Author: Kimberly Young
Series: None
Publication Date: February 14, 2023
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Pages: 320
Obtained: Emi Battaglia Public Relations
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Life is all about adapting and changing
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab
Summary: When the Recession crushes their splashy event business in Silicon Valley, Liz Becker and Gabbi Rossi realize that parties are on hold—but funerals must go on. Planning a memorial with flowers, music, and food isn’t that different from a wedding, right? But Liz has had a crippling fear of death since losing her younger sister in a childhood tragedy. Knowing her husband and twin sons depend on her income, she reluctantly agrees to produce end-of-life events. As Gabbi promised, the money starts rolling in. When an old real estate tycoon hires them to plan his “after party,” Liz finds an unlikely mentor. Just as things are looking up, she learns that someone she loves has a serious illness. Death planning gets personal. ~amazon.com
Review: When the booming economy collapses and your income depends on it; how do you pivot? For Liz and Gabbi, they find a niche in planning end of life celebrations. Except it’s not so easy for Liz given her personal experience with death but she has no choice since her husband's contracting work has all but come to a halt. Plus their bottom line is looking pretty grim. She understands the need for revenue but really is struggling with this idea. Gabbi, on the other hand, jumps in with both feet and goes for it with gusto. It's a good thing that they are each good at what they do: Gabbi with the marketing and selling; Liz with everything else.
What amazes Liz is that Gabbi isn't wrong, there is a market for this where older people want to have a say in the planning of their end of life celebrations. Instead of these functions being dreary, most want something more upbeat. One of their clients wants them to help him downsize and figure out a way to reconcile with his children. An ask that will not be easy.
I liked that this was set during the economic downturn of 2008 because it’s something we all can relate to since it’s more recent history. It also forces Liz to confront her past in order to make a living. Ms. Young deals with a variety of issues in the novel including mental health and marital stress. She handles all the sensitive subjects with a real touch but it’s not too heavy handed.
I definitely look forward to what she’ll write in the future.
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