Title: Too Good To Be True
Author: Kristan Higgins
Published: 2009
Read in: April 2016
I discovered Kristan Higgins a few years ago, I was lucky enough to have that time, when you first discover a writer, to read a backlog of their previous work in a short time span. Of course, once you’ve caught up you’ve got to wait like everyone else for their next book. Lucky for me Higgins is a pretty prolific writer, publishing twice a year (Thanks, Kristan! You’re also fun to follow on Facebook).
I recently recommended “If You Only Knew,” (released last year) to a friend, who enjoyed it. She asked if there were other KH books I’d recommend and so I went though the list and gave her a couple of titles, with the caveat that the others are not quite like IYOK, but still fun distractions. In my scrolling through all of her previous titles, imagine my surprise when I discovered i had MISSED one of her old books. The book I missed, “Too Good To Be True” was published in 2009 so about a year or so before I discovered her. Like several of her early titles, it takes place in small-town Connecticut. But unlike others, fictional Peterson, Connecticut is smack dab in the middle of all of the towns that surround MY hometown of West Hartford! On more than one occasion do the main characters travel to the very town I grew up. How did I miss this book?!?
Oh, and the protagonist, Grace, is a teacher. At a prep school. A private boarding school. Much like the one I went to! How did I miss this book?!?
Quick summary. Grace’s younger sister has started dating Grace’s ex-fiance. To make everyone feel more comfortable about this uncomfortable situation, Grace fakes having a boyfriend. Also, she meets her new neighbor, a nice guy who happens to be an ex-con. Yikes. I loved reading this much later on in years because I’ve seen how Higgins’ style and stories have evolved over the years, and this story definitely feels like her older stuff, with a great best friend, quirky family, quirky pet, lots of laughs and a not-so-surprising love interest. I guess her newer stuff have the same qualities, but with a little more naughty bits (not really necessary but I have this theory that writers have been told that’s what people want, so that’s what people get.)
All this time I wondered if KH would ever set a story based on my Connecticut. Little did I know that she did. Fun.
Recommended for: Romantic comedy fans.