By Kristan Higgins

But I felt stupid, crying by myself, and besides, Digger kept trying to climb up on my lap and lick the delicious combination of salty tears and Cheetos dust off my face. I pushed him down and blew my nose. I wanted to call someone….There was nobody. Nobody would understand. Boo hoo hoo. Pulling the afghan over me, I fumbled for the remote and clicked on the TV, unaware that the next day, everything would change.

This was the second to last book in my Kristan Higgins Marathon. This one started off slow, but I liked it more and more as the book went on. I always enjoy a good evil sister/good sister angle. Much of the humor in this one came from the reader being able to see through Millie’s crush from the very beginning, and her being so blind and clueless as to his true character and intelligence level. When is she finally going to see through him and recognize her true feelings for Sam? It kept me in a constant state of anticipation. (What will finally make the light turn on??) As it turns out, it is pretty bad. Kristan is very great at showing a character’s personality, rather than telling. It’s up to the reader to read between the lines. Kristan has a whole set of gimmicks that she uses in every single book. Someone should really do a spreadsheet. Cute interjection? lovable old people? unlovable old people? quirky townspeople? Secondary romance? older relative’s marriage on the rocks? Mean but misunderstood relative? check check check and check. Still, I enjoy even the clichés written by her, I get drawn in every time, into a funny, fun, and romantic comfort zone.

01/08/2023 Not too many thoughts to add upon finishing the audio version as a re-read. Xe sands is far from my favorite reader, but she was OK with this one. My last few sentences about Kristan’s little gimmicks do not really hold true, though, in this novel. This one does not include a family marriage on the rocks, and I don’t recall any quirky townspeople or cute interjections either. another common Kristan trope is not in play here either: a very difficult mother. However, it does include some other tropes: Gay best friends, solid best girlfriend, disastrously hilarious date, a fun local bar, and wonderful and flawless teenage boy beloved by all. But Kristan does these so well they just add to the enjoyment.
The drama near the end was very entertaining, believable, and added a good bit of tension, emotion, and suspense. I loved that the misunderstanding providing a final roadblock to the happy ending was resolved quickly, sensibly, and romantically. It was also pretty cute and funny. The ending in this one was particularly satisfying and touching. Lots of descriptors there in one short paragraph there!

**5 out of 5 stars**

March 29, 2017