A Little Ray of Sunshine by Kristan Higgins: Book Review

A Little Ray of Sunshine is a heart-warming story of adoption and family which is told from multiple points of view. I loved it!

Acknowledgements:

Thank you to my local library for purchasing a copy of this audiobook.

From The Publisher:

A kid walks into your bookstore and… Guess what? He’s your son. The one you put up for adoption eighteen years ago. The one you never told anyone about. Surprise!

And a huge surprise it is.

It’s a huge surprise to his adoptive mother, Monica, who thought she had a close relationship with Matthew, her nearly adult son. But apparently, he felt the need to secretly arrange a vacation to Cape Cod for the summer so he could meet his birth mother…without a word to either her or his dad.

It’s also a surprise— to say the least—to Harlow, the woman who secretly placed her baby for adoption so many years ago. She’s spent the years since then building a quiet life. She runs a bookstore with her grandfather, hangs out with her four younger siblings and is more or less happily single, though she can’t help gravitating toward Grady Byrne, her old friend from high school. He’s moved back to town, three-year-old daughter in tow, no wife in the picture. But she’s always figured her life had to be child-free, so that complicates things.

When Matthew walks into Harlow’s store, she faints. Monica panics. And all their assumptions—about what being a parent really means—explode. This summer will be full of more surprises as both their families are redefined…and as both women learn that for them, there’s no limit to a mother’s love.

My Thoughts:

It’s been several years since I read a book written by Kristan Higgins and after reading A Little Ray of Sunshine I want to read more. This book explores all the feeling and emotion that comes with making the decision to give a baby up for adoption and the impact of the decision on those involved. Higgins does this with sensitivity and compassion.

Harlow was seventeen and a sophomore in college when she becomes pregnant. She notifies the baby’s father and takes the time to determine what is best for her, her family and the baby. Monica and her husband are carefully selected to adopt this baby.

Jump ahead eighteen years and Harlow’s baby, Matthew, is now almost an adult. He surprises her by walking into her life and introducing himself. Over the course of the summer, Matthew and Harlow learn more about one another and spend time with their respective families.

I appreciate the fact that Higgins includes the perspective of Monica as the adopted mother in this story. The relationship between Harlow and Monica is a special one and the author does a great job in relaying this to the reader. Matthew’s character is also closely examined and his confusion, questions and emotion surrounding his adoption are well articulated.

My only criticism of the book is that it’s a little long at nearly 500 pages. It felt like certain moments in the book could be abbreviated or omitted. Having said that, I enjoyed the book immensely.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book which was narrated by Laural Merlington and Xe Sands. I thoroughly enjoyed their performances which felt enthusiastic and natural and reflective of the characters. I have no hesitation in recommending the audiobook version of the book to those that appreciate this format.

I recommend this book to those readers who enjoy Women’s Fiction or stories surrounding family.

A Similar Book I’ve Reviewed:

Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin