K
Kindle Customer
April 19, 2026
A heartfelt read
Such a witty and humorously written story of love and friendship and loss this story will stay with me for a long time
Bisexual
We All Want Impossible Things: A Raucous Literary Celebration of Life, Love, and Friendship
Catherine Newman 4.3 / 5.0
Published: 2023 ISBN: 9780063230927
Description
Ashi and Edi have been inseparable since their college days, navigating the messy, transformative decades of adulthood side-by-side. Their bond is a rare, life-altering mirror of shared secrets, embarrassing histories, and an unconditional love that defies conventional labels. Now, as they face the most daunting transition of all, their friendship is put to its ultimate test.
When Edi receives a terminal diagnosis, she is moved into a hospice facility, and Ashi begins the solemn, bittersweet vigil of staying by her best friend’s side until the very end. But Catherine Newman resists the urge to turn this story into a somber dirge. Instead, she infuses these final weeks with a daring, irreverent energy. Amidst the heartbreak, there are still punch-drunk laughs, unfiltered confessions, and a stubborn refusal to let go of the joy found in the mundane.
This is a poignant and deeply honest exploration of what it means to show up for the people we love, even when the clock is running out. We All Want Impossible Things is a raw, comedic, and tender tribute to the chosen family that anchors us, proving that even in our most impossible moments, love remains the only thing that truly matters.
Customer Reviews
Top 5 from Amazon L
Laura Peterson, MD
April 7, 2026
Good but could be better
Ash is a bit of a narcissist and we don’t get enough of Edis perspective but I still enjoyed. Seems like the author falls back every book on some of same stereotypes and I don’t think anyone talks to their daughters that much about their own sexlife but maybe Newman does. Anyhow could have written less about sex and more about Edis thoughts and decisions. A lot about Ash too much in the end.
K
K. Rope
December 8, 2022
Gorgeous, honest, hilarious look at love, friendship, life and death
I just finished this gorgeous, hilarious, uber-relatable piece of heart. I am not sure I have ever felt so reflected in a story, in the beautiful, unguarded way all of the humans in this book interacted and in the openness of talking about something few of us are comfortable with—death.
And the friendship, portrayed in this book, oh the friendship! Made me think of my closest friends, how easily and deeply we connect, how much grace we give each other, how deeply we know each other and what a gift that is. I just loved this. I ate it up. It's funny, and sad, and beautiful and absurd. And, having read it as I was preparing to say goodbye to my father-in-law, it was also really, really .
Content warning that there is a pregnancy loss in it, as well as, well, death, because that's kinda what the whole thing is about. Although it's really more about life. It's perfect.
A
avid reader
August 6, 2024
poignant story, off-putting protagonist
We All Want Impossible Things is the story of a woman's last month in hospice, and those she leaves behind. The main character is the dying woman's best friend since early childhood, who takes it upon herself to be lead support.
In many ways, We All Want Impossible Things does a great job mining the feelings of the dying woman's immediate family, and the best friend and her family in manner that feels true to life. But the description of the the best friend's casual physical intimacy with the dying woman's brother, the hospice physician, and a hospice volunteer, while flirting with the idea of resuming her relationship with the husband from whom she is separate, is discordant.
Is the gratuitous sex intended to be funny? To serve as a counterpoint to the morbidity of the main story? Is it merely meant to be symbolic of the best friend's need to know that she is loved? Or a symbol of life in the face of death? None of this feels right; despite the best friend's atheism, it's hard to understand the complete lack of a moral center and responsibility. For this reason, the book is not a keeper.
K
KNV
April 16, 2023
Heartbreaking in the best and funniest way
This is theoretically such a terrible and heartbreaking story (it's about a woman's best friend dying in hospice), so it's hard to explain why I found it so overall uplifting and wonderful and delightful. Well, it's the author, that's why: she brings us this story so many of us have gone through or will go through, and she makes it REAL: it's not just the sadness and pain, it's also the funny stuff and the friendship and the old love and the new love and the funny things teenagers say and so forth. This is the kind of book I want to buy a copy of for everyone I know, and then say "I know it looks grim but PLEASE READ IT, YOU WILL LOVE IT." Also, it's great for if you WANT a therapeutic cry.
