Waiting on You

Written by Kristan Higgins

Narrated by Amy Rubinate

Is your first love worth a second chance … ?

Colleen O’Rourke is in love with love … just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell broke her heart … an experience Colleen doesn’t want to have again, thanks. Since then, she’s been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends.

But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who’s ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they’ve got some unfinished business waiting for them—but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she’s ever loved.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9798891785793

Kristan Higgins

Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly and USA TODAY bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She has received dozens of awards and accolades, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, The New York Journal of Books and Kirkus. Kristan lives in Connecticut with her heroic firefighter husband, two atypically affectionate children, a neurotic rescue mutt and an occasionally friendly cat.

Reviews for Waiting on You

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Waiting on You is another outrageously witty and occasionally heartbreaking romance from über talented Kristan Higgins. In this third installment of the Blue Heron series, peppy, cheerful and well-liked bar owner Colleen O'Rourke gets a second chance with the only man she has ever loved, Lucas Campbell. Will this fun-loving, flirtatious matchmaker finally find her happily ever after?

Colleen and Lucas were high school sweethearts whose long distance relationship survived the first few years of college only to crash and burn after a huge fight. Although he never quite forgot his first love, Lucas married and worked his way up the ranks to a successful career in his father-in-law's company. A few years later, his marriage ended in an amicable divorce, and just as he is wrapping up his final project before starting his own business, he returns to Manningsport for a family emergency.

Colleen loves her hometown and she co-owns a thriving bar with her twin brother Connor. She is confident, sassy and popular with a big circle of friends. Although she has a successful track record as matchmaker, she has remained single since her break up with Lucas. When her friend Paulie Petrosinsky asks Colleen to set her up with Bryce Campbell (cousin to Lucas) just around the same time Lucas is returning to town, the former lovers clash over Colleen's matchmaking efforts.

Lucas and Colleen still share an insanely powerful attraction to one another and there is hesitation on both sides to resume a relationship. With Lucas planning on leaving town when his family business is wrapped up and with Colleen's roots firmly embedded in Manningsport, there really appears to be no future for them. However they eventually pick up right where they left off, but they take things day by day, never really looking too far into the future. And when their respective pasts collide with their present, their future together becomes extremely uncertain.

Waiting on You is written from both Lucas and Colleen's perspectives and their past history is revealed through flashbacks. Lucas's background is heartbreaking and knowing about his dysfunctional family helps explain his reaction to a revelation late in the story. Colleen's family has its own brand of crazy and her relationship with her parents has its shares of ups and downs.

In Waiting on You, Kristan Higgins once again deftly blends a storyline that is full of heartache and humor into an extraordinary romance. With unforgettable, quirky characters, clever dialogue and a sweet, sexy love story, this latest addition to the Blue Heron series is a captivating novel that is guaranteed to tug on the reader's heartstrings (in between bouts of hysterical laughter :) ).

[myab-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I hardly ever read the blurb of books that have been recommended to me, as I don't like having crazy expectations. Though once I started reading this book and realized its a "second chance" kinda book.. I started to have doubts. I am not a big fan of these, as most of the time you miss out on that "first love" feeling.. however Higgins maneuvered the story around that problem beautifully! I felt all that first love chemistry which is one of the main reasons I read romance. Colleen and Connor have been some of my favourite characters so I am happy that one of them has a story (hoping Connor's will be coming up soon!)

Colleen is a spunky, funny woman. I love her. She's so easy going and fun. Lucas is that quite presence that always seems to balance out that loud crazy one. I think they were a wonderful match for each other. Without trying to spoil anything for anyone who reads this. There was an incident later in the story that got me a bit angry with the author.. not sure she could come back from what she'd had happen to the characters..(for me, anyway) - and it still lingers a bit in my mind.. but she did make it work better than I expected. I am still learning how this author works.. Only my 3rd book by her, however I am beginning to see that she just might be one of those authors that I can say... she'll fix this, I can trust her. :)

I am looking forward to the next book in the series... wonder who's it is!

[saschad-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel was a definite step up from the previous novel in the series, although I could see hints that Higgins has not quite returned to form. There was a little too much uterus and special parts clenching, and the main character, Colleen, is following the pattern of having an off-the-wall cuss word. Once can be funny for a writer, but having every MC have a silly curse gets to be less charming each time it's done.

Colleen and Lucas are far more appealing characters than those in The Perfect Match. The storyline was better as well, yet it just feels as if some of Waiting on You was phoned in, especially in comparison to her much earlier novels that seemed more original and heart-felt.

[pennykaplan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Coleen and Lucas discover first love is worth a second chance

[texasbooklover7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. It made me laugh, it made me cry and Lucas is absolutely swoonworthy!

[marfisk_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had a busy workweek and so hadn’t gotten around to reading a book for today’s review by late Monday. I noticed I had a Harlequin title in my queue and so chose it, knowing I could count on Harlequin for a quick, fun read.The read was neither quick nor as light as I’d expected. Rather, Waiting on You kept me reading late into the night and made me cry not once but twice. It’s a powerful, complicated, and intense love story about people facing real-world problems, making mistakes, and struggling with the consequences.I’m a sucker for reunited story lines because I’m a firm believer in second chances. Waiting on You delivers a plausible scenario where no one is exactly wrong and yet everything falls apart anyway. The book doesn’t just tease you with the past but takes you back to key moments in their lives so you know just how perfect they were together, and how and why it wasn’t enough.While it deals in love at first sight, a problem for some readers, Lucas and Colleen don’t take the straight road even with instant recognition of soul mates. No, not for them an easy path. Instead, they begin an awkward dance that takes near disaster to come together.So yes, the love story is a strong, compelling part of their narrative, but it’s also only a part. These are not simple characters brought together to give the reader a smile. They have pasts that reflect on their present and future, they make decisions grounded in those pasts that aren’t always the best ones, and ultimately they’re both really good people.The sense of community in Colleen’s hometown of Manningsport, New York, and her relationship not just with her twin and little sister but also with almost everyone she meets, is wonderful. She’s a matchmaker supreme, unable to get over her first love but able to see the good in those around her and identify who would complement that good even when it’s not obvious. She’ll go out on a limb to bring people together, and to make sure they value themselves enough not to settle.At one point Lucas calls the bar Colleen runs with her brother the heart of the town and that is patently true. It’s more than just a throwaway line, though, because it becomes a big part of the story as well. She’s grounded and connected when his shattered past gives him few ties to places. Lucas finds his connections in the people he cares for.If you haven’t figured out I really enjoyed this book by now, let me state it plainly: Waiting on You is wonderful not in a simple way but in a way that gets under your skin. These feel like real people dealing with real life and death (literally) issues that both stand in their way and make them into the wonderful people they are. There’s real character growth, the kind of stupidity that makes sense and hurts instead of makes you laugh, and an intense connection to the characters and their lives that involved me emotionally at a deeper level than most. Definitely worth the read.P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[lrobe190 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Colleen O'Rourke is in love with love...just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell broke her heart...an experience Colleen doesn't want to have again, thanks. Since then, she's been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends. But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who's ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they've got some unfinished business waiting for them--but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she's ever loved. (summary from ISBN 0373778589)Very entertaining and romantic. Colleen and Lucas have a confrontational relationship which is fun to watch as the sexual tension grows and they keep trying to resist each other. This is the 3rd book in the Blue Heron Winery series and my favorite.

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good second chance story. Colleen and Lucas had been in love ten years earlier but parted ways due to misunderstandings and different expectations. Since then, Colleen has been the bartender at the bar she and her brother own. She has a talent for matching people into successful relationships, even though she hasn't had one of her own since Lucas. Now Lucas in back in town because his uncle is dying and she's forced to see him over and over. Colleen realizes her feelings for him never went away, but she's not too sure she's ready to risk her heart all over again.Lucas had lived in Manningsport a short time, but had truly connected with Colleen. He was in love with her, but determined to make something of himself before committing to marriage. He panicked when she started talking about getting married, causing her to doubt his love. Then he didn't tell her about her father's infidelity, making her doubt it even more. Add it a really stupid move that got him marrying someone else and it looks like he's lost Colleen forever. Ten years later he's divorced and back in Manningsport to take care of his dying uncle. Seeing Colleen again reinforces just how much he has missed her, but getting her to spend any time with him is an uphill battle.The chemistry between them is still strong, but both have trouble overcoming their pride to see that they belong together. Each of them blamed the other for their breakup, and it wasn't until Lucas came back to town that they started looking at that time differently. Both started to see that their own stubbornness also played a part in their problems. Lucas, thanks to being raised partly by his uncle and snobby wife, had always felt like he didn't quite measure up. That insecurity led to his need to prove himself to Colleen, even though she loved him as he was. Colleen had security issues of her own, thanks to a selfish father and his philandering, that left her craving proof of Lucas's love. By the time Lucas came back, Colleen was a little more confident in herself, but unwilling to risk her heart. Lucas knew that he wanted Colleen back in his life, but was still planning to leave in a few weeks. I loved watching him get sucked into life in Manningsport without him realizing that it was happening or that he actually liked being there. He and Colleen start spending time together and the love they had starts growing again. Things were really looking good for them until something from Colleen's past comes up and Lucas gets really judgmental about it. I thought he was pretty much of a jerk at that point. I loved that it was his flaky cousin Bryce who straightened him out. I enjoyed the ending, but I would have liked to see a bit more groveling on his part.Once again the secondary characters are a fantastic part of the book. I loved the "Menopause" crowd and their antics when Lucas and Bryce were working on the house. They were hysterical with their comments. Colleen's efforts to get Paulie and Bryce together were great, and had some great scenes as awkward Paulie tried to come on to clueless Bryce. The story with Colleen's parents and stepmother went a long way to showing why Colleen had the issues she did. Her mother really drove me nuts through most of the book, but really came into her own near the end of the book. I loved her there. Colleen's half sister Savannah was a sweetheart, and I really loved seeing how much Colleen and Connor loved her and supported her. Bryce was a character I both loved and hated. He was so darn nice, but he was also spoiled, I couldn't figure out if he was ever going to grow up at all. I liked seeing the light at the end of that tunnel. His mother Didi was the one that everyone loved to hate. She was just a real pain all around with her snobbery, selfishness, and control issues. She deserved everything she got.

[dotland101 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best in the series. Hilariously entertaining!

[cats57_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Waiting on You by Kristen HigginsThis is a difficult review for me to write. I have always loved Kristen Higgins and everything (pretty much) that she has ever written –until this book. I realize that my opinion is going to be a very unpopular one at this point, but I feel that my Cons:•I had a very difficult time liking Colleen – anyone this full of herself, whether or not is was a self-defense mechanism on the part of the character or something other people think is ‘just having a healthy idea of who you are’ was repugnant to me. She was constantly harping on how beautiful she knew she was, what a great figure she has, how smart she is, how beloved she was and on and on. I have never ‘met’ a character so full of herself that wasn’t 13-18 years old. This is a romance novel, NOT woman’s fiction or a young adult/teen novel. I expected Colleen’s head to explode from being so big.•The fact that Lucas could just let her walk out of his life without ever having said he loved her, even just once was unbelievable. To give it all up to marry someone he didn’t love because of duty and maybe they will learn to love each other –didn’t work for me in this book.•Colleen is made to look like a near prostitute and she never once feels the need to let her beloved “Spaniard” know the truth? I needed to suspend my disbelief to such an extent here that I could barely make it through the rest of the book.•Lucas’ cousin Bryce – well I thought that right from the get-go, he might have had a minor mental disability. However, I was wrong. Had I had to read on more “Dude!” exclamation, I might have just … well I would have done something evil! I did love Paulie though.Pro’s:•The humor was sweet.•It was touching and sad at times, yet the author and the story could still pull anger out of me when necessary.•The characters (and there are many) are fairly well developed. Frankly this was a very long book that I thought could have lost about a hundred pages, had some repetitive moments and over-angsting on some of the main characters part taken out, and then this would have been a much better read.ARC supplied by publisher for reviewing purposes.