Review: Waiting on You by Kristan Higgins

Publish Date: March 25, 2014
Mass Market Paperback {p.457}
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publicist
Colleen O'Rourke, Lucas Campbell

Does being nobody's fool mean that you're nobody's love?

Colleen O'Rourke is in love with love... just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell, her first love, broke her heart... an experience Colleen doesn't want to have again, thanks. Since then, she's been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends.

But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who's ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they've got some unfinished business waiting for them—but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she's ever loved.

I loved both Colleen and Lucas,in the beginning of the book, although I was a tad bit upset with Colleen after reading their back-story. She was so upset with Lucas for breaking her heart, but in my opinion it wasn't Lucas who broke her heart but her father. Colleen just took it out on Lucas instead of her father. After seeing how Colleen treated Lucas and how she handled the situation of their breakup, I have to say I sided with Lucas 100%. Sure, he probably should have said something to Colleen, but I understand why he didn't. Colleen thought her dad hung the moon, and who wants to be responsible for telling her otherwise.

When it came to Ellen, Lucas just seemed like he had checked out of their relationship. His heart just wasn't in it. I liked Ellen, she seemed a wonderful person, but Lucas just didn't love her enough. Where at times Colleen came across as being cocky and full of herself to the point of being annoying.

Lucas' uncle Joe, I felt snubbed him in the end. Maybe it's just me, but I felt Joe could have, should have, done better by Lucas. As far as his cousin Bryce, didn't like him one bit. I never understood why everyone just loved him. Sure, he may have been nice to look at, but the bus stopped there. He was about as deep as a mud puddle. I so thought Paulie deserved someone better than him. Plus Colleen was constantly trying to get Paulie to be the one to change to snag Bryce when it should have been the other way around. Bryce was the one who needed some major growing up to do.

This book started out as though it was going to be a five-star read for me, but around the end when it came to light what Colleen had done, I lost all respect for her. Her actions dropped this book to about a 3 for me. I just couldn't get past what she did. Lucas was able to forgive her, which is great for her, but she was irredeemable for me. Maybe if her actions were revealed earlier in the story and she had a chance to make amends, instead of it being revealed in the chapter before the last, where there is no time to turn her character around, maybe I could have rebuilt my image of her. But as it stands, Colleen is not one of my favorites. I know the characters are supposed to be flawed, and still find love, but there should be time for the reader to repair that love of the character, or don't make their flaws so insurmountable. To me, Colleen turned out to be more like her father than expected.

Although I would have liked to have seen the author address whatever became of the guys from Colleen's prom night,overall it was a funny, quick paced read which is to be expected from Higgins. She never disappoints when it come to the humor in her novels.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing Colleen's brother Conner find love, as well as Faith and Honor's brother Jack. I can't wait to see which ladies will have these two men toeing the line.