DNF
I don’t think it’s really fair of me to give this a rating as I’ll be honest I got through 40% before having to accept defeat.

At times I thought this book showed a lot of promise as this book is filled with love and heartbreak by the bucket full but unfortunately it is far too scattered. I’m not sure if scattered is the right term but it feels like it is constantly going off on tangents like our narrator cannot tell one story without it being filled with 15 tales.
It flips from modern day to several times or perspectives like a yo-yo and I just could not keep track of what was happening (although maybe I just don’t have the attention span lol).

I’m sure for many this book will be completely captivating but it sadly is not for me.

This story is about a woman dealing with her best friend, of many years, dying in a hospice. Hardly, a funny subject matter, however, there is humour laced within it. It describes the setting and the emotions of the narrator. It made me smile and it made me cry. I felt a connection with the characters. Well written and thought provoking.

This was just beautiful. The friendship was so well written and the reality of dying clear throughout. It was brutal and honest and heartbreaking. The writing was exquisite - absolutely recommended

3.5 stars


There's so much love and warmth and humour in this book, that for the most part I couldn't find it too sad.
It's s life well lived when you are that well loved, not just by your best friend, but by all those people supporting the best friend.

It's a book that's both heartwarming and heartbreaking with marvellously quirky characters, and a lot of food.

A beautifully written story about Edi, who is sadly dying from a terminal illness, and her best friend, Ash, who is nursing and supporting her in her final days. This is a gorgeous story about the love which exists between lifelong best friends and the enormous part they play in each other’s lives and families. It is heartbreaking and tragic, although there is also humour within the sadness. The story focuses on Ash and the impact that her friends illness, and ultimately death, has on her. This would not be my usual choice of story as I would tend not to read anything I felt was going be ‘sad’ but I’m so glad I did. Highly recommended.

Oh what a tearjerker of a book! I was silently bawling my eyes out so I didn’t wake my husband as it had me up till 1am reading because I couldn’t put it down and I couldn’t stop my tears.

Edi and Ash have been best friends for over 40 years, they know absolutely everything about each other and been through every pivotal moment in life together, and now they must go through the toughest one they’ll face, the awful inevitable when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Honestly this book, I was crying by chapter 4 and the tears didn’t end there. This book just pours out emotions, and even with the whole premise of the book, Catherine Newman still manages to make me laugh and smile as well as break my heart. I adored Ash and Edi, I loved hearing about their life together, the little anecdotes that Ash recalls.

Even though we know from the beginning how this is going to go, it doesn’t make the hurt this book gives you any easier, it still made me sob uncontrollably. If you are looking for one hell of a tear jerker of a book, one that will make your heart feel so full at the same time as it breaking, that makes you appreciate your life as you read it, this book is for you. It’s love, friendships, struggles, memories, family, life and death, mother/daughter relationships, it’s beautiful. 💛

A story mainly set in a hospice where Edi is dying of cancer and where her friend Ash is trying to support her during her final weeks. This is a story about friendship of the strongest type where Ash has taken over as Edi’s main link with the outside world. The author clearly has a deep knowledge of what a hospice is like and conveys this with no holds barred which can make uncomfortable reading at times, but it is a story of love between these two women and their families. Edi has left her husband and young son for practical reasons and goes to stay in a hospice near Ash, who visits every day. It sounds as if it could be quite depressing, but the story is told with such humour and compassion that it never becomes mawkish and in places is actually quite uplifting. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this beautiful book.

We all want impossible things - Catherine Newman

Beautifully written, made me shed many a tear, though sadness and laughter. The author made me submerge myself into the characters friendship and past experiences, and made me feel all the emotions! This book was totally out of my comfort zone as I do not tend to read about such tender subjects, but I'm glad I gave it a go, who knew such subjects as the importance of friendship and cake could be mixed with grief, life, love and loss. Thanks so much NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Utter perfection - flawless writing, gut-punching yet tender emotion and a friendship that makes me ache with hope (for humanity) and desire to be part of their lives.

The perfect novel if like me you have witnessed a loved one die prematurely - I was worried I would be triggered by the events but instead I felt strangely comforted and that is testament to Newman's sheer talent as a writer.

My only critique is that the rest of writers do not stand a chance. Newman is a goliath.

Ash and Edi have been best friends since they were children. When Edi needs end of life care as a result of ovarian cancer Ash spends all her time with her, supporting and reminiscing.

This is not an easy read, thankfully it is a relatively quick one. There is no gentle lead into the brutal fact that Edi only has a few weeks left to live and her family are faced with some difficult decisions. The descriptions of the care Edi receives are honest and stark.

What we do have is a glimpse into an abiding friendship. Friends who've seen each other at their very best and their very worst. Friends who, above all else, are honest with each other. Ash is always honest with Edi, she never tries to sugar coat what is happening or make unrealistic promises. I loved the part that described a close friend as the backup drive to your own memories.

While we are present for all of the things that Ash does for her friend (sourcing food requests, trips outside, plucking chin hair) we also see that she is able to do all these things because of the wonderful support network she has. There is also the reminder that for friends and family life falls into two categories, dealing with someone dying and then coping with the loss.

Descriptions of the hospice and it's staff show the amazing job these places do. We see life celebrated as well as death mourned. We also see that humour still has a place in these situations, that these types of release valves are vital.

Edi and Ash have been friends forever. They have seen each other through thick and thin, been there for all events and happenings. But now is the big one, the event no one had planned for or knows how to deal with.

This is a story of great friendship, love, loss and life. Written beautifully, it encompasses so many emotions. The characters are all exceptional. A real treat to read, but so very sad.

I thoroughly recommend, though be prepared to be heartbroken.

Thank you NetGalley.

This is a beautiful exploration of female friendship, loss and bereavement and the importance of good palliative care. Ash and Edi have been friends since pre-school. Having shared all their major life events - births , marriages, divorce and various other family trials and tribulations Ash finds herself supporting her best friend in her end of life care in a hospice. Battling her own chaotic feelings and managing a variety of family and friend relational dynamics Ash devotes herself to ensuring Edi receives the best possible end to her life.
The author captures moments of intense love and tenderness in the novel whilst not shying away from the grief and pain of losing a friend too soon.
There was much lightness and humour interspersed throughout the novel facilitating both laughter and tears in equal measure.
A highly recommended read and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

Oh, how beautiful is this book? I wouldn’t normally read a book about somebody dying because I prefer to keep my reads light. But this came highly recommended and with such a cheerful, looking cover. And I’m pleased I did.

We join Ash at the hospice as she cares for her best friend towards the end of her life. Grief, does funny things to people and in her case She finds herself bouncing from bed to bed with an array of partners whilst still retaining a close relationship with her ex-husband. It is so strange to think about planning for the death of a loved one when they are still so young.

This book is beautifully written with just the right amount of humour and grief.

‘If there’s a metaphor for our friendship, it might be this. The blind faith. The absolute dependability. The love like a compass, its north always true.'
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We All Want Impossible Things (what a title, what a cover) is a book about Edi and Ashley who have been friends ever since they were little and are now going through yet another life changing event - Edi is battling with a terminal disease and Ash becomes her caretaker while in hospice. It’s a heart warming story about female friendship and all these feelings that surface around the death of someone you love.
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Although it’s quite short, it was a difficult book to read because I felt like laughing and immediately crying on the same page. I loved how real it felt and how easy it was to understand and relate to the characters. One of my favourite bits was the long search for the Sicilian lemon polenta pound cake and how Ash thought it might not even be a real cake.
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Thank you @netgalley, @penguinukbooks and @catherinenewman for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel has been accompanied by rave reviews, many from some of my favourite writers so I was hugely grateful for the opportunity to read this, the author’s debut.
Ash and Edi have been best friends since childhood, and we follow Ash as Edi lays dying in a hospice.
There were moments of great love and tenderness in the novel and some of the final sections are beautifully written. The author movingly portrayed the closeness between Ash and Edi, and I reflected on my relationship with my own best friend and what her death would mean to me. There were also moments of lightness and humour which I felt were realistic and I could relate to them.
However, for me there were parts of the novel which did not flow easily, and this meant I was not always fully immersed in the story.
3.5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I couldn't get in to this book and stopped halfway through which is very rare for me. Whilst the story setting is obviously sad and upsetting it is delivered in a very real and human way. However I felt that I couldn't connect to the characters or the prose which just jarred with me hence not finishing the book.

Gosh…..what a book. Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure. The characters have been best friends for the span of their lifetimes, through all the crazy challenges and joys.
It looks at their relationship,and how you react to the biggest challenge of them all with wit humour and love.
I would highly recommend this book but it’s an emotional rollercoaster so bird your loins and enjoy!

Not my normal book to read, but I loved everything about this. With the premise of death being the front runner of the plot you know it’s going to be a hard read in places, you get invested in the characters. It was funny, sad and at times hard to read because of the tears.
You know that eventually there is going to be ‘that scene’ in the book but it was wrote beautifully. Sometimes death isn’t dramatic in the sense of the final moments for that person, sometimes it’s just not inhaling the next breath. Having sat through this myself I know that it’s us it’s dramatic for, which this is the way it should be and it was perfectly wrote.
I still cried it brought back memories and grief hit all over again but I’m grateful it wasn’t ‘overwrite’ if that’s makes sense ( I am crying as I write this review so the things in my head my not come out as clearly as intended) but I loved that it got me to me.
There are no happy endings when it comes to death but this ending was just right.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this book

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4994104549

A beautiful, warm, funny book which had me in tears more than once. This is a difficult topic for anyone to confront, and I wondered several times why I was putting myself through the mill be reading it, but ultimately I'm glad to have done so.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

The online blurb says this is a ‘riotously funny’ book. But ‘riotously’ isn’t the right word to describe the humour. It’s warmly funny, darkly funny, even endearingly funny.

‘We All Want Impossible Things’ is a beautiful tale of friendship in the face of death.

Simply put, it’s a book about friends and lovers, life, death, and love in all its forms. It’s fun, it’s sad, and it makes you think about your relationships.

Edi and Ash have been best friends for over 40 years. So, when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash's world morphs around Edi's care.

The pair and the supporting cast of family and friends are lovingly drawn out.

And, if someone can send me an address for Dr Soprano, I’d like to meet him, please!