Something Like Happy - Fiction Review

Something Like Happy by Eva Woods (Amazon)

Rating:  Very Good
Source:  Little Bird Publicity

Description:  Annie Hebden is stuck. Stuck in her boring job, with her irritating roommate, in a life no thirty-five-year-old would want. But deep down, Annie is still mourning the terrible loss that tore a hole through the perfect existence she'd once taken for granted—and hiding away is safer than remembering what used to be. Until she meets the eccentric Polly Leonard.
Bright, bubbly, intrusive Polly is everything Annie doesn't want in a friend. But Polly is determined to finally wake Annie up to life. Because if recent events have taught Polly anything, it's that your time is too short to waste a single day—which is why she wants Annie to join her on a mission…

One hundred days. One hundred new ways to be happy. Annie's convinced it's impossible, but so is saying no to Polly. And on an unforgettable journey that will force her to open herself to new experiences—and perhaps even new love with the unlikeliest of men—Annie will slowly begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, there's still joy to be found in the world. But then it becomes clear that Polly's about to need her new friend more than ever…and Annie will have to decide once and for all whether letting others in is a risk worth taking.


Genre: Fiction

Why I Picked This Book:  I loved The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and all the Happiness Project movements so I thought it'd be fun to see a fictionalized version of a project.

My Impression:   This wasn't an easy book.  I mean it was an easy book to connect with and an easy book to read but I don't feel the author took the easy way out on this.  These aren't happy people doing a project involving Instagram and hashtags.  There aren't magic tricks that make all their problems go away because they're remembering to smile at strangers and dance in the rain.  Annie and Polly have problems that legitimately suck.  Problems that would be too much for anyone to bear.  And at the end they still have those problems.  However, can you be happy with such opposition and can being happy make those problems a little easier to bear?

It was interesting to see the project progress and how it changed their lives.  There aren't unicorns riding rainbows and eating cotton candy at the end but there's is more laughter, more joy, more hope, and maybe a few tears.  I loved watching the project evolve and getting to know the characters.  I loved that while Annie's world especially opened up she was still very much herself.

This was a really wonderful read and just the read I needed at the moment.  It inspired me to shift my focus a little bit and focus on the positive.    This is a fantastic read if you're looking for characters you can really connect to and need your own bit of inspiration.


Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  This was a really great read.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy a heart felt women's fiction that doesn't get too sappy this is one not to miss.