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32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
couldn't put it down, but definitely not my favorite, February 10, 2010
This review is from: The Next Best Thing (Hqn) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have a love-hate relationship with Kristan Higgins. I've read them all, and I'm sure I'll continue to read anything she writes in the future. But. There's always a "but," different for each book. The last one, "Too Good to be True," was definitely her best so far, so I had high hopes for "The Next Best Thing." And it does have a lot going for it. For one thing, I couldn't put it down. I read it in a day. The characters are compelling, and the idea of getting over a marriage that seemed perfect is heartwrenching. But. :-)
The quick summary: Lucy's marriage to Jimmy, the love her of her life, ended after just eight months when he was killed in a car accident. Five years later, when her sister has a baby, she decides she's ready to re-enter the dating scene because she wants children of her own. This involves breaking off her "friends with benefits" arrangement with Ethan, Jimmy's brother, who has been her rock and best friend for years. I confess I've never suffered through the death of a husband, so maybe I'm not the best judge here, but Lucy's utter devotion to her dead spouse FIVE YEARS LATER seemed overdone to me. I could completely sympathize with her reluctance to begin dating again, and her inability to visit his grave rang true. But two-thirds of the way through the book, she is still breaking down into broken-hearted sobs on almost a daily basis. She is unable to have the simplest experience with another man without comparing it to the wonder that was her marriage with Jimmy. She still watches their wedding video so often that she leaves it in the DVD player. She just seemed pathetic to me. I skimmed through about a third of the book, partly because it didn't seem believable, but mainly because I felt so sorry for Ethan.
And as others have said, it's hard to understand Ethan, anyway, because he never really gets to have his say. He's a very likable, nice guy, and I thought it was a nice change for a romantic hero that he wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, just a nice looking guy. But as far as we know, other than a two-month affair with Parker (who ends up being Lucy's best friend), he hasn't ever had another girlfriend in the eight or so years he's known Lucy. Which seemed a little unbelievable. And what was the deal with the whole town letting her win her softball games because they felt sorry for her? Sure, the season after Jimmy's death, that would be sweet. But five years later, it's insulting. The more I thought about all the little details after I put the book down, the less sense I could make of it.
It does have a good ending. Lucy finally learns to be a little more realistic about her first marriage and comes to truly value Ethan. But the whole thing would have worked better for me if it had been three years since Jimmy's death instead of five. Or if it needed to be five years, if Lucy wasn't still so hung up on him. It's a great read if you're spending a day on airplanes and in airports, but not much more than that. In fact, if you haven't read "Too good to be True," just skip this one and read that instead.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins, March 22, 2010
This review is from: The Next Best Thing (Hqn) (Mass Market Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I need to admit right up front that if, for any reason, I dislike one of the main characters in a romance...I end up disliking the story. That's what happened to me with "The Next Best Thing" by Kristan Higgins. It's frustrating since I usually like the whole 'friends-into-lovers' theme, even if the friend is the dead hubby's brother as in this book--but the heroine Lucy just rubbed me the wrong way from the very beginning of the book and got worse as the story unfolded. She idealized her dead husband, was determined to protect herself from ANY strong feelings, and basically treated the hero like dog doo throughout the book! This made her a very troubled, and troubling, heroine and as my animosity towards her often hurtful actions grew, so grew my irritation with the story.
Having said all that, I will say that the writing was witty and the story unfolded at a good pace. The length of the story was just enough for an afternoon read which is always a good thing for my busy lifestyle. I understand that romance requires obstacles to overcome, but the more Lucy hurt Ethan, the more I wanted him to dump her for someone willing to open herself up to love. It's just a good thing for Lucy that Ethan has more patience than I do!!
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Funny, touching, and a little bit complicated..., January 25, 2010
This review is from: The Next Best Thing (Hqn) (Mass Market Paperback)
At an age when many women are just beginning to think about getting married, Lucy Lang has already been a widow for a little over 5 years. When her younger sister has a baby Lucy realizes that it's time for her to move on - meet someone new and hopefully start a family of her own. There is however the small matter of Ethan Mirabelli, her late husband's brother. Ethan has been Lucy's "rock"; a friend, someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on. Well, to be precise, Ethan has been sharing more than just his shoulder with Lucy for the last couple of years ... and Lucy is determined to put an end to it.
This story has a lot going for it. The author has an obvious affection for her characters and they really come alive as the story unfolds. The small town off the coast of Rhode Island where Lucy lives is described perfectly (if it's based on a real place I'd love to visit it!). Many of the funniest scenes in the book take place in "Bunny's", the family-owned (and solidly mediocre) Hungarian bakery where Lucy, her mother and her two aunts (all widows) work. What surprised me is how touching some parts of the story were. Without dwelling on the sadness the author does give you a glimpse of what Lucy has been through and I thought it was very well done and gave the story a nice balance.
This is a first person narrative from Lucy's point of view, which does present the obvious problem of never knowing what Ethan is thinking or feeling. There were times when Lucy's treatment of Ethan bordered on callous and it stretched credibility a bit for me that he kept coming back for more. And as great as the characters were, I felt the story got a little crowded. ( I could have done without the neurotic younger sister and her henpecked husband). But these are minor issues and overall this was an entertaining read that I highly recommend.
There is some (very) mild sexual content and occasional swearing.
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