Brunch and Other Obligations

April 15, 2020
Molly Granger left instructions for her core group of friends after her death: they are to meet once a month for brunch. The catch? Nora, Leanne, and Christina don't really like each other. Nora is a recluse, Leanne is a Stepford wife-in-training, and Christina is a type-A lawyer. Molly was the free spirit who brought them together, and now she's gone. Each woman loved Molly too much to blatantly disregard her request, though, so they do as she asked. Through these brunches, the women connect over their friend gone too soon as debut author Nugent skillfully intertwines the stories of Nora, who may be falling for her dead friend's ex; Leanne, who isn't the happy wife she pretends to be; and Christina, who hates that she can't control her mother's illness, thereby showing how grief affects each woman differently. Poignant, funny, and smart, Brunch and Other Obligations is a must-have for contemporary women's fiction shelves. Readers will want to watch for what Nugent does next.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)