Until there was you

(Review originally posted at Fictionally Inclined.)Oh, Kristan Higgins. She is one of my top favorite contemporary romance authors for a reason ([b:Just One of the Guys 2884065 Just One of the Guys Kristan Higgins http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255729774s/2884065.jpg 2910293], anyone?). This book was thoroughly enjoyable. The narration was fantastic, and while it took a while to keep all of them straight, I appreciated all the secondary characters. I really love how Higgins writes normal characters with original flair. I really get attached to them. I even love her animals! Which is saying something, because I am not an animal person.I loved Posey and could relate to her very easily. It took me a while to warm up to Liam - I honestly didn't get what was so special about him in the beginning. But as we read more about him, I came to realize why Posey loved him. He was such a great guy, and once you actually got to know him, there was no denying that. The book was touching without being overly sappy. I don't know what it is exactly, but Higgins has this way of writing true, pure emotions. Her endings hit me like very few authors' do. I cried at this one because I was just so into the world and the characters; I felt everything they felt, and it made me sad to say goodbye.Oh! And she referenced 90210. The real one. This made me happy. :)And, of course, because it is Kristan Higgins, there were many laugh-out-loud lines. This is one of my favorite things about her books. They are witty and hilarious, usually because they are so true.❝To think she'd put on a lace bra for this. It itched.❞❝He smiled broadly at Posey, and she smiled back, unsure if that was a Want to date me? smile or just a How's your soul these days?❞❝Posey wondered what he'd do if she ripped his shirt open and licked his neck.❞❝Unrequited lust made for crappy conversation.❞❝There should be a law that no one over the age of fourteen could say OMG without a public stoning.❞While it took a bit to get into it, Until There Was You was a great read. It was funny, thoughtful, and touching. I would definitely recommend it!

This is a very good, if not all that new, story.

It is also my first Harlequin Romance. And my first win from the Goodreads giveaways (that means it was free. Is that enough, FTC?).

I have to say that I did enjoy this book. It's nothing deep or earth-shattering. It's not even that dirty — or dirty at all. But the story was entertaining and the characters mostly believable. If you just read for the plot, you won't go wrong.

However, the writing is lackluster at best. The book is riddled with dangling participles and lousy with unnecessary and frankly stupid interjections. Oh, beiber. Holy Elvis Presley. Golly!

It probably wouldn't have been so bad if the interjections actually made sense. Considering this is a book for adults, some mild cursing is okay, even expected in some situations. But of all the random outbursts (of which there was at least on per page) only one was an actual interjection, not one Higgins made up. I don't know if she was trying to make her characters appear quirky, but it really just made them annoying.

And really, when writing a description, make sure it is next to the noun/verb it is describing. It is very confusing to read something, and then the sentence goes someplace else, only to end with a description of the first thing. Stop it. It's an easy mistake (and something the editors should have caught) but it's bad writing.

The whole story follows the basic plot structure of rom-coms everywhere. The ending is expected, but it is very nice. My heart fluttered and broke with the characters.

There are a few plot points that are unnecessary: the letter, the sloppy seconds, the hope for the cousin and possibly the custody battle and definitely the “OCD.” Not only was the OCD plot point unnecessary, but it was hurtful. If Liam was truly suffering, he would need serious help. Simply getting a good girlfriend would not cure him. There are also many plot points that could have been given more sway: the two proms, the motorcycle accident, the marriage falling apart. Expanding on those points would have made the characters more 3 dimensional and the story more engaging.

Overall this book is nothing new, but it is still a fun beach read.

Up next: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

It was cute, but not one of her best. I have liked a lot of others that were better and loved many others. This one would be under the like, but not enough to read again...