Best, First, and Last, Amy T. Matthews
Best, First, and Last, Amy T. Matthews
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Best, First, and Last

Author: Amy T. Matthews

Narrator: Brigid Lohrey

Unabridged: 13 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/25/2024


Synopsis

When twenty-five-year-old Heather Russo breaks up with her boyfriend—again—she can't figure out if she's to blame or he is. Either way, she's miserable, and working at home via Zoom meetings is only making it worse. What's more, all the women in her family are struggling. Mom Sandy is convinced she's wasted her life and is nursing a giant grudge against Heather's father, whom she's now divorcing. Grandmother Bonnie is reeling with the grief of losing her third husband, and is carrying his urn everywhere she goes, even the supermarket. The bottom has fallen out of their lives so abruptly, the trio is clinging to any handhold they can—and slowly but surely losing their grip . . .

Inspired by a friend's adventurous grandson, and determined not to spend her seventieth birthday wallowing, Bonnie is ready to take extreme measures. Even if it means dragging her beloved girls along by the hair, they're going to hike the Incan Trail to Machu Picchu! Of course, their emotional baggage gets packed with their lightweight jackets, but as they make the trek, the women also talk, sharing stories and secrets that have been festering for far too long. With every arduous step toward the famed summit, each woman sheds some of the past and its pain, and opens up to the extraordinary possibilities of the present—and a future that just might include a new happily ever after.

About Amy T. Matthews

Amy T. Matthews is a novelist and academic who also writes under the names Amy Barry and Tess LaSue. A former Chair and long-serving board member of Writers SA, she is currently a Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Creative Writing at Flinders University and an Associate Member of the JM Coetzee Centre for Creative Practice.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Beth on April 22, 2024

4.5⭐️ Best, First, and Last is a fun journey filled with adventure and emotion. Heather, her mother Sandy, and grandmother Bonnie travel together through both Peru and their pasts. Family dynamics prove more difficult to conquer than Manchu Picchu. Difficult, but not impossible. This story is filled......more

Goodreads review by Annabel on December 19, 2023

I laughed, cried and reflected throughout this entire book! It really makes you appreciate moms and grandmas! This feels like a love story with some extra self-help thrown in there. Like any family, the characters make you want to pull your hair out but have you laughing while they do it. The persona......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on April 05, 2024

I was very excited to get an ARC of this book. I had previous read Amy’s last book, “Someone Else’s Bucket List,” and loved it. I had high expectations picking up her second book to read, and the book did not disappoint. The book covers three generations of women (grandmother, daughter and granddaug......more

Goodreads review by Merey on June 12, 2024

Won this in a goodreads giveaway so I hate to DNF but I just can’t finish. I’m so bored at page 180. I don’t like any of the main characters. They are boring, bland and just annoying. Too much woe is me for me. Really wanted to like this because I love Peru and adventure.......more

Goodreads review by Taylor on March 22, 2024

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC copy. This was my first Amy T. Matthews novel, and it won't be my last. While it was a little slow in the beginning, the plot quickly picked up and I finished the book within 3 days. All three women are well-written and their relationships to e......more