Annie dies in the first few pages of the book and what follows is a look into how those closest to her deal with their grief. The story is told over the following seasons from the POVs of her husband, Bill, her daughter, Ali, and her best friend Annemarie. Despite her death early on the page, I enjoyed getting to know Annie through the lens of those closest to her.

I'm currently in my "books about grief" era and After Annie did not disappoint!

Special thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of After Annie, all opinions are my own.

Get your tissues ready. “Annie Brown died right before dinner” is the first sentence in the story of the Brown family.
This book is a love story. The love of two best friends. The unconditional love between husband and wife. And the love of a mother and her four young children. What follows is a family and a best friend learning to cope without Annie, the woman who centered their lives. It’s a story of healing and strength. It’s a story of hope.

This was my first Anna Quindlen book and I was pleasantly surprised. It starts out strong and the entire story kept me interested and wanting to read on. I really grew to like each of the characters and became invested in what was happening to them. You won’t regret picking this up!

I took my time to write the review of this book. It was heavy. One day, your mom is there and next day she is not. Aneurism only needs a second to take your loved ones from you. It could make daughters little moms, husbands little children, and best friends train wrecks. It can happen to anyone at any moment of their lives.

Annie was asking for a painkiller second before she dropped on the floor of her kitchen. Her daughter didn’t know what to do other than keeping her siblings quiet in the other room. Her husband was hoping in that ambulance that would take her away from her family. Her friend… she was trying hard to not to pick up the bottle because she promised Annie.

It was as slow as it should be like the people in this story processing the loss. It was raw and emotional. It was tiring. I needed to read some thrillers and lighthearted stories after this one. If you lost someone under similar circumstances, maybe take a moment before you pick this one up.

Gosh, this was an exceptionally wonderful book that was equally difficult and heartbreaking to read, as it is about a topic that is most of our worst nightmares: dying suddenly and leaving our families behind.

I'm roughly the same age as mother Annie, and at the same life stage, so at times this novel was tremendously difficult for me to get through. Quindlen perfectly describes the human experience of losing someone who is at the center of everything. Not to overstate my role, but it was heartbreaking for me to imagine life for my kids and husband as I read what was happening to Bill and his four children after Annie's death. Quindlen just gets right to the heart of it with breathtaking and emotionally charged writing.

Although Annie dies in the very first sentence of this novel, her voice and impact is felt through the descriptions of her loved ones. It is a really stunning portrayal of their grief and growth in the year after her death. I loved Ali, the eldest child and Annemarie, Anne's long time best friend who saved her from addiction.

This book will not be for everyone, and you need to be in the right place in your life to read it. For some it may be just too difficult to read. But for others, who are moved by the everyday actions of everyday people going through challenges, this is a wonderfully written book that will touch your heart.

After Annie dies suddenly of a ruptured aneurysm, her family struggles to come to terms with her death. Ali, the oldest of four children and barely a teenager, is left to pick up the pieces. Over the course of the next year, the family starts to grow into their new situation. Bill, Annie’s husband, begins to take on the responsibility of the family. Annie’s best friend realizes she can go on. Annie has provided them with the strength and love to continue their lives without her.

Annie Brown lives for only one page in Anna Quindlen's After Annie. We learn about Annie after her death as her husband, children, and best friend, Annemarie, cope with the sudden death of a 30-something woman. Quindlen does an outstanding job showing the various ways that grief manifests itself as both the Brown family and Annemarie stumble through the first year after Annie's untimely death.

Annie Brown was the lynchpin in the Brown family -- the one whose husband and children looked to as well as being the confidant to Annemarie whose past battles with addiction never stop resurfacing. The Brown family and Annemarie are often at odds with each other as they learn to take on different roles without the woman who was the glue keeping the Brown family together.

Anna Quindlen's writing is lyrical and thoughtful as she takes readers on this journey through grief. Thank you to #NetGalley and #Random House for this electronic ARC of #AfterAnnie.,

After Annie is almost vintage Quindlen. It is a powerful story of loss--what it looks like, how it feels, and its ramifications on everyone in Annie's family and friendship circle. The cycles of grief are examined and among the many things this book does, is show that grief takes all forms and there is no one proper way to grieve. The loss of someone changes all of us, some ways good and some ways bad. Quindlen shows the reader that it's what we do with the lessons from loss that count; not the loss itself. Learning to navigate the world forever without the one lost to us is a universal experience that is different for everyone.

This was another ARC I received from NetGalley (released 2/27), and I read it very slowly all winter… In the first chapters, the title character (Annie) dies suddenly and the rest of the book follows her husband, four young children, and best friend through the year following… It is a book is about grief, so it is - predictably - very sad. At times, I thought it was maybe too sad for “pleasure” reading; but I thought the writing was excellent, and I found the depictions of all the ways people cope after a tragic loss to be nuanced and realistic while still ending - mostly - on a hopeful note.

Wow. This was an incredible book--the emotions are so raw. All of the characters are so strong and so real. The end is really beautiful and realistic. I would suggest this book to anyone. Raw and real.

4.5 stars

This is a beautifully written story about a young wife and mother, Annie Brown, who collapses on the kitchen floor one night and never gets up again. In the aftermath, her devastated family, swimming in grief, try to cope with the loss of the person who was the center of their universe — her husband Bill is shellshocked and buries himself in his work; her daughter Ali, only 13 years old, yet as the eldest, takes up the responsibility of caring for her 3 younger brothers as well as her father; Ant, at 11 years old, becomes angry and silent; the two youngest boys, Jamie and Benjy, don’t understand what is happening and constantly ask when their mommy will be returning from the hospital, only for their questions to go unanswered; and then there’s AnneMarie, the best friend since childhood who was dragged back from the brink of her own drug-fueled self-destruction by Annie, and now is in danger of spiraling out of control again after losing the one person who was her anchor and kept her on solid ground.

The narrative is divided up based on seasons, starting with the winter day when Annie dies, then follows the family through the subsequent spring, summer, and autumn, at the same time alternating between the perspectives of Bill, Ali, and AnneMarie as they are forced to navigate a world without Annie in it. The story is so sad and heartbreaking — I especially felt for Ali, who had to take up so much on her own while the adults in her life were adrift and didn’t pay her much attention. All the kids, in fact, I felt so much sympathy for that the entire time I was reading, I just wanted to reach out and hug them, comfort them.

The writing here is so moving and heartfelt — Quindlen captures the nuances of ordinary life so perfectly; at the same time, the way she has her characters navigate grief and loss felt so realistic that, at various points, I found I had tears streaming down my face.

I know Quindlen is a prolific author but this is actually the first time I’ve read any of her books. It definitely won’t be the last time however and with such a huge backlist, I’m glad that there will be plenty of her books to explore in the future.

Received ARC from Random House via NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of After Annie by Anna Quindlen.

Anna Quindlen is totally hit and miss for me. I've loved some of hers, and other's I put down after only a few chapters. This one fell higher on that spectrum, it's heavy and hard, but very good.

The title is apt because it's about the loss of Annie, the wife and mother of a family of four. It covers their life before Annie, but primarily after Annie, their grief, their experiences, and how they move forward. I especially loved reading about Annamarie, and how she struggled to stay in recovery after losing her slightly codependent friendship. Mostly though, I loved the resounding message that the family, though cracked and devastated at their loss, will be okay, that life is full of magic that somehow fills the voids and makes us whole again.

Anna Quindlen has done it again--no surprise to anyone!

After Annie beautifully explores grief, family ties, and the relationships that change the course of our lives. I love a sweeping family saga, and After Annie delivered. Looking forward to rereading Quindlen's backlist titles!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

BOOK REVIEW: After Annie by Anna Quindlen
2024 Publication Date: March 12

⭐️⭐️

Domestic Fiction Books
T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2024

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW:
In the emotionally stirring pages of After Annie, Anna Quindlen crafts a poignant narrative that captures the heart of the domestic fiction books genre. This gripping story explores the tumultuous yet tender aftermath of loss within a family suddenly bereft of its young maternal linchpin, Annie Brown.

Quindlen's deft exploration of love's resilience weaves through the lives of those Annie left behind, as her husband, children, and best friend grapple with the void she's left and the life lessons that echo in her absence. With an uncanny ability to draw upon the threads of adversity, revealing the unexpected strengths it begets, After Annie is an ode to the unbreakable bonds of family, lifelong friendship between two women and the indomitable spirit of human connection.

Readers will find not only a testament to the enduring power of love but also a clarion call to cherish the voices of those we hold dear... With an ultimate understanding that their influence transcends the boundaries of their physical presence... ✨😎✨

Pages: 273
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Sub-Genre: Domestic Fiction | Literary Fiction | Women's Fiction
T.I.M.E. Jalapeno Rating:️ Closed Door Romance
Time Period: Contemporary
Location: Pennsylvania (US)
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Take Me Home by Beth Moran ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️
Movie: Steel Magnolias ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION:
• The Power of Family and Love... Throughout the story, we see how the characters lean on each other for support and find strength in their bond as a family and friends... Highlighting the importance of familial relationships and how they can help us navigate through difficult times in our lives.
• Overcoming Loss and Adversity... After Annie's sudden death, her loved ones are forced to confront their grief and find ways to move forward... Showing how resilience and determination can help us overcome even the most challenging situations and darkest secrets in life.
• Cherishing Our Loved Ones... After Annie reminds us of the importance of treasuring our loved ones while they are still with us... Encouraging readers to not take their relationships for granted and to make the most of the time they have with their loved ones, while simultaneously understanding that their presence in our lives goes beyond the loss.
• Book Club Kit Available from Penguin Random House Books

BOOK QUOTE:
"The hardest thing about friendship, she'd sometimes thought, was accepting that your friend wants what you think is not worth having..." — After Annie by Anna Quindlen

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All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

After Annie hooked me from the start. I love books like this - ordinary people living their lives. The storyline is character-driven and real, nothing flashy, just a beautifully portrayed family dealing with the life-changing event of losing their mother/wife/best friend. The story unfolds during the 4 seasons of the year after their loss, and I loved the evolution of each character. Well done, Anna Quindlen! I loved this book.

This book touched my heart and left me emotionally raw. A book about grief and learning to live again after a death that leaves a gaping hole in the lives of those left behind. I recommend this book but recommend it be accompanied by a box of tissues. After I finished I revisited the other couple of Anna Quindlen books I have read and was reminded how deeply they made me feel. Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. *

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

Within the first few pages of this book, Annie dies. She is under forty years old and the mother of four children 13 and under. She is wife to Bill and best friend to Annemarie. The book basically is the response to Annie’s death from Bill, Annemarie, and Annie’s 13 year old daughter, Alexandra.

This book is very character driven. I realized that I am very much more a ‘plot person’. I could never get into this book and it took a great deal of effort on my part to finish it. After reading the first 20 per cent of the book, I did not have any great expectations for it. It ended with a whimper, not a bang.

Perhaps some readers could relate to the characters in the book. I could not.
Therefore, this was not the book for me.

In AFTER ANNIE, wife, mother, and best friend Annie is always there, working at the nursing home, carrying the mental load of which kid needs new shoes and what supplies the household is running low on, making dinner, and myriad other tasks when she dies suddenly of a brain aneurysm, leaving everyone floundering as to how to pick up the pieces. The novel is an elegant exploration of the aftermath of sudden loss, and the gradual uplift of hope as we learn to live with the absence of someone vital to life as we have always known it.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. We find out in the first sentence of the book that the title character Annie has died. It's a sudden death and hits everyone in her family hard - Bill, her husband; her four children, and her best friend Annemarie. Through these characters we not only learn about the deep impact Annie had on them but she as the main character is fleshed out through each of these characters' journey. Each character is of course change by this loss and most of the book is the negative impact but there is a bit of hope at the end. The story was interesting enough but I didn't connect with any of the characters even though I have lost family members. There was something missing for me. 3.5 stars.