Monday, February 02, 2009

Recent Read

To Good to be True by Kristan Higgins

Why this one: After listening to the buzz on Catch of the Day, I read it and was instantly hooked by the authors funny, feel good type writing and right away put Too Good to be True on my must buy list

Steam Level: Well, this one isn’t going to melt the mounds of snow we have around here

Amazon Blurb: When Grace Emerson's ex-fiancé starts dating her younger sister, extreme measures are called for. To keep everyone from obsessing about her love life, Grace announces that she's seeing someone. Someone wonderful. Someone handsome. Someone completely made up. Who is this Mr. Right? Someone…exactly unlike her renegade neighbor Callahan O'Shea. Well, someone with his looks, maybe. His hot body. His knife-sharp sense of humor. His smarts and big heart.

Whoa. No. Callahan O'Shea is not her perfect man! Not with his unsavory past. So why does Mr. Wrong feel so…right?

My Thoughts: Just like Catch of the Day, I really really enjoyed this book. It was light, despite a few heavy moments, it was fun and it made laugh in a number of places. Grace is all about family. She will do anything for them, specially her younger sister Natalie, even as far as matching her sister with her own former fiancé – because she knew they felt the big kablammy for each other. But now that her fiancé deserted her for her sister, she’s had it with everyone feeling sorry for her and in order to shut them up, she invents a boyfriend. It’s hilarious reading all the finer points she invents for this imaginary boyfriend. But then she meets her new neighbour who is upfront in telling her – and everyone who will listen – that he’s an ex-con. I don’t think that’s giving away a spoiler, but the reasons why are so I’ll say no more. Suffice it to say that Callahan is yummy with a capital Y. The dialogue between these two characters is sparkling and witty and you can’t help but smile.

The secondary characters are great too. Grace’s older sister Marg with her very sharp wit, Natalie, her younger sister who floats through life on a cloud of good things happening to her. I also loved her parents – her mother who has become a sculptor of woman’s parts and her exasperated father. Even her Very Crotchety grandmother has some wicked funny scenes.

And while I enjoyed it immensely, it wasn’t quite perfect. I found Grace a little too accommodating of her family especially her younger sister. She was a wee bit ‘do you want me to lie on the floor for you so you don’t get the feet I love so very much wet?’ if you know what I mean.

So far I’ve loved both of the Kristan Higgins books and I have another one to read. But I should mention if someone is looking for a pure romance, this might not be the author for them. I love her – what I’ve read so far – but to me, her books have more of a women’s journey feel to them rather then a woman’s romance. This one seemed to me to be a bit of a hybrid between romance and women’s fiction. But if you are willing to be open and expand your horizons and go into it then this would be a great one to try. Though to be clear – there is a HEA – and a wonderful fun one to boot.


Grade: 4.5 out of 5



8 comments:

Renee said...

I've been so excited about this one! I really loved Just One of the Guys and ran out and read her other two as soon as I could get my hands on them.

I'm glad to hearJOotG is another winner!
I know what you mean about the accommodating thing. Her characters seem to often be like that--very much the "nice" girl wanting to get along.

Now if I can be patient enough while my library gets my request in...

Renee said...

Oops! of course I meant that Too Good to be True is another wnner. lol

Leslie said...

Loved the review Kristie :)

Another author that I've heard such great things about. I even have her 3 previous books, just haven't read them yet. I think I'll try to get one read this month.

OT (sort of) ~ I've got Amazon Lily on hold at the library. It's the only Weir they had. I'll pick it up this week.

pidute said...

it look fun but family relative ,friends stealing partner is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.

Please tell me the little sister get something pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase.....

Anonymous said...

Great review, Kristie! After years of historicals being my only loves, I'm finally warming up to contemporaries :)

Dev said...

I've got a few of Kristan's books in my TBR stacks ~ this one looks really cute.

Great review, and I really look forward to reading this one!

Stacy~ said...

I've never read any of her stuff but I've heard a lot of good thing about her books. My hesitation though is that you mentioned it's more women's fiction. But never say never...

nath said...

I really enjoy her books and I liked Too Good To Be True :D I really like how Ms Higgins is exploring different family situations and interactions! She does it very well :)

I think her books can be considered somewhere between chick-lit and romance :)

As for Natalie, I think it's because Grace really considered Natalie as a special person. I don't think she would have been so accommodating if it was Marg.