Pack Up the Moon

I got to chapter 6 and had to put it down. A little depressing. Maybe I'll pick it back up another time. Not for the faint in heart.

Pack up the Moon by Kristan Higgins is probably the most beautiful love story I’ve ever read. The story is beautifully written and is also heart-wrenching, heartwarming, and even hilarious in places. Reading this book, I’ve used up almost all my emotions, and after the end, I’m exhausted, content, and uplifted. Josh and Lauren were happily married for only a year when her diagnosis of a terminal illness drastically changes their life, but not their love for each other. After Lauren passes away, her best friend Sarah gives Josh a letter from Lauren every month for a year to help him move forward in his life. These letters give Josh a task, outside of his comfort zone, to help him move on. This book is all about the love shared by Josh and Lauren, although we know from the start that Lauren has passed, the window into their love story is so overwhelming, intense, and beautiful, this story will just rip out your heart, and twist it until you have nothing left. This intense story is littered with Ms. Higgins’s special brand of humor, lightening up the intensity and giving the book a balance that few writers can achieve. I read through this book, with a box of tissues nearby, without stopping as the story gripped me and kept me involved until the very end. This is a story about grief, and moving on, and told in such a way that you feel for each character and go through the pain, and healing with them. It was a window into how this lovely couple dealt with the news of a terminal illness, and how they learned to give each other the strength to deal with their new life, and the life after the death of one half of this loving couple. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great love story.

In Pack Up the Moon, Kristan Higgins once again takes her readers on a roller coaster ride of laugh out-loud moments followed by tears streaming down one’s cheek; if not outright bawling. This amazing, heart wrenching, yet heartwarming and emotional story follows the love of a very special couple; married a short time, fully in love and dealing with one of them having a terminal illness. As sad as the premise is, this book is full of love, humor, hope, and a reminder to not take life for granted. Josh and Lauren are truly the perfect couple. They are madly in love and following reward career paths. All is good until Lauren’s diagnosis. As Lauren’s disease progresses, she wants to make the most of her remaining life while Josh will do anything for Lauren, he cannot face losing her. He becomes focused on finding a way to avoid losing her and having to live life without her. Lauren knows her husband well, and makes a plan to help Josh move forward after her death. Each month, a letter will be delivered to him, giving him a task to help him face that first year without her. Each letter assists with Josh with the various stages of grief; journey through pain, anger, and denial. Maybe it’s going grocery shopping to buy food or buying new clothes and making a new friend. Other tasks include Joshua’s attempt to host a dinner party for family and friends or getting rid of their bed. Then there’s the visit with a psychic medium and to a kiss with a woman who isn't Lauren. As time passes, his grief makes room for laughter and new relationships. Joshua eventually learns Lauren's most valuable lesson, the path to finding happiness doesn't follow a straight line. Ms. Higgins wrote an amazing and emotional story that is not to be missed. In typical Higgins fashion, mixed with the teary emotional portions are humorous situations that brought out laughs and smiles. She provided a tale rich with family dynamics, amusing banter, and other endearing characters throughout this story. I highly recommend Pack Up the Moon to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, provided by the publisher.