If you follow me at all, you know that I discovered Kristan Higgins earlier this year and devoured ALL her books. One. After. The. Other. And I have no regrets.

Except that once I’d finished them, I had to wait forEVER for her next release. Seriously, does NO ONE think of me and my reading needs??

So I was on cloud 9 when this book finally released.

I’m used to the classic KH plot: female lead (FL) is unlucky in love. She’s either never found the MOHD (Man Of Her Dreams) or she’s been married and Done Wrong or married and widowed . . . whatever, she’s not in a good place man-wise and she’s definitely Looking For Love. (These are capitalized because it’s a thing. Trust me.)

And of course eventually, she meets the MOHD, but not in a romantic, swoon-worthy meet-cute. No, it’s usually in a very embarrassing, I-want-to-forget-it moment. And MOHD usually isn’t very interested from the get-go. (There are exceptions, such as when the MOHD has actually been in her life for some time, just has gone unnoticed.)

One of the trademarks of KH’s books are a singular POV–we have no clue what’s going on in the man’s head. None at all. (Again, there are exceptions. The Blue Heron books do include the male POV.) We’re very much at the mercy of the FL’s take on things.

So I went into If Only You Knew expecting something very much the same. And about a third of the way into the book, I messaged a friend who is also a KH groupie that I didn’t like this one. But of course, I kept reading, because . . . well, KH.

And I was glad I did. Because by the end, I’d cried more than once, I’d felt my heart turn over and I’d giggled.

This story is about more than a relationship. It’s about growth and change and finding out what’s real. It’s about sisters, and about mothers and daughters, and about marriage–both when it works and when it doesn’t. It’s about loss and how we deal with it. It’s about when civilized behavior becomes a mode for other people to justify their actions.

Oh, and there’s a love story.

I loved Jenny and Rachel. I adored Leo. <le sigh> I liked the sub-plots (Evander and Kimber), the unexpected twist and I really, really loved the resolutions.

So now I’m in the midst of a massive book hangover. Who’s going to supply me with my next #BookFix?