Kristan Higgins Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-04)

Kristan Higgins writes across two reader-friendly modes: small-town romance series (where neighbors and siblings keep reappearing) and single-title novels (where the story is complete in one book). You can dip in anywhere, but if you want fewer “oh, they’re already together” moments, start at the beginning of a series and move forward.

Below, everything is grouped by what actually stays connected, with a short, original “what it’s about” line for every title listed.

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If you only want one starting point

• Try-one book that shows her modern voice: Out of the Clear Blue Sky
• Romance-series start (most continuity payoff): The Best Man (Blue Heron #1)
• Earlier small-town start: Catch of the Day (Gideon’s Cove #1)

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Blue Heron (read in order)

A vineyard town with a big cast, recurring family members, and lots of cross-book context.

1. The Best Man: A woman returns home after a public heartbreak and finds the one man who won’t let her hide behind humor.
2. The Perfect Match: A practical heroine tries to “move on correctly,” then falls for the person who doesn’t fit her list at all.
3. Waiting on You: A bar owner and her first love collide again, forcing the past to explain itself.
4. In Your Dreams: A pretend-date plan turns into real emotional trouble when the “helper” starts wanting a life of his own.
5. Anything for You: An on-again, off-again couple finally has to decide whether love is a choice or just a habit.

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Gideon’s Cove (read in order)

A coastal Maine setting where community meddling is practically a supporting character.

1. Catch of the Day: A diner owner’s quiet life gets flipped when a serious, steady man becomes impossible to ignore.
2. The Next Best Thing: A young widow looking for “safe” discovers that safe and satisfying aren’t the same thing.
3. Somebody to Love: A single mom starting over finds herself stuck with a helpful tagalong she doesn’t want to need.

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Standalone novels in publication order

These books don’t form a single series, but reading them in order is the cleanest way to watch her themes shift over time.

1. Fools Rush In (2006): A Cape Cod doctor’s carefully arranged life falls apart when an old crush shows up with inconvenient charm.
2. Just One of the Guys (2012): A tall, tough heroine tries to reinvent her dating life while her protective brothers sabotage every attempt.
3. Too Good to Be True (2012): A fake boyfriend solution creates real feelings at the worst possible moment.
4. My One and Only (2011; later re-released): A divorce lawyer gets forced into a road trip with the ex she’s not over, whether she admits it or not.
5. Until There Was You (2011): A woman who loves her messy family meets the brooding newcomer who makes “fine as-is” feel untrue.
6. All I Ever Wanted (2010): A woman waiting on a proposal has to face the possibility that she wants the wrong life entirely.
7. If You Only Knew (2016): A wedding-dress designer’s complicated ties to her ex collide with small-town life and second chances.
8. On Second Thought (2017): Two half-sisters pull each other through disaster, grief, and the kind of love that changes the rules.
9. Good Luck with That (2018): Three friends confront old body-image damage and learn what friendship looks like when it finally tells the truth.
10. Life and Other Inconveniences (2020): A wealthy grandmother’s choices force her family to reckon with what they’ve inherited emotionally, not just financially.
11. Now That You Mention It (2020): After a bad break and a worse betrayal, a woman goes home and learns the past still has teeth.
12. Always the Last to Know (2020): A wife and mother learns her family has been protecting her from the truth, and it hurts anyway.
13. Pack Up the Moon (2021): A grieving husband follows monthly letters left by his wife, discovering that moving forward can still honor love.
14. Out of the Clear Blue Sky (2022): A woman blindsided by betrayal finds unexpected strength in anger, reinvention, and new connection.
15. A Little Ray of Sunshine (2023): A quiet bookstore life gets upended when a long-kept secret walks in and demands to be acknowledged.
16. Look on the Bright Side (2024): A doctor with a life plan watches it unravel, then learns what a good life looks like when it isn’t tidy.

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Nonfiction (separate from the novels)

• Crappy Friends (2020): A practical, candid look at the friendships that drain you, and how to stop letting them run your life.

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Reading routes that don’t feel like homework

Route 1: “Give me the best series experience.”
Start Blue Heron #1 and read straight through #5.

Route 2: “I want one book that hits hard.”
Try Pack Up the Moon, then switch to any standalone that matches your mood.

Route 3: “I want recent titles first.”
Go Look on the Bright Side → A Little Ray of Sunshine → Out of the Clear Blue Sky, then circle back.

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What to watch out for

• The series books (Blue Heron, Gideon’s Cove) reward order because couples and family updates appear later.
• The standalones are safe to shuffle; you won’t “ruin” another book’s ending.