Book: On Second Thought
Author: Kristan Higgins
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: HQN Books
Blurb:
Ainsley O'Leary is so ready to get married—she's even found the
engagement ring her boyfriend has stashed away. What she doesn't anticipate is
being blindsided by a breakup he chronicles in a blog…which (of course) goes
viral. Devastated and humiliated, Ainsley turns to her older half sister, Kate,
who's struggling with a sudden loss of her own.
Kate's always been the poised, self-assured sister, but becoming
a newlywed—and a widow—in the space of four months overwhelms her. Though the
sisters were never close, she starts to confide in Ainsley, especially when she
learns her late husband was keeping a secret from her.
Despite the murky blended-family
dynamic that's always separated them, Ainsley's and Kate's heartaches bind
their summer together when they come to terms with the inevitable imperfection
of relationships and family—and the possibility of one day finding love again.
My Review:
Life is never what we
expect them to be. More often than
not, we fight against change especially when it means leaving what’s
comfortable and familiar to us.
All her life, Ainsley has
only ever loved one man. Blindly
supportive of Eric no matter what, she is just waiting to marry and start a
family with him.
After 40 years of
singlehood, Kate is finally in love and married to the perfect man. All they need now is to conceive the
child both have always dreamed of.
After 4 short months of
wedded bliss, Nathan dies in a freak accident and Kate, the always poised and
together Kate, can’t get past her shock to grieve. Enter Ainsley who needs to stay with Kate as she had been
kicked out of her conjugal home by her almost fiancé Eric who decided that he
had to get rid of the “corpses of his old life”…… by that he means Ainsley, his
job and everything else that mattered.
Kate and Ainsley have never
been close. Their age difference
and the fact that they are stepsisters with parents who obviously preferred one
over the other damaged what could have been a close relationship. But now they are forced to be together
and help each other heal and move on as they navigate a life they never expected,
but would, if faced together, be even better than what they had.
I have always loved novels
by Kristan Higgins. Ever
since I read Just One of The Guys and the Blue Heron series, I knew I would
keep coming back to read and reread all the books that she would put out.
This is heavier than most
of her other books as it deals with grief in much of the chapters in quite a
slow pace. So much so that I
didn’t feel the pull to keep reading until about halfway through, but once I did
though, it was hard to put down.
An interesting point is
that Higgins used a two character narration so it’s so much clearer for the
reader what exactly these two main characters are going through. Both Kate and Ainsley are grieving for
different reasons that they are dealing with in such different ways, and we as
readers go through this slow and painful journey with them.
Heartbreaks aside, the
buildup of their sisterly relationship and their new appreciation for each
other comes across clearly. And it
is wonderful to see their realization that no matter what, it is family that
ultimately helps you through everything that life throws your way.
Of course there is romance
in this book. It is a Kristan
Higgins novel after all. The romance that both sisters develop is an important
part of why this book works so well, however, it is NOT the main point of their
healing and moving forward. It
does add so much humor and lightness to the book itself though. And I love the extra storyline that is
Jonathan’s life.
This is not as funny nor as
romantic as other Kristan Higgins’ books but it is as well written. And if you want to take a breather from
heavy romance and instead read something about family, then pick up this book.
