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Life Expectancy
The Year of Magical Thinking meets Ladybird in this millennial coming-of-age memoir, a wry rumination on growing up mortal in the American South at the turn of the 21st century, obsessed with the question of how to live when you know you're going to die. For fans of Sloane Crosley's Grief Is for People and Maggie O'Farrell's I Am, I Am, I Am.
Advance praise:
“Life Expectancy is a memoir of regular life, but in Rachael Maddux's hands, the pedestrian becomes extraordinary, the personal becomes expansive, and existential dread coexists with agile wit. The care with which she writes about her younger self is so abundant — an invitation to see our past selves in all their foolishness and glory, to love them despite and because. Life Expectancy is an intimate, tender book — never sentimental — and an absolute joy to read.”
—Jaime Green, author of The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos
“Very few people are capable of expressing the central confusion of existence with the grace, humor, smarts, and elegance of Rachael Maddux. It’s a terrible cliché to say her writing makes me feel less alone, but it does—she’s warm but frank, a voice to follow and cherish. I’m so glad she’s written this book.”
—Amanda Petrusich, author of Do Not Sell at Any Price
“Rachael Maddux writes with tremendous heart, candor, and warmth. Processing grief, heartbreak, and existential anxiety alongside her feels like having a long talk with a friend—communing, commiserating, cracking dark jokes, closing down the bar."
—Anna Wiener, author of Uncanny Valley
Advance praise:
“Life Expectancy is a memoir of regular life, but in Rachael Maddux's hands, the pedestrian becomes extraordinary, the personal becomes expansive, and existential dread coexists with agile wit. The care with which she writes about her younger self is so abundant — an invitation to see our past selves in all their foolishness and glory, to love them despite and because. Life Expectancy is an intimate, tender book — never sentimental — and an absolute joy to read.”
—Jaime Green, author of The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos
“Very few people are capable of expressing the central confusion of existence with the grace, humor, smarts, and elegance of Rachael Maddux. It’s a terrible cliché to say her writing makes me feel less alone, but it does—she’s warm but frank, a voice to follow and cherish. I’m so glad she’s written this book.”
—Amanda Petrusich, author of Do Not Sell at Any Price
“Rachael Maddux writes with tremendous heart, candor, and warmth. Processing grief, heartbreak, and existential anxiety alongside her feels like having a long talk with a friend—communing, commiserating, cracking dark jokes, closing down the bar."
—Anna Wiener, author of Uncanny Valley
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 24, 2026
11 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Rachael Maddux
4 books33 followersRachael Maddux is a writer and editor living in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 25, 2026
4.25⭐
While I did not grow up in the South, in Tennessee, or another southern state, I DID grow up in rural central Pennsylvania. Many of my experiences are not unlike the author's, and I found myself shaking my head one too many times while reading this. Our experiences run closely parallel, albeit only a few years apart. To state that I could relate would be the sorest of understatements.
In Life Expectancy, a memoir by Rachael Maddux, at times, the author nudges the line of self-deprecation without crossing it. The toe is there, teasing, but is drawn back. Instead, or maybe additionally, we are privy to her overthinking and increasing anxiety surrounding a common topic that many of us possibly do not allow to consume our thoughts, such as Rachael has, and that is the topic of death. Why does it happen, when does it happen, and what happens after it happens? So much happening (and questions) surrounding a subject that I fear we will probably never know the answers to. And that's ok. Do we need to know everything?
I think one of the greatest compliments you can pay an author is one which expresses to them how much their book made you feel alive and, additionally, not alone. Which is possibly the opposite intention maybe here since the author writes about her life through a lens tinted and shaded by death and her quest is thus in understanding her own mortality. A paradox, I think, being alive and being alone in relation to death. But alive (and not alone), I felt.
Rachael walks us through what I feel is the natural, and oftentimes to be expected, course of our awareness of death over a lifetime, illustrated here by her personal anecdotes and aphorisms: family pets, relatives, school acquaintances, strangers on the news, and death in war.
Memories of my own, buried, hazy, and unwilling to see the light did start surfacing while reading. I found grandparents and distant relatives, some loved and, unfortunately, some merely tolerated, were reclaiming their place in my own history as I witnessed Rachael's family tree diminish and dwindle with each year she recalled. She recounts middle school awkwardness—for what other word is there for it? It certainly was not fun, nor elegant, nor at all graceful. The 80s/90s recollections of her childhood and teenage years were really like this; I can attest to all of her claims for this time period.
To be aware of death at such a young age. I constantly think, "What is the RIGHT choice here?" To shield your children from death or to expose them to it? When faced with it at a young age, Rachael did what I feel most children would do, and that is to run—screaming—and hide. She refused to attend funerals, even of the previously mentioned relatives. I wish I had been privy to this option of "choice" as a child, and this is in one way where Rachael and I differ.
In my own acute awareness that death is a REAL entity, I was FORCED to attend funerals at a very young age, to stare at it in its benevolent glory, laid out in coffins, pale and white, faces powdered to a fine matte finish—doppelgangers of the person I once knew. Despite the physical aberrations that I witnessed, the real damage was to the fragile psyche that comprised my inception into this thing we call "the real world." And there is no wonder why now, as an adult, I retreat from facing those husks, from actualizing any feelings associated with death, even my own. Some things have been hidden behind doors and under lock and key, and perhaps they will remain there for the rest of my days, the same as they have since those first experiences frightened me so completely as a child.
All of this talk about death needs to circle back around to achieve some balance. Is living, travelling the globe? Is being alive photographing every moment, or is it actually LIVING in that moment? Or, as I believe, is it the ability to find pleasure and peace in the simple aspects of everyday occurrences? Seeing a flower growing out of the ground. Being kind to strangers, especially those who may appear less fortunate than you. Finding your peace in your favorite hobby. Understanding that love does not have to be conditional. Examples can be found aplenty.
Go into this book without expectations. It is a book exploring a stronger theme of death; however, it does not overpower the life that the author illustrates, which is her own. Death, as it most likely occurs for most people, instead shows up of its own accord, sprinkled throughout. The author does not have an "obsession" with death, so please don't think it's morbid or macabre. But she does NOTICE death and thinks about how it affects her life and the people in her life. So in essence, she is probably like you and me. Her words are unreserved and truthful, without sarcasm, but equipped with wisdom and knowledge that borders on the metaphysical.
Rachael's is a common life, a story that could belong to any person, anywhere. What makes it special is that it is hers. We live and we die, and to echo something I said in another post recently, we all want to be remembered.
(Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC of her book in exchange for my honest thoughts!)
While I did not grow up in the South, in Tennessee, or another southern state, I DID grow up in rural central Pennsylvania. Many of my experiences are not unlike the author's, and I found myself shaking my head one too many times while reading this. Our experiences run closely parallel, albeit only a few years apart. To state that I could relate would be the sorest of understatements.
In Life Expectancy, a memoir by Rachael Maddux, at times, the author nudges the line of self-deprecation without crossing it. The toe is there, teasing, but is drawn back. Instead, or maybe additionally, we are privy to her overthinking and increasing anxiety surrounding a common topic that many of us possibly do not allow to consume our thoughts, such as Rachael has, and that is the topic of death. Why does it happen, when does it happen, and what happens after it happens? So much happening (and questions) surrounding a subject that I fear we will probably never know the answers to. And that's ok. Do we need to know everything?
I think one of the greatest compliments you can pay an author is one which expresses to them how much their book made you feel alive and, additionally, not alone. Which is possibly the opposite intention maybe here since the author writes about her life through a lens tinted and shaded by death and her quest is thus in understanding her own mortality. A paradox, I think, being alive and being alone in relation to death. But alive (and not alone), I felt.
Rachael walks us through what I feel is the natural, and oftentimes to be expected, course of our awareness of death over a lifetime, illustrated here by her personal anecdotes and aphorisms: family pets, relatives, school acquaintances, strangers on the news, and death in war.
Memories of my own, buried, hazy, and unwilling to see the light did start surfacing while reading. I found grandparents and distant relatives, some loved and, unfortunately, some merely tolerated, were reclaiming their place in my own history as I witnessed Rachael's family tree diminish and dwindle with each year she recalled. She recounts middle school awkwardness—for what other word is there for it? It certainly was not fun, nor elegant, nor at all graceful. The 80s/90s recollections of her childhood and teenage years were really like this; I can attest to all of her claims for this time period.
To be aware of death at such a young age. I constantly think, "What is the RIGHT choice here?" To shield your children from death or to expose them to it? When faced with it at a young age, Rachael did what I feel most children would do, and that is to run—screaming—and hide. She refused to attend funerals, even of the previously mentioned relatives. I wish I had been privy to this option of "choice" as a child, and this is in one way where Rachael and I differ.
In my own acute awareness that death is a REAL entity, I was FORCED to attend funerals at a very young age, to stare at it in its benevolent glory, laid out in coffins, pale and white, faces powdered to a fine matte finish—doppelgangers of the person I once knew. Despite the physical aberrations that I witnessed, the real damage was to the fragile psyche that comprised my inception into this thing we call "the real world." And there is no wonder why now, as an adult, I retreat from facing those husks, from actualizing any feelings associated with death, even my own. Some things have been hidden behind doors and under lock and key, and perhaps they will remain there for the rest of my days, the same as they have since those first experiences frightened me so completely as a child.
All of this talk about death needs to circle back around to achieve some balance. Is living, travelling the globe? Is being alive photographing every moment, or is it actually LIVING in that moment? Or, as I believe, is it the ability to find pleasure and peace in the simple aspects of everyday occurrences? Seeing a flower growing out of the ground. Being kind to strangers, especially those who may appear less fortunate than you. Finding your peace in your favorite hobby. Understanding that love does not have to be conditional. Examples can be found aplenty.
Go into this book without expectations. It is a book exploring a stronger theme of death; however, it does not overpower the life that the author illustrates, which is her own. Death, as it most likely occurs for most people, instead shows up of its own accord, sprinkled throughout. The author does not have an "obsession" with death, so please don't think it's morbid or macabre. But she does NOTICE death and thinks about how it affects her life and the people in her life. So in essence, she is probably like you and me. Her words are unreserved and truthful, without sarcasm, but equipped with wisdom and knowledge that borders on the metaphysical.
Rachael's is a common life, a story that could belong to any person, anywhere. What makes it special is that it is hers. We live and we die, and to echo something I said in another post recently, we all want to be remembered.
(Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC of her book in exchange for my honest thoughts!)
December 7, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Rachael Maddux for providing me with an advance copy of Life Expectancy.
I was first drawn to this book by its beautiful cover, and I stayed for the brilliant story inside. I devoured this memoir in just one day, something I absolutely did not expect. Maddux tells her coming-of-age story while weaving in the theme of death and her anxieties surrounding it throughout. I found this approach both fascinating and innovative, something I have never encountered before.
In many passages about her anxiety, constant overthinking, and the dread of confronting mortality, I saw so much of myself reflected. In a strange but comforting way, it helped me feel less alone with these thoughts. It also highlighted how our daily exposure to frightening news in today’s world only intensifies these fears.
I also really enjoyed the dry humor woven throughout. There were several moments that genuinely made me laugh out loud, and even more moments where Maddux’s beautiful writing made me sob. As someone who is not religious, I did struggle a bit to connect with the sections discussing her religious influences, but I think many readers will relate to them.
Overall, I really appreciated this book and will definitely keep an eye out for more from Rachael Maddux in the future.
I was first drawn to this book by its beautiful cover, and I stayed for the brilliant story inside. I devoured this memoir in just one day, something I absolutely did not expect. Maddux tells her coming-of-age story while weaving in the theme of death and her anxieties surrounding it throughout. I found this approach both fascinating and innovative, something I have never encountered before.
In many passages about her anxiety, constant overthinking, and the dread of confronting mortality, I saw so much of myself reflected. In a strange but comforting way, it helped me feel less alone with these thoughts. It also highlighted how our daily exposure to frightening news in today’s world only intensifies these fears.
I also really enjoyed the dry humor woven throughout. There were several moments that genuinely made me laugh out loud, and even more moments where Maddux’s beautiful writing made me sob. As someone who is not religious, I did struggle a bit to connect with the sections discussing her religious influences, but I think many readers will relate to them.
Overall, I really appreciated this book and will definitely keep an eye out for more from Rachael Maddux in the future.
March 26, 2026
What a delight. This memoir is funny and surprising. I was an underlining machine while reading! I can't stop recommending it to everyone, because I want everyone to experience the joy and bewilderment and endearment of peeking inside Maddux's mind.
November 20, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Maddux for an advanced readers copy!
I so enjoyed meandering through Maddux’s mind in her memoir. She has such voice throughout the story through her dry humor and how intimately we get to know her family and friends. I audibly laughed many times, but mostly at, “I had a pony tail and she had a bowl cut and our primary shared interest was suffering”. Maddux seamlessly weaved relatability and morbidity and each story all had such character. Her memoir reads like a friend’s journal or letter, and she made an overarching morbid topic digestible.
I so enjoyed meandering through Maddux’s mind in her memoir. She has such voice throughout the story through her dry humor and how intimately we get to know her family and friends. I audibly laughed many times, but mostly at, “I had a pony tail and she had a bowl cut and our primary shared interest was suffering”. Maddux seamlessly weaved relatability and morbidity and each story all had such character. Her memoir reads like a friend’s journal or letter, and she made an overarching morbid topic digestible.
Read
March 19, 2026This is a tender yet unsentimental reflection on growing up with the awareness of your own mortality. Having come up at the same time in the same corner of the southeast with its dark and smoky traditions around death, I related to the avoidant fascination it holds for the author. Rachael’s frank and candid thoughts about the absurdity of existence were comforting to read as a fellow ruminator.
***I received a free advanced reader copy of this book and was not asked to write a review.***
***I received a free advanced reader copy of this book and was not asked to write a review.***
April 25, 2026
i definitely flew through this one. life expectancy is such a thoughtful and funny memoir about growing up with a nagging awareness of mortality. its very real and relatable.
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
April 9, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Rachael Maddux for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
2.5*
It’s no secret that since the deaths of both my father and best friend in 2020, I’ve been hoarding books about grief. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, magazine specials… basically, anything I can get my hands on. Movies and TV-shows as well. I was first drawn by Life Expectancy‘s absolutely stunning cover. Then the title. Then its description, likening the story to Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. So that’s how I went into it, expecting a book about grief and the fear of being mortal.
I guess it wasn’t the former and only tidbits of the latter, mostly during the opening and closing chapters of the book. On the first few pages we learn that Maddux, as a small child, was drawn to the cemetery across her school’s playground and that she received a doll from a neighbor, but was so terrified of it, she ran away crying. Here we go, I thought, bracing myself for a deathly ride into the darkness. I wrote my English bachelor’s thesis on Freud’s The Uncanny (das Unheimliche); a term that defies explanation, but comes close to a sense of dread and fear, often associated with childhood and the familiar. Dolls were a big part of this theory, because children don’t have the skills yet to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. Anyway, I’m digressing…
There’s a general sense of anxiety permeating this memoir, but mostly about the fact that people might die and the uncertainty of what happens then. Maddux has the tendency to walk away from death and she also does this in her writing (if this was the point, then it didn’t work for me). There are, for example, pages leading up to her uncle and grandfather’s deaths, but once it happens, the narration shifts to other subjects. I would’ve loved a more in-depth analysis of what these deaths did to her exactly: how did she grieve? Did she grieve at all? Does she visit their graves? etc.
While the writing was pretty engaging— a nice mixture of wit, sarcasm, and intimacy— too much time is spent on trivial things, like meeting her college boyfriend and wondering whether he loves her or not. This is a universal (teenage) anxiety and therefore shouldn’t take up as much space as it did in a book that’s supposedly about death. (This is a personal preference, though. I wouldn’t care to read pages of this by a famous artists I love either.)
The fear and death I was expecting were only side characters, while, in my humble opinion, they should’ve been in the spotlight. These topics were only observational, without in-depth explorations that would’ve really made the book stand out.
2.5*
It’s no secret that since the deaths of both my father and best friend in 2020, I’ve been hoarding books about grief. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, magazine specials… basically, anything I can get my hands on. Movies and TV-shows as well. I was first drawn by Life Expectancy‘s absolutely stunning cover. Then the title. Then its description, likening the story to Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. So that’s how I went into it, expecting a book about grief and the fear of being mortal.
I guess it wasn’t the former and only tidbits of the latter, mostly during the opening and closing chapters of the book. On the first few pages we learn that Maddux, as a small child, was drawn to the cemetery across her school’s playground and that she received a doll from a neighbor, but was so terrified of it, she ran away crying. Here we go, I thought, bracing myself for a deathly ride into the darkness. I wrote my English bachelor’s thesis on Freud’s The Uncanny (das Unheimliche); a term that defies explanation, but comes close to a sense of dread and fear, often associated with childhood and the familiar. Dolls were a big part of this theory, because children don’t have the skills yet to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. Anyway, I’m digressing…
There’s a general sense of anxiety permeating this memoir, but mostly about the fact that people might die and the uncertainty of what happens then. Maddux has the tendency to walk away from death and she also does this in her writing (if this was the point, then it didn’t work for me). There are, for example, pages leading up to her uncle and grandfather’s deaths, but once it happens, the narration shifts to other subjects. I would’ve loved a more in-depth analysis of what these deaths did to her exactly: how did she grieve? Did she grieve at all? Does she visit their graves? etc.
While the writing was pretty engaging— a nice mixture of wit, sarcasm, and intimacy— too much time is spent on trivial things, like meeting her college boyfriend and wondering whether he loves her or not. This is a universal (teenage) anxiety and therefore shouldn’t take up as much space as it did in a book that’s supposedly about death. (This is a personal preference, though. I wouldn’t care to read pages of this by a famous artists I love either.)
The fear and death I was expecting were only side characters, while, in my humble opinion, they should’ve been in the spotlight. These topics were only observational, without in-depth explorations that would’ve really made the book stand out.
November 19, 2025
Firstly, 10/10 for the stunning cover art ✨
I feel odd rating memoirs as I think many of us do, rounded this up from a 3.75⭐️
I too have always had/ have death on my mind so when I saw the title and read the synopsis I was very intrigued.
This is a memoir where Maddux uses her experiences with death as the central theme taking us on her journey from childhood to adulthood.
My favourite chapters were those on girlhood/ coming of age and travel/ nature musings. I related heavily to Maddux's pondering, the questions she asked herself that no one around her seemed concerned about and the meanings she took away from her experiences in formative years.
That being said, I think being British prevented me from connecting to the chapters centred around her schooling and family dynamics/ religious influence but I think you'll find more value in them if you're an American who grew up in the Midwest or Mideast.
In parts I felt it meandered a little too long before reaching a point or linking back to one and sometimes the writing style felt a little monotonous despite the dry humour sprinkled throughout. However overall I enjoyed my time and will keep an eye out for other works by the author, specially if they explore female identity or travel writing.
Thank you NetGalley and Maddux for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review 🩵
I feel odd rating memoirs as I think many of us do, rounded this up from a 3.75⭐️
I too have always had/ have death on my mind so when I saw the title and read the synopsis I was very intrigued.
This is a memoir where Maddux uses her experiences with death as the central theme taking us on her journey from childhood to adulthood.
My favourite chapters were those on girlhood/ coming of age and travel/ nature musings. I related heavily to Maddux's pondering, the questions she asked herself that no one around her seemed concerned about and the meanings she took away from her experiences in formative years.
That being said, I think being British prevented me from connecting to the chapters centred around her schooling and family dynamics/ religious influence but I think you'll find more value in them if you're an American who grew up in the Midwest or Mideast.
In parts I felt it meandered a little too long before reaching a point or linking back to one and sometimes the writing style felt a little monotonous despite the dry humour sprinkled throughout. However overall I enjoyed my time and will keep an eye out for other works by the author, specially if they explore female identity or travel writing.
Thank you NetGalley and Maddux for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review 🩵
March 28, 2026
I loved this book, I loved reading this book, and I loved all the things that this book made me feel. I wish I could write an unbiased review of it, but in all honesty I can’t. I had the distinct pleasure of being one of Rachael’s high school classmates & friends (and attended the same middle school, though I don’t remember our paths crossing at that time). The things she describes during those years were my experiences as well, told through a different (and much more graceful) lens. Interestingly, many of her anxieties around death were mine as well, and also interestingly, I chose a career in nursing, and later nurse practitioner-ing, where death is woven deeply into the fabric of my profession. How could I not love this book?
It is a beautiful exploration of what it is to exist in a human body, to grow up in the American South surrounded by both beauty and atrocity, to grapple with love and God and belief and friendship and, yes, death. It made me so nostalgic for high school me, for college me, for the me who fell in love with my now-husband, and it made me curious to know all the me’s to come. I have no idea if this is what Rachael was going for when she wrote this book, but I’m glad she did, and I’m glad to have read it. 10/10 recommend.
It is a beautiful exploration of what it is to exist in a human body, to grow up in the American South surrounded by both beauty and atrocity, to grapple with love and God and belief and friendship and, yes, death. It made me so nostalgic for high school me, for college me, for the me who fell in love with my now-husband, and it made me curious to know all the me’s to come. I have no idea if this is what Rachael was going for when she wrote this book, but I’m glad she did, and I’m glad to have read it. 10/10 recommend.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What first pulled me into Life Expectancy was the stunning cover art—but what made me stay was its different, and surprisingly intimate, angle on the coming-of-age memoir. Rather than focusing on the usual milestones, Rachael Maddux centers the narrative around death: the awareness of it, the fear of it, and the quiet ways it shapes us long before we have language for it.
I found it fascinating how the subject of mortality was woven through every chapter and across so many moments of the author’s life. It made me reflect on my own childhood and try to remember when I first understood that people die—and that one day, I would too. Some chapters resonated with me deeply, others less so, but overall this was a thoughtful and enjoyable memoir. For me, it landed at around 3.5 stars, which I’m rounding up to 4.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC, provided in exchange for an honest review.
I found it fascinating how the subject of mortality was woven through every chapter and across so many moments of the author’s life. It made me reflect on my own childhood and try to remember when I first understood that people die—and that one day, I would too. Some chapters resonated with me deeply, others less so, but overall this was a thoughtful and enjoyable memoir. For me, it landed at around 3.5 stars, which I’m rounding up to 4.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC, provided in exchange for an honest review.
April 3, 2026
I don’t often choose books based on their covers, but LIFE EXPECTANCY’s drew me in—it’s gorgeous in a way I would frame and hang on my wall. But the description is what hooked me—the memoir a woman walking through her preoccupation and fear of death? I was ready to walk through these questions with Maddux, and she took me on an interesting journey.
The writing here is every bit as beautiful as the cover. Maddux is a gifted storyteller, and I felt present in the vivid scenes she set. Frequently, philosophical questions about death and faith can get tedious and cerebral, but the author kept her questions grounded in rich sensory detail. I felt oriented in her life, like a quiet observer going through each scene with her. Many of her observations struck me as poignant and moving.
I’m interested in what this author does next—I’d love to read more of her work. LIFE EXPECTANCY is worth picking up.
The writing here is every bit as beautiful as the cover. Maddux is a gifted storyteller, and I felt present in the vivid scenes she set. Frequently, philosophical questions about death and faith can get tedious and cerebral, but the author kept her questions grounded in rich sensory detail. I felt oriented in her life, like a quiet observer going through each scene with her. Many of her observations struck me as poignant and moving.
I’m interested in what this author does next—I’d love to read more of her work. LIFE EXPECTANCY is worth picking up.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This memoir is a personal meditation on death and the many big and small losses that shape a life. The author reflects on her fears around mortality through everyday experiences such as the deaths of pets, family members and moments that remind her of life's impermanence.
While the writing is sincere, the book didn't resonate with me. When I read memoirs, I'm normally hoping for a sense of insight, transformation or a perspective that I can carry into my own life. Here, the reflections remained very intimate and observational, but I found myself wanting a deeper or more cohesive exploration around the theme of death.
I believe those who appreciate gentle and meandering memoirs will find comfort in this book. For me, it was not a book that lingered or shifted my understanding in a meaningful way.
Thank you, NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
While the writing is sincere, the book didn't resonate with me. When I read memoirs, I'm normally hoping for a sense of insight, transformation or a perspective that I can carry into my own life. Here, the reflections remained very intimate and observational, but I found myself wanting a deeper or more cohesive exploration around the theme of death.
I believe those who appreciate gentle and meandering memoirs will find comfort in this book. For me, it was not a book that lingered or shifted my understanding in a meaningful way.
Thank you, NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley.
Life Expectancy is a millennial coming-of-age memoir that centers around loss. It brings levity to themes of death, grief, mental health, young love, and figuring out feelings. I love that the stories meander through Rachael Maddux's young life; this story is somewhat but not entirely linear. I am also a millennial woman in the Southeast USA that grew up anxious about death (and other things) and tackled mental health issues, so I greatly resonated with this memoir. I teared up at some of the scenarios regarding death (real or philosophical). I laughed at her perception of Heaven, and so much more, despite the serious, deep topics covered. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future!
Life Expectancy is a millennial coming-of-age memoir that centers around loss. It brings levity to themes of death, grief, mental health, young love, and figuring out feelings. I love that the stories meander through Rachael Maddux's young life; this story is somewhat but not entirely linear. I am also a millennial woman in the Southeast USA that grew up anxious about death (and other things) and tackled mental health issues, so I greatly resonated with this memoir. I teared up at some of the scenarios regarding death (real or philosophical). I laughed at her perception of Heaven, and so much more, despite the serious, deep topics covered. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Maddux’s prose is what really carried this memoir for me. There was a quiet, reflective quality to her writing that makes even the smallest moments feel intentional and weighted. The Iceland chapter, in particular, resonated the most with me. There’s something about the sense of distance from home yet inability to run away from ourselves that stuck with me.
The extended focus on church scenes, while clearly central to her story and development, felt a bit repetitive at times. I understand their importance, but there were moments where the narrative momentum stalled for me.
Overall, this was a thoughtful and well-written memoir with some beautifully striking passages!
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an ARC!
The extended focus on church scenes, while clearly central to her story and development, felt a bit repetitive at times. I understand their importance, but there were moments where the narrative momentum stalled for me.
Overall, this was a thoughtful and well-written memoir with some beautifully striking passages!
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for an ARC!
April 22, 2026
4.25⭐️
A personal, emotional tale centred on themes of coming of age. Well-written, but I wasn’t as sat for this as I thought I would be based of the cover, genres and description. But still a worthwhile memoir
A personal, emotional tale centred on themes of coming of age. Well-written, but I wasn’t as sat for this as I thought I would be based of the cover, genres and description. But still a worthwhile memoir
Review of advance copy received from Author
Life Expectancy by Rachel Maddux is one of those memoirs that settles in beside you and stays awhile.
The sense of time and place is so vivid—you can feel it. Growing up in the age of Columbine, 9/11, and Blimpie (still craving one), Maddux captures a very specific slice of coming of age with honesty and heart. The Southern family dynamics, the stories, the rhythm of it all felt deeply familiar in a way that’s hard to put into words.
She weaves humor and an early awareness of mortality with such care—it’s thoughtful, tender, and at times unexpectedly funny. A beautiful reflection on growing up, family, and what it means to carry both love and loss… and the quiet realization that you’ve been yourself all along.
Thanks for the ride, Rachel.
The sense of time and place is so vivid—you can feel it. Growing up in the age of Columbine, 9/11, and Blimpie (still craving one), Maddux captures a very specific slice of coming of age with honesty and heart. The Southern family dynamics, the stories, the rhythm of it all felt deeply familiar in a way that’s hard to put into words.
She weaves humor and an early awareness of mortality with such care—it’s thoughtful, tender, and at times unexpectedly funny. A beautiful reflection on growing up, family, and what it means to carry both love and loss… and the quiet realization that you’ve been yourself all along.
Thanks for the ride, Rachel.
May 10, 2026
A poignant book about life and death, and the fear and joy that comes with all of it. Rachael Maddux is an incredible writer, one I've admired for many years through various works, including her brilliant newsletter Vanitas. She's a writer that can be at once hilarious and heartbreaking. She has this uncanny, enviable knack to write a sentence that is the wittiest, most insightful thing you’ve ever read and will stick with you forever.
April 17, 2026
Most of this memoir was about how obsessed this little girl was about death and wondering why no one felt that like she did. Becoming aware of death and its inevitably at such a young age happens to everyone I think. Its always interesting to hear how it affects and changes how one lives.
I really enjoyed the romance that popped up halfway through this book. It had me locked into my chair.
I really enjoyed the romance that popped up halfway through this book. It had me locked into my chair.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An interesting memoir structured around the author’s experiences with death - that of relatives, pets, near-death experiences, catastrophic local, regional and global tragedies, and how it feels to imagine a future when struggling with your mental health.
I cried a few times because Maddux’s writing accepts the part death must play in our lives.
Life Expectancy is a relatable and affirming read that I’d definitely recommend, especially if you enjoy memoirs.
I cried a few times because Maddux’s writing accepts the part death must play in our lives.
Life Expectancy is a relatable and affirming read that I’d definitely recommend, especially if you enjoy memoirs.
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