The Next Person You Meet in Heaven Book Review

I had a bunch of books on reserve and this one came on my shelf.  I didn't know that there was a new book in this series but I was interested in seeing what it was about.  The Next Person You Meet in Heaven: The Sequel to The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom was the next book in my pile to read.  I was interested in finding out what this book was going to be about.

In this enchanting sequel to the number one bestseller The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom tells the story of Eddie’s heavenly reunion with Annie—the little girl he saved on earth—in an unforgettable novel of how our lives and losses intersect.

Fifteen years ago, in Mitch Albom’s beloved novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the world fell in love with Eddie, a grizzled war veteran- turned-amusement park mechanic who died saving the life of a young girl named Annie. Eddie’s journey to heaven taught him that every life matters. Now, in this magical sequel, Mitch Albom reveals Annie’s story.

The accident that killed Eddie left an indelible mark on Annie. It took her left hand, which needed to be surgically reattached. Injured, scarred, and unable to remember why, Annie’s life is forever changed by a guilt-ravaged mother who whisks her away from the world she knew. Bullied by her peers and haunted by something she cannot recall, Annie struggles to find acceptance as she grows. When, as a young woman, she reconnects with Paulo, her childhood love, she believes she has finally  found happiness.  As the novel opens, Annie is marrying Paulo. But when her wedding night day ends in an unimaginable accident, Annie finds herself on her own heavenly journey—and an inevitable reunion with Eddie, one of the five people who will show her how her life mattered in ways she could not have fathomed.

Poignant and beautiful, filled with unexpected twists, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven reminds us that not only does every life matter, but that every ending is also a beginning—we only need to open our eyes to see it.

As all books by Mitch Albom are, this is a big tear jerker.   I didn't remember the last book because I read it so long ago but this book stands alone as a great novel.  When you die, you go to heaven and meet five people who shaped your life.  Annie starts the book by getting married to the love of her life and through flashbacks, you see glimpses into her childhood.  On her wedding night, she decides that she wants to go on a balloon ride and her husband Paulo saves her life.  When they get to the hospital, Paulo needs a lung and Annie donates her's.  The trip through the people who have changed her life including dealing with her surgery, her childhood move and more.  It is amazing to see all of the things that change Annie's life and how it made her into the person that she is today.  I think that you should pick up this book and make sure you also pick up your tissues but you can see how Annie's life changed with just a few people.  The book makes you appreciate your life and all the people who have helped you through yours.