I chose to read Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins, the winner in the 2008 Best Contemporary Single Title Romance category.
I have overlooked this for quite a while because of the title. Catch of the Day is the same title as one of my favorite romances by the late Marcia Evanick. Along with having the same title they are both set in small seaside towns in Maine; in both books, the heroine owns a restaurant.I start reading-- oh no--first person POV, not my favorite style. I continue reading-- oh no-- not whiny, entitled, self-absorbed chick lit!-- but I continue reading.
Oh boy, Maggie is a mess. She has a kind heart that continues to give to others and a mouth that she can't seem to shut. Her relationship foibles are fodder for the locals. She has a twin, who according to their mother, is living a perfect life.
As I continue reading, this first person narrative starts to pull me in, it sets the mood of how lonely Maggie feels. Maggie desperately wants to find love, but for now, she is just an observer. Maggie has a crush on the local Priest, Father Tim. After some embarrassing encounters, they become friends, in a way they both are on the outside of relationships. Maggie's love life is so bleak that even Father Tim is setting her up on blind dates. Despite all the help, she finds a spark with a local fisherman named Malone. Malone is the polar opposite of Maggie. She is an open book with non-stop dialogue and he speaks so sparingly that you think he's afraid he'll be charged a fee per word.
The first person POV works well in the story and creates a mystery like quality. Higgins lets us wonder and worry right along with Maggie. Does Malone love her and will he ever tell her his first name? Why is her Mother so insensitive? We get to experience everything right along with Maggie.
The writing is award worthy, every time I thought the author was going to lapse into a romance cliché she would write her way out. I really admired how she presented Maggie as a person who made mistakes, but was true to herself. She was the same throughout the book, even when she committed the dreaded "stupid misunderstanding" error, she apologizes for her mistake, but not for who she is.
Not a lot of romance scenes in this book, but a lot of heart, emotion, zingers and laughter.
My grade for excellent dialogue, making me like first person POV and keeping me up past my bedtime. A
