Kristan Higgins is normally one of my go to authors. Normally. But for some reason this book just didn't leave me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside like her books usually do. And that is super strange because I love a good love triangle and All I Ever Wanted fits that description to a T! Overall, I felt like I could give this book to a 14 year old girl and she would have probably liked it more than I did. I almost feel like someone kidnapped my author and took her place. I don't like replacement Kristan. I want the old Kristan back!!!
The other thing that's very un-Kristan Higgins like for me is I honestly didn't like her characters. And almost always I find the characters she writes about charming human beings. Just..not this time. Callie Grey is our female protagonist...and to me she's annoying, clingy, and kind of immature. Oh, and let's not forget she's got to be like a level 9 stalker! Please, someone explain that it is not even a little bit okay to sit outside someone's home in your car looking into their bedroom window. Nor is it okay to drive past someone's house purposefully over five times a day. I mean, lets be honest three times a day is stretching things. I think the thing that annoys me the most about this stuff is that because we read it through a females point of view, we see it as a crush or even a minor infatuation. Tell me...what would you do if this were seen from a mans eyes? If it were a man looking into a woman's home, driving by ten times a day, obsessing over everything you do. How would you feel about it then? Stalking is stalking. No matter the gender.
Then there is Ian. Ian the frosty russian assassin. Well, actually he's a grumpy veterinarian that can't get over his ex-wife after two years. Two. Friggin. Years. I mean...you'd think that by now that ship has sailed. But nah. Then the thing that really makes me go hmm about this book is that both charaters are hung up on someone and then POOF!! Someone flips a switch and suddenly they love eachother. Erm. Call me crazy but I don't really think that it works like that.
There were a few things a did like about the story though. I loved Callies relationship with her grandfather Noah. They really had that sarcastic kind of love that makes me think of my own grandpa. It's not everyday that you find another grandfather/granddaughter duo that feels insults are like hugs. I also really liked the role that the "Happily Ever After" chair played in the whole book. It was a really sweet idea. I also really loved how things ended with Callies parents and her sister. They gave me some laughs while I was reading this book. Actually, Callies sister Hes was probably my favorite character.
3 Stars.
