The Best Thing That Ever Happened is the story of Kat balancing the demands of family, work, big dreams, and unexpected romance.
The Best Thing That Ever Happened by Sarah Bennett
Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary women’s fiction, complicated family drama, slow-burn romance (friends-to-more), Cornish coast
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My Summary:
Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #TheBestThingThatEverHappened upon my request. All opinions are my own.
In this friends-to-more romance, Kat tries to support her parents, helps her dad at his coffee shop, keeps her writing dreams alive, and acknowledges a growing attraction to her childhood friend.
My Thoughts:
Complicated Family Drama
At the heart of the story, Kat needs to set healthy boundaries with her toxic parents, navigate her conflicting sense of loyalty to them, and focus on her own writing aspirations. In short, Kat needs to stop trying to fix her parents and their dysfunctional relationship. I was greatly annoyed with both parents. Harry’s family is a lovely contrast with Kat’s family, and his family dynamics (supportive siblings) are a lovely part of the story.
Slow-burn Romance
I love a friends-to-more, slow-burn romance! It feels authentic and well-earned. I also love a wonderful male main character. Harry is a considerate, thoughtful, and patient man. We cheer for Kat to choose him (and herself) over her manipulative and demanding family! I appreciate the amount of trust and support Kat and Harry have with each other and how they work together to overcome obstacles. A welcome change from the usual third-act breakup, in my opinion.
The Title
I’m easily frustrated with titles like this one that are a collection of empty words and fail to vividly capture the main theme or content of the book. I have a hard time remembering this title and have to look it up every time I write it! When I saw this title on my blog calendar, I had no recollection of the story content. As soon as I opened my notes, I immediately recalled the story. The title is a complete disconnect for me. This is a minor pet peeve and had no effect on my star rating. Does anyone else feel this way about certain titles? I’m hesitant to mention it, but it was a perfect example!
A Series
The Best Thing That Ever Happened is #3 in the Halfmoon Quay series and can be read as a stand-alone. I thought I was reading it as a stand-alone until I finished and checked Goodreads to see what else I had read by the author, and it turns out that I had read book #1 in the series. I didn’t realize it was the same family since it had been some time. I always think a series read in order provides the most satisfying reading experience, but it’s not necessary in this case.
Content Consideration: toxic parents
Recommending The Best Thing That Ever Happened:
If you appreciate heartfelt stories set on the Cornish Coast with likable characters (except the parents!) and themes of friendship, family, and community, put The Best Thing That Ever Happened on your spring/summer TBRs.
Related: My review of #1 in the series, Just the Beginning
My Rating: 4 Stars
Meet the Author of The Best Thing That Ever Happened, Sarah Bennett
Sarah Bennett is a Top 10 Bestseller of feel good romantic fiction set in beautiful, escapist locations you’ll wish were real.
She believes heroines should rescue themselves, and heroes should be as compassionate and caring as they are good looking. All her books are standalone romances, connected by the bonds of family and friendship.
Her latest series, Halfmoon Quay, is set in Cornwall and available in Kindle Unlimited.
Book One – Just the Beginning: A he falls first, heartfelt romance about starting over.
Book Two – Everything Changes But You: A childhood sweethearts, second chance love story. Free in Amazon Prime.
Book Three – The Best Thing that Ever Happened: A friends to lovers, under one roof romance. Out on 17th March 2026 in all formats.
Book Four is coming soon.
For a dose of sunshine, Sarah recommends Where We Belong, Spring at Lavender Bay and Spring Skies over Bluebell Castle.
Connect with Sarah on: Facebook sarahbennettauthor Instagram sarah_bennettauthor
QOTD:
Have you read a Sarah Bennett book?
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Absolutely agree with you about titles! There are so many that are totally forgettable, or repeats of other book titles! I had to look up “It All Comes Down to This” and “Same As It Ever Was” repeatedly, I could NOT remember how they went. Then there are thriller titles like, “She Lied” and “You Lied” and “Little Liar” and “Liar, Liar”, etc. Give me something unique like Project Hail Mary or The Correspondent or Defending Jacob anyday!
😂😂 good examples! Thanks for the solidarity! 💯
Lovely review, Carol. I enjoy Sarah Bennett’s books, and still need to read #2 in this series before this one. Yes, I have read many books and the title makes absolutely no sense to me. Not sure if whoever gives the titles sometimes even read the book. 😂
It’s always frustrating when the title doesn’t connect or it’s a collection of meaningless words!