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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
I loved the cast of characters in this book! The friendship of the MMC and FMC was adorable. He was suuuuch a simp for her and would give her anything in the world without a single thing in return if it made her happy. (ha ha get the reference?! The way Michelle stepped in and loved and cared for Cliffs girls was so sweet. The dynamics of all the relationships in the book fit so well. There was so much value added to this novel with getting a glimpse into all of the relationships and friendships.
The setting. Oh. My. God. It’s like a character in itself. Copper Run is so Stars Hollow coded in all of the best ways possible. This small town is perfect down to everyone knows everyone, everyone is a family, the quirky characters, the love stories, and the holiday traditions.
I had to come back to add this (how the heck did I forget). This story was set in 1997 and the references were EVERYTHING. SOOOO much nostalgia in one book! Some books really over do the pop culture references, but Julie did it so wonderfully!
The epilogue and bonus chapters caught me off guard with the POVs but were perfect! With the ending it insinuated there would be more stories in this universe and I a super excited to see where that goes!
Thank you Berkley for the ARC!
The setting. Oh. My. God. It’s like a character in itself. Copper Run is so Stars Hollow coded in all of the best ways possible. This small town is perfect down to everyone knows everyone, everyone is a family, the quirky characters, the love stories, and the holiday traditions.
I had to come back to add this (how the heck did I forget). This story was set in 1997 and the references were EVERYTHING. SOOOO much nostalgia in one book! Some books really over do the pop culture references, but Julie did it so wonderfully!
The epilogue and bonus chapters caught me off guard with the POVs but were perfect! With the ending it insinuated there would be more stories in this universe and I a super excited to see where that goes!
Thank you Berkley for the ARC!
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Huge thank you to Berkley and Julie Olivia for the free advanced copy of If It Makes You Happy!
✨ If you’ve ever wanted to live inside Gilmore Girls… this book is your ticket straight into Stars Hollow vibes. 🏡☕🍂
Cliff is a single dad raising his two daughters—one a teenager, one a six-year-old—while pouring his heart into his small-town bakery. Enter Michelle, who has just moved into the B&B next door to take over after her mom’s passing. From their very first meeting, there’s an undeniable spark, but both are hesitant to trust again after love has let them down in the past. What follows is the slowest of slow burns (seriously, the pining is off the charts 😍), and it made every moment of their romance so worth the wait.
What I loved most was how seamlessly Michelle fit into Cliff’s world—not just with him, but with his daughters too. The scenes of her caring for them were so heartwarming, and it made their growing relationship feel real and full of depth. 💕 Watching her fall for the girls, the bakery, and the cozy rhythms of small-town life gave me all the feels.
But there’s a catch: Michelle’s plan has always been to return to her big-city dreams at the end of December. The question is—will she give up the life she thought she wanted for the love and community she didn’t know she needed? 👀
Yes, there were a few extra pages I could have done without (and a bit of drama with Cliff’s ex that I wasn’t obsessed with), but by the end I was literally in tears—and I never cry at romances. 🥹 The final chapters felt like watching a Meg Ryan rom-com, complete with all the swoony, heart-melting magic.
This story is everything I want in a fall romance: small-town charm, slow-burn longing, tender family moments, and an ending that will leave you clutching the book to your chest. 🍁✨ Highly, highly recommend!
✨ If you’ve ever wanted to live inside Gilmore Girls… this book is your ticket straight into Stars Hollow vibes. 🏡☕🍂
Cliff is a single dad raising his two daughters—one a teenager, one a six-year-old—while pouring his heart into his small-town bakery. Enter Michelle, who has just moved into the B&B next door to take over after her mom’s passing. From their very first meeting, there’s an undeniable spark, but both are hesitant to trust again after love has let them down in the past. What follows is the slowest of slow burns (seriously, the pining is off the charts 😍), and it made every moment of their romance so worth the wait.
What I loved most was how seamlessly Michelle fit into Cliff’s world—not just with him, but with his daughters too. The scenes of her caring for them were so heartwarming, and it made their growing relationship feel real and full of depth. 💕 Watching her fall for the girls, the bakery, and the cozy rhythms of small-town life gave me all the feels.
But there’s a catch: Michelle’s plan has always been to return to her big-city dreams at the end of December. The question is—will she give up the life she thought she wanted for the love and community she didn’t know she needed? 👀
Yes, there were a few extra pages I could have done without (and a bit of drama with Cliff’s ex that I wasn’t obsessed with), but by the end I was literally in tears—and I never cry at romances. 🥹 The final chapters felt like watching a Meg Ryan rom-com, complete with all the swoony, heart-melting magic.
This story is everything I want in a fall romance: small-town charm, slow-burn longing, tender family moments, and an ending that will leave you clutching the book to your chest. 🍁✨ Highly, highly recommend!
oh my god what a charming epilogue, i thought the story couldn’t get more heartwarming and then i got slapped in the face with it.
If It Makes You Happy was a love letter to fall and the late 90’s, and it felt written specifically for me. We got harvest festivals, Halloween costumes, delicious Thanksgiving food, and a Christmas morning filled with drama, all set in 1997. Copper Run, Vermont is a charming, cozy small town with the most supportive, involved community ever. Everyone looks out for their neighbors and takes care of each other, and I need to move there immediately.
I have never loved a fictional man more than I love Cliff. He’s competent, confident, charming, dependable, kind, a little snarky and self-deprecating, and a total cinnamon roll. He’s the best dad to his girls, and bakes the most delicious treats. He’s perfect. His relationship with Michelle is what friends to lovers romances dream of being. They’re complete opposites, he’s a small town, single-dad baker and she’s a closed-off city girl, but somehow they’re perfect for each other. Because they’re neighbors, they can’t escape each other, and accidentally become best friends. They both catch feelings but try to fight it, and the slow burn was absolutely delicious. I couldn’t get enough of it.
This book was bursting with warmth, laughter, and tenderness. It felt like a warm hug and a big bowl of comfort food. It had the perfect blend of lightheaded banter, flirty comments, emotional connection, and touching family moments. I loved every second of it and need everyone to read it!
Thank you to Berkley Romance, Berkley, Penguin Random House, Julie Olivia, and NetGalley for the ARC.
📔If It Makes You Happy
✏️ Julie Olivia
📆 September 2, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
READ IF YOU LIKE:
🍂 cozy small town
🍂 single dad
🍂 he’s a baker
🍂 neighbors
🍂 friends to lovers
🍂 opposites attract
🍂 slow burn
🍂 banter
🍂 found family
🍂 dual POV
*Connect With Me*
https://instagram.com/shanisshelves?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
https://www.tiktok.com/@shanisshelves
I have never loved a fictional man more than I love Cliff. He’s competent, confident, charming, dependable, kind, a little snarky and self-deprecating, and a total cinnamon roll. He’s the best dad to his girls, and bakes the most delicious treats. He’s perfect. His relationship with Michelle is what friends to lovers romances dream of being. They’re complete opposites, he’s a small town, single-dad baker and she’s a closed-off city girl, but somehow they’re perfect for each other. Because they’re neighbors, they can’t escape each other, and accidentally become best friends. They both catch feelings but try to fight it, and the slow burn was absolutely delicious. I couldn’t get enough of it.
This book was bursting with warmth, laughter, and tenderness. It felt like a warm hug and a big bowl of comfort food. It had the perfect blend of lightheaded banter, flirty comments, emotional connection, and touching family moments. I loved every second of it and need everyone to read it!
Thank you to Berkley Romance, Berkley, Penguin Random House, Julie Olivia, and NetGalley for the ARC.
📔If It Makes You Happy
✏️ Julie Olivia
📆 September 2, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
READ IF YOU LIKE:
🍂 cozy small town
🍂 single dad
🍂 he’s a baker
🍂 neighbors
🍂 friends to lovers
🍂 opposites attract
🍂 slow burn
🍂 banter
🍂 found family
🍂 dual POV
*Connect With Me*
https://instagram.com/shanisshelves?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
https://www.tiktok.com/@shanisshelves
Felt like the dialogue wasn’t flowing and felt weird
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
This was the perfect read to get ready for the fall season. It's set in the late 90s, and it made me so nostalgic. Michelle is a bit structured in all aspects of her life. She's recently divorced and is taking over managing her deceased mother's bed and breakfast. It's just her and her ex's highly opinionated border collie, Rocket. What she didn't count on was Cliff, the single dad next door, and his two daughters working their way into her life and her heart. I laughed out loud frequently while reading this one, and I found myself up at 2 AM this morning sobbing uncontrollably while reading the last 5%. Have your tissues ready! The epilogue is one of the best I've ever read.
I received an ARC of this book, but these opinions are my own. I would like to thank the author, Julie Olivia, Berkley Publishing Group, and Net Galley for allowing me the privilege of reading her work. ❤️
If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia
This was the perfect read to get ready for the fall season. It's set in the late 90s, and it made me so nostalgic. Michelle is a bit structured in all aspects of her life. She's recently divorced and is taking over managing her deceased mother's bed and breakfast. It's just her and her ex's highly opinionated border collie, Rocket. What she didn't count on was Cliff, the single dad next door, and his two daughters working their way into her life and her heart. I laughed out loud frequently while reading this one, and I found myself up at 2 AM this morning sobbing uncontrollably while reading the last 5%. Have your tissues ready! The epilogue is one of the best I've ever read.
I received an ARC of this book, but these opinions are my own. I would like to thank the author, Julie Olivia, Berkley Publishing Group, and Net Galley for allowing me the privilege of reading her work. ❤️
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
I’ve been waiting months for If It Makes You Happy by Julia Olivia, and my bookstore just happened to have it early. The timing couldn’t have been better, it’s pulled me out of the longest reading slump, and I can’t put it down.
Set in 1997, it gave me all the warm-and-fuzzy 90s vibes I’ve been craving. Growing up in that decade was such a special kind of magic. Life felt slower, simpler, and a little more cozy. Now, standing at the edge of turning 40, I can’t help but imagine what it would be like to relive those years again in my 30s, with the perspective I have now.
But back to this book. Honestly? It feels like a Meg Ryan romcom in book form (the good kind). 🍂 We’ve got a slow-burn romcom with grumpy/sunshine, where the FMC is delightfully grumpy and the MMC radiates sunshine (how could he not, with two incredible daughters?).
Pair that with a small New England town backdrop, cozy fall atmosphere, and my favorite reading buddy Ella curled up beside me. Let’s just say it was a dream escaping into this world. 🐾📚✨
Sometimes happiness really is as simple as a good book (that feels like a cozy hug), a sleepy pup, and a little dose of nostalgia.