Catch of the Day

Oh, but this was a joy. A standout among Kristan Higgins romances, all of which are arguably charming. But CATCH OF THE DAY just has a little something extra in it. It's hard to pinpoint what, exactly. Is it the setting of Gideon's Cove, which celebrates the eccentricities and tight-knitted community that has been romanticized about American small town culture for forever? Is it Malone and Maggie's atypical romance, which initially smolders, unbeknownst to all, and all of a sudden catches fire? Whatever it is, it carries this whole story so well. I can't wait to return to Gideon's Cove someday.

This was a pleasant enough romance, but it's obviously an early entry in Higgins' oeuvre. The story is pretty thin, and some of the character development, especially of Malone, is practically non-existent. That said, I've always enjoyed Higgins' books because she writes relatable women, great secondary characters, and includes plenty of humor. This one was no exception.

3.5 stars

Maggie Beaumont is incredibly unlucky in love. Her first serious boyfriend dumped her for another girl without even telling her about it, and for the past year or so she's been carrying a torch for the local priest. Although Maggie has a job she loves (owning and operating the only diner in her tiny town of Gideon's Cove, Maine) and many friends amongst the townspeople, she can't help feeling incredibly lonely at times. In desperation, she agrees to go on several blind dates, but each one is more catastrophic than the last. Just when she's about to give up hope, however, a surprising kiss from an unexpected source makes Maggie think that maybe she's finally met her match.

Once again, Kristan Higgins delivers a fun and fast contemporary show more romance. I found Maggie instantly likeable despite her flaws -- and she actually does have real flaws, not the "flaws" that chick-lit heroines often have that are actually adorable quirks in disguise. Her obsession with her priestly friend, Father Tim, is a case in point: she knows he's off-limits, but she spends an inordinate amount of time obsessing about him anyway. On the other hand, I didn't get to know and love the taciturn hero, Malone, in the same way. Maggie is utterly bewildered by his behavior for much of the novel, and I can't really blame her. If Higgins had developed his backstory a bit more and given us some insight into his point of view, I would have enjoyed the romance more than I did. But even though I thought the hero was underdeveloped, I still enjoyed this book! I definitely look forward to reading more of Higgins' work in 2013. show less

I enjoyed this book and parts of it brought tears to my eyes but it really should be marketed as Chick-Lit not as a romance. The heroine spent very little time with the hero and it was difficult to see how she could have ever fallen in love with him given the sparse amount of time she spent with him. I loved the idea of his character but it was very underdeveloped. We never are shown why he is the way he is much less the heroine ever getting any conversation out of him that would show her the character of the man she's supposedly in love with for all of the maybe 40 pages of the book she spends with him.

of course I hate the first person present tense style, but dammit, Kristan Higgins! you know exactly how to make me tear up the perfect amount, shed 2 or 3 tears, make me smile and ache with your lead characters, and then leave me with what I fondly call the Big Goofy Grin. I just can't stop reading these books.

Kristan Higgins amazes me yet again: I read this cover to cover in one sitting. Maggie and Malone make a very...interesting match. Sometimes I kinda felt sorry for Malone, Maggie has one big personality! I really love the way he handled her.

And really, its about time Maggie falls for him instead of being a lovesick idiot over a priest! The dude was a major flirt though, he should probably tone that down.

Between Maggie tripping all over herself around a man of God, then her crazy interactions with Malone...Kristan Higgins kept me laughing through this entire book. There was also one point when I actually cried a little, Maggie suffered a loss that made me really upset for her.

My laughing and crying aside, I didn't feel quite as show more connected to this book as I have to a couple of Kristan's other books, but I definitely loved this one and will be re-reading it in the future. show less

Maggie has a knack for getting into embarrassing situations. One such situation? Having the entire town know that she's in love with the local priest, Father Tim. Second situation? Going to a big church dinner completely smashed and declaring her undying love to said priest. Now Father Tim is determined to hook Maggie up with someone suitable. The dates end up being one huge disaster after another. But at least they're entertaining the locals who patronize Maggie's diner. While being stood up by one of those dates, Maggie finds herself cornered by her ex-boyfriend and his pregnant wife. Surprisingly it's Malone, the local recluse, who comes to her rescue.

I loved Malone. He remains an extremely quiet man throughout the whole book, but show more Higgins manages to show how much he likes Maggie through his actions. Maggie on the other hand was somewhat annoying. She's constantly making bad decisions that put her in embarrassing situations. Reading those scenes were pretty painful. Maggie also sort of stalks Malone a few times and has the tendency to run her mouth. I seriously wanted to shake some self-awareness into that girl and tell her to get a grip on herself. Despite my annoyances with Maggie, I enjoyed the storyline and side characters. I'll definitely be picking up another Higgins novel soon. show less