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roseleaf24's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Very cute story. I've been meaning to read Katherine Center for a long time now, and I'm glad to have both a new release and a hefty backlist to continue with! The characters were delightful, and I loved all they went through on the hike, and all their life stories as well.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Child death, Animal death, and Sexual content
mandi_lea's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Grief, and Death
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Injury/Injury detail
bekacrook's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Miscarriage, Death of parent, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
suzquinn97's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Eating disorder and Child death
hrhprincessjasmine's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
At first I really, realyl loved this book. I had already seen the movie but I loved getting more detail from the book. I loved following their journey on the hike and watching Jake and Helen learn more about each other. But the ending left me seriously wanting (and a little disappointed 😞) I still loved the journey though so I'm sticking with 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Miscarriage
lucyhoneychurchreads's review against another edition
3.0
The more o think about this book the less I like it. Three stars because I do really enjoy Katherine Centers writing style. The issues I had were: Helen wasn’t really likeable, she wasn’t particularly unlikeable either - very bland and I think that was the intention but she felt very dull and I didn’t really see her personal growth. She definitely needed some therapy before jumping into a relationship with Jake. I feel like that age gap was too big for the ages the characters were. A lot happens in your life between 22-32 and Jake felt like a kid, I don’t understand how that was supposed to be attractive to Helen, maybe because she was so immature too? If it has been 30 and 40 or even 27 and 37 it would have been better. And finally towards the end there is an event that felt really unnecessary and I just hated it, it kind of spoiled everything else for me. All in all disappointing- watch the movie on Netflix instead.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Animal death
jlothian's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage, Child death, and Suicide attempt
katiea714's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Miscarriage
kelly_e's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
3.5
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."
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."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Grief, Abandonment, Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
Minor: Cursing, Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Medical content
sibling death, overdose, divorce