Now That You Mention It was an amazing story of growth, self-discovering and glass-half-full attitude. The story is full of charm, hilarious situations, and lovable characters.

Nora Stuart is a gastroenterologist who has to reconsider her life after getting hit by a vehicle on her way to getting pizza for her boyfriend, who's an ER doc. While she's laying in the ER, she listens to the scumbag flirting with a co-worker and decides she needs to make changes in her life.

On turning a new leaf, Nora decides to go back to her hometown of Scupper Island to recuperate but also to try to salvage her relationship with her mother and her niece Poe while waiting for her sister to get out of jail. She brings with her, her dog, Boomer who's always able to cheer her up.

Nora doesn't have good memories from Scupper Island. She was a shy, introverted and overweight teenager. It happened after her father left them which caused a rift in her relationship with her sister, Lily. Lily became the popular one and was never there for Nora. Her mother became distant and unapproachable. Nora found herself pouring into her studies and trying to compete for a scholarship with the lovable and popular Luke who turned out to be a mean bastard. He's nothing like his brother Sully (inserts thousands of heart emojis) whom I adored.

As with any of Kristan Higgins's books, I laughed, I cheered, I squirmed, I cried. There are so many emotions going through me with her work and Now That You Mention It delivers them and more.

Her characters and her pets are always memorable. Sully was great and so was his daughter Audrey. Xiaowen brought hilarity and freshness to the scenes. Nora's persistence in getting through her family was commendable and admirable.

As a huge fan of Mrs. Higgins, I can only hope she writes many more stories.

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by HQN via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kristin Hannah has done it again! Nora has transformed into a successful doctor in Boston. When an accident sends her home to her Maine island she has to face her past and her family. ARC from NetGalley.

Nora escaped her tiny hometown on an island and believed she was on the way to an incredibly bright future, when her life implodes. She is injured when hit by a car, and then hears her boyfriend hit on another doctor while she is being treated. She does what she previously would have thought to be the unthinkable and goes back home to Maine. There she has to face the family issues she has until now avoided. Yet, instead of finding discontent, she develops new relationships and is able to see a revised, but wonderful future for herself.

This was a great book! I loved Nora and several of the other characters, notably, Sully and Audrey. The dog, Boomer, was a fun addition to the story! The storyline sucked me in and held my attention, and I loved the Maine Scupper Island setting. This book is a very good example of why Higgins is a must read author for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

This is my first Kristan Higgins book. I was immediately taken in by the synopsis and I could really relatedto the theme of returning home to small town life after having seen a bigger world.

Nora is a successful physician working in Boston, has a great boyfriend, and generally has a good life. At least it looks that way at first. But when she gets hit by a Beantown Bug Killer van and her boyfriend hits on someone while Nora is out of it in the emergency room, the story is only scratching the surface of Nora's life.

Making the decision to return to her childhood home at Scupper Island seems like the right thing to do, especially since Nora has some unresolved issues there too. A missing father, a cold mother, a troubled sister are just some of the situations that she must face. And there's the Fletcher brothers -- Luke, who resents Nora in a big way and Sully, who has paid a price for Luke's resentment. There's lots going on in this book and at times I felt like it was a cornucopia of situations, but Kristan Higgins weaves it all together in a way that made for a good story.

I loved the characters in Now That You Mention It, starting with Nora. She didn't always get it right, but she had some very difficult situations she had to deal with. The Big Bad Event was impressively written, and were some of the most tension filled and frightening pages in this book, even though as a reader I was aware of the outcome.

There are many other characters in this book that grabbed my interest. Nora's mom is the quintessential Maine-r ("She was a typical tough Maine woman -- able to shoot a deer, dress it and make venison chili the same day.") and had an interesting story of her own to add. The developing relationship between Poe, Nora's niece, and Nora also had me turning the pages.

The townsfolk of Scupper Island provided plenty of relief from some of the heavier elements of the story. There are some dark parts that are nicely balanced with more humorous scenes and I liked that about it. And there's girlfriend situations that everyone will find familiar. I loved how Nora handled those too.

And Sully. He is amazing. *sigh* and has the honor of being my first book boyfriend of 2018. I adored him and the way he was with the people in his life. I found myself craving every scene he was in. I love a good man, and Sully was all that and more. *sigh*

There is a whole lot to this story that I haven't talked about and I loved the way it was put together. Although it wasn't perfect as I thought the beginning was a little slow, I was so glad that I stayed with it. I ended up re-reading the last half of this book a second time already because I loved it so much.

While Now That You Mention It is more of a women's fiction title, the romantic elements are terrific and very sexy in my opinion, even thought they weren't explicit. I liked many so things about this story, from the characters to the way it was presented to me by the author. I will definitely be keeping a look out for upcoming titles from Kristan Higgins.

An ARC was provided for review.

After reading the latest from Kristan Higgins, an author who has quickly become one of my everlasting favorites, I have one question. How does she do it?! No matter the story, no matter the character's dire circumstances, she manages to create a story that brings you to tears and laughter.

In Now That You Mention It, Nora Stuart returns home after 15 years of avoidance to mend her battered body and fragile mental state. She wakes up in the hospital after being hit by a car to find her boyfriend flirting with another doctor. Nora packs up her lovable pooch, Boomer, and heads to Scupper Island. What better time for family bonding when her little sister is in jail, and her niece and mother are staying in the childhood home where she wants to recuperate? It's a hard path ahead of her, but she feels it's her responsibility to look after her sister's sullen teenage daughter and make sure her self-sufficient mother is not alone.

Reading this story is like peeling away the layers of an onion. The deeper Nora takes readers into her past the more we learn about the choices and circumstances that led her to recreate herself and avoid going back home. It all comes full circle as old wounds are exposed and Nora gets a grip on the meaning of home and happiness. Line after line creates a crystal clear image of a character you'll love to root for because she has relatable issues and is a magnet for humorous disaster. Humor and heartbreak are balanced with an endearingly awkward romance and Nora's fishing for information about her father.

Now That You Mention It is an amazingly uplifting novel that will give you positive vibes all week long. Even if you think you're in a good place before you read this, you'll be soaring by the end!
*ARC provided in consideration for review*

I really enjoyed this book. The character development feels real and I found myself rereading it after I finished. The book contains mentions of rape and graphic descriptions of assault so reader beware. My only complain is that the book both describes violent situations in detail yet at the same time it glosses over them which is confusing and unsatisfying.

First I want to say that Kristan Higgins is hilarious. I spit out my drink more than once while reading this book. Hysterical. Her witty internal dialogue cracked me up too. This was my first Kristan Higgins book and it was amazing. If it’s any indication of how well written her other books are, then she’s a new favorite author.
The highly-developed characters, which is what I loved most about this book, along with the vivid scenes bring this story to life in a way that will make it dwell indelibly in your memory-bank long after you’ve finished reading it. It was poignant, yet simultaneously humorous, suspenseful, and emotional. There was a bit of zany romance too. It seemed to have a little of everything, and it all fit together perfectly. Kristan Higgins is one hip lady, and she writes in a way that anyone, regardless of background, could easily relate to her storytelling. It was unputdownable and never dragged. I highly recommend it.

Thank you so much, Netgalley, for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review which I have again.

If you're in the mood to sink into a cute and slightly quirky read that is mostly lighthearted fun, this is the book for you. I'm generally NOT a fan of romance, and while the book certainly has romantic moments, they're not overdone or even the backbone of the story itself. Yes, there's some romance. There's also a lot more. Family issues, dealing with your past, guilt, secrets, grief, and new beginnings. While most of it is very light, there is one part somewhere in the middle that involves a very dark look into the past of the main character. It's quite jarring, and something you might want to be prepared for. It is a necessary part of the story, helping us understand Nora.

At first glance, Nora has an enviable life. She's a respected doctor, financially secure, has a handsome boyfriend, and a loving dog. That's the surface Nora. If you really know her well, you know she's still shaken from what happened to her one night, only referred to as a "Big Bad Event" for part of the book. Her life hasn't been the same since. When she's hit by a van and overhears her "perfect" doctor boyfriend hitting on a beautiful woman right next to her bruised and broken body, she knows it's time for a major change. She's filled with the desire to go home... back to the island she grew up on.

They're not exactly rolling out the welcome wagon for Nora and Boomer, her boisterous pooch. Her mom is as stoic and closed off as ever. The niece she hasn't seen in years is surly and uninterested in forming a relationship. Nora's little sister is in jail and doesn't want to speak to her. A lot of people in town still hold Nora responsible for something that happened when she was in high school, blaming her for stealing an opportunity from the town's golden boy. If she wants to change a thing, she has her work cut out for her, and she'll need more cooperation than it looks like she's going to get.

Getting hit by that van certainly changed her life... but will it be for the better, or simply dredge up old pain?

This is a satisfying read, in the way that hot cocoa and cookies are satisfying. It's a comfort to get lost in another world for awhile. It might veer into predictability on occasion and there's nothing mind blowing, but it's so enjoyable that you don't mind a bit. It did strike me that the character kind of seemed younger than she was, but it wasn't a deal breaker.

Does anyone want to move to an island with me? Lets go.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Harlequin, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing for an honest review. This was my first book by this author and I throughly enjoyed it. Nora Stuart is a doctor who returns home after surviving a severe accident. She hasn’t been home in years, to the town she couldn’t get away from fast enough after high school. She has come home now to try and heal physically as well as reconnect with her mother and niece. We learn about Nora’s life from childhood through to age 36. There have been a lot of trumatic experiences and disappointments that Nora has overcome. This book has many different elements, drama, humour, sadness and it is all written well. There are a lot of secondary characters in the book and they are a wonderful component. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Dr. Nora returns home to Scupper Island, Maine for a while for some rest and recuperation. She decided to leave behind her old life in Boston for a while - well, her old "reinvented in medical school" life, the one where she lost weight and gained confidence.
Higgins wrote a fascinating mother daughter relationship between Nora and her mom, and then put icing on the cake adding Nora's wayward sister into the mix. Very well done. The family dynamics sucked me in without being too over the top. And Nora's niece ... aw, man, I was endeared to her from the start!

Best thing ever: The houseboat Nora rents. Second best thing ever: reading Nora's emotions when she hears a certain someone walking up the dock. Oh and don't miss the dinner party of all dinner parties - thank goodness for supportive friends, slightly eligible bachelors, and a mom who doesn't stand for any nonsense.

A heartwarming story of a woman who is trying to find herself and repair family bonds after an accident.
Nora is a great main character. She has her flaws but is willing to grow and she is also brave and smart. There were really strong female friendships in this book which made the book more interesting. There was some romance but the main part of the story was about nora with romance taking the backseat which is really refreshing.All in all.this is a great book that you would be sad to see it end.

Robert Frost said that “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” He said nothing about them having to like it. Or you.

Nora Stuart feels like she has to return home, to tiny Scupper Island, to see if she can get her life back on track after an accident. And a wake up call.

Nora’s life has been gray for a while now. She’s been going through the motions after something she refers to cryptically as the “Big Bad Event”. She figures that she’ll snap out of it eventually, and go back to being bright, sparkling, electric Nora, who escaped her tiny island home, her broken family, and her history as the high school “troll” to become a successful doctor.

But when the Beantown Bug Killers van mows her down and nearly kills her outside the hospital, it’s kind of a cosmic kick in the pants. As is waking up in recovery to see her boyfriend telling her nurse that he was planning to break up with her but now can’t as she’ll need help after her accident.

Nora decides she doesn’t need his help THAT bad. She can always go home to her mother on Scupper Island, and face all the demons she left behind. And while that might seem a bit melodramatic, the fact is that in high school, the other students pretty much were demons in the way they tormented fat, lonely, miserable Nora.

Going back will give her the chance to mend fences with her extremely capable but emotionally distant mother, reconnect with the niece that she has been ruthlessly pushed away from, and hopefully discover what really happened the day her father left the island and his family forever, and seemingly took all the bright happiness of her childhood with him.

But Nora left Scupper Island 17 years ago with the town scholarship to Tufts University, and no one seems to have forgotten that Nora “stole” the scholarship that should have gone to the town’s golden boy, That scholarship was given to the high school senior with the highest GPA, and Nora won fair and square. Not that anyone believes that, not even Nora.

Even though small towns have long memories, Nora discovers that some things (and people) have changed. A lot. And some not at all.

The question is whether Nora has changed enough to let herself be, not the miserable child she was, nor the bright, sparkly person she chose to be, but the person she really is. And to discover the best life to make that person, her real self, happy.

Escape Rating A-: Kristan Higgins writes quintessential “women’s fiction”, and as much as I hate the term, I love her storytelling.

The story of Now That You Mention It is all about Nora and her relationships with the women in her life; her unapproachable mother, her lost sister, and her disaffected niece, but it’s also about Nora’s relationship with the person she used to be. Part of her journey is for Boston-Nora-the-Doctor to make peace with Scupper-Island-Nora, formerly known as the troll. And it’s not going to be easy for those two people to meet in the mushy middle and make up Nora-who-is-just-Nora.

There is a romance as part of Nora’s journey, but it’s not the focus of the story. The focus is on Nora making peace with her own past and taking charge of her own present.

Her past has a lot of crap in it that needs to be uncovered and worked through. Nora’s memories of life on Scupper Island after her father left are as painful to read as they would have been to experience. In the wake of that unresolved tragedy, Nora threw herself into academic overachievement and self-comforting overeating, while her sister turned into a bitchy member of the in-crowd of Nora’s tormentors and her mother just kept things together as best as she could.

Now it’s up to Nora and her mother to make some kind of peace, and for the town to make its peace with Nora. And for her to do for her niece what she was never able to do for her sister, and to find out why.

In the end, this is the story of a healing journey for those who can be healed, like Nora and her mother Sharon and niece Poe. It’s also about the acceptance of the things that can’t be changed. Like the past. And her sister.

Nora’s memories of her past on the island make for hard reading. Anyone who remembers being bullied at school may also find them triggering, and I’ll confess I skipped a bit through those parts. But they add depth and poignancy to Nora’s difficult but ultimately rewarding journey.

Mesmerizing, heartwarming, and brilliantly crafted!

Now That You Mention It is a touching story that immerses you in a tale about confronting the past, embracing the future, and discovering one's true self.

The prose is well turned and fluid. The characters are unique, flawed, genuine, and lovable. And the story is an exceptionally absorbing tale about life, love, forgiveness, familial drama, friendship, courage, community, and happiness.  

Now That You Mention It is the perfect mix of hope, heart, grit, and humour and undoubtedly Higgins at her best. It is so much more than expected. It makes you laugh, makes you cry, and leaves you with a smile, and I absolutely loved it!

Ms Higgins has done it again!

Nora is a mid 30s doctor when an accident shines a light on what she calls “the greyness” of her life and she decides to return to the small island town where she grew up.

The story that follows is one that I think a lot of people can relate to on one level or another. We see Nora deal with complicated family dynamics, hard memories and resentment stemming from high school (both hers and towards her), more recent traumas, and the ending of her recent romantic relationship.

This well written story shows us that even achieving success as an adult doesn’t erase hurts during our formative years if they aren’t dealt with. Nora’s return to Scudder Island forces her to complete the emotional journey that was paused when she left the island for college and avoided coming back.

In Higgin’s typical style, there are humorous and awkward moments mixed in with the heavier emotions. Nora’s growth and the positive changes she brings to those around her made this a heart warming tale perfect for anyone.

Nora Stuart has had to overcome a lot in life; a absentee father, a torturous high school life, a near fatal attack and now a car hits her while jaywalking and she is forced to recuperate among family and people she has been avoiding for her entire adult life. Not only is she contemplating her life, now that she has a second chance but she is debating on staying in her current relationship after catching her fellow doctor boyfriend flirting over her broken body. Nora returns to her childhood home on a island off the coast of Maine where she tries to fix her strained relationship with her mother and mentor her niece while her sister is incarcerated.

Often at times this appeared to be your standard chick-lit; romance mixed with some family drama but there was another element to the story that I thoroughly enjoyed and that was the drama and suspense of Nora’s near fatal attack and the effects it had on her life. The characters were highly enjoyable and I especially loved the smoldering Sullivan. I thought that the relationship between Nora and her mother was due mostly to stubborn heads prevailing and found myself wishing for a time machine so they could go back and rectify their mistakes so they would have a closer relationship. I would love for this to become a series from the author and would devour it as I have this novel. If you have read Kristan Higgins before she does not disappoint and if you haven’t this is a great time to start!
5⭐️’s

Kristan Higgins does it again! Nora was captivating, smart and funny. She heads back to Maine for recharge. I love the characters that were introduced. We see some people pop up from Gideon's Cove. What I loved about this book was, going through the motions of life isn't living. Higgins conveys the message with Nora and her escape. It was wonderful to watch Nora grow and evolve and embrace life as it should be lived.

3.5 Stars

I really enjoy Kristan Higgin’s stories and this isn’t the first one I’ve read from the author, though it is my first woman’s fiction. I call it that because the focus of the story is on the main character’s personal growth and not a primary romance. Though, there is a romantic element to the story.

In this east coast adventure, Higgin’s takes readers on a journey from Boston to the small Maine island of Scupper. There are plenty of memorable characters from Nora’s wonderful Dog of Dogs, Boomer, to her sullen niece, Poe. I quickly found myself immersed in the cast and, as with most books by this author, loved the diversity that’s seamlessly added to the story.

Following Nora around, seeing how she’s blossomed into a well-groomed, confident doctor from the awkward island girl who turned to academics and food to hide herself is refreshing. But, I found parts of Nora harder to accept. Her hesitance to hide her feelings instead of talk about them got a little annoying. The entire book she kept searching for acceptance from others instead of finding it on her own, which I think she could have realized earlier on.

The conflicts of the story are internal and external, from the high school jock who competed with her academically to the lost love from her sister. Nora’s got the tough Mom, the jerk ex-boyfriend and even a potential guy who she’s always admired but is far from the perfect specimen himself. I think the draw to this story is more the people surrounding Nora than Nora herself. I really got involved in the other characters lives and this fun town/island Higgin’s has created.

This story has a bit of Crusie’s craziness, a touch of Phillips well-weaved plot, and a whole lot of unique voice that only Higgin’s can provide. For those seeking a feel-good story to end 2017.

~ Landra

I really enjoyed this book. It is pretty firmly Women's Fiction with a side of romance, with no sex on the page.
Nora gets hit by a car and puts her big city life on hold and goes home to recuperate. While there she works on herself, comes to terms with some truths and lies she's been telling herself. Her journey is the main story. I enjoyed it.
As per typical KH, there is a wide cast of supporting characters and all were great. Especially her niece Poe who was not a ploy moppet.
All in all this was an enjoyable read for me. It tackled some heavier topics well. The characters had flaws and weren't magically fixed, nor were they vilified.
TW: (attempted sexual assault) (less)

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I have loved Kristan Higgins since I started reading her Blue Heron romance series. In the past 3 or so years- she’s evolved her writing style and is now more firmly in the women’s fiction style of writing than romance. But all the things I loved in her romance- her use of snark, dialogue that makes you laugh out loud, and characters that are real- she didn’t forget about them once she moved to WF- in fact, she may even have made her trademark style BETTER.

Nora’s got some issues. She’s risen above what people in high school thought of her and hasn’t returned to Scupper Island since she left there after getting a scholarship. But her life has taken some bad hits recently and she needs to go back home- to try and mend some family ties on Scupper Island, to heal herself emotionally & physically.

What I Liked:

The Cover!

Nora. She’s scrappy, bright, funny. She’s a bit too Harry Potter obsessed for me to hang out with her, but she had a whole lot going for her. Even more when she realized some things about high school that she felt some guilt over was not for her to feel guilt about.



Bottom line: This book has a lot going for it. Mother/daughter relationships, Sister/Sister relationships, making peace with high school horror, and focusing on having a good life- even if it’s not exactly how you pictured it when you were 18.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

**This book is also a December #FuturisticFriday selection from Traveling With T.**