Thank you Netgalley & Atria Books for an eARC ♥️

This is the story of three sisters—Josie, Emma, and Ara—who orbit each other like dying stars, caught in a gravitational pull of love, resentment, and the echoes of a past they can’t outrun.♥️
Josie, the steadfast caretaker, has spent her life holding the seams of their fractured family together. Emma, the former rockstar, wears her arrogance like armor, hiding a guilt so deep it has turned her into her sister’s worst enabler. And Ara, the brilliant, broken middle child, is in jail, detoxing from opioids and maybe—just maybe—from her family, too.
What unfolds is nothing short of breathtaking. The sisters’ journey is not just about saving Ara from herself, but about whether they can save each other from the roles they’ve been trapped in for decades. Emma’s desperate scheme to record a jailhouse album (a last-ditch effort to revive their band and Ara’s freedom) is equal parts tragic and hopeful. Josie’s quiet exhaustion from years of playing parent to her own siblings will crack your heart wide open. Ara’s raw, aching chapters—where jail becomes both prison and refuge—are some of the most hauntingly beautiful writing I’ve encountered. ♥️
Then there’s Bertie, their mother, a woman who fought for justice for everyone except, perhaps, her own daughters. Her absence looms as large as her presence ever did, and when she finally reenters their lives, the question isn’t just can she fix them? but should she even try?
This novel doesn’t just explore family—it dissects it, holds its beating heart in its hands, and asks how much hurt love can endure. The prose is lyrical yet razor-sharp, the characters so real you’ll forget they’re fictional, and the emotional payoff is devastating in the best way. 🥹

If you’ve ever loved someone so much it hurt, if you’ve ever resented the weight of being needed, if you’ve ever wondered whether forgiveness is a gift or a surrender—this is your book.♥️♥️♥️

Read it. Weep. 🤧Then call your sister.🫂

Emma and Ara are twins who found fame with an album years ago but haven't made new music since. While Emma yearns to be back, Ara struggles with a drug addiction and trips to rehab. Their younger sister Josie bears the burden of it all trying to keep them all going, even when she herself goes a bit unnoticed. As for their mother, Bertie: once a renowned lawyer and activist, she now spends her time fighting for the world rather than providing care for her own family. When Ara winds up in prison, she sees it as a chance to fully detox- from the drugs and from her sisters. Meanwhile, Emma sees it as an opportunity for a musical comeback, and Josie will stop at nothing to get Ara out of jail.

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Normally, I'm a sucker for a sibling/ family story. With heavy vibes of Blue Sisters (and a little bit of Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits), I had every expectation to love this one, but I just don't think I fully connected with most of the characters or story. Josie started to feel like too much of a martyr that I began to lack empathy for her. I enjoyed getting Bertie's backstory but didn't feel it helped to soften her character much. I did love Ara and found her the most compelling and heartbreaking to watch her fight to overcome her addictions. There were also a few prominent side characters that I found I loved more than most of the main players. My interest picked up a bit in the middle (partly in thanks to chatting with Barb who was reading this at the same time) but by the last section of the book, it had significantly tapered again. It wasn't ultimately a fit for me, but I do feel it will resonate strongly with others and still recommend it if you gravitate towards these types of stories.

✨ Thank you to Atria for the invitation to read this one!
🎉 Pub date: 8•12•2025

The Frequency of Living Things

This is a story of twin girls, Ara and Emma, who are in a rock band; their younger responsible sister, Josie, and their mostly absent mother. It has been about twenty years since the band had gold records, a Grammy nomination, and faithful fans. The band wants to record another album but Ara, the creative one, can't stay off opioids and out of jail long enough to record one. Emma, the more attractive lead singer, decides that maybe they can record a "jailhouse" record while Ara is in jail.
This book explores the complexities of the three sisters' relationship with each other and their mother, especially when they need each other the most! The characters are well-developed, but the graphic drug use and addiction was difficult for me to read. The last half of the book was intriguing, but the first half was tenuous reading. The book was heart-breaking and sad but also somewhat hopeful.

Thanks to Atria Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars. A generational family drama about an absentee activist mother putting others over her own children, and her three daughters bound by sisterhood but broken apart by trauma. The book is an emotional + twisty sister story of survival that focuses on the three sisters, music + science + politics, family dynamics, codependency and addiction. What Googins does particularly well is to show how the characters touch on the meaning of sisterhood and family within the story. Love how it’s very character-driven and emotional.. one I’ll be thinking about for some time.
Such an interesting and fresh take on a sisterhood story. Definitely moving up his backlist book, The Great Transition. Pub. 8/12/25

⚠️There are trigger warnings related to suicide and addiction.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

For her whole life, Josie has found herself taking care of her older sisters, who once found success as a band twenty years ago. Now her sisters Ara and Emma are continuing to try to make a career as a music act, barely coasting by on the fans who fondly remember their one hit record. When Ara finds herself in prison, Josie mobilizes into action to get her out — but Ara isn’t sure she wants to leave. Emma thinks a jailhouse record may be what the sisters need to revive their careers. And Josie just wants to do what she feels has been her burden since she was little: keep her sisters safe.

As the three sisters navigate their complicated relationship, their mother, Bertie, is far away — as she has often been throughout their lives. Bertie has devoted herself to the less fortunate, unless they happen to be her own children. But Bertie now wonders if it is finally time to change her approach.

This is a touching and often heartbreaking story about family, and the way it can raise you up and ruin you — often all in the same interaction. The author offers a captivating depiction of the struggle the sisters face to lead their own lives while always feeling pulled, in one way or another, to each other.

Highly recommended.

Story of sisters? I’m sold!! However, this one missed the mark for me. I felt the plot was very interesting but it la led execution. I ended up skimming the last third of the novel.

i had high expectations for this novel but it lacked character development and a well developed plot and was extremely difficult to complete.

This was okay but it wasn't as impactful as I would have expected. It was just fine, but it didn't hold my interest.

This.....this did nothing for me.

Generally, I'm drawn to stories about sisters. I've said that time and time again. The Frequency of Living Things is the story of three sisters and their mother. It's about strained relationships, independence, music, friendship, romance, and pain. Sounds good, right?

Well, these are the four worst kind of women.
Bertie, the mother: activist too busy saving lives to worry about her own children.

Ara and Emma, the rockstars: The twins had one huge hit, but now are trying to make a comeback, despite one being a drug addict and the other being the enabler.

Josie, the youngest: What a miserable nerd. Constant maryter syndrome. Impulsive personality. Dean deserved more.

I think that this had the potential to be a great story about redemption and acceptance, but reading this was worse than pulling teeth. It JUST.KEPT.GOING.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A complicated family drama with lots of characters doing unlikable things and making bad decisions. I liked, but didn't love. It was good but it felt a little disconnected & I wanted a little more depth.

Unfortunately I was not a huge fan of this book. I loved the authors debut novel, but I could not get invested in the sisters and mother in this novel. And when I finally felt that I started to care about the sisters, then the story went back in time and started focusing on the mom. It just didn't work for me.

4.5 stars.

The Frequency of Living Things by Nick Fuller Googins is an emotionally compelling family novel.

Twins Ara and Emma are one-hit wonders who are now in their mid-thirties. Emma lays down the tracks for the Ara’s lyrics but their attempts at putting out their sophomore album are hindered by Ara’s drug addictions. When Ara lands in jail, Emma’s creativity and Ara’s painful experiences provide the inspiration for a new album.

Younger sister Josie prefers insects and the outdoors to people but she is devoted to her sisters. She has helped keep a roof over their heads and money in the bank. Josie uses her sisters for her excuse to fully commit to her best friend, Dean.

After their father’s death when they were toddlers, their mother, Bertie, threw herself into her legal career. Her daughters pretty much raised themselves and she is nowhere to be seen during a crisis. But there is a difference between teaching her girls self-sufficiency and failing to support them when they most need her. During this latest crisis with Ara, Bertie once again puts her causes before her daughter.

The Frequency of Living Things is a very poignant novel. The characters are sympathetic despite their myriad flaws. The storyline is compelling with chapters alternating between the various characters’ points of view. Nick Fuller Googins brings this family-centric novel to a bittersweet conclusion.

This is the story of three sisters, each going throught their own mid-life crisis. The author addresses their codependecies, family life, and obligations interfering with eachs' desire to be independent.

Set in Maine, the novel follows Bertie, a former defense-attorney turned activist, and her three adult daughters: Emma and Ara, identical twins whose 1990s rockstar fame faded decades ago, and Josie, the responsible younger sister and amateur entomologist. When Ara lands in jail after a scheme gone wrong, the family is forced back into close proximity, and to confront long-buried traumas, resentments, and dependencies.

Emma, was the lead singer of the former band 'Jojo and the Twins'. She believes that a jailhouse record featuring Ara could revive their career and perhaps clear Ara’s path to freedom. However, Ava is kinda liking jail, not the experience itself but the ability to distance herself from family drama, and to learn more about herself and what she wants to do next. It's her own form of isolation therapy.

Josie is the younger sister and has always acted as the caretaker and moral center, struggling between loyalty and self‑preservation. Meanwhile, their mom, Bertie must choose whether to step back in and rescue her daughters, or watch to see if their resilience carries them on their own.

The author digs deep into addiction, codependency, and loyalty. There are some tragically sad moments that bring the family together, while also tearing them apart. This will make you think about how your own family might deal with these type of situations, or make you appreciate the fact that you might not have to. The pace was a bit slow at times, but the characters are very well developed and you want to hang in there to find out what happens to them.

I really loved this! I loved the dynamic between the sisters, and how they all had relatable strengths and weaknesses. It definitely tugged at my heartstrings. The only thing I would maybe have liked to see is more of the immediate aftermath of Ara's death. The sisters' reaction would have added an additional emotional layer. Great read! 4.25

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC.

This book is family drama personified. It is angst and anger and it will make your soul hurt for these sisters. I really enjoyed this one.

This is a tale about three sisters: Josie, Emma, and Ara. Ara ends up in jail, and Josie comes to the rescue yet again. Emma, the lead of their band back in the day, decided to help by suggesting they release a jailhouse record.

This was a very emotional read dealing with addiction and family drama. It is a well-written exploration of what sisterhood and family mean. I loved how different the characters were, yet at the same time, very similar in their love and devotion to each other.

While not everything was entirely plausible and had me shaking my head at times, I enjoyed the drama and messiness of life that the book portrays. It is very character-driven, and these are complex women who all have their strengths and weaknesses. The pace can be a bit slow, and the scientific jargon got to me (even though I understood the point of the insects being a metaphor for the family's dynamics). I appreciated how the author shed light on codependency and forgiveness. And even though these tough subjects are hard to read about, I also felt a lot of hope throughout these pages.

I really enjoy a good family drama, especially with a character drawn story like this one. The characters were extremely well done. I found myself having such strong emotions for all of them. Josie drove me up a wall, the way she would completely roll over for her sister drove me insane. But I really empathized with Ara and felt for her. Ultimately this one wasn’t for me. It was too slow moving for me to ever really feel invested. I think this will be a huge hit for many, but for me between the speed and some of the heavier topics, I’m sad to say I struggled through it.

2.5 stars rounded up

A difficult book to read with the sadness of the sisters and their broken family. Not the book for me but perhaps is better for someone invested in the story and the dynamics of this tragedy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Frequency of Living Things is a sisterhood story and a tale of survival, full of twists that can disturb a reader looking only for a sweet story. I was drawn to the family dynamics and their struggles. Content warning: addiction, suicide

The Frequency of Living Things by Nick Fuller Googins is a recommended family drama, for the right reader, that follows three sisters and their absent mother.

The youngest Tayloe sister Josie, left her PhD program and now takes care of her older sisters. Twins Emma and Ara had a hit record years ago with their band named Jojo and the Twins where Emma was vocals and on the guitar while Ara wrote the songs and played drums. Now the two are broke, Ara is on drugs, and they depend upon Josie to take care of them. Their mother, Bertie, is off doing her own thing. Now Ara is in jail and detoxing, Emma wants to use this situation to create a new album, and Josie is trying to raise bail money.

At it's core, this is a novel about choices and consequences. Part of my issue with it was everyone was making bad choices without considering the consequences. This required setting aside a great deal of disbelief. While the quality of the writing was basically good, the pace felt glacially slow to me and it was a slog to finish. The one good choice was Ara using her incarceration to detox from drugs and her family.

None of the characters were likable and I struggled to connect with them. I hated that Josie sacrificed to care for her sisters who are adults. They were both capable to go find a job, pay their own rent, and care for themselves. It wasn't Josie's responsibility to do so but her sisters seemed to expect her to take care of them while they were never grateful.

Bertie is an annoying character with no redeeming qualities. All the political messaging in any chapter featuring her was irritating and off-putting. This along with the rampant bad choices made The Frequency of Living Things a struggle for me to read and stay invested in the story. Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.