Review: The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Goodreads rating: 4.30/5

My rating: 4/5

'The Next Person You Meet In Heaven' encompasses Annie's story, she is the girl that Eddie - the main character of the prequel 'The Five People You Meet In Heaven' - died saving. Because of the accident that killed Eddie, Annie's hand is sliced off and reattached. The trauma completely blocks out the memory, causing Annie to feel haunted by something she cannot recall and furthermore struggling with acceptance as she grows. On the night of her wedding with her childhood sweetheart, Paulo, another tragic accident occurs which leads to Annie's heavenly reunion with Eddie and four other people whose goal is to show her why her life mattered.

According to the blurb, "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."

That is exactly why I'm a Mitch Albom fan, he has the capability to compose light stories that leave us pondering about life.

This book is beautifully written, full of emotion and clever twists with lifelong lessons to take away. It is quite similar to it's prequel but it's more fast paced with plot twists that will tug at your heart. However, Albom wrote the story in a way that does not require you to read the prequel as he fills in enough of the blanks to understand what previously happened. I didn't enjoy the prequel as much as I enjoyed this one but I still recommend that you read both books as they both contain important life lessons. Albom teaches that every life and loss matters, no matter how unimportant they may seem.

I particularly liked the second person that Annie meets in heaven, you'll have to read the book to find out who it was. :)