The Next Thing You Know

A Novel

By: Jessica Strawser

Narrated by: Christa Lewis

A musician facing the untimely end of his career. An end-of-life doula with everything, and nothing, to lose. A Star Is Born meets Me Before You in this powerful novel by the author of A Million Reasons Why.

"Unflinching and unforgettable, this one will crack your heart open and slowly stitch it back together.” —Christina McDonald, bestselling author of The Night Olivia Fell

As an end-of-life doula, Nova Huston’s job - her calling, her purpose, her life - is to help terminally ill people make peace with their impending death. Unlike her business partner, who swears by her system of checklists, free-spirited Nova doesn’t shy away from difficult clients: the ones who are heartbreakingly young, or prickly, or desperate for a caregiver or companion.

When Mason Shaylor shows up at her door, Nova doesn’t recognize him as the indie-favorite singer-songwriter who recently vanished from the public eye. She knows only what he’s told her: That life as he knows it is over. His deteriorating condition makes playing his guitar physically impossible - as far as Mason is concerned, he might as well be dead already.

Except he doesn’t know how to say goodbye.

Helping him is Nova’s biggest challenge yet. She knows she should keep clients at arm’s length. But she and Mason have more in common than anyone could guess… and meeting him might turn out to be the hardest, best thing that’s ever happened to them both.

Jessica Strawser's The Next Thing You Know is an emotional, resonant story about the power of human connection, love when you least expect it, hope against the odds, and what it really takes to live life with no regrets.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2022 Jessica Strawser (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Read for bookclub

Struggle to get through too many bits and pieces and back and forth and some seemingly impossible storylines.

Very sad

Beautifully written but very sad. This book is going to require some recovery time for sure.

Excellent!

So well written! She captures voices and emotions and context with ease and expertise.
The story bring attention to end of life issues while building a love story that doesn’t depend on steamy vignettes.
Excellent!

Looking forward to the film adaptation!

Edgy, poignant and hilarious! I laughed, cried and blushed listening to this beautiful book. I highly recommend!

Don't Assume!

"The Next Thing You Know" is a powerful, poignant story that reminds us that we don't know everything. The excruciating mystery of what really happened hangs in the air until the revelation in the final flashback from the point of view of the deceased in his last moments. The ending is both positive and heartbreaking. (And yes, I cried.)