Pack Up the Moon
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-28 08:52:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kristan Higgins
- ISBN：0451489500
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
They used to joke about it。 Like many brilliant scientists， Josh sometimes had trouble remembering things that needed doing in the "real" world--like buying groceries， eating regular meals， and talking to people。 But he was happy to have his beloved wife， Lauren， remind him with her "honey do" lists。 He just never realized how much he would need one when she was gone。
Being a widower is not something Joshua Park ever expected。 Given his solitary job， small circle of friends and family， and the social awkwardness he's always suffered from， Josh has no idea how to negotiate this new， unwanted phase of life。 But Lauren had a plan to keep him moving forward。 A plan hidden in the letters she leaves him， giving him a task for every month in the year after her death。 A plan that leads Joshua with a loving hand on a journey through grief， anger， and denial。
It's a journey that will take Joshua from his first outing as a widower to buy groceries。。。to an attempt at a dinner party where his lack of experience hosting creates a comic disaster。。。to finding a new best friend while weeping in the dressing room of a clothing store。 As his grief makes room for new friendships and experiences， Joshua learns Lauren's most valuable lesson: The path to happiness doesn't follow a straight line。
Funny， sometimes heart-wrenching， and always uplifting， this novel from New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins illuminates how life's greatest joys are often hiding in plain sight。
Being a widower is not something Joshua Park ever expected。 Given his solitary job， small circle of friends and family， and the social awkwardness he's always suffered from， Josh has no idea how to negotiate this new， unwanted phase of life。 But Lauren had a plan to keep him moving forward。 A plan hidden in the letters she leaves him， giving him a task for every month in the year after her death。 A plan that leads Joshua with a loving hand on a journey through grief， anger， and denial。
It's a journey that will take Joshua from his first outing as a widower to buy groceries。。。to an attempt at a dinner party where his lack of experience hosting creates a comic disaster。。。to finding a new best friend while weeping in the dressing room of a clothing store。 As his grief makes room for new friendships and experiences， Joshua learns Lauren's most valuable lesson: The path to happiness doesn't follow a straight line。
Funny， sometimes heart-wrenching， and always uplifting， this novel from New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins illuminates how life's greatest joys are often hiding in plain sight。
Reviews
Brooke
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4。5 Stars - This was a bittersweet read， but I loved the way it ended！
Layla
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This book is about a married couple。 And I honestly have a thing for books about marriage and second chance romance。 This book broke me from chapter one but it was so sweet and loving。 It had all the things a girl could want when she is looking for her future husband and I loved every bit of it。 Joshua made my standards so high。 He is a compationate， sweet， loving and wonderful husband and he loves Lauren with his entire being and so does Lauren😭This book made me ugly cry but it was worth it cau This book is about a married couple。 And I honestly have a thing for books about marriage and second chance romance。 This book broke me from chapter one but it was so sweet and loving。 It had all the things a girl could want when she is looking for her future husband and I loved every bit of it。 Joshua made my standards so high。 He is a compationate， sweet， loving and wonderful husband and he loves Lauren with his entire being and so does Lauren😭This book made me ugly cry but it was worth it cause the love between Joshua and Lauren is supreme definitely recommend if you love soulmates and marriage 。。。more
Kamal Manhas
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This was such a sad and beautiful story。 The characters were all loveable; you finished the book with hope。
Jacinth Alexi Menodiado
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This book wrecked me but it was so beautiful
Sandy B。
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This book made me cry more than I’d like to admit。 My heart felt like it was pulled out and stomped on multiple times， but at the same time I felt so much love。 Joshua was the perfect balance of awkward and caring and with each letter， he became better and better。 I love how in depth the author was about their love， but also their struggles。 Overall， this book will hold a place at the top for me。
Kelsey Salmon
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This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful。 The writing was amazing。 I felt every single emotion throughout the entirety of this book。 Josh Park is the man of my dreams。 The little things he does， how selfless he is， how compassionate and driven he is。 I loved following along with Josh as he goes through the motions of losing Lauren。 Being able to see grief through someone else’s perspective is eye opening。 Highly highly recommend this book if you want a good cry！
Melissa
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So if sobbing for the entirety of a book is your thing， then this is your books。 I loved every heart wrenching moment of this book that I randomly picked up at the Cancun airport！
Emily Puffer
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Good story and I liked the character of Joshua a lot。 As I got farther into the book， I got so I skimmed the multiple paragraphs each chapter （or at least it seemed） that emphasized how in love Josh and Lauren were。 It got kind of redundant in that sense。 The ending was somewhat predictable。 Overall， worth reading if you want a cry。
Kelsee Newton
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What a beautiful story of life and love。 <3
Deyna
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You know how sometimes you’ll poke at a bruise or a scab and just get that little twinge of pain？ This book felt like poking bruises and wallowing in pain for 75% of it。 And I was ready to quit， because wallowing in grief isn’t really something I need going on in my life right now， but then…。 Then of course Kristan Higgins rescued it。 The sun came out from behind the clouds and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel。 Er， book。 Lauren and Josh were just beginning their lives together when You know how sometimes you’ll poke at a bruise or a scab and just get that little twinge of pain？ This book felt like poking bruises and wallowing in pain for 75% of it。 And I was ready to quit， because wallowing in grief isn’t really something I need going on in my life right now， but then…。 Then of course Kristan Higgins rescued it。 The sun came out from behind the clouds and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel。 Er， book。 Lauren and Josh were just beginning their lives together when she was diagnosed with a terminal illness。 She left Josh a series of letters to help him navigate his life without her， so half the book is told through her POV in letters and half from his in current timeline。 The current-Josh parts worked better for me。 Lauren only appears in flashbacks and letters， and it’s just harder to get a handle on her character。 The book tracks Josh’s journey through grief， navigated by a series of letters Lauren has left behind for him。 （Side note: I’m glad her terminal illness wasn’t cancer。 After a recent cancer diagnosis in my family， I’ve noticed that every single time a character needs to be conveniently sick or killed off， it’s cancer。 Always。 ）Told in a dual POV， Lauren’s portions begin with her diary letters， which are formatted as letters to her deceased father。 Those portions didn’t work as well for me as the present timeline。 It was hard to get anything other than sadness or pity from the Lauren flashbacks， because we know how they end。 。。。more
Taylor Wilson
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So so good
Laura Oliveira
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Literally wreaked me， so sad which made it hard to read but so good and so beautiful。 Cried from start to finish。
Sara Cohen
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I have read several of Kristan Higgins's books and enjoyed them tremendously。 I can't remember why I chose to order this one of those I haven't read yet， but what a mistake！ I like her books generally because they're not just fluff; the characters in her books deal with some issue， but the books are such fun。 This one is dreary and melodramatic。 Yes， I realize the issue is death， so obviously it's going to be sad， but I actually found myself bored at points。 Personally I thought the ending was p I have read several of Kristan Higgins's books and enjoyed them tremendously。 I can't remember why I chose to order this one of those I haven't read yet， but what a mistake！ I like her books generally because they're not just fluff; the characters in her books deal with some issue， but the books are such fun。 This one is dreary and melodramatic。 Yes， I realize the issue is death， so obviously it's going to be sad， but I actually found myself bored at points。 Personally I thought the ending was predictable， even though it seemed as if the author was aiming for a surprise ending。 I am disappointed。 。。。more
Catherine
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Oh my， What an emotional book！ A heart-wrenching， and always uplifting story。 I even cried during some parts。 Josh and Lauren were a young married couple， when Lauren got a terminal disease。 Josh wanted to deny the prognosis， but Lauren knew that she needed to deal with it， in her own way。 The story opens with Josh， dealing with being a widower。 He found it hard dealing with his everyday life， without his beloved Lauren。 All he wanted to do was hide from the world。 Lauren knew that Josh was goin Oh my， What an emotional book！ A heart-wrenching， and always uplifting story。 I even cried during some parts。 Josh and Lauren were a young married couple， when Lauren got a terminal disease。 Josh wanted to deny the prognosis， but Lauren knew that she needed to deal with it， in her own way。 The story opens with Josh， dealing with being a widower。 He found it hard dealing with his everyday life， without his beloved Lauren。 All he wanted to do was hide from the world。 Lauren knew that Josh was going to have a hard time， without her， so she wrote him letters with tasks she wanted him to complete。 She wanted him to meet new people and maybe find a new wife。 She wanted to get him out into the world and make him see that there's life， after her death。 。。。more
Jenna
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um… where do I begin 😭A story of love， loss， grief and the utter black hole that is losing someone you love。 （Here go the tears as I write and think about it）。 Lauren was diagnosed with a terminal illness after a short while into her and Josh’s Marriage。 She’s knows she’s dying。 She knows she is going to be leaving him behind sooner rather than later。 So， as she lives her best life， her last remaining days， she also secretly plans something for Josh for when she’s physically gone。 Letters。 （Yea um… where do I begin 😭A story of love， loss， grief and the utter black hole that is losing someone you love。 （Here go the tears as I write and think about it）。 Lauren was diagnosed with a terminal illness after a short while into her and Josh’s Marriage。 She’s knows she’s dying。 She knows she is going to be leaving him behind sooner rather than later。 So， as she lives her best life， her last remaining days， she also secretly plans something for Josh for when she’s physically gone。 Letters。 （Yea ik guys letters 😭）。 One for each month for the first year after her death。 Each with a task to help Josh grieve and heal。 Holy shit guys！！ I have NEVER cried so hard and so LONG throughout a book。 I was sobbing from page ONE。 I have a fragile heart， and am always touched by books。 I knew going in this was going to be tough， and boy oh boy was it tough。 But it was worth it。 In a way， the reader is healing WITH Josh。 I felt as though as the months went by， the loss of Lauren never went away but I found myself laughing， wiping away the tears and seeing a new beginning for Josh。 Just like he was in the book。 This was beautiful and for those looking to cry and laugh and go through a journey… we’ll this one’s for you。 Not to mention; this book is set where I live。 Places I see everyday， places I’ve been。 The cape where I spend summers every year。 Rhode Island where I go to school， where I live。 Just driving to school today it’s all I could think about。 It’s like everywhere I look it’s staring me in the face 😭 but in a good way。 A story that never leaves you is always the best one。 。。。more
noelle
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rollercoaster of emotions。。。i love this book so much。 i love josh so much and my heart was constantly aching for him through every chapter。
Marla
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This is a hard one to review。 This book for the most part was depressing and sad and slow， which is usually not for me。 But I really liked it。 It was also heartwarming and romantic and I genuinely liked the characters。 It was a bit long。 And unless I missed a detail， I totally don’t get the title。 It doesn’t relate to anything in the story。
Alexandra
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Finished it just to finish it
Anekakhanna
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4。5/5， it’s just that I can’t see Joshua without Lauren
Syeda
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I really loved this book so much， the last letter was the most painful one yet so beautiful
Eunice Cruz
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I couldn't find the right words to describe this book befitting of its greatness。 All I can say is that this is worth the read。 I couldn't find the right words to describe this book befitting of its greatness。 All I can say is that this is worth the read。 。。。more
Aisha
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This book is very touching， made my heart ache so much for Joshua and Lauren。If you needed a good cry， go and read this 💔
Malak
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Absolutely no words。。。just tears。
Michelle
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“Grief， you see， is lonely for everyone involved。”Joshua and Lauren are newly married， completely in love， and ready to spend their lives together。 When Lauren is diagnosed with a terminal illness， everything changes。 Following her death， Joshua has no idea how to continue without her。 Luckily， Lauren left him a year’s worth of letters filled with tasks to help him through his grief and learn to be happy again。Starting off already knowing about her death， I thought there was no way this book wil “Grief， you see， is lonely for everyone involved。”Joshua and Lauren are newly married， completely in love， and ready to spend their lives together。 When Lauren is diagnosed with a terminal illness， everything changes。 Following her death， Joshua has no idea how to continue without her。 Luckily， Lauren left him a year’s worth of letters filled with tasks to help him through his grief and learn to be happy again。Starting off already knowing about her death， I thought there was no way this book will wreck me。 Silly me。 By the last few chapters， I was sobbing。 Like “husband walks in thinking something is seriously wrong” type of sobbing。 I just loved everything about this book， especially the alternating chapters。 In one timeline Joshua is reading Lauren’s letters month by month and slowly becoming himself again。 In the others， time is moving backward as we learn how their relationship began and grew。Lauren and Joshua are two very different characters that I loved so much together。 Lauren is spunky， outspoken， and social。 Joshua is extremely brilliant but tends to have tunnel vision toward his work。 Aside from them， we have a whole cast full of lovable characters that love each of them so so much。This story is heartbreaking of course but it’s also funny， heartwarming， and incredibly hopeful。 。。。more
Mahek Mankani
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Alright， so when it comes to emotions， i feel them alright。 I used to cry a lot while reading sad books， but then after some time。。。i just used to feel this tug in my heart but the tears stopped because the book wasn't able to deliver the content properly or maybe， i had gotten so used to reading sad books that i had lost my ability to cry。 But when i tell u this book made me cry 5 times。。。it is no joke。 The pain of getting over someone who is dead， its not easy。 This author has managed to show Alright， so when it comes to emotions， i feel them alright。 I used to cry a lot while reading sad books， but then after some time。。。i just used to feel this tug in my heart but the tears stopped because the book wasn't able to deliver the content properly or maybe， i had gotten so used to reading sad books that i had lost my ability to cry。 But when i tell u this book made me cry 5 times。。。it is no joke。 The pain of getting over someone who is dead， its not easy。 This author has managed to show the grief in a very realistic manner。 I loved this book with all my heart and would suggest u all to read this if you like a good book that will make u cryPs:- it usually takes me two days to complete a book， but i wasn't able to cmplt it that soon。 It took me 8 days to complete this one， because it was difficult to get through。。。。 。。。more
niickki
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This book was so sad but I also found myself laughing so much。 I love the humor that is added throughout the book that helped make the overall storyline a little lighter。
Christina Le
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5 ⭐️This book was a little slow for me in the beginning half。 I was also a little disappointed Josh and Sarah didn’t end up together but I can appreciate them better as friends too。 I had a feeling something was going on with Rose since she kept appearing in the book randomly。 I didn’t really understand why the author chose to do Lauren’s section from present day to past。 Maybe to show Josh’s grow？？ I admire Josh and Lauren’s love so much and the dedication they had to one another was so speci 3。5 ⭐️This book was a little slow for me in the beginning half。 I was also a little disappointed Josh and Sarah didn’t end up together but I can appreciate them better as friends too。 I had a feeling something was going on with Rose since she kept appearing in the book randomly。 I didn’t really understand why the author chose to do Lauren’s section from present day to past。 Maybe to show Josh’s grow？？ I admire Josh and Lauren’s love so much and the dedication they had to one another was so special。 The last few chapters had me SOBBING - Lauren’s last letter to Josh， Josh recounting Lauren’s last moments， and the day that Josh plants her tree 🥺“In love wasn’t a phrase。 It was how they lived， wrapped in the warm， soft blanket of mutual adoration， and in this moment， on this evening， nothing else mattered。 They were untouchable， golden， immortal。 He would love her the rest of his life， and he knew， with absolute certainty， that she would love him the rest of hers。”“I love you with all my heart， Lauren Park。”“I love you with all my pancreas。”“I love you with both kidneys，” he said， smiling just a little。“I love you with all my liver。 And the liver is very important， as you know。”“I love you，” he whispered。 “I’m the luckiest man in the world because I married you。”And the thing was， she knew he meant it。“Tell me you’ll be okay without me。”“I won’t be。”She said nothing， and Josh was quiet a long moment， the only sound the rhythm of the ocean waves against the shore。 “I will be，” he said， his voice rough。 “I’ll be grateful for every day that I got to be your husband。”“Just because the cherry blossoms would fall didn’t mean you should mourn them on the tree。”“Think of what a hot widower you’ll make，” she whispered。And， because he was the best husband ever， because he could read her so completely， he said， “I think I might have a chance at Beyoncé。”“But I know what I believe: I believe in you and me。 Forever。”“Josh wouldn’t sign a prenup， even when she had said she wouldn’t mind。 “That would indicate a lack of faith in our future，” he’d said in his serious way。 “And my faith in our future is absolute。”“He stopped in the doorway of the master bedroom。 Radley and Sarah were rolling around on the king-size bed like puppies。“I love me a hard mattress，” Radley said with a Southern drawl。“I love me a hard man，” she returned， and they dissolved again into laughter。”“Then he saw a movement in the far corner of the living room， and his heart jolted。 For just one second， he saw his wife， wearing the long pink dress she’d worn so often that Cape Cod summer。 Her hair was loose， and she wasn’t wearing her cannula。 She was watching Sebastian and Octavia， who were playing on the couch， a faint smile on her lips。Then she turned to him and smiled in full， that smile that just staggered him。 Her brown eyes sparkled with laughter， as they had so often。 For that one second， he saw once again all the love she had for him， all the joy。He didn’t look away。 He didn’t even breathe， hoping the moment would last forever。 Then his eyes swam with tears， and when he blinked， she was gone。”“I’m so 。 。 。 lucky，” she managed， and Josh sobbed then。“I love you， Lauren。 I love you so much。 You’re everything to me。 I’m the lucky one。”“Beautiful 。 。 。 life。” Her chest wasn’t working anymore。 “Love 。 。 。 you。” One more breath。 Just a little more air， please， Dad， for her last words。Go for it， baby。With what felt like a superhuman effort， Lauren pulled air into her poor battered， exhausted lungs， hearing the squeak and rasp， and willed those last remaining spaces in her lungs to open。 She looked at her husband。 “Thank 。 。 。 you。”“When no one was left and Josh was alone in the garden， he turned back to look at the tree。 It seemed as if it had always been there。 He couldn’t wait to see it grow。A small breeze rustled through， ruffling his hair。For a second， he felt his wife， felt her love wrap around him。 She had promised to always be with him， and he believed her。 I love you， he thought。 I always will。” 。。。more
Shelliann
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I need 5-10 business days to recover idk how to handle this 🥹
Alanna
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 There are no words to describe how hauntingly beautiful this novel was。 It was full of grand love， heartbreak， grief， family and life connections that make life so so special。 Lauren was such a wonderful character to get to know ， her radiance and outlook on life was so refreshing。 Josh was another amazing character who was a kermit but deep down a loving， caring and generous man。 This book was absolutely magical because I could connect with each and every character。 The families lives were fore There are no words to describe how hauntingly beautiful this novel was。 It was full of grand love， heartbreak， grief， family and life connections that make life so so special。 Lauren was such a wonderful character to get to know ， her radiance and outlook on life was so refreshing。 Josh was another amazing character who was a kermit but deep down a loving， caring and generous man。 This book was absolutely magical because I could connect with each and every character。 The families lives were forever intertwined by the love that bounded each and every one of them together。 This book had so much life in it and was so utterly human it took my breath away。 It had been a while since I was so into a book I had to carry it everywhere I went and sneak pages in between classes and even while walking。 I could not tear my eyes away from this book or stop thinking about it。 Life is so full of chances that led to the most beautiful things in life and I loved turning the next page to be continuously surprised by the turn of events。 The love Josh and Lauren had for each other was extraordinary and the intensity of it was felt from the power of their words。 My eyes welled up at pretty much every page but the tears did not spill over until chapter 35 ， Lauren's final goodbye。 Pack Up The Moon had so many little details that all added up to one of the best books I have ever read。 I am overjoyed to have picked up this book and gone on this journey with Josh and Lauren。 Best song for this book: I saw you in a dream - The Japanese HouseFav Quote:"As the great Morgan Freeman once said， get busy living， or get busy dying。""Don't you shawshank me" he said， and he laughed the sound rough and foreign。 。。。more
Solène
，
i cried during every single chapter of this book and it got so bad that i genuinely thought i was gonna throw up 👍🏼 also wailed like a newborn baby and got a panic attack 👍🏼👍🏼
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Pack Up the Moon
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Pack Up the Moon&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Pack Up the Moon&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0