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    On Second Thought
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    On Second Thought
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    On Second Thought
    Ebook533 pages7 hours

    On Second Thought

    By Kristan Higgins

    4/5

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    About this ebook


    Following in the footsteps of her critically acclaimed novel, If You Only Knew, multi–bestselling author Kristan Higgins returns with a pitch–perfect look at the affection–and the acrimony–that binds sisters together.

    Ainsley O'Leary is so ready to get married–she's even found the engagement ring her boyfriend has stashed away. What she doesn't anticipate is for Eric to blindside her with a tactless break–up he chronicles in a blog…which (of course) goes viral. Devastated and humiliated, Ainsley turns to her half–sister, Kate, who's already struggling after the sudden loss of her new husband.

    Kate has always been so poised, so self–assured, but Nathan's death shatters everything she thought she knew–including her husband–and that sometimes the people who step up aren't the ones you expect. With seven years and a murky blended family dynamic between them, Ainsley and Kate have never been overly close, but their shared sorrow dovetails their faltering worlds into one.

    Despite the lifetime of history between them, the sisters must learn to put their differences aside, open their hearts to the inevitable imperfection of family–and the possibility of one day finding love again.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers Australia
    Release dateFeb 1, 2017
    ISBN9781489220516
    Author

    Kristan Higgins

    Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly and USA TODAY bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She has received dozens of awards and accolades, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, The New York Journal of Books and Kirkus. Kristan lives in Connecticut with her heroic firefighter husband, two atypically affectionate children, a neurotic rescue mutt and an occasionally friendly cat.

    Read more from Kristan Higgins

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    Reviews for On Second Thought

    4/5

    53 ratings4 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is Ms. Higgins second book set in Cambry-on-Hudson, again told in alternating first person voices as was If You Only Knew. Kate has been married a little over three months and is in her late thirties. She had given up on men and children when she met Nathan and married him in a whirlwind courtship. Her half-sister Ainsley has been living with her significant other, Eric, for eleven years. They have gone through a battle with testicular cancer and Ainsley is hoping that Eric is finally going to give her the engagement ring that they've always talked about. Instead, Nathan is killed in a freak accident, Eric dumps Ainsley, and she moves in with Kate. The two women must deal with their new circumstances and continue to live their lives amidst great sadness and change.I liked both women very much. Kate is more reserved, happy in her career as a professional photographer while Ainsley is outgoing and friendly to everyone. They both are very "Real" in every sense of the word. Their actions and what they say is always perfect for the circumstances they find themselves and Kristin Higgins never goes over the top with what are very sensitive issues. Every character shines (even Madeleine) and I enjoyed every minute of this wonderful story.
    • 4/5
      Had I been checking past reviews or paying attention to publishers, I might not have picked up this book, which I liked quite a bit. My past experience with this author was less than stellar, but this, though a romance, and a HQN at that, hence the publisher comment, was a pleasant diversion. I actually passed it by on the shelf twice, because I'm not really keen on reading about widowhood, but at the very last minute added it to my stack of books. The alternating story, about two sisters, one suddenly widowed (96 days into her marriage) and one suddenly (and publicly on a blog) dumped after 11 years of being with her guy, was entertaining. I'll look for more by this author.
    • 4/5
      Ainsley O'Leary is so ready to get married—she's even found the engagement ring her boyfriend has stashed away. What she doesn't anticipate is for Eric to blindside her with a tactless breakup he chronicles in a blog…which (of course) goes viral. Devastated and humiliated, Ainsley turns to her half sister, Kate, who's already struggling after the sudden loss of her new husband. Kate has always been so poised, so self-assured, but Nathan's death shatters everything she thought she knew—including her husband—and sometimes the people who step up aren't the ones you expect. With seven years and a murky blended-family dynamic between them, Ainsley and Kate have never been overly close, but their shared sorrow dovetails their faltering worlds into one. Despite the lifetime of history between them, the sisters must learn to put their differences aside and open their hearts to the inevitable imperfection of family—and the possibility of one day finding love again.(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 28 Sep 2016Higgins always has well-developed characters and incorporates humor into her romance novels. This novel is no exception, following two sisters as they navigate the dating scene after each one loses their partner. Another great read from Kristan Higgens.
    • 5/5
      ReviewHave you ever read a book that you just knew right from the very beginning you would be best of friends with these characters if they were only real? This is how I felt once I was about 25% done with this book.This book was almost everything I love in a book - it was filled with realistic characters, realistic situations, some happiness (at the end) and a lot of sad...the one thing, and an important thing, it was lacking was humor. Not that there was totally none, but it just wasn't there in big enough doses to make this a 5-star rated book. But this was definitely a 4.5 star book.I read to escape the realities and traumas of everyday life -this book just left me dazed through most of it. The love of the sisters for each other was plain to see (again, once you have read about 25 to 50% of the book) …but the heart-aches just took a bit too much out of me and out of this book.I did love how things did take a turn with the sister’s and their feelings and actions towards each other developed.Getting to the 'happily-ever-after’ was almost too painful to get to and didn't last long enough to satisfy me or to make up for all the other trauma. I am glad that each did find their HEA even if one was a little iffy and not very traditional in the romantic novel sense.Seeing two such smart women mess up their lives for one worthless man and one that was less than forthcoming, was astounding to me.What is even odder for me is even with all that said, I could not put this book down -even though it was a painful journey through the sister’s lives, it was fascinating and so well written that I can look beyond my own petty problems with this book and see that the author was trying to tell us - that we as women are so much more than just being a shadow to the men in our lives. We shouldn't forgive lying out of hand, we need to have a spine...and I'm happy to say that each of these women did learn this lesson. It was a difficult and rocky path, but they learned.Most of Ms Higgins other novels may have the sadness, frustrations, and problems of everyday life that this one had, but they also usually include a good dose of humor. Yes, the humor is mostly the self-depreciating kind, but it is humor nonetheless. You need to really look closely to see the humor interspersed with the pain in this book.It really was a satisfying read for me, even with the issues I had with it.*ARC supplied by publisher