I've been putting off reviewing this novel. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. And that's what Ms. Higgins' writing does to me. I've read and loved a lot of her books. Some I've rated on Goodreads and some I've not. She's the author I go to for a palate cleanser.
The story is told from the main female character's POV. FMC Harper James is a successful almost 34 year old divorce attorney on Martha's Vineyard. She's wicked smart and can spot whether a betrothed or already married couple is going to make it or not a mile away. But it's taken years of education, career experience, and personal heartache to get there. It's sad that she didn't have this gift when she was 13 years old.
The book begins with Harper wanting to solidify her two year relationship with handsome fireman Dennis Patrick (four years her junior and sporting a rattail) by proposing to him. She's feeling every tick of her biological clock and yearns to be married and surrounded by children. It would be the icing on top of her already tiered career/life cake. But when she brings it up during their date, he hesitates. During his hesitation, Harper receives a phone call she has to answer.
MMC Nick Lowry is a 36 year old architect in New York City. His parents divorced when he was a child and after his father remarried, Nick became a step brother to evil Jason and half brother to Chris Lowry. His younger brother Chris always looked up to Nick. When Chris found his soulmate and proposed to her after a very short time, Nick agreed to be his best man. Low and behold, Chris' fiancé is none other than Harper's younger (step) sister, Willard. And Nick is none other than Harper's ex-husband. From 12 years ago. It's Willa's phone call that Harper answers and Willa tells her she's marrying Chris Lowry in Montana in just a few week's time. Willa wants Harper to be her maid of honor.
Both main characters have childhood baggage. And they definitely have a history together. This history is told through Harper's flashbacks enlightening the reader on how her and Nick first met, courted, became engaged, married, and divorced before their first wedding anniversary.
As the book blurb states, due to an airport software glitch, Nick offers to drive Harper from Montana to a South Dakota airport after the wedding. It's this cross country trip that tells the reader these two characters had a very special relationship. It was partly their childhood baggage that kept them from reconciling their issues early in their marriage. (That and some immaturity on Harper's part.) During one of their overnight stays along the way:
"You asked why I couldn't forgive you,"
Nick said, very quietly, and I jumped a little.
"It was because you were the love of my life, Harper. And you didn't want to be. That's hard to let go."
The words were like a ragged shard of glass in my heart. I swallowed, the sound loud in the dark.
"That's not exactly true, Nick,"
I whispered, turning around to face him.
"I did want that. But..."
But what? I'd loved him with all my tattered, puny heart, but the fear I'd felt had trapped it inside, stunting me, ruining us.
"It would've been easier to believe if you'd been around a little, Nick. If you'd...helped me believe it."
Nick tells her
"You're right. My hours didn't help. But I thought once we were married, you'd feel...safer." ..."I'll tell you something, Harpy, it never even occurred to me that we wouldn't make it. And it never occurred to you that we would. You were just waiting for us to go down in flames. I thought we could get through anything."
Harper then tells him,
"Except you left me, Nick,"
I whispered, my heart tight.
"That night. You packed your things and left."
This book had me smiling one minute and reaching for tissues the next.
Just when the reader thinks everything is going to work out, the author throws in a surprise twist. And this kept me turning the pages throughout the night until the very end.
It's a very good book and I would have loved to give it five stars. But sometimes, this author latches onto a catch phrase and uses it over and over to the point where my head hurt from all the eye rolling. The first two times of "holy testicle Tuesday" were okay. But after another six or seven, that's overkill. She also used the word "crotch" 37 times. I'm all for limiting foul language and especially having a lot fewer droppings of the f-bomb, but still. Less is definitely more in this instance. Since this book (published in 2011), Ms. Higgins has gotten better and she no longer over-uses catchy phrases.
I will continue to read Kristan Higgins' work and look forward to her next publication. She remains one of my favorite authors.