Pack Up the Moon

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After Joshua and Lauren are newly married, they find out that Lauren has a fatal disease, IPF, which causes fibrous material to grow in her lungs and make breathing difficult. These two are the kind of couple everyone is jealous of – so in love. Joshua is a medical device inventor and turns his life work into finding a solution for Lauren’s illness. The book is told in alternating voices and timelines – but that does not make it confusing. It serves to show Lauren’s thoughts before her death, and Josh’s life and struggle after her death. Although her illness makes it seemingly impossible, she finds a way to live the best life possible with the love of her life. The beginning line is her writing a letter to her deceased father in which she says,

She loved everyone, but she greeted Jen with particular joy. Maybe she knew this was as close to Lauren as she could get. Maybe they smelled similar, the two Carlisle sisters. “Pebbles! Hello, my baby! Hello! I missed you!” Josh waited, accustomed to the dog getting love first. Eventually, Jen straightened. “Hey, how are you?” Jen said. She hugged him. Every month, a letter. That's what Lauren decides to leave her husband when she finds out she's dying. Each month, she gives Josh a letter containing a task to help him face this first year without her, leading him on a heartrending, beautiful, often humorous journey to find happiness again in this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins.It’s a way to start thinking about a life separate from where we lived so happily together. Because that life is in the past now. It’s time to start making something new. THE RUSH OF buying the house carried him along for a few weeks. He’d shown it to Jen and her crew. Sebastian had proclaimed it “the best house in the world for hide-and-seek. Being a widower is not something Joshua Park ever expected. Given his solitary job as a scientist, his small circle of friends and family, and the social awkwardness he’s always suffered from, Josh has no idea how to negotiate this new, unwanted phase of life. But his beloved wife Lauren had a plan to keep him moving forward, to lead him on a journey through grief, anger, and denial—twelve letters. Audenalso makes use of anaphora, or the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of multiple lines, usually in succession. This appears sporadically throughout the text, for example, “Let” at the beginning of lines one and four of the second stanza and “My” at the start of lines two and three of the third. Eighteen-year-old Mallory Greenleaf is no longer interested in chess, not since her hypercompetitive dad left—the game calls up painful memories. But she grudgingly agrees to play in a charity tournament as a favor to best friend Easton Peña. After she unexpectedly beats current world champion Nolan Sawyer, she’s offered a fellowship that will prepare her to play professionally. Even though Mallory doesn’t want to play anymore, she needs the money that winning would provide; she’s delayed college to support her family, since her mother is chronically ill with rheumatoid arthritis and is unable to work regularly. The more time she spends with Nolan, the more Mallory comes to like and respect him—and the more time she spends playing chess, the more she remembers how much she loved it. But when she learns that Nolan has been keeping a big secret from her, she isn’t sure if she’ll be able to move past it to build a relationship with him. Filled with the author’s signature humor, well-developed characters, and realistic conflicts, plus the fully realized setting of competitive chess, this captivating romance will delight teen readers as well as Hazelwood’s adult fans. Mallory and Nolan are both cued white; there is some racial diversity among the supporting cast. Mallory and Easton are queer. Because of the bad timing, I had so hard time to enjoy this novel. Maybe it will be like a bad breakup speech but I’m still telling: it’s not the book, it’s me! I was not in the mood to read something incredibly sad! That doesn’t mean the novel is badly written or the characters are unlikable.

They used to joke about her “honey do” lists. He just never realized how much he would need one when she was gone. Twelve letters to see him through the first year without her, and to lead him on a heartrending, beautiful, often humorous journey to find joy again. From his first outing as a widower to buy groceries to finding a new best friend while sobbing in a clothing store, Joshua’s grief makes room for him to learn Lauren’s most valuable lesson: The path to happiness doesn’t follow a straight line.Rachael’s characters capture your heart slowly, quietly, until before you know it, you love them. You're willing to follow them, even as they head into the darkest corners of heartbreak. And you cheer for them when they find even the most fragile beauty and connection. Funny, heartbreaking and uplifting, New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins delivers an unforgettable romance about how love can transcend even the greatest obstacles. The few KH books I have read so far have been enjoyable. This one seemed to deviate from her typical style and fell short for me. I do not have an issue with the subject of death/dying or the premise of this book. In fact, I don't mind a tear-jerker if it is thought-provoking, moving, or the characters evolve through tragedy. I also have a weakness for epistolary style novels and had high hopes this would not disappoint like P.S. I Love You. Sadly, this was probably a bigger letdown due to my expectations and anticipation for the release.