Jessica Strawser has written a story that will definitely pull on your heartstrings. The interesting career of an end-of-life doula, Nova, and her supervisor, Kelly, is lovingly described, with detail given to the welcoming and calm office at home for each. Their relationship is more personal; Nova rents a garage apartment from Kelly and has become very close with Kelly and her sweetheart of a daughter, Willow.
Nova’s character comes alive with Strawser’s eloquent writing: she travels light, has no material needs, and gets around town with ease on her motorcycle.
Enter Mason Shaylor, an unassuming musician who doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. Mason’s life has been playing the guitar, creating songs, and sharing his favorites with the world. He has a complicated nerve disease that directly affects his ability to play the guitar. His quiet demeanor makes it difficult for Nova to treat him so she devotes more energy and time in an attempt to improve his outlook and attitude on the unfairness that has been handed to him. During this process, she crosses the line and the two fall in love.
Written with eloquent detail to surroundings and the role of a doula, Strawser gives us yet another beautiful book to become a part of.
Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is March 22, 2022.

With each novel, Jessica Strawser becomes a more powerful, adept, and enjoyable storyteller -- and she started from an exceptional place. With THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, Strawser tells the story of what happens when a troubled young man works with a professional death doula who assists people in putting their lives in order to die well. Mason's life and ultimate fate set off an avalanche of events to cut through assumptions, expectations, and fundamental lies of everyone who's known him. Complex, rich, and compelling, this story kept me up way too late hurtling through an excellently wrought and wonderfully poetic experience. Unlike any other story, this one made me think hard about my own life and death. Compassionate, enjoyable, and down to earth, Strawser's story taught me so much about the dusk before dawn and the ways we impact each life we encounter. I received an early reader copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

. . . ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
Reading the synopsis of this one, I thought it was going to be a total knock out of the park. The premise intrigued me, and I anticipated it to be an emotionally-charged read.

Truthfully, it almost seems a bit unfair to rate this one simply because I was so distracted when reading it. Things have been busy around here, and I felt like I didn’t give this book the ( potential ) attention it deserved.

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, and as a result I wasn’t as invested in the story or outcome(s) as I thought I would be. I felt that having additional narrators to that of Nova or Mason also didn’t help with the disconnect I felt with the characters.

I think my favourite part of the story was that of Nova’s profession: a “death” doula. This is a real role and I wanted so much more of this storyline. End-of-life care is so important, and the business of living while dying is something that needs all the care, attention, and fulfillment it so richly deserves.

Ultimately this wasn’t entirely the read I was hoping for, but it did have a few shining moments that I really appreciated.

~👩🏻‍🦰

Absolutely a heart wrenching story! You will need a tissue or two! The writing is smart and beautiful. This story has so many emotional layers, terminal illness, death, loneliness, preteen emotions, love and so much more. This book would be great for book club discussions.

I Am Wrecked! This book will definitely break your heart and make you think about what’s important in life. Nova and Kelly are end of life doulas. They both try to help people who are facing terminal illness make their time left count. But when a man Novas age seeks her help, she learns more about letting go than she can ever imagine. Excellent, fast paced, heartfelt and ultimately uplifting novel that should not be missed.

Wow oh wow! What a book! I absolutely love this author but this is my new favorite by her! You won’t be able to put this book down and trust me you won’t want to! Highly recommend this 5 star book!

THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW by Jessica Strawser is a heart-wrenching and powerful story of life, death and the power of human connection to change lives. Kelly and her business partner, Nova, are end-of-life doulas whose calling is to help terminally-ill patients make peace with their death by exploring and recording their wishes for when the end comes. End-of-life doulas go through a certification program but are not licensed medical or legal professionals. Kelly adheres very strictly to a system of checklists, but Nova is sometimes more flexible with her approach to more difficult cases. When thirty-six-old Mason Shaylor shows up at their practice, Kelly passes the case to Nova. Mason won’t share much about what his terminal condition is, just that his life as he knows it is over and he must plan his goodbyes. As they spend time together, Nova and Mason form an unexpected bond that makes it increasingly hard for Nova to keep the required professional distance. But when Mason is later killed in a car accident, his mother threatens a lawsuit questioning Nova’s judgment and methods. Now Nova must try to cope with her grief over losing Mason as well as a possible end to her career. The story is told from multiple points of view and in both the past and present. As the story unfolds, both Nova’s and Mason’s backstories are revealed. Although this is a story of loss and grief, it is also a story of love, compassion and hope. I was completely drawn into this compelling and thought-provoking novel and I highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Stawser is a book about death doulas, something I had never heard of before reading this story. It is a very interesting concept and I feel the author did a lot of research and explained very well what a death doula does, but the problem with the book is that I never felt connected to the main characters and I do not feel they had a good connection with each other. The story also jumped back and forth in time and became confusing and seemed to drag. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed them, this one simply did not hold my interest.

If I had to describe this book in one word it would be heartbreaking. I finished this last night and has to sit on it before writing my review. I loved the multiple POVs as well and the dual timelines.

Nova is an end-of-life doula with a wild spirit. She thought she had her life’s calling figured out. Until Mason needs her services. Mason, a musician with a chip on his shoulder about his untimely end to his career.

I loved everything about this book. The found family between Nova and her business partner Kelly and her daughter Willow. The real family dynamics with Masons family as well as Novas dynamics with her parents and sister.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Bittersweet. Compelling. Thought-provoking. Insightful. Poignant.

Talented bestselling author and storyteller Jessica weaves a beautiful story of love and loss with THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW.

Her best yet! I LOVED this book. An ideal choice for books clubs and further discussions. A fitting title and a stunning cover. Hauntingly beautiful, yet uplifting, this story will grab you from the first page to the last, and the characters linger long after the book ends. Hats off to the author for tackling this emotional story with grace and compassion.

Meet Nova Huston, an end-of-life doula. She is a free spirit and lives life in the present. She also has a way with her patients or clients. She is also a cancer survivor.

Her business partner (Parting Your Way), Kelly, assigns her a new case. Mason implies he has a terminal condition but never says the terminal illness or how long he has to live. He is not the typical senior at the end of life but a young man.

His name is Mason Shaylor, and he is a 36-year-old singer-songwriter-musician and quite successful and well known. However, he can no longer play or perform due to an unsuccessful surgery. He thinks his life is over since he can no longer play the guitar. What is he to do now?

He is pretty depressed and has no interest in teaching music or going on the road to talk about his tragedy. He signs up for an end-of-life Doula. He even has Nova go to the music shop to sell his beloved Gibson guitar. He learns much from the wonderful wisdom of Nova and some of her other patients.

Mason and Nova get very close. She gets him. More so than any of his family. They become romantically involved. However, she urges him to try new things and make every day count with the time he has left.

Then the unspeakable happens. An accident. A tragedy. A pending lawsuit. Fingers are pointed at Nova. She cannot believe this. Soon, his producer Dex uncovers evidence, which sheds light positively for Nova and Mason. Things are not as they appear.

"He'd gone to a death doula to say goodbye, And somehow, she'd saved his life instead."

From then to now, from Nova and Mason, beautifully rendered, with compassion and sensitivity, Strawser pens a beautiful love story. We also hear from Willow and Dex near the end. The song was poignant and loved every word.

Heartbreaking, emotional, yet uplifting. What a journey: from loss, grief, love, forgiveness, and acceptance. A lesson for us all: "to live in the present moment." You never know who will come into your life with the power to change you and them.

Thank you so much, Jessica, for this wealth of information and beautiful story. Very educational. This was definitely a book for me. I had already been researching Doulas so this was a real treat. What an intimate experience. I have read already many of the books she has referenced and will be reading the few others, I missed. I was fascinated by everything I learned.

I love the idea of a DOULA. Everyone needs one. Who wants to die alone, but often out of dignity, we do. Hospice, nurses, or doctors will not be there. Often family members are not there around the clock. Their service fills the gap.

For years, families have been using birth coaches called doulas to help make the childbirth experience more comfortable and supportive for mothers. Now, both volunteer and professionally trained doulas are offering guidance during the end-of-life period as well which makes perfect sense.

I think they serve so many purposes as we see in the novel. I love listening to their stories. Often times a dying person can share their wishes with a Doula, whereas would not open up to their own family, as we see in the novel. Since reading this wonderful story, I have watched several interviews with Suzanne B. O'Brien, R.N. and her wonderful Ask a Death Doula podcast, as well as interviews of other EOLDs, insights, and references.

I hope with all the baby boomers we will shake things up a little and bring this to the forefront where it belongs. We all need that special attention. These are gifted people. We should not be afraid to speak about death. I think this topic scares most Americans. We all want to die with dignity and hopefully pain-free. But we cannot wait until the last minute. This is something that needs to be planned. We all need to be educated about the dying experience, with no regrets, forgiveness, and make our wishes known. They offer tools of empowerment.

Have some Kleenex handy. Fans of Nicholas Sparks, Jo Jo Moyes, Rochelle Weinstein, and Jodi Picoult will enjoy this one.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the lovely Christa Lewis and enjoyed her soft, soothing voice offered a pleasant listening experience. I was hanging on her every word while she drew you into the sitting and the conversations. This is a TOP audiobook, and I would highly recommend the audio and the book to accompany.

Thank you dearly to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for an ARC ebook and audiobook and for the opportunity to read this special book.

Ironically, after reading THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, I read an ARC, the memoir Winter Stars: an elderly mother, an aging son, and life’s final journey which is also out on the same day, March 22. It is also superb and highly recommend. I loved the two women who lovingly took care of his mother down to death at age 105- they even made her burial dress and knew everything she wanted down to the last detail with special care and attention which totally surprised the son.

Blog Review posted @ www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating 5/5 Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ++
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This was a kind of different story. The subject is about end of life, and those who help people during this difficult time. The timeline alternates between past and present doling out tidbits that help the reader understand how the past has shaped the present. Nova is a unique character with a huge heart. Mason is a tortured soul, grieving his medical prognosis. But things aren’t exactly what they seem. This emotional tale raises interesting questions and would prompt discussion.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a great fiction story about two people who show each other how to be their true selves and so much more but ends in tragedy. Amazing book for Jojo Moyes fans!!!!

First, I love the cover! I think it represents the two main characters, Nova and Mason very well. I looked forward to reading my first Strawser book as it was compared to Me Before You which is a favorite of mine. I also wanted to learn something about death doulas. I had a very difficult time reading the first third of the book. I normally like multiple time periods told by different characters, but for some reason, I found that I was not remembering what I read. I put the book down for a couple of days and when I started again, I kept notes. I also felt there were too many characters which I found I had a hard time connecting, The second time I started I became intrigued from about the 30% to about the 60% mark. Then, I started struggling again. For me, this book would have worked better if the story had been told chronologically. I enjoyed the story between Kelly, her daughter, Willow, and Nova. I also liked the idea of the relationship between Nova and Mason. I sure was glad when Dex entered the story! My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

The Next Thing You Know is touted as A Star is Born meets Me Before You. I could not wait to delve into this one!

Such sad circumstances surround Nova Hutson, an end of life doula & Mason Shaylor, a famous in his own right musician, but their story is one of big emotions & bigger love. This story is thought provoking & hopeful. It shows multiple perspectives of a controversial subject. End of life with dignity. What if it's your family member? What if it's the love of your life? What if it's YOU?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4 stars.

This was an interesting read. It was told from many perspectives and went back and forth in time. I never heard of the term death doula but can definitely see the importance of the service they provide. Nova really helped Mason come to terms with living (the opposite of what she does for the dying). I was so sad that Mason's life ended when he had risen above his circumstances. Nova's own experience with impending death was an unusual twist and I loved that she was willing to share that story with Mason.

I was provided a free ARC of this by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Nova is a free spirited death doula, helping terminally ill people achieve as much peace at the end of their life as possible. She often takes the more "difficult" (young, prickly, etc.) clients from her "by the checklist" business partner. So when Mason walks in, he is quickly handed off to Nova. Trying to help Mason find what he's looking for proves more difficult than most of her clients, and leads her to makes some unexpected choices.
This is a heartbreaking story of human connection, love, acceptance, forgiveness, hope, and beauty.
The story is told in alternating timelines between the past (Mason becoming a client) and "now" (the aftermath of his death). As we try to piece together what happened!
I'm not going to lie, I was a little worried at the beginning that it was going to go in one direction and I was not going to be able to like/endorse it, but it didn't go there! ☺️
As you can probably guess there is a lot about terminal illnesses, death, grief, and all those entail, so this may not be the best for everyone if any of those might be a trigger.
As a whole I enjoyed this one, and it definitely held my attention!
It is set to be published on Tuesday (22 Mar), so look for it if it sounds like something you'd like!
#NetGalley

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!