Helpful Score: 1
G emails E by accident and the two strike up a never-ending interaction that both feel is one-of-a-kind. There are only several problems that the two of them cant work out. First, G is Graham Larkin, the hottest new Hollywood star with a bevy of teenaged female fans all around the world and an almost equally large crowd of paparazzi following him everywhere. And E is Ellie ONeill, a dreamer-poet living in Middle-of-Nowhere, Maine, who has her own reasons for wanting to avoid the spotlight.
I was head over heels for the first 25% of the book, and then meh for the rest of it. Oh, theres nothing wrong with THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE at all, but immediately after the two main characters finally met up, the romantic anticipation fizzled and there was a sense of what next? floating among readers and the narrative.
Dont get me wrong: Graham and Ellie are adorable, separately and together. They are the kind of people you want dating your best friends: theyre nice and well-read and like sunsets and cute animals and hand-holding. Yes, things in this books world are a bit tame, especially Grahams oh-so-cutesy humor, but hey, Im not going to hold that against the book: its rare that we find a YA romance where at least one party is not either TSTL or a jerk.
For the most part, THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE is a dream come true for readers who, like me, wished their whole lives for a squee-worthy romance between a nice movie star and a nice ordinary girl. But then, as in most Jennifer Smith novels, theres the extra dimension of family problems. Again, theres nothing inherently wrong with including family issues into a contemporary romance, but it just wasnt what I wanted to read about when I picked this book up. I wanted the never-gets-old sparkly tension of falling in love with someone new, of gradually getting to know them through cheeky emails, of the first time seeing them and thinking to yourself, Oh. I have been waiting for this my whole life. Only all of that happened in the first quarter of the book, and then the rest of it didnt seem to add much more to Graham and Ellies relationship. It just didnt do it for me.
Nevertheless, I would still recommend THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE to readers looking for a light romance. The characters and the picture-perfect setting of small-town Maine make this the YA romance that a lot of readers are looking for.
I was head over heels for the first 25% of the book, and then meh for the rest of it. Oh, theres nothing wrong with THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE at all, but immediately after the two main characters finally met up, the romantic anticipation fizzled and there was a sense of what next? floating among readers and the narrative.
Dont get me wrong: Graham and Ellie are adorable, separately and together. They are the kind of people you want dating your best friends: theyre nice and well-read and like sunsets and cute animals and hand-holding. Yes, things in this books world are a bit tame, especially Grahams oh-so-cutesy humor, but hey, Im not going to hold that against the book: its rare that we find a YA romance where at least one party is not either TSTL or a jerk.
For the most part, THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE is a dream come true for readers who, like me, wished their whole lives for a squee-worthy romance between a nice movie star and a nice ordinary girl. But then, as in most Jennifer Smith novels, theres the extra dimension of family problems. Again, theres nothing inherently wrong with including family issues into a contemporary romance, but it just wasnt what I wanted to read about when I picked this book up. I wanted the never-gets-old sparkly tension of falling in love with someone new, of gradually getting to know them through cheeky emails, of the first time seeing them and thinking to yourself, Oh. I have been waiting for this my whole life. Only all of that happened in the first quarter of the book, and then the rest of it didnt seem to add much more to Graham and Ellies relationship. It just didnt do it for me.
Nevertheless, I would still recommend THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE to readers looking for a light romance. The characters and the picture-perfect setting of small-town Maine make this the YA romance that a lot of readers are looking for.
Clean young adult coming of age romance.
Previous to this book I had read Smith's âThe Statistical Probability of Love at First Sightâ and enjoyed it. This was a cute contemporary fiction romance. It was decent but ended pretty open I know there is a follow-up novella that is supposed to tie things up better.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was well done. They have different narrators for the parts told from Ellie and Graham's POV.
The main theme running through this book is fame and how people deal with it. Ellie and her mom had their life ruined by fame and publicity early on. Then Ellie finds out that the mysterious boy she has been talking to is a famous actor and is reluctant to get involved in the paparazzi circus that caused her family so much pain years ago.
I did find the topic of dealing with a sudden rise to fame kind of interesting. Watching how Graham's sudden rise to fame has changed his life is thought-provoking and sad. That was probably the most interesting part of this book. Most of the book is just the romance between Ellie and Graham and how they have to struggle to make their situation work.
In the end it was an okay read but kind of boring at points. There isn't much resolution to the story either. It does end in a fairly realistic way that does make you feel somewhat positive.
Overall this was an okay read. I liked some of the talk about fame and how it affects people. The chemistry between Ellie and Graham was good but not fantastic. It was a quick read that I enjoyed. However, I feel like Stephanie Perkins writes books that are very similar in style and I always enjoy Perkins books a lot more.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was well done. They have different narrators for the parts told from Ellie and Graham's POV.
The main theme running through this book is fame and how people deal with it. Ellie and her mom had their life ruined by fame and publicity early on. Then Ellie finds out that the mysterious boy she has been talking to is a famous actor and is reluctant to get involved in the paparazzi circus that caused her family so much pain years ago.
I did find the topic of dealing with a sudden rise to fame kind of interesting. Watching how Graham's sudden rise to fame has changed his life is thought-provoking and sad. That was probably the most interesting part of this book. Most of the book is just the romance between Ellie and Graham and how they have to struggle to make their situation work.
In the end it was an okay read but kind of boring at points. There isn't much resolution to the story either. It does end in a fairly realistic way that does make you feel somewhat positive.
Overall this was an okay read. I liked some of the talk about fame and how it affects people. The chemistry between Ellie and Graham was good but not fantastic. It was a quick read that I enjoyed. However, I feel like Stephanie Perkins writes books that are very similar in style and I always enjoy Perkins books a lot more.
I think I've just found the perfect summer read. You know, those books that so effortlessly evoke a feeling of content within you, and whisk you away to sand-filled beaches with the cool waves lapping against the shore. It's light and sweet, not to mention beautifully written, and I found myself grinning as I flipped through the pages--now that's what I call a beachy read!
When teenage heartthrob Graham Larkin accidentally sends Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a remarkably witty and unforgettable correspondence, sharing everything about their lives and forging a bond they've never experienced before--even if they only know the other person's initials. Then Graham discovers that Ellie's small hometown in Maine is the perfect location for his next movie, and he decides to seek out the girl from his emails in the flesh. But can a movie star who constantly lives in the harsh glare of the spotlight really have an ordinary relationship with a small-town girl like Ellie?
I find that the characters in these kinds of books are of paramount importance in the novel. After all, if you have boring or unlikable protagonists, the entire story falls flat. And who wants to read about the lives of mean/whiny/dull people anyway? Fortunately, both Graham and Ellie are incredibly interesting and compelling characters with their own unique personalities and backgrounds, and I think Ms. Smith has definitely hit the mark with developing complex and endearing protagonists. I'll be honest with you and say that I didn't really pay close attention to the blurb before reading the book, so when I read the opening set of emails between Graham and Ellie, I didn't really even know that Graham was a movie star (oops, I know). So the very first impression I got of his character was that he was a witty, nice guy with a pet pig of all animals. I think if I'd known that he was a famous heartthrob will girls swooning over him, I might've been inclined to think he was arrogant on the outside, with a sweeter side to him, but the book itself thankfully never leaned towards that cliche! Graham is an undeniably sweet, caring character who deals with the downsides of being a well-known actor, someone who, at times, misses what being normal is like. And what I loved about him was that he was such an easy-going guy--not to mention protective!
Ellie is also undoubtedly a sweet, likable main character who, unlike Graham, lives a pretty normal life. She works at the ice cream store in her small town, loves to read poetry, and is living with her single mom. But what made her a really complex and truly interesting character, I think, was the fact that Ms. Smith wove in a backstory to Ellie that set her apart from the rest of the Auden-reading, ice cream-scooping girls. Ellie's struggle to raise money for her summer poetry camp at Harvard was coupled nicely with the fact that her biological father, a well-off politician, was never a huge part of her life. I also think that Ellie's and Graham's personalities worked very well together, and you could just tell why they were so attracted to one another in the first place. They're both witty and funny, yet at the same time possess the ability to take things seriously. In this way, it's easy to see how Graham and Ellie are kind of perfect for each other, despite the vast differences in their backgrounds.
The novel is rich in the emotional sense, which can be found in the growth of Graham and Ellie as individuals and as a pair. What also really enhanced this was Ms. Smith's beautiful writing. Her language is evocative without being purple, and brought magic to the ordinary. Her descriptions of the sea, or the way people gathered together to celebrate the Fourth of July, were elegant yet simple, and I found myself enchanted by her version of a small town in Maine.
Overall, "This Is What Happy Looks Like" is a sweet and simple novel about the emotional growths of two very different, yet very similar, teenagers. The evocative writing brings the story to life, and it is undoubtedly the perfect book to bring to the poolside on those bright summer days!
When teenage heartthrob Graham Larkin accidentally sends Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a remarkably witty and unforgettable correspondence, sharing everything about their lives and forging a bond they've never experienced before--even if they only know the other person's initials. Then Graham discovers that Ellie's small hometown in Maine is the perfect location for his next movie, and he decides to seek out the girl from his emails in the flesh. But can a movie star who constantly lives in the harsh glare of the spotlight really have an ordinary relationship with a small-town girl like Ellie?
I find that the characters in these kinds of books are of paramount importance in the novel. After all, if you have boring or unlikable protagonists, the entire story falls flat. And who wants to read about the lives of mean/whiny/dull people anyway? Fortunately, both Graham and Ellie are incredibly interesting and compelling characters with their own unique personalities and backgrounds, and I think Ms. Smith has definitely hit the mark with developing complex and endearing protagonists. I'll be honest with you and say that I didn't really pay close attention to the blurb before reading the book, so when I read the opening set of emails between Graham and Ellie, I didn't really even know that Graham was a movie star (oops, I know). So the very first impression I got of his character was that he was a witty, nice guy with a pet pig of all animals. I think if I'd known that he was a famous heartthrob will girls swooning over him, I might've been inclined to think he was arrogant on the outside, with a sweeter side to him, but the book itself thankfully never leaned towards that cliche! Graham is an undeniably sweet, caring character who deals with the downsides of being a well-known actor, someone who, at times, misses what being normal is like. And what I loved about him was that he was such an easy-going guy--not to mention protective!
Ellie is also undoubtedly a sweet, likable main character who, unlike Graham, lives a pretty normal life. She works at the ice cream store in her small town, loves to read poetry, and is living with her single mom. But what made her a really complex and truly interesting character, I think, was the fact that Ms. Smith wove in a backstory to Ellie that set her apart from the rest of the Auden-reading, ice cream-scooping girls. Ellie's struggle to raise money for her summer poetry camp at Harvard was coupled nicely with the fact that her biological father, a well-off politician, was never a huge part of her life. I also think that Ellie's and Graham's personalities worked very well together, and you could just tell why they were so attracted to one another in the first place. They're both witty and funny, yet at the same time possess the ability to take things seriously. In this way, it's easy to see how Graham and Ellie are kind of perfect for each other, despite the vast differences in their backgrounds.
The novel is rich in the emotional sense, which can be found in the growth of Graham and Ellie as individuals and as a pair. What also really enhanced this was Ms. Smith's beautiful writing. Her language is evocative without being purple, and brought magic to the ordinary. Her descriptions of the sea, or the way people gathered together to celebrate the Fourth of July, were elegant yet simple, and I found myself enchanted by her version of a small town in Maine.
Overall, "This Is What Happy Looks Like" is a sweet and simple novel about the emotional growths of two very different, yet very similar, teenagers. The evocative writing brings the story to life, and it is undoubtedly the perfect book to bring to the poolside on those bright summer days!
