Rowena’s review of Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins.
Hero: Liam Murphy
Heroine: Cordelia “Posey” Ostenhagen
She’s having serious prom-night déjà vu…
Posey Osterhagen can’t complain. She owns a successful architectural salvaging company, she’s surrounded by her lovable, if off-center, family and she has a boyfriend—sort of. Still, something’s missing. Something tall, brooding and criminally good-looking… something like Liam Murphy.
When Posey was sixteen, the bad boy of Bellsford, New Hampshire, broke her heart. But now he’s back, sending Posey’s traitorous schoolgirl heart into overdrive once again. She should be giving him a wide berth, but it seems fate has other ideas…
Every time I see a new release coming up for Kristan Higgins, the fangirl in me squeals in delight because I adore so many of her books that I’m always hopeful she’ll deliver another fantabulous book. I wasn’t too keen on her last release but I’m happy to say that I enjoyed this one a lot more.
When Posey Ostenhagen was in high school, she loved her some Liam Murphy. She loved him from afar since he would never date someone like her. She was such a small girl and she was the daughter of the German restaurant owners so she grew up with the nickname Anne Frank. She wasn’t very popular and her best friend didn’t have a lot of classes with her so she was pretty much on her own for most of the time. When Liam Murphy transferred to her school, he was instantly thrust into the popular crowd because he had that air about him. He was a total bad ass and the girls all over town wanted him. Hell, Posey wanted him and when he comes to work at her parents restaurant, she thinks that she’ll become friends with him. But that doesn’t happen because he’s a popular God and she’s a lowly commoner so it was never meant to be.
But Posey couldn’t help but love the boy that Liam was because outside of school, he was such a nice boy. He took care of a stray cat in the alley and that warmed Posey’s heart but when prom comes up, she never thought in a million years that Liam Murphy would be the boy to break her heart but break her heart, he did.
Now, fast foward fifteen years and Liam is back in town. Posey runs into him at her parents restaurant and the lust is still bursting through her at the sight of him, older and so much more sexier. It doesn’t help that he’s a single father and widower and his parents are trying to hook him up with her bitchy cousin. Posey has grown up knowing that she wasn’t Gods gift to men but it doesn’t get any harder to take, especially when your parents want the guy you’ve always had a thing for to marry your cousin and not you.
I really enjoyed getting to know Posey, or as Liam called her, Cordelia. Her voice made reading this book so enjoyable. She wasn’t this perfect heroine but she was great all the same. She had a great support system in her family and her friends. Her brother in law, Jon was my absolute favorite character in this book. He was her brother Henry’s partner and holy goodness he kept me in fits of giggles throughout the entire book. I really enjoyed getting to know Posey, getting to know Liam and everyone in their lives including Liam’s daughter Nicole and Posey’s friends and family. I adored her friend Kate and Kate’s son James, I loved Henry and his partner Jon and I absolutely adored Brie. All of these side characters were really what did it for me while reading this book.
While the book was an entertaining read there were still a few things that I didn’t care for, or wanted more from. As much as I loved Liam, I didn’t think he groveled enough at the end. I thought Posey caved too easily where he was concerned and his grand gesture just wasn’t enough to make me completely satisfied with their happy ending. I’m not a blood thirsty wench (or not usually anyway) but I needed more to his apology to Posey for breaking her heart not once but twice in all the time they’ve known each other. My heart broke for Posey when I read about her prom experience and Liam’s part in it. I appreciated that he knew that he was a jerk back in the day but the way that he had his fun with her and kept her a secret from everyone in town just didn’t sit well with me. In the end, I was glad that Posey got her happy ending but I wish Liam had done more to show how sorry he was.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read with only some things that I didn’t care for. I thought Higgins did a great job of making me connect with the characters and I look forward to reading more from her.
Grade: 3.75 out of 5
This book is available from HQN. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
I read this one and though I generaly liked it – and I liked it LOADS better than I did the previous one – I had a big gripe with it.
That Liam sometimes sounded like a woman writing a man rather than a guy.
And that I dunno. something didn’t finish clicking with me.
Oh I loved her last book – the rest of her work is too fluffy for me. I haven’t read this one yet, but suspect I might like it because her fans don’t seem to – I’m not at all a fan of fluffy chick lit, so I’m usually not a fan of hers.
I liked this one a lot better than the previous book. I was so happy Ms. Higgins wrote in the third person and gave us Liam’s POV as well that I wanted to give it a B, but I think I ended up giving it a B-. There were some things that didn’t work so well for me, but on the whole, I did enjoy it.
I hope she continues writing in third person.
I loved this one – I have nothing to compare it to, though, because it was first KH. I can’t wait to read her backlist now!! 🙂