THIS. BOOK. BROKE ME!!! My husband kept checking on me to see if I was okay. I highly recommend this beautiful, yet heartbreaking, yet life-affirming book; just be sure to be in the right headspace AND to have tissues handy! (Also, research content warnings.)

My first experience with this author - Jessica Strawser - was last spring, when I read A Million Reasons Why, which was another 5-star read for me. One of my favorite authors of all time, Jodi Picoult, had an author blurb on the cover of that novel. And having now read two books by Jessica Strawser, her stories remind me of Jodi Picoult’s in that there is typically some moral/ethical dilemma blended in with the beautiful writing and well-developed characters.

In The Next Thing You Know, we meet Kelly Monroe and Nova Huston, who are end-of-life doulas (or “death doulas”) – a role I hadn’t heard of until this book, and one that seems much-needed in society. Kelly works with elderly clients only, so when Mason Shaylor (in his 30s) makes an appointment, Kelly refers him to Nova. What Nova doesn’t realize at first is that Mason is a super talented singer-songwriter whose life centers on his guitars. When faced with a future of physically not being able to play the guitar, Mason feels his life is over. He isn’t very forthcoming with Nova, nor does he seem willing to make preparations in advance of what we’re led to believe is a terminal condition. How Nova’s connection with Mason goes deeper than what we expect, and how she gets through to him, brings forth such a beautiful, hopeful, heart wrenching, bittersweet story.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @StMartinsPress for the eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review; the story will stay with me and keep me thinking for quite some time.

This book is expected to publish on 3/22/2022.

Alright my friends grab your tissues because this one’s a real emotional tear jerker and I’m still reeling.

Mason’s been contemplating life, so much so he shows up to an end-of-life doulas doorstep. Nova’s job is to help the younger terminally ill patients end of days be at ease. What she doesn’t expect is to meet Mason, who just so happens to be her favorite Indie singer. He has a condition a and music just isn’t in the cards for him anymore, but this is a challenge for Nova. She doesn’t like to get attached to her patients but with Mason it’s hard.

This story has a powerful message behind it. Can love save us? Is the human connection something we ultimately need? And what to do when you fall for some one on deaths door, can fate save us? Ughhh it’s just a heart wrencher.

The story is told in multiple points of view, between past and present and gives us a building glimpse into the relationships between these two characters. The ending is heart shattering and made me want to curl into a ball and weep until it hurt. I haven’t cried this hard for two characters in love and loss as much as Me Before You.

So if you want a heartfelt, emotionally damaging, but really good read than look no further.. and bring tissues!

Heartbreaking, heart-wrenching and tears at your soul. A warm and wonderful story of loss, love and finding some peace in the face of the unknowable. Its description of "A Star is Born meets Me Before You" is accurate and you won't be disappointed with this read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I've read everything Jessica Strawser has written so far and it's only because I trust her as an author that I felt like I could keep going after the opening chapters, where we're introduced to a death doula and her struggling patient. I've recently lost a family member. But oh am I glad I kept going. Without fail, Jessica Strawser has a realness and authenticity to her writing. It's one of the things I most enjoy and admire most about her books. While this was an emotional read, the ending brought both closure and hope. I am very glad I read Strawser's latest and would encourage others to do so as well!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by Jessica Strawser, perfectly narrated by Christa Lewis - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Nova is an end-of-life doula, helping those who are dying to have the best death possible, on whatever terms that looks like for them. Her partner, Kelly, deals with the elderly patients while Nova takes on the younger or more difficult cases. They've developed a family-type situation, with Nova helping with Willow, Kelly's tween daughter. When Mason comes to see Nova, she doesn't recognize him as the popular musician he is, but only as someone whose debilitating condition has brought him to seek her assistance. Neither knows how difficult their relationship will become.

I love Jessica Strawser's books - she always hits the right tone of deep emotion and wonderful characters, while making you think about difficult subjects. And death is pretty much the final difficult subject we will all face. This story plays out in the voices of Nova, Mason, Kelly and other minor characters, both in the past and present. Besides giving plenty of good advice as far as planning for the inevitable, this book makes you feel hopeful about second chances, making the best of situations, and the value of sharing ourselves with others to get through life.

When a book’s description says that it’s A Star Is Born meets Me Before You, you either pass it by or grab a box of tissues and read it when you are in the mood to have all your emotions rise to the surface and let it all out. So bring on the tears.

Nova Huston is a free-spirited woman with a lust for life whose occupation is an end-of-life doula. That’s a non-medical person who helps terminally ill people prepare for their death. Whether it is in the practical sense of getting someone’s house in order or simply providing comfort. Nova and her partner Kelly do their difficult jobs well. Mason Shaylor is Nova’s newest client. Unlike the older people who seek her help, Mason is her age. Nova is initially not aware that Mason is an indie singer-songwriter who is beloved by his fans but has never achieved the big success people believe he deserves. Thirty-six-year-old Mason is not very forthcoming as to why he has sought the services of a doula but implies that he has a terminal illness telling Nova that his life as he knows it is over. And their journey begins.

The Next Thing You Know is a tender and powerful book. The subject matter is tough but author Jessica Strawser has written a beautiful story that shows the importance of compassion, human connection and the power of love. She sure knows how to tug at the heartstrings!

I’ve never heard of a death dula before this book. Their job is to help people and their families transition someone to the afterlife. It would be a very hard job. Mason comes to Nova for her services. The book is told from multiple POV and before and after Mason’s death. It tells Mason and Nova’s story broken up in bits. As the book progresses we learn more about them and I have to say I did not see the ending coming. This enjoyable read will have you falling in love with most of the characters.

When Mason Shaylor turns up at an end-of-life service asking for a premature death specialist, he's not the usual client. After a botched surgery leaves the 36-year-old singer-songwriter unable to play the guitar, he feels life is over. But, working with the free-spirited Nova Huston on his goodbyes, Mason discovers that even a life he sees ending can hold purpose and passion. Grab the tissues.

Moving story of a musician who loses the ability to play his music sees a death doula who encourages him to just write music instead, which he resists. Meanwhile, they grow closer.

Kelly is the owner and founding partner of Parting Your Way. Along with Nova they work as death doulas. When Mason shows up with questions Kelly is very receptive until she realizes he is the client and quickly passes him off to Nova because Kelly will only deal with people older than 60. She suspects Mason, who is in his 30's, will be difficult or is there something or someone in her past that he reminds her of?

The story had an interesting concept. Death doulas is a new field. They help patients and families with end-of-life care by visiting, making arrangements and just being a general support. When Nova hands Mason a folder of papers to fill out with questionnaires about feelings, what he wants to do, who he should forgive it just didn't sound very peaceful to me. It wasn't clearly defined until the end what Mason's actual problem was but to that point I kept thinking "but why."

I didn't feel any sort of connection to any of the characters. Kelly lives strictly by guidelines and check lists while Nova is somewhat of a free spirit who takes risks by riding a motorcycle with no helmet but keeps a strict diet of no meat or refined sugar. Mason is a musician and even though Nova had never heard of him apparently he was somewhat famous but in what kind of music I'm not sure.

After Mason's death his mother decides to sue Parting Your Way because she feels Nova knew he was going to commit suicide and perhaps even helped him make that decision. But Mason lived with his mom so why didn't she know what was going on with her son?

The book was told from Nova Then, Nova Now, Kelly, Mason and even though it was easy enough to read I just felt like I was skimming the surface trying to figure out why Kelly was so rigid, what Nova's real story was and who was Mason. I thought the ending was worth it all though.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book.

The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser was a very slow read for me. I’ve read some of her other books and really enjoyed them but for whatever reason, I had a hard time getting through this one. I would read a little and set it down. I even considered not finishing it but I really hate doing that. The writing was good and the characters were all developed really well. Perhaps it was the subject matter of it being about end of life doulas. There was a part about Nova, who was one of the doulas, having had cancer that suddenly cured itself that I found rather hard to believe. It wasn’t until around the last quarter of the story that it started holding my interest and I enjoyed reading how Nova and Mason, her patient, had growing feelings for each other. The ending was rather sad but it brought the whole story together and made it make sense. Because I did enjoy the last part of the book, I have decided to give it a 4 star rating. I’d like to thank Alexis Neuville, Assistant Marketing Manager at St. Martin’s Press for the invite and NetGalley for the e-arc to read and review.

Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for access to this e-ARC. This complimentary copy was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. This book will be hitting the shelves this coming Tuesday, March 22.

The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser features Nova, a death doula who encounters a younger client, Mason, who is preparing for his death and wanting to learn how to say goodbye. He winds up dying in a car accident that his mother is convinced was actually suicide and he was never terminally ill. This begins a deeper dive into what was going on exactly in Mason's life and what exactly happened between Nova and Mason in the time they spent together.

Ok, ya'll, here comes the part that I really don't like about being a bookstagrammer but I think is requisite on my part for you to gain trust in my ability to give you my true opinions. I didn't care for this book at all!!! I loved the synopsis when I read it but I got lost by so many different things along the way like multiple narrators (some that I even wonder if they should've been given that starring of a role) and also not understanding whether this was supposed to be a romance or more of a social commentary on the legal system when it comes to emerging fields like death doulas. There was also like three different timelines that were happening all at the same time as well and I got so incredibly, incredibly lost. I had high hopes that wound falling quite short. This one was a 2.75/5 star rating for me.

This is a beautiful, well-written book with compelling characters. But it is so sad. It's a hard book to read for anyone who has recently lost a loved one - or for someone with physical challenges. The vulnerability and braveness of the characters are heartbreaking.

Loved it!!! Would give it 4.5 stars. This was probably my favorite book by the author. I started reading it, without knowing the premise. It definitely didn't disappoint and wasn't what I expected at all. When Mason pulled up to Parting Your way, I was so confused at what sort of place he was going to and why. I had never heard of death doulas before. I can see the appeal after reading the book. Nova was wonderful to her clients and always went above and beyond. I'm pretty sure I felt every emotion possible with this book. There were tears. That song at the end just pulled at my heart. When the truth was finally revealed, it was heartbreaking. From the start I wasn't sure what to believe. Mason's mom needed someone to blame and be angry with, unfortunately she focused all that on Nova. When Kelly's daughter got caught trying to sneak out, I had a little bit of a suspicion that the reason for it would be important. Loved getting to know Nova and Mason.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Know in advance that this is gloomy but stick with it. Nova works as an end of life doula, helping those with terminal diagnoses plan for their death= not plan or assist their death. Mason is younger, only in his thirties, than her usual clients and more importantly, she's not sure why he's come to her. It's clear that he's a musician and that something is wrong with his arms, but what? Btw, the origins of the problem are never fully explained. They establish a friendship and then, he's dead, having run his car off an overpass. Did he commit suicide? This moves back and forth in time and perspective (perhaps a bit too much) to tell Nova's story more than Mason's. Kelly, her boss, and Willow, Kelly's daughter, also offer their voices and there are newspaper articles written by an old rival of Nova after Mason's death. Oddly, some of the brightest spots in this very melancholy read, actually come during Nova's interactions with some of her other clients. I almost gave up on this several times but I'm glad I finished it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Heartbreaking and uplifting all at once, Nova and Mason have both faced death but not in any sort of usual way. The reader will learn as much about their own attitudes toward death as they do about the chararacters'. When I was a few chapters in I couldn't imagine how the author would ever turn it around to make it a satisfying read, but let me tell you, she did that in spades. Intense, beautiful, uplifting, sad-not-sad all wrapped into one beautiful culmination.
#netgalley #jessicastrawser

Such a great book. Heartfelt and makes you sad at the same time. Loved loved loved this book

Thanks to the author, the publisher abd NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Have you ever heard of an end of life doula? I hadn’t before this one and it instantly fascinated me. I can’t even imagine having such an emotionally draining job but I sure was interested in reading about it and that was just the tip of the iceberg as far as interest goes. Normally I wouldn’t describe a contemporary fiction novel as surprising or twisty but this one got me a few times which I was pleasantly surprised by. Surprised enough that I had to rewind actually to make sure I had heard what I thought I did. It was emotionally charged as well, I mean it deals with death but there’s so much more than death as far as emotional upheaval goes here. The audio narration was fantastic and engaging as well, if you enjoy unique character driven novels with plenty to discuss consider this one, it would also be a great book club read with tons to discuss.

I stared this so many times only to put it down and pick it up again. I love this authors writing style I was just scared about the topic. I’m a HEA kind of girl and this made me so nervous. So having said that I’m going to try to give this book justice.
I’d never heard about end-of-life doulas and it was interesting how it works between the client and doula. I think it’s fair to say that most of us are uncomfortable about death. But this became complicated and somewhat mysterious. I liked all the characters in this novel. They were honest (most of them) and vulnerable. The special thing about this was it made me realize that we don’t have to do things alone.
My heart broke twice. And I wanted a different ending but I did like the story. It moved me, scared me and broke me all at once. Favorite quote, “ I’m choosing to hold onto what I do know”.
I read this and listened to it. The narrator was Christa Lewis and she was perfect for this book. I really enjoyed her.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

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What a very unusual plot….about what a end of life doula does. I had never heard of this before reading this book. Definitely a very different type of read for me.
Heartwarming while so very heartbreaking.
All in all, be ready for a very emotional, well written story about second chances, surviving loss and finding forgivieness.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.