Life and Other Inconveniences

by Kristan Higgins

“A heart-wrenching page-turner told with warmth and humor.”—People Magazine (Pick of the Week) 
 
“A rich testament to the power of second chances.”—Women’s World

A Publishers Weekly and USA Today Bestseller!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Good Luck with That comes a new novel about a blue-blood grandmother and her black-sheep granddaughter who discover they are truly two sides of the same coin.

Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy and bluest-blood New England stock, but that didn't protect her from life's cruelest blows: the disappearance of Genevieve's young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes of grief and built a fashion empire that was respected the world over, even when it meant neglecting her other son.

When Emma's own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother's doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her--until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back...but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley.

So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?

• ISBN10: 045148942X
• ISBN13: 9780451489425
• Publish Date: 6 August 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 448
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451489425

Reviews

[Stephanie]

This review was originally posted on Once Upon a Chapter



It's absolutely no secret that Kristan Higgins is my number one author. She is my go to author when I need the world to be a better place than it it is capable of being. I have a bit of a hoarding problem when it comes to her books. That is why I am reading Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins months after it was released.

There was a lot of family history that was unpacked over the course of the whole book. I think Higgins stuck pretty close to reality. If you talked to four different people about one incident that they were all involved in together; you're going to get the same story but from four different perspectives. I could really appreciate the themes of Life and Other Inconveniences.

I really thought I was going to have a difficult time even liking Genevieve. How other people perceive her and her family is of the utmost importance to her. I agree with some of the things that she adheres to but she takes it all to extremes. Also? Genevieve is judgier than any other character I think I've read in quite awhile. It makes her sound like a monster but Higgins peels back the layers and shows us where all the waspishness comes from. It makes her easier to take.

Emma.....she had it rough but she always managed to take on all that life threw at her. Emma isn't perfect. She's been formed by the traumatic life experiences that she's had. It can't be denied that she really is kind of an awesome person. She took those life tragedies and formed her life and turned it into a way to help others.

I really loved how Higgins told the story from multiple points of view. I think it made the whole thing so much better. I also liked the cold case that Higgins layered through the book. I have to say that while I was reading about everything that was unfolding in the current situation I completely forgot about the cold case at one point. Me. The woman who listens to true crime podcast forgot about the surprise cold case in her favorite author's contemporary romance. Yeah the story was that good!

In the end not everything came out peachy keen perfect and I actually love Higgins for that. It kept the story realistic. I am always going to recommend that someone pick up a Kristan Higgins novel. This book is great for someone who isn't looking for something too heavy but it isn't light-hearted either. Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins was beautifully balanced and I'm already wondering how soon is too soon for a re-read....