Karen Neches' Earthly Pleasures begins in Heaven, where Skye Sebring is a hospitality greeter. She meets Ryan Blaine, who has a brush with death following a motorbike accident. Unbeknownst to him, Ryan is one of the stars of Heaven's soap opera, Earthly Pleasures, and, after meeting him, Skye is more than intrigued.
Is that not a completely brilliant idea? I love everything about it ... but there's more. When Skye starts training to return to earth, all of life's lessons are contained in the lyrics of Beatles songs. Fabulous, no? Oh yes, there's more...
Down on earth, Ryan is struggling with his marriage. Following a near-fatal accident of her own, his wife Susan has changed almost beyond all recognition. He's not in love with her anymore, but how can he tell her?
Also on earth, care home resident Caroline gets a new roommate: Emily is in a coma she's never expected to recover from, but from which Caroline is determined to retrieve her.
I don't want to say much more because I'm scared of giving anything away. Not only is this book full of surprises (and some shocks), it's funny, moving, sad, thrilling and inspiring.
It would have been 5/5 but I was very slightly disappointed with the ending. If I could have given it 4.5/5 I would. I really, really loved it.
Rating: 4/5
Like this? Try If Only It Were True by Marc Levy, filmed as Just Like Heaven
