The Frosts, a wealthy family living in small-town Connecticut, may seem like they have it all, but their world is shaken when the patriarch, John, has a stroke and loses his ability to speak. Suddenly his wife, Barb, has to reevaluate how invested she will be in a marriage that had been heading toward divorce; his younger daughter Sadie no longer has her dad as her main cheerleader, and his older daughter Juliet, a successful architect, grapples with a secret she discovers about her dad. Now back in her hometown, Sadie gets reacquainted with her old fling, Noah, who is still in love with her, and they can't deny their chemistry. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different family member, and each character grows and changes in some way. VERDICT Established author Higgins (Good Luck with That) has once again created well-developed characters who are flawed yet good-hearted; this family's ups and downs will resonate with fans of women's fiction and uplifting stories. [See Prepub Alert, 12/9/19.]—Sonia Reppe, Stickney-Forest View P.L., IL

Higgins (Good Luck with That) serves up a punchy, angst-ridden multigenerational women's contemporary. After 50 years of marriage, Barb Frost—selectman of Stonington, a small Connecticut town—is preparing to divorce her husband, John, with whom she's grown apart. John then suffers a catastrophic stroke, and Barb learns he's had a mistress. Barb and John's daughters are going through pain of their own: Sadie, a struggling artist in New York City (and John's favorite), has a dead-end job and a philandering boyfriend; Juliet, a successful architect (and Barb's favorite), is unnerved by stiff competition from a young upstart and former mentee at her firm, and suffers crippling panic attacks. After John's stroke, Sadie moves back home to help care for him and comes face to face with her first love, Noah, who had followed her to New York before their relationship fell apart. Meanwhile, Juliet worries about work and whether she's been a failure to her husband and two daughters. The plot, told in shifting perspectives from the three women, expertly intertwines each of their dilemmas and moves along briskly thanks to the charming, snappy prose. Most importantly, Higgins excels at creating multidimensional, sympathetic characters, an ability that is on full display throughout. This sparkling story is perfect summer reading fare. (June)