Having read a few of this author's books now, I have to say this one is one of my favourites - well, so far!

It starts with a bucket list that Val and her friend Josie had thought up. Now that Josie has passed on, Val decides it's time to get something done about this list. You soon get to realise that Val is incorrigible and so she sort of organises and hi-jacks her nieces and they all go off to America to tick off the items.

The three nieces, Carly, Carol and Jess are, well sort of stuck in their lives or have something going on with them. It gives the 4 women a chance to not only kick back and have some fun but to assess.

This is a fabulous book and I have to say Val is such an amazing character. She is one of those characters who is the cornerstone of the story. While she is loud, bright and a real hoot, she also has another softer and hugely caring side. She is also a dangerous woman to go out anywhere with as she will definitely lead you astray, this makes for some hilarious and raucous moments in the story.

Each of the women has something they need to deal with, none of them is upfront about it. They need a trigger for the secret to be released. So while this trip is for the purpose of fulfilling a friend's wish, it is also about discovering what needs to change for each of them.

The author has got the balance spot on with this story mixing humour with worries about life, health and family. There are changes and challenges and some wonderful moments that just make you feel that you are not alone in the world. Life for the women has been portrayed very differently for each one, and this was a great way of seeing different perspectives on life and how success is seen or happiness is measured.

This is a fabulous read, it is heartwarming and yeah there was a couple of moments when I had a lump in my throat. Ideal for readers of contemporary fiction, life, family and friendship. A gorgeous read and one I would definitely recommend.

As soon as I found out that Shari Low was going to come out with What Next? I started to read What If? and What Now? (the first two books of the trilogy) that were already on my TBR pile. So this has been a full immersion/binge reading of the series and I have to say that I loved it immensely and I think I'm now addicted.
Shari Low has this magical power to make you laugh and cry almost in the same sentence. Reading her books is a roller-coster of emotions. You just never want them to finish, because you know you will miss the characters greatly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lighthearted, page turner! I haven’t read the other books in this series, but the descriptions of the characters then the way it was written, made it easy to follow! Definitely worth a read…

Great read, flows perfectly. Well-written and completely engaging. I have devoured this book in one sitting with no regrets. I NEED more.

I enjoyed this book and the story very much. I liked the characters and found them interestingly entertaining. I did few the pace dipped a little in the middle section however.

I want to thank Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

I reached for this book kinda out of blue, not knowing there is a series of books. Fortunately, this part was written quite clearly so I wasn’t that much confused with what was going on with the characters and didn’t have to read the previous parts.

“What Next?” is a light, full of excitement book. It shows a story of how 4 friends ( age 40-70) are going on an adventure to the USA to fulfill a bucket list made by their deceased friend.

Every chapter is written from a different character’s point of view, which livens the action but also was a little bit confusing. Every woman was facing some difficulties and hardships but the author didn’t reveal them fully until the end. It felt for me like everything was just dumped in the last chapter. Also, I got the feeling that there was too much of everything, from one side the girls were going on an adventure – the bucket list and the other they had their thing going on, which is fine but nothing was captured in 100%, there were just too many storylines.
Overall I quite liked the book there were some funny moments – especially with Val and some touching ones, moments where tears spring into my eyes. Reading it reminded me that everyone is going through their own thing even though the characters' problems were so far from mine.

BOOK REVIEW (ARC)

WHAT NEXT?

PUBLISH DATE 13TH APRIL 2022

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

SYNOPSIS

Val Murray has a bucket list that she created with her friend Josie, who passed away a couple of years ago, and now wants to complete the bucket list. Val has her niece (Carly), niece-in-law (Carol), and their friend Jess to help her complete them. They travel to America and visit LA, Las Vagas and New York to complete the list.

I will be honest, this was my least favourite book in the series. I think it was because I read the three books back to back that I noticed little (and I mean little) inconsistencies, such as in the second book, it said how Carol had 3 million followers on Instagram, but was then 1.5 million in this book. Also, it said how Zoe (Kate's child) was the youngest out of her three children, which I know is incorrect as it is Tallulah who is the youngest. I also think that this book was not really needed. I would have been content not reading this book in the series.

I also think that if you read this as a standalone novel (you can) you would enjoy it less. I really do recommend reading them all so then you know the characters.

I liked that there was a little twist, with who wad publishing the photos. I liked that they didn't make it predictable, because I thought that was the route the book was going to take.

I would say read this book if after the second book you want to read more. I would not recommend to read this book without reading the others.

I wasn’t sure when I started reading this, if I would be at a disadvantage for not having read the previous 2 books in this series. As I love reading books by this author I thought it would be ok. I was not disappointed. This was an engaging, humorous read. The strength of the book was the wonderful array of characters and the strength of their friendships.
Somehow the way the book was written made me feel like I was sitting there with the characters and part of the story.
A perfect and easy read which just made me smile.

A great addition to the series. You'll breeze through it in a day or two. The premise of a bucket list trip with loved ones is definitely something I could relate to since I have a bucket list I am working on currently. The characters were likable.

Absolutely brilliant as always. Plenty giggles, madness and some elements of sadness and reality but such a feel good and hilarious read.

Val is on a mission to fulfil her and Josie’s bucket list and enlists her niece Carly and her friends Jess and Carol come on board too. Meanwhile Carly, Jess and Carol all have their own dilemmas which they try to hide from the others.

Eventually it all comes out in the wash, well jail and as always they find a way to get each other through it.

I absolutely adore Shari’s books, this is another fabulous and heartwarming story, I’d thoroughbred recommend it to all my friends!

20 years after we first met Carly, Carol, Jess and Kate in What If, Shari Low brings us the 3rd installment.
The children are all grown up, the women are settled and Carly is about to move to Los Angeles to be with leading man Sam Morton. Until Auntie Val swoops in and hijacks her trip with a bucket list that she and her late friend Josie wanted to take.
With laughter and tears we follow them from Los Angeles to Vegas and New York.
Although this is part of a series it is easy to read as a standalone as Shari has updated us all at the beginning of the book.
It has everything you want from a romantic comedy, lots of fun and laughter. Everyone needs friends like these women as they enter their 50's, and I loved Auntie Val's sense of humour.

Having read virtually all of Shari Low’s books including the two prequels What If? And What Now? I was keen to be reacquainted with the gang. If you haven’t read the first two, I highly recommend that you read them first. There is a lot of catching up at the start of the book but you’ll understand the back story far more by reading and enjoying the full stories.

In this episode, Val takes the girls on a whistlestop tour of the USA to complete the bucket list of her dearly deceased friend Josie. Of course, the gang gets into all sorts of mischief and heartbreak along the way. I love the way that Shari Low puts a bit of everything into her books. They are fiction but contain subjects and situations that everyone can acknowledge in real life.

It took me a little while to get going with this one because of all the recapping at the beginning, but once we got going with the trip, I really enjoyed it. There are two more books due this year too, so I’m already looking forward to those.

I have loved every single one of Shari Low’s books and this one was no exception. It was laugh out loud funny in parts, as Carly and her friends set off around America helping Auntie Val tick off the bucket list that she’d written with her good friend, Josie. Auntie Val is absolutely hilarious and I love the way she gets her words and phrases mixed up, especially when it comes to modern technology. All of the characters bring something a little different to this book from Carly and her strong family values, Jess with her hard shell to Carol with her ‘not as perfect as it looks’ life. Revisiting these much loved characters once again did not disappoint.
This book was full of humour, friendship, romance, family and sisterhood, all wrapped up nicely with more than a touch of glamour….just perfect!

I love this series, and this was a fun, light and easy read with some really funny moments. A great escapist book.

I read this via Netgalley, not realising that this was part of a series of books.

Well now I need to go back and read the rest of the set.

The characters are great.

They feel like they could be your friends and the story lines (although not in my life) are believable and read like a comedic version of Eastenders.

Emotions run high but when mixed with some fantastically sarcastic dialogue, it doesn't come across too heavy.

Shari writes with honesty and each character's arc was filled with detail.

Expressive is how I guess I'd really describe it.

I was entertained from the first page and I already miss all the ladies.

A great summer read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great journey with characters that you really felt like you knew toward the end of the book. I didn't want this one to end because it was so much fun. Wonderful.

I absolutely loved this latest book featuring Carly Cooper and friends. Low never fails to put a smile on my face and I enjoyed reading all the different character developments and see how they handle what life throws at them. These characters feel like old friends and I laughed and cried with them. This is a real feel good book.

This was a fun, intriguing, book about love, family, and friendship.
Fulfilling a backlist, friends and family go on a road trip. The characters were great, very realistic and a lot of fun too. There were a lot of side stories and characters that took a few chapters to get down. Overall a wonderful read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The girls are all a bit older, but not wiser! Carly, Carl and Val are off to LA ready for Carly to move in with her husband, famous actor Sam, and to tick off all the items on Val and Josie’s bucket list. Each of them are keeping a secret they aren’t ready to share. meanwhile, Jess bekueves her partner Arnie is cheating on her with his ex wife and has come to meet the others for their adventures. The story, which follows on from Shari’s earlier books, What Now and What If can also be read as a stand alone, but is best enjoyed if you have read the previous books. Lived this hilarious but also sometimes sad story.

Shari Low seems to be one of my new favourite authors. I always find myself picking up her new release and this was no exception. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.