I loved this book. This was a first time read from this author and I loved the fact the author tackled some tough topics. The main plot line with Dr. Lark Smith was like a punch to the gut with the huge amount of growth, as well as the extra heavy hitters of loss and grief. Of course — eventually love.

This book had me feeling many sorts of ways and I love getting into books with that strong sense of feelings where you are literally feeling them alongside the characters involved. There was a ton of healing which 100% pulled at my heart strings in a major way.

My first by the author and I enjoyed it. The book had two plots, actually. The main one, with Dr Lark Smith and her story of growth, loss, grief and eventual love. And then, the surprisingly thoughtful mature subplot of Ellie, Lark’s mom a successful, talented artist and gallery owner facing her own marital and personal issues. Thank you to @berkleypublishing for my advance copy!

Instagram review to come @on_a_sandbar

I have always been such a huge fan of Kristin Higgins and am always looking forward to a new book by her.

Sadly, I have to say this wasn’t it for me. I really really struggled with this book. I found myself putting the book down and not wanting to pick it back up.

The chapters were overly long and it just dragged on. I didn’t feel any connection with the characters and the mother really just got on my nerves.

I probably should have DNF this one.

I do look forward to her next release.

2/5 stars

Thank you @kristan.higgins @recordedbooks @berkleypub & @berkleyromance for the ALC & E-ARC!

My second book by this author and yet again she sure knows how to tug at my emotions. This story follows three woman. All dealing with their own things. Stories of friendship, loss, trauma, and healing. I felt this leaned more towards women's fiction. However it had romance sprinkled in with a little fake dating and marital struggles. I just felt the focus was more on their life's journey as a whole and not heavily focused on the romance, which I enjoyed. I loved that the audio narration helped me follow each of the main characters stories easily. I felt they matched their personalities to a T.

I have no doubt that at least one of these characters will be relatable to you when you read it!

I love Kristan Higgins! Her newest story, Look on the Bright Side, was the perfect summer read. I had a little trouble getting into the story, so I switched to audio, and I really enjoyed listening to it. It's not a new favorite of hers, but I did like it! It's not summer without a new KH book!

Kristan Higgins writes such heartwarming novels with flawed, lovable characters. I really enjoyed the unique stories and perspectives of the three women in this one. Thankfully, it wasn’t as sad as some of her recent reads and even had some humor, especially with the fake dating scenario. I also loved the subtle While You Were Sleeping vibe involving the brother. Cancer is a trigger warning in this book if you tend to avoid that topic.

This book was everything I wanted and more. It is the story of three women and although it is labeled romance I think it is more of a fiction story. There is some romance but I felt that the overwhelming narrative was the lives of these three woman. It takes place on Cape Cod which just adds to the ambiance of the story. I also love any stories that have to do with medical themes and one of our characters, Lark, is a resident oncologist. I loved her story the best and really enjoyed getting in her head and reading the journey of her being a doctor and how difficult that can be espeically when dealing with patients with cancer. Overall, this story has so much heart and emotions. I wish I could go back and read it again for the first time. Highly recommend this book.

Another amazing book from Kristan Higgins that pulls at your heartstrings but also leaves you with a sense of hope and joy. She’s such a fantastic writer!

I received this book as an advance reader copy from NetGalley.

An expected entry from Kristan Higgins. We have three main focus characters whose lives are in flux. Lark is training to be a doctor, but her emotions are hindering her path into her chosen field. After embarrassing herself by feeling "too much" her last chance for an internship relies on fake dating her robot of a boss.

Her mother has moved in with her landlord and we follow both through their troubles and hardships into their unusual friendship.

A perfect relationship driven dive into what makes these things work, fail, and be rebuilt.

This is a good book. The main character is lark. She is a doctor, who works in the ER. A surgeon name Lorenzo ask her be a fake girlfriend for a family wedding. He states he will help her get a job in the department she wants, she accepts. They go to meet the family. She meets Lorenzo’s brother Dante. There is an instant attraction. She goes on like usual but keeps thinking of Dante. They both have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

A truly beautiful and moving story. Kristan Higgins always tugs at my heart strings. This book shares tragedy but also shares the grace that comes out of it. I was so moved by this story. Highly recommended.

Kristan Higgins’ books are a study in masterful multi character studies. There are always so many characters, but they’re so well developed and it isn’t a chore to keep track of them all.

In this one, Lark agrees to fake date a genius, brash surgeon for a few months to help appease his dying grandmother, in exchange for an introduction to help get her into her chosen field, oncology. The reason she’s determined to be an oncologist is the loss of her childhood sweetheart to cancer seven years before. But this mutual, beneficial agreement gets more complicated when Lark starts having feelings for her fake boyfriend’s brother.

Woven throughout the book is the story of Lark’s mom, Ellie, and a disruption in her marriage to Lark’s dad, and Joy, Lark’s landlady, who is extremely wealthy materially but bereft of connection and purpose. Their growth and self discovery is not a central plot, but a delight to read nonetheless.

I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy character studies, books set on Cape Cod, and a light dash of romance mixed in.

Content warnings: (view spoiler)

Whew! Look on the Bright Side was a surprisingly emotional and touching read from the always reliable, Kristan Higgins.

I'll admit, I'm a dedicated romance reader, but I think to mix it up every now and then with some women's fiction. This book is a mash-up between the two, heavy on the self-discovery and light on the romance. There are also multiple narrators, which took some getting used to.

I kind of like that this book took me to some unexpected places. As a romance reader, you kind of have an inkling as to where the story might take you, but this author kept me on my toes. I found the romance parts to be less impactful than I was hoping, but the flashbacks and the side characters were WAY more impactful. The story made me actually sob at times. It reminded me as to why I went into dentistry when I originally was going to be a physician: sickness and death are freaking horrifically sad.

The setting was also pretty magical to me. I'm writing this review on my way to the Cape (we go to Nantucket every summer), so the setting really hit home for me. I could picture every single aspect of the story.

I couldn't put this one down (even when I wanted to, at times). Heed the content warnings, and be prepared to be wow-ed by this one.

I've never read a Kristan Higgins novel before so I had no idea what to expect and I have to say I actually had low expectations. That was dumb. This novel was such an easy, cute, clean romance that I devoured in a matter of hours. It follows the story of Lark, with a few chapters dedicated to Ellie (Lark's mom), and Joy (Lark's landlord). Lark is this super kind and empathetic resident who has just been kicked out of her oncology residency because she's too teary. She's moved to the ER, with the hopes she'll toughen up and perhaps be able to join the oncology department later. As all of this is happening, she's asked to pretend date the biggest a-hole doctor on the hospital's campus, by said a-hole doctor, and somehow she winds up saying yes. It's through her interactions with him and her work at the hospital that we learn more of her tragic past and how's become who she is. And while her past is truly tragic, her present is quite delightful. She has a full life, a lovely family, and she's quite unafraid to give the a-hole doctor some hard truths. Interspersed between her life at the hospital, and her fake dates, we learn about Ellie and her current marriage struggles and Joy and her hurtful past. All three narratives work well together to show a variety of women's experiences and the importance female friendships. They also show the power of all types of love.

All in all a really solid read.

I loved this book, Kristen Higgins is one of my favorite authors. It’s sweet and funny. Dr. Lucy is a good doctor but she gets very emotional. When she’s transferred out of oncology, she gets an offer she can’t refuse, pretend to date the doctor everyone calls Dr. Satan in exchange for getting back to oncology. It’s going great until she meets a gorgeous firefighter, who happens to be Dr. Satan’s brother. Now what is she supposed to do?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lark Smith has always had a plan for her life: find a fantastic guy, create a marriage as blissful as her parents’, pop out a couple of kids and build a rewarding career as an oncologist.

Things aren’t going so well.

Lark wants to be an oncologist, but gets too emotional around patients, and is moved to work in the ER. She finds herself making a deal with Dr. Santani who is in need of a fake girlfriend. It gets pretty hard to fake date “Dr. Satan” after she meets his firefighter brother. This story is more women’s fiction, with some romance added in.

Lark is the dominate MC, but also get to read the POV from Ellie (Lark’s mother) and Joy (Lark’s landlord). Both characters are facing their own struggles. Lark seemed to be the dominate MC, but loved how all three women fit together. Sweet back porch read!

I read on my kindle as well as audio! One voice I had a hard time understanding, but not sure if it was the reader or the technology side.

Look on the Bright Side is pretty much the usual rom-com. Lark is a resident in the Oncology Department at the hospital in Cape Cod. She is banished to ER because of her propensity to get emotionally involved with her patients. She’s a crier. To be honest, Lark has a reason to be emotional. She lost her fiancé to cancer. He was the one love of her life. It’s been seven years but she hasn’t moved on. Lark agrees to be a fake girlfriend for a fellow doctor. Lorenzo has no social skills. His grandmother is in Hospice care and her one wish is to see him settle down. Also in the story are Lark’s family, her landlady Joy, Lorenzo’s family and Lark’s fiance’s family. They all end up at a family party at Joy’s house. There is a twist to the ending. A twist that I was quickly able to predict. All in all, a fun summer read.

OK wow, this is listed as a romance, but that is the least of what it is. It balances a slow unraveling of a very heartfelt story with a little humor and a finding your place in the world. Lark has had a lot to live through but that remains a little bit of mystery as her past isn't evident from the start. The book intertwines Lark's past and present along with the present of her mother, Ellie, and her landlord, Joy. Three women living through life changing times and working on coming out stronger.

While there are three ladies at the center of this one, Lark's story takes center stage more so than the other two. Having completed her medical degree, she is working towards her dream of becoming an oncologist when life throws her a curve ball. It took me a little while to connect with Lark, but as her backstory was revealed, I realized how strong and courageous she really was. I was surprised at how heavy the story was at times. I even cried at one point, but was rooting for Lark and her overcoming her demons.

I won't spoil any of the surprises of the story, but this reminded me a little of one of my favorite 80s/90s rom coms.

Susan Bennett, Xe Sands, and Christina Moore bring the joy and the sorrows of Lark, Ellie and Joy to life. Each narrator fit with their character and successfully brought emotion and depth to the story.

I picked this book up because one of my top reads is & will always be "Pack Up the Moon' so I was beyond grateful to have gotten approved for this ARC.
It follows the lives of a mother and a daughter, through difficult times and traumatic history. It's the present and past of the main character Lark, who went through a tragic event and is more focused on career than finding love after having had it once. Along the way, a fake dating situation leads to meeting a new friend, who seems familiar to her, creating a big plot twist towards the end.
On another note, we follow Lark's mom, as she goes through her life as an older woman, in her marriage life and her career. It was very unique to see this POV and this change in life at an older age, because it's unexpected in reading romance, and it's beautiful. Her hardships showed growth in the phase of her life, and how love conquers all at the end.

It was a beautiful book that I immensely enjoyed, full of shocking moments, romance, growth, new friendships, and so many life lessons. In the end, through any difficult situation, you have to look on the bright sided.

What a great book. Enjoyed the storyline and the characters. I appreciate the way you went through the different stages of grief with Lark and how she kept a relationship with his parents. Enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to a friend.