Look on the Bright Side

Starred review from March 18, 2024
Bestseller Higgins (Pack Up the Moon) proves her mastery of the romance genre in this emotional tour de force. Lark Smith fell in love with her late fiancé, Justin, in kindergarten. Now, seven years after his death, she doesn’t believe she’ll ever love again and pours all her passion into her work as an oncology resident. That’s why she’s so disappointed when she’s demoted to the ER due to her overly emotional reaction to the death of her favorite patient. So when universally despised surgeon Lorenzo Santini (aka Dr. Satan) asks her to pose as his girlfriend at a family wedding to placate his grandmother, Lark reluctantly agrees in exchange for 25 grand and Santini’s promise that he can get her back in oncology. While Dr. Satan lives up to his nickname, Lark falls in love with his welcoming Italian family—especially his brother Dante, who has a surprising tie to her past. Braided into this central romance plot are the stories of Lark’s mother, Elsbeth, and her landlady, Joy. When Elsbeth discovers that her husband has had an emotional affair, Joy, who’s spent a lifetime recovering from her father’s psychological abuse, offers her a place to stay and the women heal together. Higgins balances tear-jerking moments with happiness and hope, and crafts strong female characters worth cheering for. Readers should have tissues at the ready.

April 15, 2024
Higgins returns to Cape Cod for a second book about the Smith siblings (after A Little Ray of Sunshine, 2023). Oncology is Lark Smith's calling, so when she gets booted from her residency program because of her compassion and sensitivity, she feels adrift. Enter Dr. Lorenzo Santini, nicknamed Dr. Satan because of his gruff demeanor. Lorenzo needs a date to a family wedding to appease his elderly grandmother. In exchange for posing as his girlfriend, he promises to help Lark make her way back into the oncology program. Getting to know the lively, close-knit Santini family is a joy for Lark--especially Lorenzo's younger brother Dante, a Boston firefighter who seems to be the opposite of surly, condescending Lorenzo. But giving in to their mutual attraction could jeopardize both Lark's career and her blossoming friendship with the Santini siblings--as well as her memories of her fianc�, Justin, who died of leukemia seven years before. Higgins plays with grumpy/sunny and fake-dating tropes in this heartfelt story about grief, family ties, and second chances. Subplots featuring Lark's parents as well as her landlady add further depth, and there's a thoughtful blend of heart-wrenching emotion and laugh-out-loud humor throughout. Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Jill Shalvis should slip this into their beach bags.

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