I liked this book, but I didn't love it as much as some of her others (Just One of the Guys, for example...) I thought it was a bit slow to start- I kept putting it down for the first half of the book. The whole story probably could have been 75-100 pages shorter, and I might have liked it more. I felt it got bogged down a bit because the author kept harping on about how sad the main character was (having been widowed 5 years earlier), and I found myself saying, "I GET it, now let's move on!" The book ends with the trademark Higgins "warm & fuzzy" HEA though, so I was able to forgive some of it's overall flaws... I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

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Another winner by Kristin Higgins! I just love her books and usually stay up all night to finish them. It was no different with The Next Best Thing. I LOVED every character in this book, even Doral Anne. They all made for a crazy, zanie, dysfunctional good time. Lucy could be a little irritating at times with her complete and utter blindness when it came to her relationship with Ethan but I forgave her in the end and that seems to be the normal personality for Kristin's female leads and I've come to love every one of them, faults and all.

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What the summary doesnt tell you is that Ethan is her deceased husbands brother. That is a line that I would not cross and I found it hard to accept Lucy and Ethan as a couple. I also didnt feel any chemistry between the two. It was very upsetting to see the way Lucys family treated her and the way Ethans family treated him a family supports you and loves you no matter what! I felt very upset and angry throughout the whole book and I got very sick of how much Lucy obsessed over her late husband. My least favorite Kristan Higgins book.

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What a sweet, funny, romantic story full of emotion, family, sadness and laughter. The first I've read from this author, will definitely seek out more. Great characterizations, laugh-out-loud dialogue, pointed emotional moments. You will laugh - and cry. At least I did. Ethan is an amazing heart-stealing hero, and while Lucy is a little annoying at times, anyone who's loved - or loved and lost - will understand her many insecurities. Could not put this down.

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At400 pages, this book is 100 pages too long. There are some fun things in this book but the heroine wallowed too much in the grief of being widowed. She was so blind to the hero's love that she was cruel to him. And selfish? Oh, man. Even at the end where she finally realized she wanted him, she had to tell him on her timetable. The hero was either a saint or a doormat, depending on how you want to see him. She walked all over him enough for me to vote for the later. What gripes me the most is that the author clearly knew this because a couple of secondary characters come right out and say it as when Parker tells the heroine that she's (the heroine likes hurting the hero and has been hurting him for years. Talk about dysfunctional, codependent relationships.

I just don't think I want to read any more from this author.

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I don't know that I'd ever read this author before but I will be reading her again. This book was great! At one point I actually said Oh my God...outloud! I had a few tears and overall enjoyed the ups and downs of the characters. I would recommend!

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I also had an issue with the H being the brother. I found myself skipping parts of the book because of the "poor me" angst of the h. The writing was excellent (as always) with great dialogue and the tie-up finish was terrific but over-all I'd have been happier with a different relationship between the H&h.

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I read this right after I read Catch of the Day. What a difference. While Catch of the Day has its faults, it's a very breezy, fun book that I finished in two days. The Next Best Thing is nothing like that. It's mired in its angst. The heroine is a basket case. The heroine, a widow for over five years, can't get over her husband's death. You'd think this was written a year after his death, not nearly six years out.

The story needed tighter editing. It could have been shortened by about 50 pages or so. There were also so many supporting characters to keep track of. The character development is flat. Not one of my favorite Kristan Higgins stories.

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Kristan Higgins' books are a fast read that grabs you from the first page. This one had me laughing and crying and laughing again all afternoon.

It's a cute story about a young, widowed baker (Lucy) and her quest to find a new Mr. Almost Right -- she doesn't want to risk her heart again. She breaks off a "friends with benefits" relationship with Ethan, thinking that was a good first step. But was it? She hasn't realized yet that, maybe, the Mr. Really Right was in front of her the whole time.

A quick read perfect for a winter's day in New England. (It doesn't hurt that it's set in New England, too, like most of Higgins' books.)

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