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Happy Sunday! Today I have a review for the sequel of The Five Peole You Meet in Heaven, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom and publishing via Harper Books on October 9, 2018! Confession: I was loaned The Five People You Meet in Heaven by a professor in graduate school. She was not just any professor; she was (and continues to be) a mentor to me and truly an inspiration inside and outside professional life. I am sad to say I ran across her copy in my collection recently, so I was the culprit in not returning a book! Eek!

My Thoughts:

Everyone wanted a sequel to one of the most beloved books, and Mitch Albom has delivered! 

Briefly, to set the stage, in The Five People You Meet in Heaven, we met Eddie, a rough and gruff war veteran turned mechanic who passed away in the act of saving a little girl named Annie. Eddie’s trip to heaven involved questions and answers about the meaning of life. 

In this follow-up, Annie’s story is told. 

After the accident that took Eddie’s life, Annie has visible scars but no memory of what happened. Not only does she have memory loss, she is haunted by what the truth may reveal. It consumes her. 

Annie later becomes an adult and is about to be married when another accident occurs leaving her on a journey to heaven where she reunites with Eddie. He shares what he has learned about life with Annie. 

An emotionally-charged and beautifully-written read and filled with clever twists, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven is a huggable book with important lessons for us all. I took away a reminder of that old saying: when one door closes, a window opens in its place. 

Filled with hope and all heart, Mitch Albom once again addresses the meaning of life and proves his point with flourish. 

Thank you to Harper Books for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own. 

Synopsis:

In this enchanting sequel to the number one bestseller The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom tells the story of Eddie’s heavenly reunion with Annie—the little girl he saved on earth—in an unforgettable novel of how our lives and losses intersect.

Fifteen years ago, in Mitch Albom’s beloved novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the world fell in love with Eddie, a grizzled war veteran- turned-amusement park mechanic who died saving the life of a young girl named Annie. Eddie’s journey to heaven taught him that every life matters. Now, in this magical sequel, Mitch Albom reveals Annie’s story.

The accident that killed Eddie left an indelible mark on Annie. It took her left hand, which needed to be surgically reattached. Injured, scarred, and unable to remember why, Annie’s life is forever changed by a guilt-ravaged mother who whisks her away from the world she knew. Bullied by her peers and haunted by something she cannot recall, Annie struggles to find acceptance as she grows. When, as a young woman, she reconnects with Paulo, her childhood love, she believes she has finally  found happiness.

As the novel opens, Annie is marrying Paulo. But when her wedding night day ends in an unimaginable accident, Annie finds herself on her own heavenly journey—and an inevitable reunion with Eddie, one of the five people who will show her how her life mattered in ways she could not have fathomed.

Poignant and beautiful, filled with unexpected twists, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven reminds us that not only does every life matter, but that every ending is also a beginning—we only need to open our eyes to see it.

Have you read The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, or any other books by Mitch Albom? If so, what did you think? Happy Reading! ~ Jenni THR