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A review by mishale1
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really, really enjoyed this book. It dealt with some topics that I don’t love reading about (cancer!) but I was still completely compelled!
Keaton needs a fresh start after leaving a job she loved and ending a relationship. She winds up getting pulled into a project to help her mom but it helps Keaton too.
Keaton never knew her grandparents. They passed away long before Keaton was born. It’s been 50 years and their sudden deaths were so traumatizing to Keaton’s mom and uncle that they just never went back to their old house again.
Here’s the amazing part…because of what I previously mentioned, Keaton is able to walk into her grandparents’ home exactly as it was 50 years ago!
Just imagine that. Imagine being able to walk back into a family home that was unchanged. The shoes are by the couch, notes by the phone, books on tables, you name it.
Of course at first this just seems daunting. There’s a lot of work Keaton will have to do before she can sell the house.
But soon she starts learning about her grandparents and their love story. She starts getting to know her own family, then though they had passed away before her birth.
As she gets the house ready, she starts meeting the neighbors. She feels attached to her handsome neighbor and his young son.
And the older generation share stories with Keaton about her grandparents.
Between their stories, and the journals they left behind, Keaton starts to understand her mother’s concern that her parents didn’t really did in a car accident.
So we get a mystery as well as a love story.
I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend reading it!
Keaton needs a fresh start after leaving a job she loved and ending a relationship. She winds up getting pulled into a project to help her mom but it helps Keaton too.
Keaton never knew her grandparents. They passed away long before Keaton was born. It’s been 50 years and their sudden deaths were so traumatizing to Keaton’s mom and uncle that they just never went back to their old house again.
Here’s the amazing part…because of what I previously mentioned, Keaton is able to walk into her grandparents’ home exactly as it was 50 years ago!
Just imagine that. Imagine being able to walk back into a family home that was unchanged. The shoes are by the couch, notes by the phone, books on tables, you name it.
Of course at first this just seems daunting. There’s a lot of work Keaton will have to do before she can sell the house.
But soon she starts learning about her grandparents and their love story. She starts getting to know her own family, then though they had passed away before her birth.
As she gets the house ready, she starts meeting the neighbors. She feels attached to her handsome neighbor and his young son.
And the older generation share stories with Keaton about her grandparents.
Between their stories, and the journals they left behind, Keaton starts to understand her mother’s concern that her parents didn’t really did in a car accident.
So we get a mystery as well as a love story.
I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Minor: Death of parent