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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Wanted to reread bc this was one of my favorite summer books in middle school. Forgot how Disney channel original esque it was but I still ate it upppp
The story looks like a fanfiction but since I read fanfictions, I guess it was okay. The plot is really interesting, the writing is not genius but at least I didn't have to think about every sentence I was reading. Easy to read, really entertaining, sometimes I wish I was a character to slap the actual characters who were being stupid. So this is a good book. You should read it. Don't expect Shakespeare's plays, just a kind of fanfiction that is not a fanfiction.
This is such a cliche storyline but I absolutely fell in love with it. Jennifer E Smith writes extremely enjoyable love stories that always leave you feeling happy and content with life, and maybe just a little bit jealous that it's not happening to you. I could read this book over and over again, it was so lovely to read a book where I could barely pick out any faults.
This book is the epitome of a good beach read. Not that I have a beach to sit on or anything out here in the desert. Today it was 106 degrees outside. I haven’t seen rain in I don’t know how long. A hammock on a beach sounds delicious. And this would be a good book to read while in that hammock. This Is What Happy Looks Like is well-written fluff. You know exactly what you’re going to get before you put it in your mouth, it tastes good going down, and you forget it almost as soon as you’ve consumed it.
This Is What Happy Looks Like is a YA rom-com in book form, and while it is a bit cliched in parts, it’s enjoyably so. Ellie O’Neill receives an accidental email from a stranger asking her to walk his dog, Wilbur. She emails him back to let him know he has the wrong person, and it turns out Wilbur isn’t a dog, he’s a pig, and the teenaged boy who owns him is pretty great. They strike up an email correspondence that both of them are way into. But unbeknownst* to Ellie, her internet paramour is none other than movie star Graham Larkin. When Graham has the production of his next movie moved to Ellie’s sleepy Maine hometown, the two finally meet, but not only do they have to deal with him being GRAHAM LARKIN, Ellie has secrets of her own.
*Anytime you can use the word ‘unbeknownst’ in a review of a book, you know exactly what kind of book you’re dealing with.
The plot of this book is suitably far-fetched, but like I said, that’s part of its appeal. Graham and Ellie are remarkably well-drawn for being characters in this sort of book. Their wants and worries and desires and fears are all very believable, considering their circumstances. The only time I felt myself becoming annoyed with the book was when certain tropes kept popping up, like the other girl that Graham is supposed to be interested in but he isn’t because he’s so deep, or the sassy best friend who is obligated to get into a fight with the girl protagonist over some misunderstanding. These types of stories seem to think they can’t survive without these tropes, when in reality they could just cut them completely out of the book and no one would even notice, except maybe to say, hey I’m glad I didn’t see that thing in this book!
Anyway, like I said: beach read. Fluff. If that’s what you’re looking for, pick this up and you won’t be disappointed.
[3.5 stars]
This Is What Happy Looks Like is a YA rom-com in book form, and while it is a bit cliched in parts, it’s enjoyably so. Ellie O’Neill receives an accidental email from a stranger asking her to walk his dog, Wilbur. She emails him back to let him know he has the wrong person, and it turns out Wilbur isn’t a dog, he’s a pig, and the teenaged boy who owns him is pretty great. They strike up an email correspondence that both of them are way into. But unbeknownst* to Ellie, her internet paramour is none other than movie star Graham Larkin. When Graham has the production of his next movie moved to Ellie’s sleepy Maine hometown, the two finally meet, but not only do they have to deal with him being GRAHAM LARKIN, Ellie has secrets of her own.
*Anytime you can use the word ‘unbeknownst’ in a review of a book, you know exactly what kind of book you’re dealing with.
The plot of this book is suitably far-fetched, but like I said, that’s part of its appeal. Graham and Ellie are remarkably well-drawn for being characters in this sort of book. Their wants and worries and desires and fears are all very believable, considering their circumstances. The only time I felt myself becoming annoyed with the book was when certain tropes kept popping up, like the other girl that Graham is supposed to be interested in but he isn’t because he’s so deep, or the sassy best friend who is obligated to get into a fight with the girl protagonist over some misunderstanding. These types of stories seem to think they can’t survive without these tropes, when in reality they could just cut them completely out of the book and no one would even notice, except maybe to say, hey I’m glad I didn’t see that thing in this book!
Anyway, like I said: beach read. Fluff. If that’s what you’re looking for, pick this up and you won’t be disappointed.
[3.5 stars]
Just. No. Not my thing at all. Read for a book challenge.
Should be called, "This Is What Boring Looks Like". I guess my rating would be closer to 2.5 stars, but really, it was just OK. The characters are cute, and oh-so-nice, but the plot dragged on and nothing really great happened, nothing that would keep this book in my memory forever. A real disappointment.
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More reviews at Readers in Wonderland
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If I had to choose one word to describe THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE, it would be: cute. Fantastically, adorably, cute. Jennifer E. Smith has this amazing talent of really making you believe in fate and chance and especially love.
I loved THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, but after some less than stellar reviews from other bloggers, my excitement dimmed a bit. However, I knew when I finished the first chapter, this was going to be another favorite.
A movie star, Graham Larkin sometimes just wishes he could get away from it all. At least after he meets Ellie in a twist of fate-a misspelled email address. The two begin talking and are quick to become friends. When Graham ends up in the little town of Maine where Ellie lives, they finally have an opportunity to meet in person, but will it be everything they imagined?
I loved Graham and Ellie so much. Their dynamic worked so well, they really complemented each other’s personalities and were so good for each other. In a contemporary YA, of course there has to be turmoil, so the two are split apart for awhile but the book did not lose its pace. For over four hundred pages, I never really felt a lull in the storyline.
The romance was, like I mentioned above, adorable. These two are like my new favorite couple, the way they talk to each other and feel about each other is really relatable, making you wistful of your own first love.
Like Smith’s other books, this one has somewhat of an open ending, but I have definitely come to appreciate those in her writing. They leave you smiling, and imagining any possibility you want to.
More reviews at Readers in Wonderland
_________________________________
If I had to choose one word to describe THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE, it would be: cute. Fantastically, adorably, cute. Jennifer E. Smith has this amazing talent of really making you believe in fate and chance and especially love.
I loved THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, but after some less than stellar reviews from other bloggers, my excitement dimmed a bit. However, I knew when I finished the first chapter, this was going to be another favorite.
A movie star, Graham Larkin sometimes just wishes he could get away from it all. At least after he meets Ellie in a twist of fate-a misspelled email address. The two begin talking and are quick to become friends. When Graham ends up in the little town of Maine where Ellie lives, they finally have an opportunity to meet in person, but will it be everything they imagined?
I loved Graham and Ellie so much. Their dynamic worked so well, they really complemented each other’s personalities and were so good for each other. In a contemporary YA, of course there has to be turmoil, so the two are split apart for awhile but the book did not lose its pace. For over four hundred pages, I never really felt a lull in the storyline.
The romance was, like I mentioned above, adorable. These two are like my new favorite couple, the way they talk to each other and feel about each other is really relatable, making you wistful of your own first love.
Like Smith’s other books, this one has somewhat of an open ending, but I have definitely come to appreciate those in her writing. They leave you smiling, and imagining any possibility you want to.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
*4,5 stars*
Although it was I bit cheesy at times, I had a really fun time reading this book. I didn't expect to love it so much!
Although it was I bit cheesy at times, I had a really fun time reading this book. I didn't expect to love it so much!