Review: Good Luck with That by Kristan Higgins

Title: Good Luck with That by Kristan Higgins
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 480 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins is beloved for her heartfelt novels filled with humor and wisdom. Now, she tackles an issue every woman deals with: body image and self-acceptance.

Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.

For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it’s coming to terms with the survivor’s guilt she’s carried around since her twin sister’s death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it’s about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother’s and brother’s ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.

But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson’s dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.

A novel of compassion and insight, Good Luck With That tells the story of two women who learn to embrace themselves just the way they are.

Review:

Good Luck with That by Kristan Higgins is a poignant yet uplifting novel of friendship, love and healing.

Georgia Sloane, Marley DeFelice and Emerson Duval met one another at a weightloss camp when they were teens. Now in their mid-thirties, they remain close friends and when Emerson passes away, her last request is that Marley and Georgia complete the list of activities they compiled their last year at the camp.  Despite their discomfort with some of the items on the activities, they agree they need to honor their friend’s wish. Once they have completed the list, will Georgia and Marley have made progress in coming to terms with how being overweight has affected many aspects of their lives?

Georgia is a former lawyer turned nursery school teacher whose marriage failed due to her unresolved issues with her weight.  Throughout her  childhood, both her mother and brother frequently disparaged her appearance which still continues to some degree in the present. Cowed by their remarks and dismissive attitude, Georgia has never confronted them on their verbal and emotional abuse. Despite her recent weight loss following a family emergency, Georgia’s perception of herself remains skewed and she cannot “see” herself as anything other than overweight and unworthy. When her ex-husband Rafe Santiago re-enters her life due to his niece becoming one of her students, Georgia is finally forced to confront how her body issues and lack of self-worth led to the self-destructive end of her marriage to a man who at one time worshiped her.

Marley has made peace with the fact that she will never be skinny. She lives a very healthy lifestyle and she has a positive relationship with food. Her family is warm, loving and gregarious but the loss of Marley’s twin sister has left an indelible mark on her and the rest of the brood.   Despite her happy and upbeat personality, Marley does not have much of a romantic history. In fact, for the past five years, she has been pining after a man whose treatment of her is absolutely abysmal. Yet, Marley is willing to settle for him because no one else has taken an interest in her.  During the course of the book, Marley traverses the emotional minefield of dealing with the loss of her twin while at the same time realizing she deserves more than being some man’s occasional booty call.

Emerson’s part of the storyline is revealed through a series of diary entries. Not gonna lie, these passages are incredibly difficult to read because her self-loathing just pours off the pages.  Emerson’s relationship with food is incredibly toxic and her relationship with a co-worker is just tragic. Her food addiction leads her to become morbidly obese and this shame results in her distancing herself from Georgia and Sloane.  In the end, Emerson’s last request to Marley and Georgia has a much deeper meaning than just crossing items off of a list.

Good Luck with That is an incredibly heartfelt and emotional novel that inspires both laughter and tears. Georgia and Marley’s close friendship is quite endearing and their love and support for each other is unconditional.  Kristan Higgins deftly handles tough subject matter in a forthright manner and provides an insightful and thought provoking novel that realistically portrays women’s struggles with weight, self-acceptance and body image. An extremely well-written and meaningful novel that made me laugh, cry and give serious consideration to the issues Marley, Georgia and Emerson have struggled with throughout their lives.

Read about Ms. Higgins’ personal struggles with body image HERE.
Ms. Higgins discusses Good Luck with That HERE.