My One and Only (Hqn) [Mass Market Paperback]

Kristan Higgins (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 29, 2011 | Series: Hqn

Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic.

Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Higgins gives likable divorce attorney Harper James a second chance at love in this funny, poignant romance. Harper is horrified when her stepsister, Willa, announces that she's marrying the brother of Harper's ex-husband, Nick Lowery. Harper and Nick married young, and while their relationship quickly flamed out, the spark between them never really died. Due to a travel snafu after Willa's wedding, Harper and Nick are forced to journey across the country together. Soon, Harper is examining the reasons their marriage failed, her unresolved feelings for Nick, and her abandonment issues. Harper's jaded views on love and marriage add both humor and pathos, as do several secondary characters struggling with their own relationship troubles. Readers will be cheering for Harper all the way to the cutesy rom-com ending. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Kristan Higgins is the RITA award-winning author of CATCH OF THE DAY and three other romantic comedies. Previously a copywriter, Kristan began writing fiction when her children graced her life with simultaneous naps...so much more satisfying than folding laundry. She holds a BA in English from the College of the Holy Cross, which enables her to identify dangling participles and quote many great novels. Kristan lives with her family in Connecticut.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books; 384 edition (March 29, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373775571
• ISBN-13: 978-0373775576
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (164 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kristan divides her time between home in Connecticut and summers on Cape Cod. She is the mother of two lovely kids, the wife of a brave firefighter, and a devoted Ben & Jerry's fan. Previously a copywriter, Kristan began writing fiction when her children graced her life with simultaneous naps...so much more satisfying than folding laundry. She holds a BA in English, which enables her to identify dangling participles and quote many great novels. She loves to connect with readers on her website www.kristanhiggins.com and her Facebook page www.facebook.com/KristanHigginsBooks

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book March 29, 2011

By Reviewer Aus

Format:Mass Market Paperback

This was such a fantastic book.

I came into this one expecting tolerable chick lit, and instead got one of the best books I've read in a long time.

There aren't many people who can create such incredibly three-dimensional characters, and every single person in this book - down to the smallest of secondary characters - seemed real. I read an ARC of this book and meant to just try the first chapter and then get back to it closer to the release date. Instead I kept reading and didn't do a single other thing until it was finished.

Harper is trying to mould her life into the one it's supposed to be: safe and secure, with an acceptable husband and a few kids. She doesn't want to care too much about anyone or anything. But then she gets the news her stepsister is marrying her ex-husband's brother, and that means seeing her ex again for the first time in a very long time. Of course things go wrong and they are thrown back together, but don't expect some contrived romantic comedy full of predictable situations. Beneath the outrageous characters and the humour is a very complicated story with an extremely realistic hero and heroine.

I'm not someone who cries. Ever. (Well, maybe once a year if it's a bad year!) But this book made me cry, more than once! People are always saying that there's nothing new in fiction, and you have to take things that have already been done and make them interesting. That's pretty much true, and on the surface you'd think My One and Only is just one cliché after another. But Higgins' book doesn't work that way. Sure, there were some situations I'd seen characters in before, but they never once did what I expected them to do. There were so many big, emotional moments for Harper: the way her marriage to Nick fell apart; her odd relationships with her mother and her stepmother; the way she struggles so much to act the way she's `supposed' to act.

Though not the sole focus of the story (the book has elements of more genres than just romance in it), the connection between Harper and Nick was the highlight for me. Things went wrong and they made mistakes and they fought. Yet the night they met as young students, Nick approached Harper and told her he was going to marry her, and no matter how bad things got he never changed his mind about her.

Nobody is perfect in this one, and nobody has some sudden revelation and becomes a different person. When Harper and Nick got back together and started making the same mistakes all over again it felt so much more believable than some weird transformations into the ultimate hero and heroine - which is pretty much what I expected to get.

What on the surface appears to be a fairly straightforward contemporary romance with a well-worn setup was anything but that. Harper comes across as a fairly aggressive and even irritating character at the beginning, but then as we learn more and more about her, the book became more than a little heartbreaking. This is one of those books I know I'll keep going back to. It was SO good.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 stars! April 1, 2011

By Loves FAB Romance

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Harper James is a 30-something divorce attorney on Martha's Vineyard. She's very good at what she does and half the divorcees in Martha's Vineyard hate her (that would be the half whose exes hired her, lol). She's got a realistic view of love and marriage (she thinks) and has been dating Dennis for 2 1/2 years; she's tired of waiting and is going to propose. Her plan is to present the facts and convince him it's time. Romantic, she's not. Right in the middle of her proposal, her sister Willa calls to tell her she's getting married...for the third time...to a man she's only known a few weeks...and also happens to be Harper's ex-husband's brother.

Nick Lowe married the love of his life 12 years ago, and lost her less than a year later. He's never forgotten Harper, and never gotten over her. He's moved on, but he knows she was his One Great Love.

Harper is the Maid of Honor and Nick is the Best Man at their siblings' wedding. They get through the wedding festivities and Harper thinks she's home free and can get away from Nick (and her memories)...but her flight gets canceled. Nick offers to drive her to the next big airport to get her a flight back home. During the drive, they talk a little, reminisce a little, and fight a little. And Harper realizes she's never gotten over Nick either. But neither can get over the past enough to look towards the future.

My Thoughts: Kristan Higgins writes the kind of books I love to read, and My One and Only is no exception. When the story opened, I found Harper to be a bit abrasive; BUT, as the story moved and we see more of her history with Nick and learn how her mother left her on her 13th birthday, I started to really like her. Nick was a sightly tortured hero, he had his own issues to deal with, and I loved him. He was patient and sweet, and he was there when Harper needed him. My only complaint was that to me he seemed a bit insensitive and expected Harper to change her life/location to be with him, in the past and the present. They tried to hide their rekindled attraction to each other and it was quite comical to see them put up a front:

"I don't think Bob's up for running," I said.
"Then you'll take my horse."
"What about you?"
"I'll stay here and whittle a sword and kill the bear or, if that doesn't work, I'll just be eaten alive, happily sacrificing my life for yours." He gave me a look. "Or I'll just stay on the horse and you can sit behind me. Satan can hold two, I'm sure."
"Oh, so you're a cowboy now? I wasn't aware that architects were also masters of horseflesh. You and Satan BFF's now? Practiced your stunt-riding this morning?"
"My dad gave me a few lessons."
"When? When you were six?"
"Well, you know, Harper, maybe we should just stay here and bicker until the bear can't stand it anymore and kills us both. Would that make you happy?"
~My One and Only, pg. 114

My One and Only made me laugh - from Harper's boyfriend Dennis, the hunky firefighter who still wears a rat-tail *yikes!*, to her step-mother BeverLee, a caricature of the big-boobed, bouffant haired Southerner (who I ended up loving as well), and it made me cry - Harper's memories about her mother and memories of her own broken marriage to Nick broke the surface and she was able to view her past from an adult point of view. The writing was fabulous and I fell right into the story - first with Harper and Dennis, then I couldn't wait to see where things were going with Nick, both on the road and in her heart. Throughout it all, I loved seeing Harper learn to let herself love and be loved in return.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been really wonderful. April 23, 2011

By tachi1 TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

This is one of those books that leaves me feeling a bit lukewarm. On the one hand, the characters are extremely well drawn and believable. There are real people like that. (With the possible exception of the idiot boy toy, Dennis). The story, if you analyze the plot line in theory, is also believable and appealing. The hero is absolutely lovable, vulnerable, kind, loving, and doesn't hold a grudge. I fell in love with him at the start and the more I read about him, the better I liked him. This is the positive part of my review.

But there are inconsistencies and annoyances that completely ruined the love story for me. The author's writing style is a bit hyperactive. She doesn't stop or even slow down for a second--it's non-stop talk (either in dialogue or thoughts, but frenetic throughout). The heroine personality, is a bit abrasive, aggressive, and downright vulgar. I just don't understand how Nick could have fallen in love with her at first sight and then continued to love her for 12 years. (There's a psychological issue here, for sure). Yes, I understand she also has issues, but the sympathy factor wears thin soon because she uses them to bash everyone over the head with them every minute and on every page. (Granted, she mellows a bit in the last few pages, but it's too little, too late). I give her a lot of credit for loving her family and making something of herself and for not feeling embarrassed by her relatives or her background--but she doesn't have to behave, and speak, and gesture like a drunk sailor--and not just when she loses her temper (which is often), but all the time. I've never been to Martha's Vineyard or graduate from Amherst, but I'm fairly she isn't a fair representation of either. At least, I hope not.