Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins: Review

There’s a brand new book coming out next month that I was able to review. And I must say I certainly had mixed feelings about it.

It was so not what I was expecting at all but the ending certainly made it worth what you have to go through in the beginning. Here’s my full review.

Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins
Publisher: Berkley (June 9, 2020)
ISBN-13: 978-0451489456

Synopsis:
The Frosts are a typical American family. Barb and John, married almost fifty years, are testy and bored with each other…who could blame them after all this time? At least they have their daughters– Barb’s favorite, the perfect, brilliant Juliet; and John’s darling, the free-spirited Sadie. The girls themselves couldn’t be more different, but at least they got along, more or less. It was fine. It was enough.

Until the day John had a stroke, and their house of cards came tumbling down.

Now Sadie has to put her career as a teacher and struggling artist in New York on hold to come back and care for her beloved dad–and face the love of her life, whose heart she broke, and who broke hers. Now Juliet has to wonder if people will notice that despite her perfect career as a successful architect, her perfect marriage to a charming Brit, and her two perfect daughters, she’s spending an increasing amount of time in the closet having panic attacks.

And now Barb and John will finally have to face what’s been going on in their marriage all along.

Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins Review

So many mixed feeling here! I don’t think I have felt as much anger before while reading a book. I was expecting something completely different and I have to say that I honestly did not care for any of the characters.

Every one of them had flaws. But don’t we all? The good news is the author completely changed my mind the further into the book I got.

It wasn’t until about the last quarter of the story that I started seeing these characters for who they were. Except for Noah. Noah was amazing throughout the story, and to be honest, he was the main reason I kept reading the book.

But that says something about a talented author. Someone who can create characters that you love to hate and then slowly turn your heart around and pull those tears out of you as she does it.

Higgins keeps the reader on their toes with the subtleties and the perfection of her character development. I saw myself and many nuances of my own family in this book and those mixed feelings are probably from my own recognition of family complexities.

The ending was a long time coming. But I can say it was satisfying and even surprising in a more than a few ways.

If you are one that loves family sagas and an intense story, this is definitely one to check out.

4 Stars!

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.