Something Like Happy

July 24, 2017
Misery takes a back seat in this uplifting, humorous, and touching novel. Londoner Annie Hebden has given up hope of finding happiness. Her baby, Jacob, dies unexpectedly; her husband, Mike, leaves her for her best friend, Jane, and now, due to early-onset dementia, her mother, Annie’s given in to her despair. She loathes her job as a finance officer, neglects her flat, and barely communicates with her roommate. After visiting her mother in the hospital, a colorful whirlwind named Polly Leonard barrels into Annie. In Annie, Polly believes she has found the perfect person to assist her in her latest, and final, project: One Hundred Happy Days. Polly may only have 100 days left, as she’s got terminal brain cancer (a tumor lovingly named Bob), and refuses to let her remaining time be miserable or go unnoticed. Reluctantly, Annie agrees to Polly’s plan to do or think of one happy thing a day. Soon, Polly has commandeered Annie’s life, making her jump in fountains, ride roller coasters, and listen to orchestras. Annie realizes that Polly is dying far better than Annie has ever lived, so maybe happiness does have a place in her life after all. Delightful page-turning awaits readers, even with Polly’s inevitable finale. Polly is a wonderful character with a positively infectious attitude—memorable and magnetic, with a healthy dose of gallows humor. Joy shines through the tears, as this novel is a life lesson that should not be ignored.

July 1, 2017
In her third novel, London-based author Woods (The Ex Factor, 2016, etc.) makes the case for intentional happiness in the face of tragedy.Two years after the sudden death of her infant son, Annie Hebden is mired in sorrow and holding her life together by a thread. Divorced, she lives in a dingy flat with a roommate she avoids, works at a job she hates, and now must manage a new crisis: the hospitalization of her mother due to early dementia. It's there that she meets Polly, a posh, outlandishly dressed 35-year-old who seems full of cheer, knows everyone at the hospital, and just happens to be dying of brain cancer. Woods makes it clear, as well, that there are romantic betrayals in each woman's past. Somehow the sheer weight of their individual tragedies creates a balance between them, as does Polly's commitment to positivity and Annie's to anguish. With three months to live, Polly is determined to undertake 100 days of happiness and successfully drags a bewildered, resentful Annie along with her. Some mild hilarity ensues but more interesting is the push and pull between the women as they react against but benefit from each other's tendencies. Along the way they build a small community: Annie's roommate, Polly's brother, and Polly's grumpy Scottish neurologist, who, it is clear from his introduction, will be Annie's love interest. The novel suffers slightly under the weight of all its misfortunes--in addition to its two leads, each of the aforementioned personae carries drama, the message being, of course, that no one's life is perfect. Woods' belief in the transformative effect of happiness is a bit fantastic, but the characters are heartfelt and charming, so the novel moves well and is moving, too.

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May 15, 2017

At 35, Annie Hebden, still grieving a painful loss, is ready for a change when she meets the eccentric Polly. Determined to bring Annie out of her funk. Polly concocts a happiness mission: find 100 new ways to be happy over 100 days. Simply irresistible!

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017
Annie has felt numb for a while, but after a challenging few years, numbness is a relief. After the death of her infant son, the dissolution of her marriage, and her mother's descent into dementia, Annie doesn't see much hope left in her world. While visiting her mother in the neurology ward, Annie meets Polly, an eccentric woman who's all too forthcoming about her terminal diagnosis, and Bob, her brain tumor. Annie and Polly embark on an odd friendship, with Polly taking the role of ringleader. Bob's presence in Polly's life has inspired her to start doing one happy thing every day, for 100 days. Annie joins in, pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone and learning more about herself than she ever imagined. Something like Happy is inspiration in a bottle. Author Woods uses her novel inspired by a social-media hashtagto explore the exhilaration of new friendship, the power of loss, and the evergreen tendrils of hope.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017

Annie is miserable. Her dead-end job is soul-destroying, she's lonely, and her mother has early-onset dementia. When hospital administrative details get difficult, she's close to a tearful, angry meltdown. That's when Polly steps into her life. Polly has problems of her own, terminal cancer to be exact, but she's the life of the hospital. At first, this new friend is more than a little too upbeat--what's so great about being on the brink of death?--but as time goes on, the friendship helps Annie to move on from a tragedy in her past and find happiness again. Readers who dislike feel-good, inspirational illness stories will have to be encouraged to get past the book's start, which feels like the introduction to another "isn't cancer a fabulous journey" tale. Those who persevere will see that Annie and Polly are wiser than all that and will enjoy their sometimes hilarious antics that show what love's really about. VERDICT Woods (aka crime author Claire McGowan) is a great option for fans of Graeme Simsion, Gabrielle Zevin, and Marian Keyes. [See Prepub Alert, 5/9/17.]--Henrietta Verma, National Information Standards Organization, Baltimore

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.