This story is about an elderly lady, Eudora Honeysett, who has decided she will die on her own time frame and as she sets things in motion to achieve that goal her life begins to change. She meets her new neighbor ten year old Rose and the recently widowed Stanley and the group become friends. Eudora flashes back to her own life and it's many disappointments in between embracing her new friends and activities. Suddenly her perspective changes about life and death and whether she is ready to die or is ready to embrace the time she has remaining.

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons is a great, heartwarming novel that talks of second chances in life, especially when one thinks all is lost.

Just when the elderly Eudora thinks it is all over for her and she has nothing left to live for, a spunky, vivacious 10 year old Rose moves in nearby to bring Eudora a breath of fresh air. Between the adorable Rose that winds her way around Eudora’s heart and their newfound friend, Stanley, Eudora is once again introduced to the hope, life, love, acceptance, forgiveness, and sense of humor that she felt she had lost long ago.

A fun, sweet, quirky, and memorable read.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

I loved this sweet story about living life to its fullest. Rose was the perfect foil to Eudora. She was utterly delightful and softened Eudora’s dour nature perfectly. Fans of A Man Called Ove, Eleanor Oliphant is Perfectly Fine, and Me Before You will find this a fabulous choice.

Eudora is old. Eudora is tired. She is ready to die but on her own terms. But when a spirited 10-year old moves in next door, Eudora starts to question her choices. Wonderful story! Reminds me a lot of A Man Called Ove. I loved the characters of Eudora and Rose and as someone who lives with an elderly grandparent I could definitely sympathize with Eudora. This is a great book for anyone looking for an emotional and heartwarming story.

Eudora Honeysett is 85 years old and feeling her age. She is alone in the world, has never married. She decided to apply to a clinic in Switzerland for death on her own terms. Meanwhile 10 year old Rose Trewidney moves in next door. Between Rose and Stanley, a recently widowed neighbor, Eudora discovers that life is worth living. As Eudora embarks on some new adventures with Rose and Stanley, her past history is explored in flashbacks. Be prepared with your tissues nearby. As much as you will laugh at Rose’s antics, you will weep at Eudora’s lifetime of putting herself aside in service to her family. This new entry into the crotchety old person turning into a friendly, lovable human is definitely worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story reminds me of A Man Called Ove in the best way! I love character driven novels and this is just that. By remembering bits of her past while living in the present, 85-year-old Eudora drew me in and grabbed my heart. Her irrepressible new 10-year-old neighbor Rose is delightful too. As the story opens Eurdora is simply tired of living. Then Rose and her family, and the elderly neighbor Stanley, being to insert themselves into Eudora's quiet little existence. A lovely, heartwarming, charming story.

Eudora is old. Her life has been long, and she is tired and ready for it to end. She doesn’t want to die in a hospital being kept alive by machines, she wants to do it on her own terms. Luckily for her, a woman she runs into in a waiting room offers her the information she seeks of doctors in Switzerland who will help you go on your terms. She is into the process of paperwork when a new family moves in next door and their daughter Rose decides to take Eudora under her wing. Will Eudora find a reason to keep alive?

This one brought on all the A Man Called Ove vibes! Rose was an absolute gem of a character, even if she did make people love her because she just wouldn’t go away!! She was such a breath of fresh air to Eudora’s life and I adored their relationship as it grew throughout the book. I also really enjoyed that the book went back and forth between present day and Eudora’s childhood.. She took on so much as a young girl and truly gave up everything to care for her family. This one definitely had me tearing up at some points, but also brought me so much joy seeing Eudora end up with such a lively group of individuals that loved and cared for her. If you loved A Man Called One, you will love this one! It’s out on September 8th which also happens to be the day Fredrik Backman’s new book is out. I highly recommend placing a pre-order for them both!

I loved Eudora and Rose from The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons. In their own ways. Eudora and Rose had so much wisdom and love to share.

What a rollercoaster! I cried! I laughed! This hit so hard, and I loved it. There’s so much I didn’t know about euthanasia before reading this - and I used that as an opportunity to research. Thank you!

Eudora Honeysett is near the end of her life. She's 85 years old and she wants to die on her own terms. When she learns of a clinic in Switzerland that helps people do that very thing, she's determined. While she's waiting to find out if her application is approved, a new family moves into the neighborhood and the eccentric, 10-year old Rose, worms her way into Eudora's life along with widower and fellow neighbor, Stanley. The unlikely trio embark on a friendship that has Eudora questioning everything. Will the arrival of Rose and Stanley into her life change her mind about her death?

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett was achingly, heartwarming. I felt for Eudora, who had a hard life, which was chronicled as flashbacks throughout the book. I could understand that she did want to lose control over her mind and faculties and become a burden to those around her, or to spend her final days hooked up to machines and being monitored by strangers. I silently cheered when precious Rose came into her life and lifted Eurdora's spirits and caused her to look at life a bit differently. Stanley made me laugh with his sarcasm and quick wit compared to Eudora's prim and proper demeanor. This is not my typical genre but I felt it was an important story and gave me pause to think about how my own grandparents or other elderly family and friends could be feeling during their twilight hours.

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett has surpassed all else that I have read this year. Simply put, I LOVED it! Eudora has such a charming quality even while being borderline snippy at the beginning. Her new friendships level out the snippy and we are left with the true Eudora. I think people of all ages can relate to some of her thoughts and background. A line I love: “People are too busy staring at their telephones, endlessly searching for some truth that will never come, idly sniggering at infantile video clips of goodness knows what, never stopping to notice the universe around them or the people in it.” Because uhm yeah - scrolling through Instagram or twitter and we are missing out on what is right in front of us! Another line I loved: “She shivers with dread at the prospect of new neighbors.“ This is so me at 33 years of age... dreading the (possible loud and annoying) change but it turns out to be a glorious addition to her life! Do yourself a favor and get a copy or two of this book - you won’t regret the time spent with these characters!

I loved this book and was sorry when it ended. It told a beautiful story - at times humorous, at times heart-breaking - from the perspective of a woman near the end of her life, dealing head on, yet delicately, with the difficult issues of aging and dying, while maintaining a sense of joy about life and new possibilities.

Such a sweet, heartfelt book. The relationship reminded me of my own Grandma. I laughed and I cried. I highly recommend!

This is a lovely, poignant heartwarming novel about aging, love, friendships , sadness and joy. The characters were so well-depicted and the story believable. And Rose, what a bundle of energy, excitement and color. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. A good pepper-upper for any age.

I have never been so touchingly captivated by a book about death. Our central character is Eudora Honeysett. Through flashbacks we learn Eudora's life story- the losses and pain that she's lived through- and how she came to be an 85 year old woman living a lonely life without friends or family. Through a chance encounter she learns about a service in Switzerland that offers people the opportunity to die on their own terms, and she decides to pursue this course of action. While she waits for the logistics to be worked out, a new family moves in next door, and their colorful 10 yr old daughter worms her way into Eudora's formerly quiet and solitary existence. The duo quickly becomes a trio when young Rose also befriends an old widower down the street, and Eudora begrudgingly realizes they've found their way into her heart.

I cried more than a few tears as this story closed, but they were the best kind of tears. The author handles the topics of friendship, aging, and death with dignity both gently and tenderly. Definitely recommend!

I received this book in exchange for my opinion, which I am always happy to offer.
#NetGalley #TheBrilliantLifeOfEudroaHoneysett

Eudora Honeysett has had enough of life. She's 85 and has no family nor friends and her body is failing her. She feels her life has been fully lived and doesn't want a drawn out, painful death without dignity. When she is given a pamphlet by a stranger about assisted suicide at a clinic in Switzerland, she is interested and starts making plans for a death of her own choosing. Then ten year old Rose moves in next door. Rose is a whirlwind of color and energy who promptly decides that Eudora is delightful and her new best friend. Through Rose, Eudora meets Stanley, a recently widowed man who is happy to join their friendship trio. As Eudora finds herself reluctantly drawn into Rose's joyful existence, she remembers her own life and the choices she has made, and the parallels between her own childhood and Rose's. This is a rich novel with two unapologetic heroines- Eudora and Rose. Rose is more than simply the precocious child next door, the author details her well as well as acknowleging that a child who's best friends are senior citizens might struggle with her own age group. Also, Eudora is not suicidal, she just feels she has reached a suitable end, and the book in detailing her life, shows how this is for her a choice for dignity and not despair. This will be a good choice for book groups as there is a lot to discuss- elder rights, end of life choices, parent/child relationships, and many more.

Every part of this novel is worth your time. The character's depths and relationships are fun to read all while understanding Dora's plan. Rose is perfectly real with her acceptance and curious about everything. The tragedy within Dora isn't known for awhile as circumstances keep changing.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

This novel has a really interesting and unique premise. I'm glad to see a book with an old woman as a main character, and it's great to see such an explicit discussion of end of life plans, death doulas, and so on. That said, the novel didn't really land well with me. I felt that some of the characters and dialogue (in particular, Rose) were cliche and felt surface-level. In terms of the main character's backstory, I felt that the characterization of her younger sister, Stella, felt especially hard to understand; was she a sociopath or just terribly selfish? We have a main character with so, so many challenges in the background that it feels less and less realistic, especially because none of the individual events get a deep amount of interiority or analysis. I feel that others may connect better with this book, and I can see it as a readable, accessible text that covers some important ground in a unique way (death, old age, etc) but it wasn't a fit for me at all.

A book for women of a "certain age" or women who know them. Eudora is in her 80s and has lived a full life, but now with her body slowing down and no family or close friends to keep her occupied, she has had enough. She contacts a clinic in Switzerland to arrange her death with dignity and on her own terms. Things seem to be going smoothly until 10 year old Rosie moves in next door.

This sounds like the set up for a soap opera or an overly predictable "awwww!" movie on the Hallmark Channel. Fortunately, that is not the case. Instead we get a look at a remarkable life and insight into aging, family, friendship, and more. Eudora's life is told in flashbacks, and it is wonderfully romantic and tragic, touching and heartbreaking. Everything from her past explains her present. And Rosie !! What a wonderful character. She's a force to be reckoned with but never a caricature. Instead we see a child full of wonder and love and insecurities. Sometimes I was laughing out loud, and sometimes I was moved to tears.

This is a lovely book for fans of A Man Called Ove or Eleanor Oliphant. There are a few surprises and a satisfying ending. What more could you ask.

This is a new entry into the recent spate of novels which begin with a cranky, bitter, oldster and end with a heartwarming celebration of life.

Eudora Honeycutt is 85 and is planning to end her life with the aid of a Swiss clinic. In alternating chapters we witness her life’s transformation into one worth living and the historical events that brought her to the situation: alone and calmly planning to end her life.

The best character in the present story is the irrepressible 10-year old girl who moves in next door and befriends Eudora. That character draws the reader in and makes the book worth reading. The other characters are friendly and pleasant but not (for me) very believable. I had more trouble with the historical sections — it’s a long, sad story that is told in without nuance so that it is too easy to think of obvious alternative choices Eudora should have made.

It’s a feel-good book with a strong pro-people, pro-friends, pro-life message full of caring social workers and is an easy, light, read for these difficult, dark, times.