Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.


Lark was valedictorian so it’s no surprise she had a checklist for her life. Become an oncologist, have a loving marriage and become a mom, but nothing is going to plan. When her emotions consistently get in the way she is moved out of oncology and her parents are splitting up. She feels totally lost but when Dr. Satan, excuse me Dr. Santini offers up an arrangement she accepts. He wants her to come as his “date” to his sister’s wedding so his Noni (grandmother) sees him happy and he will help get her back to oncology. Lark immediately falls in love with his entire family.
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I don’t want to say too much because I have read a lot of fake dating and they typically go one way but this one didn’t! Also, don’t let the cover fool you this is not a lighthearted rom com. This focuses on the lives of three women, Lark, her mom and Lark’s landlady Joy. This is a story about growth, forgiveness, and love all done in one beautiful summer!
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Look on the Bright Side had me tearing up by the end!

Lark Smith is rotating through oncology when she's told she will be sent to rotate through the ER instead because she gets too emotional with her patients. Yet, the only thing she wants is to become an oncologist, so when Dr. Lorenzo "Satan" Santini offers her an exchange she decides to accept it. Dr. Satan needs a date for the next three months to convince his dying grandmother that he is not alone. If Lark says yes, he will call his connections to get her closer to an oncology position. The last thing Lark was expecting was to fall for his family and for his brother, Dante.

Chapter by chapter, we start discovering what happened to Lark and why she has an obsession with oncology. At the same time, we also get two more POVs. One is Lark's mother Ellie. The other one is Joy, Lark's landlady.

The summer will be a summer of growth for all three.

Look on the Bright Side is a woman's fiction novel with a side of romance. It is also about loss, healing, and self-discovery.

As always, Kristan Higgins writes an emotional ride that I can't help but enjoy.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

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

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE captured me from the beginning. It was very relatable. Each one of these ladies were struggling but clearly Lark's story touched me the most. Higgins really knows how to pull your heart strings. I was both sad and happy at the same time. I'd recommend grabbing a cozy blanket because once you start this book you won't want to stop.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) shortly.

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE by Kristan Higgins is filled with family and friends, jobs and careers, angst, turmoil, illnesses and death. There are so many layers to the story and to the characters. There are some laugh out loud moments but also tears in this emotional read that had me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

This is Lark and Lorenzo's story but also about Justin, Lark's first love, and how it shaped her. There are twists and turns in this story that is filled with extended family and their hierarchy and roles.. There are multiple stories being told and all had a realism to them. There are vivid descriptions and attention was paid to details, all which had an importance in the telling of the tale. There are wonderful supporting characters who added a richness to the story as well. There is closure that was not what I was expecting but the happily ever after I was rooting for. The epilogue was too short but heartwarming and I would have liked if some of the in-between moments that must have occurred from the end of the story to the epilogue had been included..

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE is a heartwarming tale of love in this multigenerational story set on the Cape and in Boston with vivid descriptions and lots of emotions. If you are a fan of contemporary romances and haven't read any of Ms. Higgins books, run don't walk to your nearest bookstore or library. You'll be glad you did!

I rated the book 4.5 stars but rounded to 5 stars here and on other sites.

“It was frustrating, how the worst times seemed to have so much more power than the good times.”

Ok I need a minute here. I am not sure I even have the words to do this book justice. It feels like it was written FOR me. Look On The Bright Side had me falling in love with my native New England through someone else’s eyes.

Full of both genetic and found family, this story is what I look for every time I open a new book. That can’t put it down and get utterly lost in it feeling. All of the stars, man. All of them.

And on a side note Kristan Higgins…“‘We can always hit Kream ’n Kone after,’ Sofia said, smiling at Lark. ‘You’re from the Cape, right?’ ‘Yes. Wellfleet,’ she said. ‘I’m happily familiar with Kream ’n Kone.’” 🤫 don’t be giving away our secrets!! This hidden gem on the Cape is always my first stop any time I’m down there.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I'm a big fan of the author, and I really liked this newest book. I wasn't expecting the stories of the Smith family to continue, but they are a rich group of characters to draw from. Lark's story has a lot of the bittersweet in it (readers who are sensitive to cancer or hospice story lines be advised that these are a big part of her story), but there is enough charm balanced with the story to enjoy it.

I loved this book! It is the first time I have read a Kristan Higgins book, and it was more than I expected. Lark was studying to be a Dr.--particularly an oncologist. Her fiancé died from leukemia, and she was determined to help cancer patients. She is a caring, friendly and thoughtful person, but she was moved from her oncology residency to ER, because she could not help crying. When the most feared Dr. on the hospital staff asked her to be his pretend date for his sister's wedding, she was a bit intimidated, but she agreed. This was a wonderful story about family, marriage, love. loss, and forgiveness. I highly recommend it, and am looking forward to a sequel. It would be a spoiler alert, but I won't tell you what I am looking forward to. I will definitely read more of her books. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc, and no pressure for a positive review.

Another great book by Kristan Higgins! This one pulls on your heart strings and at the same time it has some laugh out loud moments. I loved the way it ended, however there was one character that I would have liked to know what happened to him in the long run.....perhaps a sequel??? A great summer beach read that you will enjoy from beginning to end!

Lark Smith is a resident but is transferred out of oncology to the ER after she is too emotional with her patients. Her engagement to her love since kindergarten didn’t work out as planned and she is trying to find her way. Dr Lorenzo Santini (Dr Satan) asks her to be his fake girlfriend so his Noni will not die before he has someone special in his life and in exchange he will put her in touch with someone that can help her return to the oncology world. Lark doesn’t expect to fall for his family or develop a crush on his brother. The whole tangled mess makes her reconsider what she really wants in life and if she’s ready to love again.

I like Kristan Higgins and enjoyed the heavy tone mixed with some lighter moments and characters. Larks landlady, Joy, is a great character and the family on both sides are interesting and likeable. There were some tears so grab your tissues. Loss, love and finding your happiness told in three POV. I did feel that the ending was rushed and would have liked to have seen that fleshed out a little more but overall a lovely story.

Dear Kristan Higgins,

I just love you.

Thanks,
Me
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

I almost put this down because I thought, gosh I know what's going to happen and I'm very glad I didn't because it's got surprises. And it's got Joy and Ellie, not the main character to be sure but still fun. Lark agrees to fake date Dr Lorenzo Santini (aka Dr Satan) when he agrees to get her back in the oncology residency she's been bounced from because she gets too emotional. Their relationship is classic trope- sunshine/grump-but it's well executed. Lark's mom Ellie, an artist, is shocked when she discovers her husband Gerald has been keeping a secret and decamps to Joy's home. Joy has moved to the Cape after losing her brother. These two bring out good things in one another even as Lark and Lorenzo's brother Dante become friends. I liked this for the scenes in the ER, the great Cape Cod vibes but most of all the characters. Higgans is a great storyteller and this one pulled me in and made me slow down my reading as the story unfolded. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, I really enjoyed this.

3.5⭐. This was a bit more emotional than I was expecting, but an enjoyable summer read.
This one deals with grief, forgiveness,and second chances. Lark has been transferred out of the oncology department after losing a patient and getting too emotional. Now, Dr. Santini (aka. Dr. Satan) says he can get her back in oncology if she would pretend to be his girlfriend for his sister's summer wedding because his grandma on hospice really wants to see him settled down. She agrees. While there, she really falls for his loving family….and his brother. Larks parents are also recently separated and you'll read about the new friendship her mother finds with Larks new landlady.

Overall, just a nice book to throw in your beach bag. Gives you plenty of summer vibes

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks for the free book Berkley Pub!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

4.5★

If the cover didn’t give it away, this is the perfect summer read! This is a feel good book and a great one to add to your pool or beach bag this summer! This was my first Kristan Higgins book and I feel like I’ve been missing out on such an amazing author. I will definitely be reading her backlist books now because I am a fan! She has such a beautiful writing style and I fell in love with the characters in this book. I felt such a connection to Lark from the start. She’s the type of character that you can’t help but love and root for. I loved how this was a women’s fiction novel with a splash of romance.

*It’s important to note that this book does deal with a lot with cancer. If this is a difficult topic for you, please use caution when reading.

💙Love & Loss
💙Self-Discovery
💙Forgiveness
💙Second Chances
💙Multiple POVs

Posted on Goodreads on May 22, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 23, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 28, 2024
**-will post on designated date

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for sending me this book for review. Opinions are my own.
I always enjoy a Kristan Higgins standalone novel and this one was no exception. Look on the Bright Side has what is becoming one of my favourite tropes – fake dating – but with a fun twist that I won’t spoil here.
Lark is a medical resident at the local Cap Cod hospital when one of her superior doctors, Lorenzo, asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer and at sister’s upcoming wedding to appease his dying grandmother. Although Lark has her reasons to say yes it’s at this point that I was thinking, does anyone else think this is a bit too close to the Me Too movement? But anyway, Lark has a tragic event of the past that is still consuming her life and career choices and she’s trying to figure out how to finally move on.
At the same time, her parent’s rock-solid marriage is starting to crack and her mom is trying to navigate that with the help of Lark’s wealthy and eccentric landlady, Joy. It’s sometimes hard to see how these three stories connect in one book but Kristan Higgins’s writing is so capitvating that I’m not sure it really matters. Her stories go places and branch off in ways I wouldn’t expect.
Lark and Lorenzo both have big families and it’s fun to see them interact, however I would have liked more background on Lark’s siblings. Also, wow Lorenzo is a piece of work! His demeanor made me laugh but are people really that rude and egotistical in reality? I liked that we got some of his backstory to explain his tense relationship with his family and I loved how Lark tries to make him more of a person. Also, was anyone else getting Lorenzo and Winnie vibes?
I do think this book needed a better title. I find Kristan Higgins’s titles hard to remember. While the final paragraph of this book wrapped up with a nod to the title, I don’t feel that it really resonated throughout most of the novel.

Another heart-wrenching summer beach read from the absolute Queen of the tear-jerker women's fiction romances! This book sees Lark and Justin, two high school sweethearts torn apart from a cancer diagnosis just before their wedding.

Fast forward seven years and Lark is working towards becoming an oncologist and gets asks by a gruff big shot surgeon to be his fake girlfriend to help make his daying grandmother happy only to have her falling for his estranged brother.

Moving, perfect for fans of While you were sleeping and great on audio. This is going to make you feel ALL the feels as you soak up the sun on the beach. HIGHLY recommended but take care for readers who are sensitive to books about grief and loss from cancer.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. There is also a secondary timeline featuring an older woman in the book and of course the author's trademark canine companions. Fans won't want to miss it!

Lark Smith is an oncology resident who is struggling with getting her emotions in check as she gets too close with her patients. She is demoted to the ER while she works to manage her tears. Who can blame her? It's been seven years since the death of her fiancé, Justin and since then, Lark has focused on her career and her large, loving family. Her hope to quickly get back to oncology seems more hopeful when the brilliant yet despised Lorenzo Santini (known as Dr. Satan) asks Lark to pose as his girlfriend at his sister's upcoming wedding (and the events leading up to it) as a comfort to his dying grandmother. Afterwards, he'll make some introductions for Lark with his oncology contacts. While it seems like an easy thing for Lark to do, it gets complicated when it turns out that the Santini family is also a large and loving group (with the exception of their eldest son) and they quickly get close to Lark, including brother Dante, an adorable firefighter.

Author Kristan Higgins has done it again with Look on the Bright Side. Head to Wellfleet and meet the wonderful characters Higgins has created. While the focus is on Lark, this lovely book also delves into the story of her mother Ellie, whose idyllic marriage, filled with lots of passion, may have hit a bump in the road. Lark's landlady Joy comes to Ellie's rescue, and we also learn of Joy's difficult backstory. This book will make you laugh and make you cry. I normally can't handle story lines that include cancer and hospice care, but I made it through and loved this book.

Kristan Higgins in my opinion just can't do any wrong! She makes you feel all the emotions and she writes in a way where you genuinely feel connected to her characters! I really enjoyed this one!

Look on the Bright Side was such a sweet, funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting story from 3 different points of view. Lark, a 33 year old oncologist who has a hard time not crying while dealing with her cancer patients; Ellie, Lark's mother, is an artist that is forced to deal with some surprise marital problems; and Joy, and eccentric older woman that is obsessed with plastic surgery and just so happens to be Lark's landlady.
I laughed out loud but I also cried several times because Lark's grief was palpable. I loved that romance played a part in the story but it wasn't a central theme.

Thanks to Berkley for an advanced copy of Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins!There is a lot going on in this women's fiction about family, fate, loss and self-discovery but told in such a beautiful story. 

Lark is an oncology resident but has just been moved to the ER because she's grown too attached to her patients. When a hot shot surgeon needs a date for his sister's wedding he asks Lark to fake date him and she agrees when he says he'll put in a good word for her...

If you read A Little Ray of Sunshine, her 2023 book you'll notice some characters, but this can easily be read as a standalone. I loved the Cape Cod setting and how Kristan Higgins writes about family and loss. 

If you're looking for a great women's fiction book check this one out!

DNF @25%. Not my favorite of Kristan's (she is definitely an auto buy author for me). BUT...I think it's just me. Since the book centers around a doctor, there is lots of medical and grief stuff that I just don't want to read about as I've experienced a lot of loss in my life recently. I absolutely still love KH's books and will definitely read her next one. This one just wasn't the right time or book for me.