Review: The Next Best Thing

Reviewed by Allison
 

THANK YOU, Kristan Higgins. My life needed this book.

I've been in search for a good story for a while now & I can assure you, my dearies, this qualifies on every level. I couldn't stop reading, no matter how hard it was at times.

Lucy is a widow from a family of widows. Her dad died, her uncles died, & unfortunately her husband died as well. We meet Lucy as she is beginning to pull herself back from the black hole that is grief & desperation. She doesn't know how to keep living, only that she probably should. Her only rock from the day her husband died has been her brother-in-law, Ethan, the man who introduced her to her Jimmy. She attempts to date, but more often than not she ends up back at her apartment re-watching her wedding video for the billionth time. When Ethan, who has secretly loved her since they met, asks her for a chance, she agrees to try. The only problem is that, he's not a safe choice - she could really fall for him & fall hard. Living through the death of your other half was hard enough the first time, can she let herself get that dangerously close to someone else only to have the possibility of them being taken away too?

The book was written in first person so we get to know Lucy quite well & it's absolutely heart wrenching. I can't imagine, nor do I ever want to try, what it would be like to have your future cut short with the man you love. Each step Lucy took closer to normalcy, she slid two more back. Watching her progress was incredibly painful (I wanted to smack her a couple times) but incredibly rewarding when she finally reached her AHA moment.

Each character in this story was so deliciously well done. From her mother & the rest of the Black Widows to my new favorite heart melting sweetheart, Ethan & even her overly (but, in my opinion understood) neurotic sister. This book was so rich with emotion, at times it was like a decadent chocolate cake & I had to give myself a few moments to let it sink in before continuing on.

It's not exactly a light hearted read, but every page is worth it & after getting to know Lucy & Ethan you'll be starving for more. A whole-heartedly recommended read.

Rating: A

Click to purchase: Amazon

The Next Best Thing

by Kristan Higgins

Release Date: February 1, 2010

Publisher: HQN