reminded me of books by some of my favorite Women's Fiction authors, including [a:Emilie Richards|79044|Emilie Richards|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1232233544p2/79044.jpg] and [a:Barbara O'Neal|941508|Barbara O'Neal|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1268279525p2/941508.jpg]. Coming from me that's high praise indeed. show less

Emma London would have never categorized her relationship with her grandmother - the famous designer Genevieve London - as loving. After losing her mother at eight years old, and when her father proved a less than willing caregiver, Emma was sent to live with her grandmother. Genevieve coming from an old-school blue-blood time, and suffering her own familial loss, she doesn't know really how to relate to Emma, but she make sure Emma is clothed, fed, schooled, and generally looked after. When Emma gets pregnant right after graduating high school, and wants to keep and raise the baby, Genevieve cannot believe Emma would throw all of her potential away like that. So she kicks her out and lets her make her own way.

Fast forward about show more seventeen years and Emma is now a, mostly, single mother to Riley. She worked hard to get her degree and works as a counselor. She hasn't spoken to Genevieve in all this time. That is, until Genevieve calls informing Emma that she's dying and she would like to meet Riley. Dangling a huge inheritance - enough to cover Riley's schooling - helps make up Emma's mind and soon they're off back to Connecticut for the summer. But all is not exactly how Genevieve has made it seem. Emma and Genevieve will have to reconcile a lot with the past if they want to make the most of the time they have left.

It took me a while to read and get into this book. Kristan Higgins is typically a read upon release author for me, but something about the tone of Life & Other Inconveniences had me hesitating at first. It's not an easy read for sure. It tackles issues such as death, suicide, child neglect and abandonment, missing children, bullying. It runs the gambit. It's also very generational. There's a lot of backstory that has to be incorporated because it influences where our characters are in the present, where they came from, and in a way, where they need to go. I liked filling in all the pieces and seeing how everything fit together. Seeing the layers pulled back on each character to see what, thus far, has informed their life. Why does Genevieve hold back her affections from Emma? Why is Emma a hypochondriac?

I really thought that the stories Kristan Higgins gave each character were fitting. I liked each time I had formed an opinion about a character just to have it turned around by some new revelation. And the revelations themselves were well done. Slowly unfolding in an organic way to the overall story, never seeming to come out of left field.

The relationship between the three female characters Genevieve, Emma, and Riley was my favorite part of the book. I loved seeing the progression of Genevieve and Emma's relationship contrasted with Emma and Riley's and then Riley and Genevieve's relationship. Then bringing it back around again to healing the fissure between Genevieve and Emma. I also loved seeing a story with a teenage girl and her mother where there wasn't any teenage animosity going on. I know that it's a real thing that sometimes happens in mother-daughter relationships, but it's not always the case, and I liked seeing the closeness of Riley and Emma without so much drama between them. It's also plays a huge contrast to how things stand between Genevieve and Emma.

Overall, it's a more somber read than what I'm used to with Kristan Higgins. I liked what the story says about the circumstances that change our lives and how we deal with them. It's at times hopeful and heartbreaking, but it definitely leaves you with a sense of lightness at the end. show less

I’m sitting here at 3:57 am with tears running down my face trying to figure out what to put in my review to convey my feelings. For me, if a writer can bring me to true tears, it’s a sign of a fantastic book. I loved this book! It takes the reader through every gamut of emotion. I felt sympathy for the young girl (Emma) who lost her mother & then was dumped on a stern grandmother by her immature father. I admired the mother Emma became for for sticking to her principles instead of doing the “easy” thing. Genevieve is the one I couldn’t put a lock on. I admired her courage in going on after losing one son & her husband. I sympathized with her grief but yet was appalled by her treatment of Clark & Emma. These characters were show more all so well developed, it felt like I was living their story along with them. The descriptions & dialogue bring you right into the scenes with them. I had planned to start reading this book as soon as I received it but decided to hold off until the weekend. I wanted to be able to lose myself in it. Once I opened the cover, I didn’t put the book down until I was finished. I’ve read everything Ms. Higgins has published & this isn’t one of her typical romances but it’s so much more! I don’t feel that I’ve done this book justice but suffice it to say, I loved it & in a week or two will be rereading it to capture anything I missed the first time. show less

Kristan Higgins is one of my very favorite summer reading authors and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of her August 2019 book release. Life and Other Inconveniences is a heartwarming story that is filled with family dynamics, love, heartache, and hope.

Life and Other Inconveniences involves four generations of a family, the ties that bind and the complexities of past choices and how they affect relationships today. Higgin's offers multidimensional characters, diverse relationships and the ability to weave real-life issues into her plotlines.

While this is a fun and engaging read, Higgins is also able to provide a level of depth that makes her writing thought-provoking and satisfying. Higgin's show more ability to share these stories from multiple different perspectives allows you as the reader to see where these characters are coming from, even if you don't always agree with their choices.

In order to move forward, we must often look back at the choices and decisions we have made and Higgins excels at presenting this story in such a powerful and multilayered way. The ending of this book is bittersweet and real, which I find much more satisfying than a "happily ever after" scenario.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

From the flap copy, I was a bit worried that this novel would read like stereotypical chick lit and be all fluff with no substance ... I'm so glad to have been so wrong! I loved this book. Told from different perspectives, the story came alive through well-crafted, distinct character voices. Higgins did a masterful job capturing the frustrations, neuroses, and niggling inner voices of real people -- I laughed out loud in multiple places, and felt my own anger and frustration mounting in others. Though a few plot 'twists' were a bit predictable, I was so engaged in the story that I didn't mind at all. Definitely a great summer read -- 4 stars.