Customer Reviews

The Next Best Thing (Hqn)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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!!

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.

I like Kristan Higgins's writing, and there are many enjoyable aspects to The Next Best Thing: the main character is interesting; there are many humorous secondary characters; there's a sense of real people living in a real place. Unfortunately, I don't think there's much chemistry created between the male & female leads. Ethan is pretty much perfect and lets Lucy jerk him around emotionally for years, yet keeps coming back for more. Nothing develops in their relationship because he's in love with her at the beginning of the book, and the plot is about her realizing that she's already in love with him too. The difficulties Lucy has with moving past the death of her beloved first husband seem too emotionally draining to fit with the goofiness of the secondary characters, and I felt a little bit like Ethan - jerked around until she made up her mind.

For me, this was one of those books that had lots of cute moments, cute phrases, cute characters, yet was ultimately unappealing for me.

In part, that's because it's clear from the very beginning where the book is going, and the only thing that keeps it from getting there in the very first chapter is the fact that the main character is being an idiot. Yes, we are all idiots sometimes, and I'm glad when books acknowledge this -- but when the main character's idiocy is the only real cause of tension in a book, it's not enough to keep me truly engaged.

And truthfully, I think another reason the book failed to pull me in was all the cuteness I mentioned above -- they overpowered the plot, and it was like they would pop up whenever I was about to get emotionally invested in things. I realize the book is intended to be lighthearted, but for me, there just wasn't a good balance there, especially not compared to a lot of the other amazing contemporary, funny romance on the market right now.

Lucy Lang has been a widow for nearly six years and decides it is time to move on, however, it takes the entire book for her to do it. She constantly compares every situation to how life would be if her husband hadn't died. If only he hadn't died, she wouldn't be working in a bakery. If only he hadn't died, she would have a baby. If only he hadn't died, she could eat fancy desserts. Along with these comparisons, she watched her wedding video repeatedly throughout the book (including one time when she made her date watch it with her).
While I liked the idea behind the story, I got the feeling that Lucy was a lot of talk and no action. She kept saying she was moving on with her life without actually doing anything. I thought her new interest, Ethan, put up with more than he should have. For me the story dragged on when it could have be a fun and fast paced.

Lucy is a 30-year-old woman who was widowed at a young age. Her mother and both aunts (nicknamed "The Black Widows"--as Black was their maiden name) also had husbands who died before the age of 50, and none of them has remarried. At the heart of the story is the fact that Lucy still loves her husband and hasn't let him go. She is just coasting through life in, pardon me, some kind of a pity fest that won't quit.
When her younger sister has a baby, Lucy realizes she needs to get on with her life. But instead of actually doing this she decides that the best thing to do is find a man to have a family with. But to protect herself, she won't look for lasting love (like she had with her first husband). The book then deals with her dating, soul-searching and struggling with her feelings as she figures out how to get the husband and children she has always dreamed of. What drags out is her dealing directly and honestly with her fears. In particular, I found it torturous to read her treatment of the hero.
Kristan Higgins is a terrific writer. She really pulls you into a story and makes you care for what is going on. This is true even when you don't (as I found in this book) particularly care for the heroine. At times I loved Lucy and was cheering her on. At other times I just found her self-centered, tunnel-vision outlook extremely annoying, frustrating and ugly. Many of Higgans' stories are written in the first person and in most cases this has worked for me. In this case, it often left me cold. I just couldn't understand how the hero could put up with her emotional garbage for so long. I had a hard time respecting him, even though we saw time and time again that he was a wonderful person. Being able to get into his head would have helped tremendously in terms of enjoying this book.
The secondary characters in this book also added to the confusion. We had the Black Widows with their peculiar views on life, the Italian in-laws, and then there were the ex-girlfriends. In particular, I couldn't fathom the role Ethan's ex-girlfriend and their son played in this book. To show that he makes a great dad? To show that he'd tried to move on as well, but couldn't? That would make sense, except the timing seemed off to me (the first husband was already dead). So that whole situation just didn't fit to me. I guess I also feel a bit uncomfortable realizing that Lucy is sleeping with her dead husband's brother, who also happens to be the father of her best friend's child. On some level I really found this double-connection tacky and it did distract me.
In the end, all things considered, I just wasn't convinced that Lucy had changed. The epilogue doesn't help with that image, since it prominently features the first husband. All I can say is that the book's title is pretty apt--her second husband does seem to be the next best thing to the original. Not quite as good--or good, but in a different way, and mainly good because he's better than nothing at all. That made me sad. Perhaps an epilogue 10 or 20 years out, instead of a few months later, might have helped soften the image and put a better finish on the story. Or better yet, if the epilogue had been in Ethan's POV I may have actually believed the happy-ever-after.

Kristan Higgins's The Next Best Thing (Hqn) is an incredibly readable story. It is a story whose narrative reads easily and smoothly from one chapter to another.

It is also ultimately a frustrating read because at the end, it felt like something was missing. I know what the missing ingredient is, but I'll get to that later.

Told in the first person, Lucy Lang describes her life as a widow of 5 years who is still trying to get over the death of her wonderful husband of eight months, the love of her life, the perfect son, the all around great guy named Jimmy Mirabelli.

Lucy comes from a family of Black Widows. Her aunts and mother all lost their husbands so they have a little club. Lucy probably never thought much about it happening to her until it did. Her sister is paranoid that her husband will fall victim as well.

In the midst of this, there is Ethan Mirabelli. The younger, not as handsome, not as larger-than-life brother of St. Jimmy. He has been Lucy's friend since college. He was the one who introduced her to Jimmy. About three years after Jimmy's death, Ethan and Lucy add 'benefits' to their friendship. It helps get Lucy through the night. And days. And years.

And she's still pining for Jimmy.

After her sister has a baby, Lucy decides it is time to get a man so she can get married again and have a kid. This time around, she doesn't want something she'll be too in love with. I guess this is so that if he kicks the bucket, she won't care so much.

Whatever.

Of course, the guy can't be Ethan because she cares too much... maybe. She doesn't tell him this. Instead, she abruptly tells him that she wants to get married and have a child and they need to stop sleeping together.

By this time, I got the impression that Lucy Lang is dim. I don't think I was even past the third chapter.

Again, the novel is readable. Easy. Smooth.

And frustrating. Because Lucy is frustrating in her selfishness and the way she obsesses over Jimmy. The Black Widows are idiots in the way they wrap themselves up in their widowhood. And Ethan's story, the most heartbreaking and fascinating really, is never truly told. We never find out anything of how Ethan comes to terms with his brother, his parents, Lucy, nothing.

It just... guh... Its frustrating.

And to be honest, I found myself rooting for Doral-Anne, Lucy's childhood nemesis, to take Lucy down.

But that didn't happen.

Oh well.

Like any romance, we know there is a happy ending at the end, but it left me wanting.

The short summary of this book is that Lucy has been widowed 5 years (husband was Jimmy) and has since been involved in a "friends with benefits" relationship with her dead husbands brother Ethan. After her sister has a baby, Lucy realizes that she is ready to move on - to get married and have a child. With that being decided, she ends her arrangement with Ethan. She wants to be with someone that she is attracted to and someone who treats her right, would be a good father but not someone she could fall in love with because she can't stand the idea of losing another husband and being hurt.

I found this story annoying. If I didn't know better, I would swear Lucy was a new widow - not someone who has been widowed for five years. She hasn't managed to move on from the past nearly one bit. She still spends a good majority of her nights sitting at home watching her wedding video. Really? After five years? I could see watching it every now and then but not for Lucy who watches it regularly.

In the meantime, Ethan seems to be an amazing guy and very understanding of Lucy's issues. I say seems to be because the reader learns very little about Ethan throughout the book and in fact there really isn't that many scenes between Lucy and Ethan that hold all that much substance. When Lucy and Ethan are together, it is always very awkward and she kind of treats him like crap - all in her effort not to get too close. She is constantly mentally comparing him to Jimmy (he never measures up) and when she is with Ethan she is always bringing Jimmy up and basically making sure to remind Ethan that Jimmy came first and will always be her true love and no one can ever live up to that. I fail to understand why any guy would want to compete with that. Talk about constantly living in someone else's shadow.

As a side plot, there is Lucy's sister who is petrified that her husband is going to die and leave her widowed. In an effort to prevent this, she becomes the most overbearing wife and mother in existence. I'm not sure how her husband could have managed to get past her serious issues to fall in love with her, decide to spend his life with her and make a family together. I felt smothered just reading it. I nearly danced a jig when her husband finally has enough and blows a gasket. If that never happened, I'm pretty sure I would have no respect for the man.

I finished the book but only because I was curious to see how it all came together and ended. I couldn't see how Lucy could go from being so obsessed with her dead husband to moving on enough to love and spend her life with Ethan. I'm happy to report she does finally come to her senses but I didn't find it realistic at all and was relieved when I reached the end of the book.

Lucy is a young widow who wants to settle down and have a family. To accomplish this, she must stop seeing her "friend with benefits," who also happens to be her brother in law, Ethan. No one can compare to her deceased husband, Jimmy, and she wants a safe sedate man rather than one who can break her heart by taking chances and succumbing to the family curse filled with plenty of widows. Meanwhile, her sister, a new mom fears that her own husband will follow the family curse and widow her.

I was charmed by Higgins first novel and have come back for every single one since. She combines humor, realistic dialog, family drama, and tender moments to tell some really sweet and compelling stories. I always manage to laugh and cry while reading her books. Readers will know who she belongs with, and it is fun just to watch her stumble and accept the love she was destined to share.