Now That You Mention It: A Novel

𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒑 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔. 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒔. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓. 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 😍

Known for crafting a delightful blend of romance and women’s fiction, Higgins presents Now That You Mention It, an emotional roller-coaster ride that won’t disappoint. Gastroenterologist Nora Stuart learns the hard way that her steady man is done with their relationship. Lacking other options, Nora returns home to recuperate her broken body and injured heart. And, perhaps, she’ll work on splintered family relationships while she’s at it.

Getting run over by the Beantown Bug Killers knocks Nora down. Not one to quit easily, Nora digs in her heels and steadies herself for a long look at a family she never really understood. Like real life, some characters evolve while others continue to stand in their own way while looking for easy buttons. Nora uncovers truths as she examines her relationships from new angles. By doing so, she gives and receives second chances. A fast-moving plot and witty characters make this a winner!

DISCLAIMER: Now That You Mention It is not the first Kristan Higgins’ book that I have read. It is the first I have reviewed and here’s why: I love every one of Kristan Higgins’ books. I knew that any commentary I offered would pale in comparison to their value. Higgins writes about women who strive for the sorts of things all women want including, but not limited to: acceptance, forgiveness, true love, self-actualization, family, and a rocking soundtrack. Her characters are complicated and funny. They suffer agonizing break-ups and tragic losses. They’re people you’ll wish you could meet for a glass of wine on Friday night to talk about real life. And, whether they drag their painful high school experiences into adulthood or they become victims of an out-of-control pestmobile, they provide satisfying reads that you’ll mourn at THE END.

Check out Kristan's other books here.

A few months ago I was introduced to one of Kristan Higgin's book at Barnes & Noble. For some reason, I had a few minutes to spare and came across a staff recommendation card under her book. I remember it saying, "the characters are funny, witty, and smart." Flash forward two months later and I have loved every single book she wrote.

When I got my hands on Now That You Mentioned It, I was excited and hopeful to enjoy Higgin's newest novel. As I mentioned before, I am a devoted Kristan Higgin's reader. Her character development is well researched, relatable, and realistic. I often find myself laughing, crying, nodding and or shaking my head as I read her words.

This novel is the most emotional Higgins book. Not only does it unfold family and relationship trials, but loss, grief, hurt, and what happens in the "Big Bad Event." (I don't want to give too much away). All written with grace and for the purpose of developing and understanding her characters. Her protagonist, Nora Stuart, is a well-educated (Tufts and Medical School grad), sharp, humorous, and loving woman faced with life challenges and events that lead her back to her small hometown of Scupper Island. Afterall, she did get dumped while "sleeping" in a hospital bed! In an effort to run away (again) from her problems, she arrives home to her distant mother, troubled niece, and a history that had her fleeing the island when she was eighteen. Thankfully she has a faithful companion, Boomer, (Nora's lovable) dog and the hopes to build some of those burnt bridges of the past.

If you are a Higgins fan or a newbie like I was this past summer, you will love reading Now That I Mentioned It. You will also want to move to the northeast and establish some roots in a houseboat. Does anyone want to be my neighbor?

Dr. Nora Stuart is hit by a van and wakes up to find her boyfriend propositioning the resident. She dumps him (sort of - they have shared custody of their wonderful dog, Boomer) and returns to the small island off the coast of Maine where she can recover from her injuries. Her mom is one of those laconic Mainers (quote from the book: It was Maine. Conversation wasn't really our thing.) who is taking care of Nora's niece, Poe, whose mother is in jail in Seattle. Nora couldn't wait to get off the island once she was done with high school, but she wants to make peace with the people she left behind. This includes twin brothers Luke and Sullivan Fletcher. Nora beat Luke for a scholarship back in high school, and he's never forgiven her for ruining his life. She blames herself for the accident he caused as a result of that loss that gave his brother a traumatic brain injury. Sullivan has recovered except for a gradually growing deafness. Scupper Island has a wonderful cast of characters. Nora makes some good friends and discovers hidden facets of her family. An enduring mystery is what happened to her father who disappeared when she and her sister were quite young. Gradually, Nora regains the sense of self and self-confidence she lost during the BBE (Big Bad Event - a traumatic occurrence in Boston before her accident with the van). Ms. Higgins always has several scenes that make me laugh out loud; the dinner party and the first date are highlights here. Yet there are also serious parts to this book and a lot to think about. This is a woman's book from the teens (Poe and Abigail), Nora's friends and her sister, and Sharon (Nora's mother). There's some great writing here. Some of it's funny; when Nora is hit by the van: I was hit by a car, and according to the Hallmark Channel, I'm supposed to come home. Some of it's very serious: You wonder how much abuse you can take and still love someone. You wonder how long they can treat you like nothing but still want them back. You wonder how many years it will take to forget how things used to be, how long you'll burn yourself with that tiny ember of hop before the deluge of their neglect drowns it. This is a wonderful book. I only hope Ms. Higgins returns to Scupper Island - soon.

Now That You Mention It was an amazing story of growth, self-discovering and glass-half-full attitude. The story is full of charm, hilarious situations, and lovable characters.

Nora Stuart is a gastroenterologist who has to reconsider her life after getting hit by a vehicle on her way to getting pizza for her boyfriend, who's an ER doc. While she's laying in the ER, she listens to the scumbag flirting with a co-worker and decides she needs to make changes in her life.

On turning a new leaf, Nora decides to go back to her hometown of Scupper Island to recuperate but also to try to salvage her relationship with her mother and her niece Poe while waiting for her sister to get out of jail. She brings with her, her dog, Boomer who's always able to cheer her up.

Nora doesn't have good memories from Scupper Island. She was a shy, introverted and overweight teenager. It happened after her father left them which caused a rift in her relationship with her sister, Lily. Lily became the popular one and was never there for Nora. Her mother became distant and unapproachable. Nora found herself pouring into her studies and trying to compete for a scholarship with the lovable and popular Luke who turned out to be a mean bastard. He's nothing like his brother Sully (inserts thousands of heart emojis) whom I adored.

As with any of Kristan Higgins's books, I laughed, I cheered, I squirmed, I cried. There are so many emotions going through me with her work and Now That You Mention It delivers them and more.

Her characters and her pets are always memorable. Sully was great and so was his daughter Audrey. Xiaowen brought hilarity and freshness to the scenes. Nora's persistence in getting through her family was commendable and admirable.

As a huge fan of Mrs. Higgins, I can only hope she writes many more stories.

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

I'm a big fan of folks getting a second or even third chance at finding the happiness they richly deserve. Nora's pathetic body and weight issues are a familiar occurrence in many teenagers' lives. I was so impressed when she started gaining self-confidence and the determination to stand up for herself. Watching her continued growth and her ability to overcome incredible challenges, made me want to cheer at times and sob at others. Fans of Kristan's books are familiar with the roller coaster of emotions she can wring out of us. I throughly enjoyed the ride.

After getting hit by a truck during a pizza run, Dr. Nora Stuart starts looking at her life in a new light. Things are only exacerbated when her boyfriend also kinda sorta admits he's breaking up with her while she's still supposed to be unconscious from her injuries. Due to these revelations and the fact that she's going to need some help for a few weeks, Nora decides it's time to go home to Scupper Island. Nora hasn't been home for any real length of time since she won the prestigious Tuft Scholarship her last year in high school. Due to potential controversy surrounding the scholarship, and in a move likened to her father disappearing on the family when Nora was eleven, Nora took the first ferry out of town and didn't look back, leaving behind her mother and a strained relationship with her younger sister.

Now, Nora is back home. Reassessing her life, and seeing that her sister is currently in jail, Nora wants to help out with her niece who has newly moved to Scupper Island to live with her grandmother. She's also looking for answers as to where her father went all those years ago and why he never reached out again to Nora and her sister. While Nora knows that past isn't easily forgotten, she'll begin to understand that sometimes how we perceive things can change as you get older. And working through what scares us will ultimately help us grow.

I've never read a Kristan Higgins book that I didn't enjoy so I was pretty much predisposed to like Now That You Mention It. With a lot of rumination on the past, especially when Nora was an awkward teenager, I was reminded a lot of Until There Was You, most especially with regards to the body issues that Nora faces as a teenager / young adult kind of on the other side of the spectrum from what Posey faces.

While I've always enjoyed Kristan Higgins's romances, I liked that this time around the romance took a backseat to other relationships, namely Nora trying desperately to connect with her sister again as well as her mother to a little lesser extent. After their father left Nora and her sister Lily, their close relationship started to derail with Lily seeking out the popular crowd in school and becoming a veritable wild-child, and Nora gaining some heartbreaking body issues which cause her to shy away from a lot of social interactions, and yes, she gets made fun of. The idea that a lot of the problems that Nora ends up facing as a teenager stems from her father leaving is something that's explored throughout the story, yet not blatantly given as an excuse. Nora's mother is also a very I'd say private person. Someone who works hard, but doesn't like to, or possibly even know how, to talk about personally matters. When Nora comes back home, she hopes to finally get her mother to open up about what really happened between her mother and father.

There's also this idea of perception. Nora remembers the times she and Lily spent with their father as the most fun adventures ever. She remembers her mother as the killjoy of those fun times. It's only after coming back home as an adult, that Nora can look back at those moments and see that, even though they may have been fun, they were also potentially dangerous. Also, yes Nora had a tough time in high school especially after her father left, but what she failed to see at the time was that there were other people, as she realizes as she's welcomed (or not) back into town by her former classmates, who knew Nora as the smart and kind person that she was. They saw beyond what Nora saw as her "failings". But again it's that whole perspective thing going on there.

I also felt that Now That You Mention It took on a little bit darker subject matter than Kristan Higgins's books have in the past. So on top of everything else Nora has going on, she's still justifiably reeling from an ordeal she went through about a year previous. Not wanting to give too much away, I'll suffice it to say that it's bad (understatement). I loved how strong of a character Nora is. How she fights every day to be ok and to keep moving forward even though it would be really easy for her to turn inward again like she did when she was younger. And Nora's relationship with her sister might never be the same again, but she won't give up on her. The same with her mother. Her mother might not be the most open or sharing person, but Nora just keeps asking the questions and keeps waiting for the answers. She doesn't give up, and I admired that immensely about her character.

There was a lot going on in this story, but Kristan Higgins really made everything flow together quite nicely. There's also the message that not everything can be or will be fixed by the end. We get some good headway made, but not everything is perfectly solved by The End. Which I think goes further to enhance upon the message to keep fighting as Nora does. Don't give up.

I would genuinely like to see Nora's sister Lily get her own book. She's a character that we only see in flashbacks or in reference. Her character doesn't technically make an appearance as an adult, which I found interesting. I'd love if her story was extended.

Overall, it's Kristan Higgins. What can I say. She's one of my go-to authors for a reason. Now That You Mention It is another good read by one of my favorites.

FINAL DECISION: This was a good book and I enjoyed reading Nora's story. The romance, however, was slim in this book (not surprising because this is NOT a romance genre book) and I couldn't help but wish for more romance less personal drama.

THE STORY: Doctor Nora Stuart has a personal crisis when she is hit by a car, ends up in the emergency room and has her boyfriend flirt with another doctor over her unconscious body. Deciding that her "near death" experience was a sign, Nora returns to her hometown to recover. Nora has to confront her bad relationship with her mother, her non-relationship with her niece, bad memories from high school that just won't let her go. Confronting the pain from her past, Nora tries to build a new future.

OPINION: This is Nora's story. A success by all external measures, she still lives with incidents from her past that have left her scarred and which she has never gotten past. She has trouble with personal and when she goes home, so many people blame her for "ruining" the chances of the town's golden boy. Her personal "time out" gives her time to deal with and put in perspective events in her past.

While there is a romance here, it isn't the focus of the story and honestly, while it was a sweet a romance at times, it also left me unsatisfied. Although at times I have enjoyed greatly the romances in Higgins women fiction books, I wouldn't read this one again for the romance.

There is a lot of self-reflection and dealing with high school stuff. At times, I got annoyed with Nora because honestly a lot of people have drama in their lives and at some point you have to stop whining about high school and people being mean to you. Also, her self-flagellation about her getting a scholarship in high school was pretty ridiculous at times.

But I did enjoy watching her build a relationship with her mother and niece. It was her growing up and understanding the past and accepting people for who they are. Even though I only reluctantly read these women fiction books at times, I thought this was pretty good as a story.

WORTH MENTIONING: This is a chick lit or women's fiction book not a romance, but there is a romance involved although it is a side story.

CONNECTED BOOKS: NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT is a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.