Review - Happyish by Jeanette Escudero
I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Happyish tells the story of Alex, a divorced mid-30’s marketing executive who is diagnosed with a brain tumor. This scary diagnosis leads her to make some impulsive decisions to see some of the world before she faces the risks associated with surgery.
Alex is a woman who has a hard time relying on others. She is fiercely independent while still being a people-pleaser. She strives to keep her emotions in check, be stable and reliable, and take care of those she loves. As she ventures into the unknown on a whirlwind adventure, we begin to understand why she is this way—due to trauma from her childhood. Alex’s adventure helps her uncover and work through some of these issues, while also coming to terms with the unknowns in her future.
Alex travels to find herself and to reconnect with her family and friends.
She also finds new friends along the way.
This book starts a bit slow, then feels rushed later on. The first third of the book is setting the scene, giving Alex’s background, establishing her reasons for making certain decisions later in the book. But I felt that the final portion of the book was quite rushed. We spend most of the book looking ahead (or avoiding looking ahead) to Alex’s brain surgery. Then it happens quickly, characters pop in and out during recovery, then there is an epilogue tying things up.
I enjoyed this book and I thought it raised some great characters and a promising premise, but it wasn’t as deep and detailed as I had hoped. I wanted to get to know David more. I wanted to understand Alex’s mom more. I wanted to meet Alex’s ex-husband and get some resolution there. I wanted to see more of her recovery and how it changed her attitude.
Instead, I was left wanting and couldn’t give this one more than three stars.
Happyish by Jeanette Escudero came out last week. Read it and let me know what you think!
