Reviews with content warning for Murder - So Happy for You

Chaos incarnate. I think you have to have a really particular set of political beliefs in order to enjoy the satire this book sets up. I cackled the whole way through it, it was hilarious (especially as I was on the plane home from my best friends wedding which I was officiating). I’m writing this review a month later and honestly I forgot I even read this book but it was really fun in the moment. A great bingeable read for the plane.

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stacy837's review

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dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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jkneebone's review

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The premise for this one is pretty straightforward: queer, partnered, and anti-marriage gender studies PhD student Robin agrees to be the maid of honor for her best friend Ellie, despite the fact that they have seriously grown apart from each other at 34. As teens and in their early twenties, the two were completely intertwined, but Ellie is obsessed with climbing “the ladder” - marriage, house, kids - which Robin openly disdains. Still, she agrees to be MOH for old times sake and is quickly freaked by the lengths that Ellie will go to in order to ensure her marriage is a success - specifically the wedding “charms” which have come into popularity that Ellie wants to try.

I think my enjoyment of this book was tempered by the fact that I misunderstood what the premise of the story would be. It is an absurdist novel, which I didn’t know going into it - the world of the story mostly resembles ours, except with a heavier slant towards the traditional marriage and family values set; it is publicly acceptable to count down until women become “rotten” aka too old to marry - and the plot is mainly skewering the wedding industry, not our societal focus on romantic relationships above all else (what I was personally hoping for!). So, take my review with a grain of salt - I imagine that had my expectations been more accurate, I would have liked this better. That being said, I did enjoy the critique of the wedding industry, and I liked that our MC and narrator, Robin, was clearly flawed, and became aware of those flaws throughout the course of the book - her issues were clear to readers earlier on, but it was cool to see her realize some of her pitfalls herself. I also liked the variety of characters that filled out the rest of the bridal party - the politically inconsistent mom of three, the gay man who’s more invested in marriage than the protagonist, and the hippie-dipper but weirdly insightful yoga teacher. Robin and Ellie’s friendship was also interesting to read about, if pushing the bounds of believability for me, but maybe I’ve just not had a friendship like that.

All in all, this is a short and interesting read which will definitely get you thinking - just be aware going into it that it’s absurdist so you aren’t caught off guard like I was!

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jcstokes95's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Absolutely fucking UNHINGED. But I had a helluva good time. Listen, the writing quality is sometimes choppy and weird. It has a weird way of transitioning between events at times and I think Laskey sometime totally drops some things that break the continuity. But... it doesn't even matter because this is like eating cotton candy that's been dyed black.

Robin has been invited to the maid of honor at her best-frenemy's, wedding. While she's hesitant, she agrees, mainly to get the dirt on the dystopian wedding charms brides has been doing since marriage has become heavily rewarded by the government. Ellie is absolutely wedding obsessed (and utterly detestable); you pretty much want to claw her eyes out the whole time. In fact, the whole wedding party is a mish-mash of toxic personalities.

This book will be a hit for a very specific (or maybe broader than I think) group of women. If you are a woman who has ever sat at brunch and shit talked an acquaintance's wedding plans, you may love this. For example, perhaps you had to emotionally support a friend when she had to say she was unwilling so spend several hundred dollars to rent a boat for the party and then had her head bit off for being selfish. If you've had that experience, you may feel a grand sense of horror and also catharsis as this story unfolds. This book has the weird quality of being FUCKING BONKERS, while also feeling like your bestie might tell you it happened to her.

I will say, this moral of the story is sloppy and Laskey seems to think Robin needs to be less judgmental. Maybe, but also, I found Robin's judgements to be relatable and incredibly apt considering the fucked up shit happening in the story. Don't go into this expecting some lesson on female friendship; mostly you'll be reminded that while it can be powerful, it can sometimes drive you to the edge of insanity.

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