REVIEW: The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins

In The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins, Lucy Lang has convinced herself it’s time to wade into the dating pool, five years after losing her husband to a tragic accident. Jimmy was the love of her life. Now she’s looking for someone who will be a good companion and wants children. Not someone she will fall madly in love with, if that could even be possible for her again. She can’t take the risk with her heart. Lucy is expecting problems when she announces her intentions. Her mother and aunts, lovingly known as the Black Widows, never dated after losing their husbands so Lucy’s not sure how receptive they’ll be. And her in-laws still live in town and work just down the street, which will make things awkward. Not to mention she’ll have to break things off with Ethan, her friend-with-benefits who has been so kind to her while she’s been recovering from her loss.

‘My aunts may not fully approve of my efforts to remarry, but that hasn’t kept them from advertising my wares to every male who comes in the bakery.’

It turns out that while her head might be telling her she’s ready to move on, her heart is still not ready to let go of the past. Lucy fights her anxiety with the help (and hindrance) of her friends and meddling family only to find out Ethan wants to be considered as husband material along with the town’s other eligible bachelors. Lucy isn’t so sure. He’s one of her best friends. Wouldn’t a relationship potentially ruin their friendship if things don’t turn out well? She just knows that she’s tired of being viewed only as a widow and wants to feel like herself again, to possibly have some fun at some point. Lucy’s small town life in Mackerly, Rhode Island, will be completely tossed upside-down in her search for a husband.

“Give me a chance,” he says quietly. A cold fist squeezes my heart. “Give me a chance to be with you. The right way this time.”

Kristan Higgins wrote The Next Best Thing as a narrative from Lucy’s point of view, telling the readers…well, basically Lucy’s life story in bits and pieces. I felt like she was flawed and damaged and just plain wonderful. It’s almost a relief to read about a female protagonist who isn’t perfect. She doesn’t always know exactly what to say or do and she makes mistakes. A LOT of mistakes, but so don’t we all. She does (eventually) learn from them and that’s what truly counts. She’s not ready to think of herself as one of the Black Widows yet and still has a lot of living left to do, but she’s having a hard time making that first leap. Which is understandable.

Ethan is probably one of the most selfless, patient, sexy and caring guys I’ve read about in a long time. He’s the perfect blend of nice and naughty. He’s already a loving father, having a child from a previous relationship, and it was so sweet the way he interacted with his boy. But Ethan also has a mischievous side which he lets Lucy see from time to time. I found it easy to sympathize with him over his situation and could feel his emotions through Kristan’s expressive writing.

It’s not all heavy emotions, though. Sure there are quite a few tender and even heart-wrenching moments perfectly blended in. But we also get to see the comedic side of entering the wonderful world of dating at the age of thirty. Not everything goes as planned, of course, and between her family’s meddling and her interaction with the locals in town, I was in stitches. Throw into the mix Lucy’s cat Fat Mikey, who’s all attitude with just a touch of love/tolerance for his humans, and you have a hysterical story.

If you like your romance with a lot of heart, a good laugh and a dramatic sigh-worthy ending, I highly recommend The Next Best Thing.

Book Info:

Published August 27th 2013 by Harlequin HQN (first published January 21st 2010)

Lucy Lang isn’t looking for fireworks.

She’s looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who’ll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbecue, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important: someone who won’t inspire the slightest stirring in her heart; or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can’t risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn’t enough either. So it’s goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate;friend with privileges, and hello to a man she can marry.

Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn’t going anywhere. As far as he’s concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever?