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4-5 stars

Edi is dying, it’s a horribly inevitable result of her ovarian cancer. The New York hospital need to move her to hospice care and that’s proving tricky and so she has to go to one near where her best friend Ashley lives in West Massachusetts and she’s now been there three weeks. The two women have been best friends for forty two years and have shared many highs and lows and everything in between. This wonderful novel tells the story of Edi’s last days with the appearance of hospice characters such as Cedar with his guitar and Doctor “Soprano�� with the accompaniment of Fiddler on the Roof blasting out at full volume in the background. The pair reminisce and try to come to terms with letting go of something so precious. Ash is struggling in her personal life with her nearly ex-husband and teenage daughters especially Belle.

This is a beautifully written book which has you engaged from the start principally because the characterisation is so good. Sometimes it even has you bursting out laughing so don’t worry if you think it may be too depressing although obviously it does make you want to cry especially at the end so have your tissues at the ready. There is sadness and heartache, it is moving and poignant but it is also full of joy and laughter. Both Edi and Ash are wonderful characters, Ash is imperfect but she’s honest and hilarious with a very (very) messy sex life. The relationship with Edi is just so fantastic as they talk about their past lives and the situation in the present day. The dialogue between them is excellent as it is throughout . Belle is a real chip off the old block and the relationship between her and Ash is a good one with their conversations being highly entertaining.

There is a lot of focus on food especially a lemon polenta cake so you may find yourself salivating from time to time!

Overall, this is a perfectly pitched and touching story which isn’t especially long which it doesn’t need to be.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K., Transworld, Doubleday for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.