Somebody to Love

Somebody to Love
by Kristan Higgins
Published by Harlequin
432 pages
Genre: chick lit, romance
Thanks to edelweiss for the preview
4 / 5

So I love Kristan Higgins' books. I love them so much that I push them on my students (the girls ... the boys could not care less), encouraging them to read my girl crush. Every time I read a new one, though, I find myself a little nervous. Will she disappoint? Will I still love her?

I can report that my adoration continues unabated.

Somebody to Love reunites us with Parker Welles, whom we met in The Next Best Thing. We also get to check in on Ethan and Lucy, as well as Maggie and Malone from Catch of the Day. Malone, by the way, has some things to say, which may surprise those of you who recall him from his previous outing.

A children's book author with writer's block, Parker discovers she has bigger issues at stake. Her father, reminiscent of Bernie Madoff, has been convicted for insider trading and is headed off to jail, leaving Parker virtually penniless. All of those book royalties? She donated those to charity. Daddy Welles did leave his daughter one bit of help: his attorney James Cahill, or Thing One as Parker thinks of him. James has some handyman skills, so when he shows up to help Parker rehabilitate a seaside shack she was bequeathed by a deceased aunt, Parker reluctantly accepts his help.

She also accepts his kisses. Which, really, she should, because he is totally adorable.

As happens in Higgins' books, there is no clear path to true love. Parker has trust issues. Big ones, thanks to her father. She also doesn't quite trust herself, and given that a child is involved, she is all the more reluctant to embark on a romance with James. For his part, James is a bit too enamored of Parker, but he sees through her bluster to the woman who's really there.

Parker is a bit different from Higgins' typical heroines, though. She's prickly, snobby, and not always entirely likable. Even when Lucy bumbled, you liked her. But Parker occasionally is so bitchy as to turn us off. I liked that, though. She's flawed, and she knows she's flawed. She wants to be a better person, but she doesn't know how.

It's a cute story, one that entertains and that you will enjoy. If you're a fan of Higgins' books, you need to read this.