My One and Only by Kristan Higgins
Despite being a tad predictable at times, Kristan Higgans’ seventh novel, My One and Only does not disappoint. Very funny, romantic and energetic, this was one book I did not want to put down. I adored the story's characters, the fast paced and cohesive story structure and the adventure of all its emotional ups and downs. In the opening chapter we meet Harper James, successful divorce attorney and she’s about to propose to her boyfriend of the past few years, Dennis, who is another native Islander. A firefighter and a guy’s guy, there are a few little things Harper is hoping that Dennis will be willing to change once he agrees to marry her – including but not limited to, cutting off his rattail – but before a shell-shocked Dennis can even say “yes” or “no”, Harper gets an unexpected surprise of her own. Harper’s younger, half-sister, Willa, calls to announce she is getting married…for a third time. If that’s not shocking enough, she’s only known Christopher, the groom-to-be for a few weeks. However, it would seem Harper has known him for a lot longer – well, she might have, had she not divorced his brother, Nick, almost ten years ago! Harper immediately tables her own proposal to Dennis as it becomes clear that there are more pressing issues surrounding holy matrimony now and they set off for rural Harper hopes to talk some sense into her kid sister, but when she finds herself face to face with ex-husband, Nick Lowery, all kinds of doubts resurface and Harper no longer knows what to think about the whole prospect of love and marriage. Just as she thinks she’s come to terms with Willa’s third marriage and the idea of having to interact with Nick on many family occasions to come, a power outage stalls Harper from being able to put this whole vacation behind her and lands her right back into the arms (and car) of her ex-husband for a cross-country trip back home. Read the entire story to find out what happens when Harper James is forced to confront the man, and her life, that she has spent so many years running away from. What results is an entertaining, romantic and often comedic tale of love, marriage, divorce and forgiveness.
This was my first venture into the writing of Kristan Higgins and it most definitely will not be the last. To anyone who believes in love, fairy tales or just wants to read a book with a good happy ending, give this one a try. Even though I had a bit of a personal tie to this book, being that I live on Cape Cod and work for the ferry company that transports people and goods to and from the island of Martha’s Vineyard – the very island where main character, Harper James grew up and continues to live - but even so; even if I did not stare into the same backyard as the characters in My One and Only, I would still recommend this book and all its emotion and hilarity to other fans of romance and contemporary women’s fiction.
4/5 Stars
**I was lucky enough to receive a sneak peek at My One and Only by Kristan Higgins, out for release March 29, 2011 via NetGalley e-books and Harlequin publishers. Thank you!**
Great review! I have a copy of this in my TBR pile, so I'm so happy to know that you recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI read this one a few weeks ago actually, I liked it for the most part, certainly found the first part quite compelling, but for the the book hit a snag once the whole of Harper and whats-his-name past is revealed. :P
ReplyDeleteI really did like Miss Higgin's previous book, All I Ever Wanted, though.