My One and Only

There was a bit of silliness in the latter stages that created a further rift between Harper and Nick when I thought their baggage alone was enough, still, even that and the heroine’s frequent (and odd) use of “crotch” as a curse word, didn’t throw much of a wrench in how thoroughly I enjoyed this one.

Harper and Nick shared plenty of chemistry, and I liked that this went against the general scheme of things when it comes to gender portrayals and had her be the cynic/fearful of love while he’s more of romantic. I also appreciated that most of their issues/actions felt true to their backgrounds.

The secondary characters were fantastic, Coco the dog, Harper’s stepfamily, etc., they seemed as well thought out as the two main show more characters, full of personality that enhanced the reading experience.

Between a destination wedding and a road trip, this has such a great adventurous spirit to it, perfect for summer reading (even though its set in early autumn), and the author’s voice is right up my alley, peppering everything with humor yet also delivering when it came to emotion (particularly involving Harper’s mom issues). I let this one sit unread on my shelf for far too long, I’m so glad though that I finally had the good sense to pick it up and give it a try. show less

Reach in, grab my heart, squeeze. Gushing on the depth of emption this pulled out, the way I felt for Harper, who had been abandoned by her mother as a child, leaving her "stunted." Years after a walkaway divorce from Nick, they find themselves thrown together, unresolved feelings front and center.

Kristan Higgins doesn't take the easy way out. It would be easy to write "and they all lived happily ever after," but Harper and Nick haven't fixed what went wrong the first time, so despite the fact that they share a deep and abiding love, this book reminds us that life isn't so easy.

I loved this book from start to finish, dude. :-)

I read very few contemporary authors, at least in comparison to the paranormal or historical romance authors I devour. Kristan Higgins is one of those writers who touches upon just the right blend of sweet, witty, and endearing, to make me want to read more.

Her latest book, MY ONE AND ONLY, has formerly married couple Harper and Nick reuniting during a cross-country road trip. The thing about Higgins that tugs at my heart strings every time is that she writes about problems that happen every day to couples. Nick and Harper are no different.

The rekindling of their romance is difficult and fraught with problems. Neither is able to let go of the past. After twelve years and lack of closure, they're both too wound up to think straight. show more Slowly they rebuild what they had, with the impending wedding as a mile marker almost. Harper looks at her sister's marriage as a disaster waiting to happen. Nick sees it as a work in progress that will smooth over.

And that was at the heart of their own problems. Harper was terrified that love would fail her, and Nick was blindly certain that love conquered all. There was no gray road for either of them.

The parts that really spoke to me were when Nick would ask Harper what happened, and Harper would tell him everything she should have told him twelve years before. I was a little bit peeved at a rather predictable outcome regarding her sister, as I think it only served to lengthen how long Harper and Nick stayed apart, but MY ONE AND ONLY was a relaxing and light read. show less

Oh. My. Gosh. Kristan has done it again! Two books in a row that not only had me laughing out loud, they made me cry--twice! And use excessive exclamation points in the review, when everyone knows I am a fan of using them very sparingly! Sprinkling them lightly, as it were! Ahem--sorry about that, I've gotten control of myself now. Really.

Well, I tried to pretend that I could accomplish other things between when I started and when I finished this book, but except for the things that absolutely HAD to get done, I obviously didn't. Now I'm stuck reading other stuff until Kristan writes something else, but hey, I've got a pretty lengthy "to read" list and it's not those author's faults that they're not Kristan Higgins, right?

I absolutely show more loved this book. Even when I wanted to put duct tape over Harper's mouth ("Stop talking! Stop talking right now!"), I loved her as a character. Even when I wanted to smack Nick upside the head and say, "Hello? Take some responsibility here, Bozo!" I loved him. Kristan writes characters that are so real they practically jump off the pages at you, and I just don't know how she does it book after book. She is a master at putting them in situations that are so cringeworthy that you just know that if they happened to you (and somehow, you could totally see them happening to you, no matter how ludicrous they seem) you'd want to die right then and there, but somehow, they survive. Just when all hope is lost, she has a character quote Yoda, (the classic "Do or do not. There is no try." Of course.) and somehow we all make it through. If you've never read a Kristan Higgins before, do yourself a favor and pick one up. Any one. Or better yet, all of them. Really, you'll be glad you did. show less

Kristan Higgins' leading ladies kind of annoy me. They're always so honestly written with their flaws obvious from the very start, that it makes me sort of dislike them from the get go. Usually by the middle of a Higgins novel, I find that annoyance fading - growing to love the character as she works through whatever issue is making her act like an idiot. By the time fate steps in to muck up the happy ending I've now decided she both needs and deserves, I'm morally outraged that she may not get the happily-ever-after. This full circle of emotions has happened with every Higgins book I've read and My One and Only happily follows the trend.

Harper is a realist. When it comes to marriage, she knows the odds are against you. She knows that show more love isn't enough to base a relationship on. She knows it's better to walk away when things start going wrong rather than allow for second chances. This realistic approach to romance makes her a highly effective divorce attorney. It also drives the men in her life crazy - and not in a good way.

Harper's boyfriend calls her dude, but he's loyal like a puppy dog. He's safe, where her romantic ex-husband Nick was not. Even after years of estrangement, Nick and Harper have chemistry. It's obvious from the very beginning who Harper will choose, but the road they take to get there is strewn with relationship issues, emotional baggage and Harper being Harper.

I loved Nick from his first appearance and understood why he could still destroy Harper's diehard rationality like no one else. Harper is feisty, which has its appeal and makes for some very funny scenes, but I couldn't always understand by Nick even bothered with her.

I couldn't help but root for Harper to find her own happiness. Having stood in her own way for much of her adult life, she needed to learn some hard lessons and through her own relationships and those of her friends and family around her, she does just that. Funny, heart-warming, and occasionally drive-you-crazy annoying, My One and Only will captivate even the most unromantic among us. show less

4.5 "Jaded Divorce Attorney 2nd Chance at a HEA" Stars!

This is my second Kristan Higgins' book, and I can honestly say I get why she has such a loyal following. There is just a certain transcendental quality to her characters that grab you and draw you in. Moreover, her romances demonstrate great depth from the intensity of the characters unique quirks to an underlying comical nature that will have you secretly smiling, to the endearing romance that will have your heart warming, Ms. Higgins knows how to touch all of my buttons to deliver a romance that proves satisfying and quenching to the romance enthusiast on many different fronts. Last but not least, Xe Sands' talented narration expertly brings this title to life making it a great show more choice to experience in audiobook format.

Harper James fell victim to her inability to say no to marriage once. Now older and wiser, she defends those who made that fateful mistake as a divorce attorney. Therefore when she gets yet another call from her little sister Willa claiming that she's ready to get married again (for the third time) after knowing the doomed groom for only a few weeks, Harper unwillingly agrees to attend the destination wedding but she will not keep her opinions to herself this time hoping to steer her sister in the right direction away from aisle before it's too late.

So imagine her surprise, when Harper arrives at the venue of the ill-fated event only to find out that her sister's intended groom is none other than the brother of her former husband, Nick. Even more interesting she manages to convince her boy toy, fireman boyfriend (Dennis) along for the ride. But things get seriously interesting when old feelings begin to surface and the events of the past that were so clear for 12 years in her head begin to be rehashed to reveal that not everything may have transpired exactly the way her cynical memory remembers them.

Xe Sands delivers a fantastic narration in My One and Only. Delivering personality specific voices for each one of the many characters, Ms. Sands rendition makes you feel like you are listening to a movie. From Dennis' "dude" 90s reminiscent persona to Nick's more serious and sensitive nature and Harper's cynical, smart and quick-witted style, Ms. Sands' nails each one of these primary characters' traits to a T.

Perhaps what I loved the most of Ms. Sand's narration is her comedic timing which was perfectly suited for this romance that features many comical lines. Using the perfect timing, Ms. Sands' garnered a ton of smiles and even downright laughs from me as this funny and yet romantic story unveiled itself.

All in all, if you're looking for a romance that will make you laugh, cry and most importantly feel hope that 2nd chances are truly possible for everyone (even those who are initially the most jaded), then My One and Only is sure to hit the right spot.

Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review. show less

This was such a fantastic book.

I was extremely apprehensive about reading this one, as the last Kristan Higgins book I read, well, I hated it. So 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 meant just to 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 show more 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. show less