Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I am still feeling the urge to review in another way. Maybe the same old same old just wont cut it for me anymore.
The Good:
Callie was real, she was warm and she was nice and I liked her. And yes Ian was the opposite, cold, hard to get close to and guarded. But that is why I liked him because he was real too. Everyone is not open and cheerful and willing to fall in love, even willing to go around kissing people. Together they seem like a mess that wont happen, but it's a romance book and it happens and I felt it.
The story:
Crushing over someone who seems like an ass. Trouble at work. Family time and family drama. And taking the step to meet someone else. That is what this book was about and I enjoyed it.
The Bad:
I don't know here. There wasn't anything bad about the book. It was fun, it was cute and at one point it even made me want to cry. So nothing bad. But hey I needed the category anyway.
Recommended for:
Fans of romance and small towns.
The Good:
Callie was real, she was warm and she was nice and I liked her. And yes Ian was the opposite, cold, hard to get close to and guarded. But that is why I liked him because he was real too. Everyone is not open and cheerful and willing to fall in love, even willing to go around kissing people. Together they seem like a mess that wont happen, but it's a romance book and it happens and I felt it.
The story:
Crushing over someone who seems like an ass. Trouble at work. Family time and family drama. And taking the step to meet someone else. That is what this book was about and I enjoyed it.
The Bad:
I don't know here. There wasn't anything bad about the book. It was fun, it was cute and at one point it even made me want to cry. So nothing bad. But hey I needed the category anyway.
Recommended for:
Fans of romance and small towns.
All I Ever Wanted tells the story of a Callie. She is smart, funny, kind, giving, sweet and not a troll. She is loved by everyone but Mark, the man she has wanted since he was her first kiss at 14. Now on her 30th birthday she finds out that though the timing for their 5 week affair was wrong for him he has now not only found someone else to marry she will be coming to work with them. Enter the new vet in town. Ian McFarland is the Anti-Mark. Where Mark is smooth and charming Ian is much better with animals than people. Callie needs a distraction and decides that Ian needs a personality makeover. Meeting Ian and learning about him may teach Callie a few things about herself.
Funny, sad, sweet, silly, all the things I've come to love and expect in a Kristan Higgins novel.
Funny, sad, sweet, silly, all the things I've come to love and expect in a Kristan Higgins novel.
This is the 3rd book I've read of Kristan Higgins, and it was just as addicting as the others! I'm very impressed with her ability to create an entire cast of flawed and lovable characters. I think the extremely slow burn of the romance combined with the hint of a love triangle is what keeps me dying to know what happens next.
That said, there is always something that leaves me slightly unsatisfied about her books. I never feel I get to fully enjoy a romantic relationship in her books, because they are fraught with problems and uncertainty until a very sudden happy ending. Also, the love triangles always involve a Mr. Right and a Mr. Wrong. The latter usually has a weird personality flaw of being incapable of love and apathetic to that fact, which makes them very unrealistic to me, if not sociopathic. You never get to see a love scene that goes beyond kissing. And the heroines all have a desperation to get married and have babies, and they usually get themselves into really bad predicaments because they don't know how to stand up for themselves when it comes to men.
All that said, I would recommend the book. The dialogue is really well written for all the characters,, and the audiobook narrator is amazing, especially with the humorous scenes that require sound effects.
That said, there is always something that leaves me slightly unsatisfied about her books. I never feel I get to fully enjoy a romantic relationship in her books, because they are fraught with problems and uncertainty until a very sudden happy ending. Also, the love triangles always involve a Mr. Right and a Mr. Wrong. The latter usually has a weird personality flaw of being incapable of love and apathetic to that fact, which makes them very unrealistic to me, if not sociopathic. You never get to see a love scene that goes beyond kissing. And the heroines all have a desperation to get married and have babies, and they usually get themselves into really bad predicaments because they don't know how to stand up for themselves when it comes to men.
All that said, I would recommend the book. The dialogue is really well written for all the characters,, and the audiobook narrator is amazing, especially with the humorous scenes that require sound effects.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm constantly extolling the virtues of Kristan Higgins's novels. I love her intelligent and current sense of humor and the great heroines through whom she expresses it. Her characters, main and secondary, are always unique and utterly charming. The heroes she creates are subtly sexy and usually possess some quirk that simultaneously repels and draws the beloved heroine. And the romances are gradual, comfortable and completely realistic. All I Ever Wanted adheres to this formula while managing to feel fresh and fun.
Callie's perpetual cuteness and friendliness serves as a great foil to Ian's personality. He's a shy and formal man with a good heart who initially comes across as grumpy, rude and cold. Callie's need to make everyone like her, combined with her attraction to Ian's dangerous good-looks, make for a engaging friendship-turned-courtship. Callie is so lovable and, although she's one of those super-friendly, happy people, she never came across as annoying. Her loneliness and issues with rejection make her relate-able. Likewise, Ian's seemingly cool attitude is just a mask donned by a guy who's been hurt and doesn't know how to connect with others. His bluntness and dry wit make for some great dialog between him and the compulsively polite Callie.
The addition of Callie's ongoing work and family drama are great subplots and connect well with the development of her relationship with Ian. The diverse, well-drawn and hilarious secondary characters do their part too and are what makes the novel truly standout among fellow contemporary romances...
Finish reading this review at my blog, The Eclectic Book Lover.
Callie's perpetual cuteness and friendliness serves as a great foil to Ian's personality. He's a shy and formal man with a good heart who initially comes across as grumpy, rude and cold. Callie's need to make everyone like her, combined with her attraction to Ian's dangerous good-looks, make for a engaging friendship-turned-courtship. Callie is so lovable and, although she's one of those super-friendly, happy people, she never came across as annoying. Her loneliness and issues with rejection make her relate-able. Likewise, Ian's seemingly cool attitude is just a mask donned by a guy who's been hurt and doesn't know how to connect with others. His bluntness and dry wit make for some great dialog between him and the compulsively polite Callie.
The addition of Callie's ongoing work and family drama are great subplots and connect well with the development of her relationship with Ian. The diverse, well-drawn and hilarious secondary characters do their part too and are what makes the novel truly standout among fellow contemporary romances...
Finish reading this review at my blog, The Eclectic Book Lover.
This is my favorite Higgin's book so far! I laughed a lot and cried a little. I loved how Callie, the main character, grew as a person throughout the novel. Highly recommended!
Note: The "r" word is used a couple times, but this was written back when it was more widely accepted as a slang term. I certainly don't hold it against Higgins.
Note: The "r" word is used a couple times, but this was written back when it was more widely accepted as a slang term. I certainly don't hold it against Higgins.
Historia romántica ligera y fresca, perfecta para leer en verano. Los personajes me han gustado mucho, sobre todo Noah y las sobrinas de Calliope, Bronte y Josephine. Tampoco me olvido de Ian que ha sido un personaje masculino que me ha gustado bastante.
Historia romántica ligera y fresca, perfecta para leer en verano. Los personajes me han gustado mucho, sobre todo Noah y las sobrinas de Calliope, Bronte y Josephine. Tampoco me olvido de Ian que ha sido un personaje masculino que me ha gustado bastante.