Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Uplit Reads / Gallery Books #partner, for the advanced copy of A Happier Life in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Gallery Books / Simon and Schuster Audio
Published: June 25, 2024
Summary:
Present Day: Keaton Smith is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort, North Carolina, on the market—the home that Keaton didn’t know existed until now—she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, she’s confronted with secrets about grandparents who died before she was born. And as she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, she soon finds she has more questions than answers.
1976: Rebecca “Becks” Saint James has made a name for herself as the best hostess North Carolina has ever seen. Her annual summer suppers have become the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But she’s struggling behind the façade. Becks strives to make the lives of those around her as easy as possible, but this summer she is facing a dilemma that even she can’t solve. And as the end of the season looms, she is brought to a decision she never wanted to make.
As both Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of the women in their family for generations.
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Kristy’s books ever since her debut novel, Dear Carolina. Each book has been charming & filled with endearing characters and I always look forward to her next one. And seeing my name in her acknowledgements never gets old…Kristy, thank you!
I loved the messages woven into this book – that of being never too late to start over and returning home. They are ones that I think everyone can relate to in some way…I know I sure did and it makes the book feel do much more relatable and real.
This was an emotional book for me, dealing with end of life and death after having gone through my own losses so recently, but it also helped me in a way & for that I’m so grateful. Books have a funny way of finding you at the right time and this one was just what I needed. It helped me find perspective and clarification when I needed it most.
I also loved how this book is inspired by a mystery from Kristy’s own family. I love when authors are able to take something like that and draw out a complete story that is so readable and engaging. This just may be my new favorite of all her books!
Audio thoughts:
I loved that there were three narrators for this one. It really made it come alive and each of the narrators–Cassandra Campbell, Devon Sorvari, and Fred Sanders–added just the tone for the parts they played.
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