Kristan Higgins pulls an emotional punch in this novel. Lark is a medical resident, intent on specializing in oncology, when she is removed for getting too emotional with her patients. When Dr, Santini offers to get her back in oncology’s good graces if she will pose as his girlfriend for his family, particularly his terminally ill grandmother, Lark accepts. Lark and Lorenzo are from large families, which adds humor to the heavy parts of the book. Higgins successfully merges sorrow with laughter, as well as hope. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

When I first starting reading romance again, I loved Higgins’s contemporary romances, especially Catch of the Day. I love a fisherman hero. I left off reading Higgins because she, like other favourite Sarah Morgan, went the way of women’s fiction. But this publisher’s blurb felt more romance-y than usual for WF fare and I took a wild chance. I was wrong and right. I was wrong because Look On the Bright Side really is more WF than I care for and yet, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it.

Centred around the Lark family, its focus, at firstl, is Lark Smith, an oncology resident sent packing to work ER because she’s too “sympathetic” towards the patients. And weeps…a lot. The narrative extends to also tell the story of Lark’s mother, Ellie, whose perfect marriage goes wonky when she discovers her husband of 38 years is messaging a woman on Facebook. And again, the narrative extends to Joy Deveaux, Lark’s landlady, who moved to the Cape after losing her brother. Divorcée of three marriages and recipient of sundry “beautifying” plastic surgeries, Joy has more money than she knows what to do with and nothing to do but feel lonely.

The Smiths and Joy are soon entwined with the Santinis when Dr. Lorenzo Santini, aka Dr. Satan, not a mere adorable grump, but devoid of adorableness and made of arrogance, rudeness, and a thorough lack of humour, asks Lark to be his fake girlfriend for his sister’s wedding and the sake of his dying Nona. Lark agrees, hoping “Dr. Satan” will help her make her way back to oncology’s good graces. And there be sad, serious reasons: Lark lost her fiancé to cancer and wants to dedicate her career to working with its patients.

Higgins’s Look On the Bright Side unfortunately proved me right…again, about WF’s most pernicious elements: sisters (Lark is a twin; thankfully, this didn’t get too much page time), cancer, truly its most unbearable convention (reaching its height in the goshawful My Sister’s Keeper), marriage on the rocks, family dynamics, and romance-lite. Yup, not a fan of these essential WF themes; they bore me to tears and then some.

Nevertheless, there are saving elements to Higgins’s WF: humour and banter, I assume left over from her romance-writing days. It won me over and it, in places, also in its favour, surprisingly delighted me. Particularly strong was Lark and Dr. Satan’s anti-banter: when they go on their first fake-date, Lark tells him about her family; his response: ” ‘Did I indicate interest in your family?’ ‘No, but someone has to fill the silence.’ ‘Why?’ ” And it goes on like this…and my Kindle note: “I love Lark. And this is too funny to be WF! Yippee!” Lark stays sharp and funny and is still a WF-weeper, over cancer and family…I never once rolled my eyes or disliked her. When she joins the ER, the supervising Dr. Unger is a hoot as well.

Look On the Bright Side suffers when it flashbacks to Lark’s fiancé’s cancer: these chapters went on too long, werebtoo detailed, but I guess they had to be so to give Lark her full healing HEA. Lark’s mother, Ellie, and her fury at her husband emotionally straying also had a witty, funny streak in her contempt and anger (but, hey, still romance-influenced, an HEA here too), though again, the exposition in the backstory fill-ins dragged on. The funniest exchanges are with Nona: old, bald, suspicious, and nasty Nona, who takes an instant dislike to Lark and spits hilarious venom at her for the duration. Nona-Nasty is foiled by Lark’s dog, Connery (yes, after Sean) whose adorableness and affection can make up for Noni’s deathly snark and Dr. Satan’s grim, arrogant, emotional cluelessness. And then there’s the firefighter brother, Dante Santini…romance sigh-worthy and with a lovely twist in how he’s connected to Lark. All around, I can’t say Look On the Bright Side made me a WF reader, but it may have again made me a Higgins reader.

Kristan Higgins’s Look On the Bright Side is published by Berkley and released on May 28. I received an e-galley, from Berkley, via Netgalley. The above is the honest AI-free expression of my opinion.

“We all die, Lark, he said quietly. “The last months of our lives can matter as much as all the months that came before.”

Lark Smith’s life has never gone as planned. First she lost the love of her life, and now she’s being booted from her chosen field of livelihood, a career in Oncology. Dubbed too emotional, she’s reassigned to the ER where she hopefully will develop a thicker skin.

Around the same time she’s approached by the successful yet stoic surgeon, Lorenzo “Satan” Santini with an interesting proposal. His grandmother dying, he wants to borrow Lark as his fake girlfriend for his sister’s wedding, hoping to provide some false hope for the ailing elder. Initially appalled, Lark eventually agrees when the doctor offers to pull some strings to get her back in the department she desires.

All of Lorenzo’s family immediately warms to Lark and vice versa, except, ironically, the grandmother she is there to please. But even more surprising are the warm feelings Lark has for Lorenzo’s firefighter brother, Dante. While Lark attempts to reconcile her life both personal and professional, her landlady and mother go through their own sets of soul searching, reminders that even the best laid plans can come undone.

Look on the Bright Side was an entertaining book albeit a little bit busy. Lark’s story is the main focus, but the detours taken that focus on others tend to seem a bit out of place. I think the story would have been better served, and better received, as one just about Lark and her journey. Instead I could see the plethora of characters each getting their own stories in a bright side series rather than trying to cram so much into one book.

Kristin Higgins’ latest novel Look on the Bright Side follows three women whose lives each take an unexpected yet rewarding detour. This moving story explores the unexpected good things that can happen when your life doesn’t go exactly as planned.

Lark’s dream is to be an oncologist, but she gets too emotional around her patients & gets transferred to work in the ER. Dr. Santani (or Dr. Satan as he is known) is the ER attending doc and he knows Lark wants to get back to oncology as soon as possible. He makes a deal with her - if she will pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer to make his dying grandmother think he has someone special in his life, he will help her get back to oncology. Lark unexpectedly ends up falling for Dr. Satan’s sexy firefighter brother. How does one keep up a fake dating ruse when you’re attracted to the wrong guy?

Lark isn’t the only member of her family going through it though. Her mom Ellie has recently separated from Ellie’s dad, and she moves in with Lark’s landlord, Joy. Ellie and Joy are both going through some things and end up forming the most unlikely of friendships. I loved following their POVs and seeing their friendship blossom, while also getting the story from Lark’s perspective as she navigates her way through both a fake relationship and the possibilities of a real one.

Higgins’ writing is top notch as always, and her characters are just so beautifully developed and easy to relate to. As I mentioned earlier, Look on the Bright Side is also a moving read. It made me laugh at times, but it also had me shedding a few tears along the way.

I recommend this book if you enjoy women’s fic, found families, & female friendships.

I am a Kristan Higgins fan girl! I will buy every book she puts out. She is a master at writing books that are like butter to sink into. Her characters are fun, round, and people that you want to root for. Fans of romance where there is also a bigger plot in play will love her stories! Oh, and there is always a very good dog!

In Look on the Bright Side, readers follow Lark, sister of Harlow from A Little Ray of Sunshine, as she navigates her residency and her life without her fiance who passed away several years ago. Lark has always wanted to be an oncologist, but she is shipped over to the ER after crying too much with the families of her patients. She also gets a surprising offer from "Dr. Satan"-- a mega-rich, mega-mean doctor at the hospital. He needs her to pretend to be his girlfriend for some family functions so that his ailing grandmother can die knowing he has found someone. In most romance novels, this would signal that we are in for Lark falling for Satan himself. However, Higgins flips the trope on its head! We also hear from Lark's landlady and Lark's mother-- all of whom speak with a unique voice and have very different experiences.

Overall, I loved it! Summer reading is for Kristan Higgins books forever!

I received an ARC of this book. I highly recommend. You will go through all the emotions for the characters. It has twists and turns, keeps you on the edge of your seat. Leaves you wanting more, but also wraps it up in a good way.

Another hit for Kristan Higgins that follows the family that we were introduced to in her last book. Lark has had tragedy in her life and her memories of her life were very moving. I don't usually get very upset about people, but their story really touched me. I'm glad Lark found how to look on the bright side and live life. The dog sounds darling too!

What a terrific book! Romance fans who love to read about a protagonist overcoming her own obstacles, look no further.

4.5 - Thank you so much to Berkley for the advance copy of this book!

Lord, I did not what I was getting myself into when I started this book. I thought I was going to get this sweet romance about a woman at a beach with a dog and instead I got a book about 3 women who have had 3 different versions of love.

I will break down my mini thoughts into the 3 point of views.

Joy - Joy is an older woman who has just never felt like she could just be herself. She was always striving to appease someone. She never fully was living for herself. We learn about Joy's upbringing and the toxic environment in her household. She was very close to her brother and would do anything for him. She was constantly changing her appearance and refuses to allow herself to age. She became friends with her tennant's mother and learned what it was like to have a real friend. I was so happy when Joy found what she was meant to do with her life.

Ellie - Just like with Joy, we see Ellie early on in her life as she is a young mother to 5 children with her husband Gerald whom she has been married to for 38 years. They have had a wonderful life together devoted to their children and to each other. She learns that her husband has been keeping a secret and it was so jarring that she had to leave her home and asked Joy if she could stay with her. Ellie's chapters are mostly her figuring out what she should do with her husband. I love the friendship that she and Joy begin to have as a result of this. They really were able to help each other out.

Lark - Lark is the star of the book being the focal point that connects to the two above. Lark rents a cottage on the property owned by Joy and is the daughter of Ellie. At the beginning of the book Lark is timid and not the most confident oncology doctor who tends to be overly emotional when she loses patients. She gets sent to emergency department and is not super thrilled about it. In hopes to get back into the oncology she agrees to fake date a surgeon Dr. Lorenzo Santini, whom is known as Dr. Satan. I appreciated Lark's tenacity to try to break Lorenzo and make him seem like a normal human. This is not your typical fake date as we learn over the course of the book. Lark's story of her first love truly broke my heart. I was not prepared for how sad I was going to be while reading. I truly enjoyed reading her parts despite the pain it brought me. I love the growth that we see in Lark. By the end of the book she is putting her skills as a doctor to use and she realized what she was truly made to do.

I feel like this book is going to sit with me for awhile after finishing. Even now a day later, I am finding myself still thinking about all 3 women and their stories and how we are all connected in this world.

If you are looking for a book that will put you through an emotional rollercoaster ride but still end with happy endings, give this book a read!

Look on the Bright Side is a perfect romantic beach read. Kristan Higgins does not disappoint in this wonderful story of love and loss. The author keeps you going until the bitter end and you don't want the story to end.

Lark Smith thought it was her life’s calling to be an oncologist, so she’s devastated when she gets “demoted” to the ER for being too emotional for oncology. After all, although empathy is an important component for the job, it’s a bit over the top when the doctor cries so much the patient’s family is comforting her! About the same time, Dr. Lorenzo Santini (aka Dr. Satan) offers to provide Lark with an endorsement to a prestigious oncology department head, but there’s a catch: she has to agree to be his fake girlfriend for the summer and attend his sister’s wedding events with him. Seems like a pretty good bargain… until Lark falls for Dr. Satan’s brother Dante!

If “fake dating but make it deep and emotional” is your jam, then this is the book for you! I adore Kristan Higgins’s writing style, she is so talented at hooking your heart immediately and making you love her characters. Lark is so sweet and you can’t help rooting for her; I simultaneously wanted to wrap her in a warm hug and push her out of her self-imposed nest. In addition to Lark’s POV, we also get her landlady Joy and Lark’s mom Ellie. It’s a summer of growth for all three women, with themes of love, grief, forgiveness, growth, and second chances. I definitely recommend this beautifully written and touching story!

Many thanks Berkley Publishing for providing me an advance copy of this book.

4.5 Stars

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is another story from this author with all the feels. The characters are fully drawn with their own unique personalities and areeasy to relate to. Readers will be pulled right into this story as they cheer these characters through the complexities of life and finding their happy endings. Highly recommended to women's fiction fans!

This author does such a good job in weaving through so many emotions in her stories with relatable characters that readers can't help but love. This story made me laugh, cry, swoon, cheer... there were seriously so many good moments! I loved when Lark totally steps up and takes charge. I also loved the "Dr. Satan" moniker, but also that even though he is, you also see that he's not just one dimensional. These characters have histories, their own challenges, and their own redeeming qualities. Now Dante was definitely swoon worthy, and that whole story and history and emotional connection was pretty amazing. But also not easy. There was some work involved and real conversations, and not just between Dante and Lark but with other characters too.

I really liked that the author took what you could think was going to be a Beauty and the Beast story or enemies to lovers and it not be that. She didn't fall into the cliche at all. And she didn't fall into one of my pet peeves of cheating either. Characters approached and even stepped over the line, but there were consequences. It wasn't just brushed aside and there was responsibility for choices from both sides. That's a pretty hard line to walk and it worked for me here. There were some really tough themes in this book, like the cheating, but also loss, grief and abuse. All of that heaviness was balanced by humorous moments (some of them in the ER), beautiful moments of friendship, family moments, and one adorable dog. Of course, the endings for these characters were bittersweet and beautiful. My favorite way for stories to end.

I also had a few places that really struck me. Here are two of them:

"I'm on your side, he said. "People say not to take sides, and to that, I say, ridiculous! There's right and there's wrong. I'm on the side of right."

"The key, she had learned, was to live in the here and now. Not the back then or the what-if, but right now. Not to worry about the shadows or the times of sorrow and darkness. They would come, of course. No one was immune. The trick was to carry hope and determination like a torch into the dark times."

In the end, was it what I wished for? This was a book I was looking forward to and the author did not disappoint. It took me on an emotional journey with characters I loved and little pieces of wisdom along the way. Well worth the read!

Content: References to abuse and neglect (nothing overly detailed), references to cheating, someone dying from cancer with the subsequent grief and loss, some ER trauma in and out of the hospital, some swearing (mostly s-words).
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This treasure of a book absolutely broke my heart into pieces, but then put it back together again. Kristan writes with such emotion, sensitivity, vulnerability and grace. This book made me laugh, ugly cry, fall in love, and form attachments to Lark, Ellie, Joy, and so many others. I became so invested in these three brave women and their journeys, and I was rooting for all of them to find their happy endings.

Told from three different points of view, in addition to some flashbacks, Look On The Bright Side is rich in both character development and plot. While the majority of it is focused on Lark, her childhood sweetheart, her path to becoming an oncologist, and her healing journey, I also came to know and love Lark's mother, Ellie, and Lark's landlady, Joy. And let's not leave out all of the Smith siblings and extended family, as well as Lorenzo and the Santini family! They absolutely captured my heart and started to feel more like family than fictional characters. They also gave me a "While You Were Sleeping" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" vibe, which I adored! They are all so flawed and beautiful and authentic, and I fell in love with every single one of them.

While this story has an incredible amount of heart and hope, it is also very heavy. I ugly cried several times, and if you are sensitive to or triggered by cancer, hospice care, on-page death, and dementia, as well as body shaming, emotional/physical abuse, and infidelity, please proceed with caution. This is a beautiful story, but it is also full of very difficult, heartbreaking, and moving moments that will make you hug and hold your loved ones to your heart even more.

I am so very glad I read/listened to this book. Voice actors Susan Bennett, Xe Sands, and Christina Moore all managed to make me tear up and sob at various points due to the raw emotion with which they read this book, and I loved this one so much that I immediately checked out Kristan's Pack Up The Moon from my local library. Kristan, you've made me a huge fan despite making me bawl, and I can't wait to read more from you!

Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins
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Look at this cover! Just a woman with her dog, walking on the beach. Unassuming, uncomplicated.
This cover is deceptive, because this was an amazing book. An absolute treasure.
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But, WHY, Stacia? WHY is it an absolute treasure?

1-We start out with Lark Smith, who receives an unbelievable business proposal from everyones least favorite person at work (hint: fake dating). I was cracking up laughing for the first few chapters of the book. So funny.

2-It isn’t all funny though, we also get a POV from Lark’s mom. Lark’s mom’s story broke my heart. I was totally invested in her part of the story and was actually very frustrated when we would change to someone else’s POV because I just wanted to stay with her.

3-I adored how heartwarming this story is. There are some strong family ties here in the Smith family. They are the type of family who just pull people in and I wanted to be part of their family too. 💜💜💜 Lark’s neighbor, Joy, was so sad since losing the only close family she had and it was the sweetest thing to see her being brought into the Smith family circle.

4-Lark’s story was this amazing combination of funny, yet sad, but heartwarming. I was laughing one minute, and crying the next. I finished the book and was sad that it was over. This will be an excellent reread over the years.
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5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In conclusion, I think everyone should read this book. It is in the running for my top ten (possibly top three) of the year. I want to read everything Kristan has ever written.

My heart hurts. This book tore me apart in the best possible way. Look on the Bright Side is packed full of emotions—it’s funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and really just an overall great read.

Lark Smith may have blown her oncology residency by being too emotional. Her heart is so big and she cries about every terminal diagnosis. She rather quickly gets moved from the oncology department to the ER even through her passion remains in oncology. A renowned surgeon, Dr. Santini, but known by the staff as Dr. Satan, proposes to Lark to be his fake date for the summer. In return for Lark pretending to be his girlfriend to please his 99 year old grandmother, Dr. Santini will recommend that Lark be transferred back to oncology.

As the storyline develops, we learn why Lark is so passionate about oncology. The story is richly deep and emotional. There’s also some anticipated romance and quite a bit of humor. I adored the characters in this book—they were all so lovable.

This title released May 28, 2024.

5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kristan Higgins, and Berkley Publishing for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars - moving & heartfelt while having lighter moments too!

This is my first Kristan Higgins book, but it won't be my last. Like a Jill Shalvis story, this one is several stories in one which I absolutely adore. There is the main story which is Lark's who is a hot mess of an oncologist who probably gets a bit too involved with her patient's plights - she has the reputation for being weepy - which she is...a LOT.

There is also Lark's landlady, Joy who is at loose ends with her life and how to make it a fulfilling one. And then there is Lark's mom, Ellie, who temporarily moves in with Joy to really avoid Lark's dad as we find out. That one took a bit to unravel and boy did my heart hurt for Ellie when all was discovered.

The only drawback was the slow revelation of Lark's former fiance and his parents. They are discussed without us really learning the full story until later in the book. But oh my heart once all was revealed - that one was a heartbreaker for sure!

Lark agrees to Dr. Satan's request to attend several wedding and summer events as his fake girlfriend. Lark is at a crossroads, so what's the harm. Well it gets complicated when Lark meets Dante, the sexy & better/hotter/better estranged brother. They have an instant connection!

This was an enjoyable read with lighthearted moments amongst the pain and heartbreaking ones. This story had such depth and heart! It was a beautiful thing to see Lark come into her own and really fully realize her potential.

Entertaining and heartwarming read!

I voluntarily requested and read an uncorrected advance reader copy from the publisher via Net Galley.

I adored this book! I loved all of the characters personalities and enjoyed getting to know them as the story progressed. It seemed to randomly jump between characters and in depth stories that didn’t have much to do with the main story. It was almost as if there were 3 main stories going on. I didn’t like that at the beginning but by the end I was used to it and enjoyed all of the story lines!

Lark Smith may be the nicest person you’ve ever met. She’s even a cancer doctor (or trying to be). When “Dr Satan” the arrogant, brilliant and gorgeous surgeon asks her to be his pretend girlfriend for the summer it seems like that timeless rom-com trope but “Look on the Bright Side is anything but.
Yes it’s romantic and yes it’s funny (I loled) but as Kristan Higgins alternates between three narrators, unique yet timeless love stories emerge. I also loved her exploration of the power and importance of sibling love. Look on the Bright Side is a quick and easy read because Higgins transports you in to a world of complex families where you’ll feel right at home. Highly recommend you add this to your summer reading list!

Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins is a new women’s ficiton or contemporary romance novel. The story in Look on the Bright Side is one that is told mainly in the present time but there are a few chapters flashing back to earlier events. This one is also one that changes the point of view between characters however it’s two of the ladies switching the POV and not the male character.

Lark Smith had her life mapped out at a very young age and life most that included marriage, children and a career. Things didn’t exactly go as planned for Lark though when she thought she was in reach of a few of her goals. Now Lark is losing another step on her path when she’s transferred from Oncology to the ER because she can’t stop crying with each terminal patient.

Just as Lark is coming to terms with the move she is contacted by Lorenzo Santini or as he is better known, Dr. Satan. While Lorenzo has made many at the hospital cry Lark tries not to let him affect her when he tosses out an odd proposal, to be his fake date for the summer. Being a sucker for family and grandmother’s in particular Lark couldn’t turn down the request.

Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins is a story that will take you on an emotional roller coaster as you get to know the characters and the backstory to what makes Lark who she is. The side story of Lark’s mother and Ellie, Lark’s landlady, was also enjoyable to read too but Lark really stole my heart early on. I was drawn into this with the whole fake dating trope since I always enjoy those but this one had some nice surprises in store for me that I definitely didn’t expect so hats off to the author since that rarely happens in any genre. Definitely an author and story to check out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins is a moving, romantic story about how a young woman learns to put aside her prior ideas and make changes that really make her happy.