Review: Something Like Happy by Eva Woods

Title:Something Like Happy

Author:Eva Woods

Published:September 2017, Graydon House

Format:ARC Paperback, 384 pages

Source:Publisher via Little Bird Publicity

With wry wit and
boundless heart, Eva Woods delivers an unforgettable tale of celebrating
triumphs great and small, seizing the day, and always remembering to
live in the moment.

“It’s simple, really. You’re just meant to do
one thing every day that makes you happy. Could be little things. Could
be big. In fact, we’re doing one right now…”

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.

My thoughts:I have been looking forward to reading this book since I met Eva Woods at BookExpo this past Spring. She is so charming and delightful. And this book was such a reflection of that!

Based on the #100HappyDays Project, Eva Woods delves into what it truly means to be happy. She poses the question through her character, Polly : Is it possible to make yourself happy even when things really, really suck?  

This book is one that gives you all the feels – it not only is a great feel-good story, but it’s one of those stories that sticks with you. It will make you laugh, make you cry and all the emotions in-between. The characters, Polly and Annie are so richly drawn, you won’t be forgetting them anytime soon! They might be as different as night and day, but their friendship just works. Polly comes into Annie’s life at just the right time – a time where hope seems to be lost and happiness doesn’t seem to be part of her vocabulary.

While reading this book, I was reminded of something my college friends and I used to do in college. On our worst days, we would “dress up”…as college students, you know the dress code wasn’t typically anything fancy, but on our most busy days, we found that by taking the time to dress our best, it made our day just that much better, that little bit happier! So, yes, I do buy into Polly’s central question, it is possible to make yourself happy when things suck – at least it did back then!

No
matter what is going on in our lives, we all have the chance to make
the daily choice to do one thing every day to make us happy. Just one
little thing – eat a piece of cake, smile at a stranger, give someone
flowers. Remember – happiness is infectious!!! I loved this book – I loved all the messages throughout and felt that it is a book that will stay with me for a long time.