This book was very good, and my first Katherine Center novel. I was expecting more of a romance story, but even though that’s the heavy focus in the beginning it turned into more of a contemporary finding yourself story with a tiny bit of romance mixed in.

4.25/5⭐️ 

Even though it wasn’t a self help book, it still taught me a few things. My brain chemistry changed a little bit and I’m grateful for it; for the new outlook in life. Such a sweet romance💕

This book was absolutely delightful. From the very beginning I admired Helen and her strength to want to do something for herself. She knew it was going to be hard, but it’s what she needed to give herself a chance to start fresh. Jake is her immature little brother’s best friend, and kind of a nuisance himself to Helen. She finds herself getting ready for her trip of a lifetime! All to be spoiled by her Jake. Well I don’t know about spoiled as much as not exactly how she pictured it. She goes in her grand adventures and finds pieces of herself she didn’t know she needed. This book was very sweet and I love the idea of creating happiness for ourselves and finding the good in everyday to focus our outlooks on

30% romance 30% nature appreciation and 40% self growth; I cried, I couldn’t put it down, I liked it a lot more than the movie. 

A really good story with a lesson being taught throughout. Helen grew and developed as the story progressed but at no point became an unrealistic version of herself. She still had doubts and focused on the sad moments more than the happy at times but she was making a conscious effort to try to be better and improve herself, her mindset and her life. She felt very honest and real and complex, her life shaped by her experiences even when she hasn't realised it fully yet. I enjoyed seeing her open herself up and give people and things a chance which enabled her to enjoy her life more. 

I loved how besotted Jake was from the beginning and how everyone knew it but Helen. He again, felt like a real person who was complex and different and had his own share of difficulties but chose to deal with them differently to Helen. He was kind and brave and honest and funny. He cared so much. 

The journey through the wilderness was interesting, it had a good mix of scenic details and events to keep it entertaining and vivid to picture. There was confusion, and pain and hope on the journey for most of the characters in different ways. I loved how the relationships developed within the party of hikers and how we discovered more about them and softened towards them as Helen did. 

A really enjoyable read that made me nearly tear up and made me feel irrationally hopeful and frustrated on the characters behalf. I liked the choice of where the story started and ended and I really loved the epilogue. 

Title: Happiness for Beginners
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: March 24, 2015

T H R E E • W O R D S

Adventurous • Witty • Relaxing

📖 S Y N O P S I S

A year after getting divorced, Helen Carpenter, thirty-two, lets her annoying, ten years younger brother talk her into signing up for a wilderness survival course. It's supposed to be a chance for her to pull herself together again, but when she discovers that her brother's even-more-annoying best friend is also coming on the trip, she can't imagine how it will be anything other than a disaster. Thus begins the strangest adventure of Helen's well-behaved life: three weeks in the remotest wilderness of a mountain range in Wyoming where she will survive mosquito infestations, a surprise summer blizzard, and a group of sorority girls.

💭 T H O U G H T S

When the film adaptation of Happiness for Beginners recently released I knew I wanted to pick this one up off my shelf pronto, so I could watch the movie. Katherine Center has been hit (Things/How to Walk Away) or miss (The Bodyguard/Hello Stranger) for me and so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. What I did know is that the premise sounded like a whole lot of fun.

I absolutely loved the idea of the wilderness survival course. These types of adventurous trips always spark my interest, and it's easy enough to create a cast of strangers that the reader gets to know along the way. I also liked the brother's best friend trope, although the romance seemed like it came out of nowhere and could have easily been developed at a slower pace to come across less forced. Like all of Katherine's books there is an added layer of depth beyond the romance. Helen is yet another of her strong, resilient female characters who goes through personal evolution in the wake of personal loss (this case divorce).

Where this book didn't work for me is when it comes to the insensitive language in regards to mental illness and particularly, alcoholism. These types of language issues have become recurring and at times I don't think author's are aware of the importance in their choice of words. This is the second issue I've had with Center's work, so at some point you'd think she'd have a sensitivity reader edit out some of these insensitivites.

Happiness for Beginners was very Hallmark moviesque, so I can definitely see why it was made into a film. I have heard great things about it, so I am looking forward to watching and seeing what I think. In my mind, I have a hunch that the movie just might be better than the book and I don't say that very often. Despite not loving this one as much as I'd hoped, I'll definitely continue to read Center's books, but they are not longer among my most anticipated.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the brother's best friend trope
• readers looking for a summer read

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"But there it was. Life never gives you exactly what you want."

"Happiness is more about appreciation than acquisition."