by Kristan Higgins
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 480
Format: eARC
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.
For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it's coming to terms with the survivor's guilt she's carried around since her twin sister's death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it's about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother's and brother's ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.
But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson's dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.
Kritters Thoughts: I love Kristan Higgins stand alone books - they are usually filled with fantastic women having real experiences and trying to do life to their best. In this story two friends are impacted by the sudden by another friend's death. And on her death bed she has left them with a list they created as kids that she challenged them to actually complete. Georgia and Marley find her death to be a kick in the butt to the lives they have been putting off for the future.
I love a book with two narrators so each character gets the chance to move the story along. Georgia and Marley were similar and different at the same time and I appreciated their real friendship. Marley had childhood trauma that impacted her relationship with food and really set her on an unhealthy path. Georgia had more present drama in her life and I really loved watching her confront feelings of her past and really grow in this book. I loved how they had completely different mothers and how each mother had flaws and neither had the "perfect" mom. The supporting cast in this book was so full, but not overwhelming.
One may call this a "fat" book, but I would challenge that and say this is more a human book about women in regular bodies and trying to be self confident and happy in the bodies they have in the here and now. This book struck a few chords with me and I had to have a few gut checks while reading this one.
This book came at a weird time where life was a little up and down, it was a nice escape from the real drama of my real life!
Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row
Ebook 2018 Challenge: 69 out of 100
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin Random House. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.