Out of the Clear Blue Sky By Kristan Higgins

Review by Veronica

I put Nair in Brad’s body wash and waited for it to take effect, and sure enough, his eyebrows began to thin, and his arm hair was patchy within days. “Do you…” Brad began one morning, looking at his arms. He hesitated, then continued. “ Is there a reason I might be losing hair on my arms and legs?” he asked, unable to resist the temptation of asking a nurse.

“Hm,” I said, “Well, there are a lot of reasons. Alopecia Universalis, which is basically inherited baldness. You know. Like your father. Could be anemia, an autoimmune disease or thyroid cancer, too. Or maybe it’s your guilty conscience, eating away at your flesh.” 

Out of the Clear Blue Sky is wildly entertaining and has characters you will never forget. 

Lillie Silva knew life as an empty nester would be hard after her only child left for college, but when her husband abruptly dumps her for another woman just as her son leaves, her world comes crashing down. Besides the fact that this announcement is a complete surprise (to say the least), what shocks Lillie most is that she isn’t…heartbroken. She’s furious.

Lillie has loved her life on Cape Cod, but as a mother, wife and nurse-midwife, she’s used to caring for other people…not taking care of herself. Now, alone for the first time in her life, she finds herself going a little rogue. Is it over the top to crash her ex-husband’s wedding, dressed like the angel of death? Sure! Should she release a skunk into his perfect new home? Probably not! But it beats staying home and moping.

She finds an unexpected ally in her glamorous sister, with whom she’s had a tense relationship all these years. And an unexpected babysitter in of all people Ben Hallowell, the driver in a car accident that nearly killed Lillie 20 years ago. And then there’s Ophelia, her ex-husband’s oddly lost niece, who could really use a friend.

Oh boy, this book was such a fun and a hilarious hoot! Kristan sure did write a highly entertaining book filled with so many unexpected twists and turns which made this book hard to put down because you need to find out what will happen next. I spent the past day and a half reading this rather long book and now have a major book hangover, but it was so worth it. 

If you are not a fan of revenge plots or books that have a lot of soap opera drama in them, then this book is probably not for you. I happily soaked up every twist, revenge ploy, and family drama in this book. It was just so delicious. I admit that I’m not a typical fan of books that focus on getting back at your ex, but I must have been in a vengeful mood when I read this book because I thoroughly enjoyed it! I just howled with laughter every time Lillie did something to get back at her cheating ex and his new wife. Those moments were the highlight of the book for me. I’m pretty sure my neighbours think I am nuts because of how loud I was laughing, especially during the scene when Lillie crashes her ex’s wedding. 

The family dynamics in this book are complex and really show readers that families come in all different shapes and sizes. Kristan did a great job navigating a lot of difficult and sometimes funny family situations. There are a lot of moments when things are not as they appear, and some characters realize that they shouldn’t be so quick to judge. I loved the relationship Lillie had with her sister Hannah. These two are polar opposites and had drifted apart when their parents separated. It was heartwarming watching as these two re-connected and learned to forgive each other. My heart also melted at the sweet mother-son relationship between Lillie and Dylan. 

The romance in this book was on the light side, very light side. If I had one wish for this book, it was that Ben and Lillie had more moments together. But that could be because I can be overly romantic at times and swooned when these two were together. I adored these two characters, and Ben is such a mysterious, hunky and sweet guy that it just makes perfect sense that I would want to read more about him. I understand why Kristan didn’t make their growing relationship the main focus in this book. With all the other major story elements happening, I think adding anything else would have been too much. Part of me enjoyed this focus on Lillie finding out who she is after her separation and learning to stand on her own two feet.

Out of the Clear Blue Sky is a fabulously entertaining book that will have you up all night long.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.