On Second Thought: A Novel

"Don't make me wait too long."

Kristan Higgins is one of my favorite authors. I'm always super excited when she releases a new book. On Second Thought had everything I have come to love about her books.

On Second Thought is about two sisters, step-sisters as it is.

Kate O' Leary is the older sister. She has recently married a man after knowing him for just four months. She and her husband Nathan are anxious for her to become pregnant since she's almost forty. She loves her husband and she's very happy with her life and her job as a photographer.

Ainsley O' Leary is the younger sister. She's not crazy about her job and she dislikes her boss Jonathan. She has been in a long-term relationship with Eric Fisher. She's sure he's ready to propose to her and this is something she has been waiting for a while now. They have been dating for eleven years. When Eric was diagnosed with testicular cancer she was the one who stayed by his side and helps him through his journey. Now, she's ready for their relationship to move into matrimony.

In a blink of an eye, Kate's husband Nathan dies and she becomes a widow. Not too long after, Ainsley's dreams die too. Eric breaks up with her and asks her to move out. This will force Ainsley to find a place to live. She moves in with Kate and the sisters will have a chance at learning to communicate with each other despite never being close before.

This book had it all. Strong emotions, devastating loss, humor, and romance all made an appearance. I just love how these two sisters were able to find a common ground and were able to make their bond ten times stronger than it was, to begin with. I laughed and cried throughout it. It was easy to feel what the characters were going through and sympathize with their loss. The men they both fall for were both great. I won't spoil it. Just trust me, they were both worth it.

"I like that you always seem happy."

If You Only Knew and On Second Thought are different than Mrs. Higgins's prior work. These two have a feel more towards women's fiction than Contemporary Romance. However, we still get the signature pets. In this case a fish and a dog.

Don't hesitate to buy this one. It's worth it.

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

One of the things I love most about Kristan Higgins’ writing is her ability to create characters that are so relatable. So honest. So full of the human emotions we all feel.

Having recently lost someone dear, Kate’s storyline in particular resonated with me. I laughed as I read about her struggles with singlehood, and I could easily understand why, when Nathan came along, she almost couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t let herself be fooled into thinking this was the man she’d been waiting for. Mere months after they tie the knot, he dies suddenly, and Kate is thrown into a fog of grief. She starts to wonder if she ever really knew or loved her husband the way she should have. One line that stood out to me is the following: ‘Still in mourning but moving forward. The two feelings didn’t cancel each other out.’

Kate slowly but surely puts one foot in front of the other and finds herself again, thanks in large part to her sister, Ainsley. Though they were never particularly close growing up, her eager-to-please younger sister makes it her mission to help Kate through her sorrow, even while dealing with her own painful and humiliating breakup. She moves in with Kate, and their sisterly bond strengthens with each passing day. Their relationship made me yearn to have a sister of my own.

As the months roll on, and the fog begins to lift, both women find romance again where they least expect it. For Ainsley, it’s her boss—the straight-faced, seemingly emotionless Jonathan. She has to dig deep for the smiles, but when they unfurl…God help a woman. He tells her that she doesn’t have to be charming or funny or bright or entertaining with him. She just has to be. I 99.9% love Jonathan, one of the most intriguingly complex heroes I’ve read in a long time. I would totally sign papers to have office relations with him.

And for Kate, it’s Daniel the hot firefighter who steps in and saves her from herself. He’s been there all along, as a friend, a shoulder to lean on, and then, finally, as a lover. When they spend a night together burning up the sheets, Kate reflects on the experience: ‘After all these months of me fading away, someone knew I was here.’ Daniel helps her to learn to let herself be happy again, to believe in a happily ever after.

I wish I could talk about each of the supporting characters individually, but this review is already becoming novel-length. I will, however, give a special shout-out to Gram-Gram. She and Eloise were the elder characters who stole my heart. I adored catching glimpses of Jenny and Leo from If You Only Knew. And my award for the best scene in the book goes to…the break-and-enter. If you read this book for no other reason, you will not be disappointed.

There were literally dozens of laugh out loud moments for me, but this was perhaps the greatest of all: ‘He smiled. I smiled. The cat smiled. He had a cat!’ Ten thousand points for the best cat revelation scene EVAH!

And, lastly, the scene with the girls all lying on their backs in the cemetery—Candy, Kate, and Ainsley—it was so poignant. They weren’t overly schmoopy. There wasn’t any hugging, of course, but the message of the moment was powerful. ‘We were still us, after all. Us, but a little better.’ I think that’s all anyone can hope for as they navigate the trials and tribulations of life. Try to get a little better every day.

Reading a Kristan Higgins book is a pretty darn good place to start.

After the unexpected death of her new husband, Nathan, Kate is unsure of her path. She's starts to question the idea of what it meant to be married to a man for only a few months, and to have actually only known him for less than a year, to now be his widow. She knows she loved Nathan, her heart tells her that, but how well did she know Nathan? And with his death it seems people are coming out of the woodwork reminding her that she knew him barely at all, but does that negate their relationship?

Then we have Kate's half sister Ainsley. She's been in a relationship with the same man for eleven years, and when she believes he's finally ready to propose, he pulls the rug out from under her and tells her to move out. Tells her that he's ready to "live life large" and tastelessly chronicles everything from their break up to his new-found dedication to find himself out in the wilds of Alaska.

Both women cut adrift from the plans they had made with their lives, they come together and become the rock for each other to lean on. Helping each other to heal enough to figure out that it's ok to move on and find love, even in the most unexpected ways.

Kristan Higgins continues the trend she started in If You Only Knew in that On Second Thought, obviously, revolves around two sisters. It also takes place in Cambry-on-Hudson, the same setting as the first book, and I loved that we got to revisit main couple Jenny and Leo and see how they're doing, and see how Leo's circumstances give a bit of perspective to Kate on her journey.

Now, with that said, I feel like One Second Thought really brought the sister relationship home a lot better than the previous book. I felt the initial disconnect between Ainsley and Kate. They never loathed one another, but they weren't as close as some sisters due to the fact that Ainsley is Kate's half sister and quite a bit younger than her (among other reasons I'll not delve into here). But I loved seeing their connection grow. I loved that Kate didn't shut Ainsley out, but instead welcomed her into her home with open arms. And I loved that Ainsley didn't pressure Kate to begin feeling one way or another after the death of her husband, she was just there for Kate in any and every way, which is exactly what was needed at the time.

The main relationship between Kate and Ainsley is truly what the story is about, the men that have come and gone in their lives are secondary in this story even though they are very prevalent as well, as they've shaped the lives that the women now find themselves living. And while I loved every scene with Kate and Ainsley together, I thought that Kristan Higgins did a great job of showing the women on their own as well. Trying to move forward, or just stay upright as the case may be.

I felt as though the topic of Kate's husband's death was handled very well. I have to applaud Kristan Higgins for making Nathan and Kate's relationship so sweet and strong in the little page time they were together. It makes you wish, as Kate does, that they had more time together because you could tell they'd be a couple to last. I think the book could have quickly spiraled into a maudlin sobfest, and while I'll admit there were plenty of tears to go around, I was happy that the book didn't get too dark in dealing with the death of the man Kate loved.

Ainsley, on the other hand, suffers a loss as well, not quite as tragic as Kate's of course, but breaking off an eleven year relationship is pretty major. But Ainsley's character is ever the optimist. She of course is saddened by what can be considered a betrayal by her long-term boyfriend, but she doesn't let it bring her down. It does make her question what she thought she wanted to do with her life though, and she begins to see things (and maybe a certain person) in a new light.

Overall, I really enjoyed On Second Thought. While I think the tone / direction of these two newest books from Kristan Higgins are a bit on the somber side, they are still enjoyable and still have the same wit and humor sprinkled throughout.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

FINAL DECISION: A book that focuses on two sisters experiencing the ending of the relationships and the birth of new ones, this book was interesting but the romance was definitely secondary.

THE STORY: Kate finally has everything she has ever wanted except a child. She and her new husband have been trying since their marriage and have hopes of having a child soon -- then he husband dies in a freak accident on the night her stepsister expects to get engaged. Ainsley has been with her boyfriend for eleven years and expected to be with him forever -- until the death of Kate's husband convinces him to dump her. Now Kate and Ainsley are living together and their mutual grief and anger bring them together in a way they didn't expect. Both also have other men in their lives step up and begin to develop a different romantic relationship.

OPINION: I'll be honest with you, I'm not a fan of so-called "women's fiction" because I prefer books where the romance is central to the story. While this book has romance (two of them) in it, I was left unsatisfied because I wanted to know more about the romance between the characters than either Kate or Ainsley's personal journey.

That doesn't mean the book wasn't good. It was well written and I really did enjoy it, but I wouldn't read it again. The central story in this book is Kate's loss of her husband. Because the book begins before her husband's death and takes her through her grieving process, her husband is a central part of the book. This is Kate's journey and I greatly appreciated that her journey was complex and multifaceted and addressed head on how one lives again after a loss. The book was especially refreshing in that it doesn't judge Kate for moving on -- even if other do. It is all here..the grief, the anger, the denial, the desire to be normal and live again. The emotions are messy and much remains unresolved.

For me, however, the complexity of these emotions meant that they overshadowed any romance between her and Daniel. Things between them felt like default. I liked him and liked his character, but I didn't feel any intensity between them. Instead, it felt like any guy who had been there for her would have garnered the same response from her. I walked away from the book wondering if the two would even be together in a couple of years.

I really liked the story of Ainsley more and I wish there had been more resolution to her story. Ainsley is suffering when her boyfriend of eleven years dumps her, but that event opens her up to the possibility of a different guy. I thought that her feelings for her ex were resolved before she got involved so the romance felt less conflicted and I really got some connection between these characters. Her romance was funny and sweet and my only wish is that I had gotten more.

This book is billed as two sisters who resolve their relationship. But there really isn't much to resolve between these two. Yes, there was distance and the two were not particularly close, but there were no serious disagreements or problems between them. Rather than being their story, I felt that Kate's personal journey was the heart of this story and Ainsley had a supporting role (even though the book is told in alternating first persons).

Ultimately, the book is a serious look at grief and loss and living again, but not my favorite kind of book. (I do want to note that I read Higgins previous book in this vein, IF YOU ONLY KNEW, and liked it much better).

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is really women's fiction rather than romance although romance does play a part.

CONNECTED BOOKS: This book is loosely connected to IF YOU ONLY KNEW as the two take place in the same town, Cambry-on-Hudson.

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 positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

I love Kristan Higgins and have read every single one of her books. I'm enjoying her foray into women's fiction and am glad that she hasn't left her sense of humor behind. There's definitely a need for more humor in women's fiction to offset the weepy "sagas" we're often subjected to. Higgins is a master at combining humor with pathos, and her talent for that is on full display in On Second Thought.

This is a funny, touching read that gets better as it goes along. It starts out slowly, with long, blow-by-blow histories of the two main characters, who are half-sisters, from their childhood up to the present. Perhaps this history could have been folded into the narrative a little more instead of being a grand "telling" to fill the reader in; those chapters felt like a slog, and I started to worry that I wouldn't enjoy the book. But once the story returns to the sisters' present, things pick up. I finished the book quickly because I was eager to find out what happened.

And it turned out that the book didn't feel long enough to tell the complex stories of both sisters and their new romances. I ended up wanting more. The sisters' relationship was given a lovely amount of time, which was nice, but I also wished more time was spent on the men in their lives, their interactions with them, and the development of their relationships. Ainsley and Jonathan in particular are so mismatched that, while I'm all for "opposites attract," I wondered how they'd overcome the big differences in their personalities. Would they take the edge off one another? It would have been nice to see more of that, as well as more of Kate and Daniel together during the story instead of shunted to the epilogue.

Things I loved:

• Eric the self-absorbed douche, a character who was so much fun to hate
• Jonathan often being described as an alien observing humans (HILARIOUS)
• Gram-Gram competing with the other senior citizen women for the rare senior man to date
• Daniel the hot firefighter (more please!)...even though he always seemed to miraculously turn up whenever Kate needed him, despite the fact that he didn't live in the same town

Things I wasn't that thrilled about:

• Nathan's ex-wife, who seemed way too cartoon-villain-ish
• Not enough time spent on the girls' parents, who had quite a story of their own
• Kate's frenemy, who seemed to be a last-minute add-on or perhaps a remnant from a previous version of the story who got edited down too much; her motivations were never explained (jealousy?), and in the end didn't really need to be in the story at all
• Ainsley's sudden change of career at the end of the book

One last concern: It's yet another story about sisters. I know it's women's fiction's bread and butter, telling stories of women in one family, especially sisters, but this could end up being repetitive for Higgins. Her previous book focused on two very different sisters, just like Kate and Ainsley (from the same town, even!), now there's On Second Thought, and at the end of this book there's an excerpt from Higgins' next story, which is about...two very different sisters. I'll still read it, because it's KH, but... (Also, Higgins seems to be getting into "difficult, frosty mothers"--there are two in On Second Thought and another in her upcoming book). My guard is up, but I'll read it anyway, because...Kristan Higgins.