Something Like Happy by Eva Woods (A Review by Jennifer Boksman)
Rating: 6/5
Are you familiar with the “100 days of happy” phenomenon that was found on Facebook some time ago? Well, after seeing it on her Facebook page, this book was written by Eva. She found herself asking if you really could make yourself happy every day, even though you woke up feeling absolutely miserable and utterly lousy.
This is the story of Annie, a young woman whose life has, and is continuing to, fall apart. When you find out what has happened to her, you see where her misery is coming from. But then we meet Polly, happy-go-lucky, life is all pink and rainbows and unicorns. Annie is put off by this over-the-top sunshine girl, until she finds out Polly is terminal. With 100 days to “live her life to the fullest” Polly takes Annie on a path of self exploration and makes you really stop and think what it takes to be happy.
Day 1 (the book is written without chapters) through day 84 will make you delight in the little things, laugh out loud, feel a little dread, all the while watching the other characters: Polly’s parents, her brother, Annie’s roommate, come to life. Day 85 you are going to bawl your eyes out! Took me 4 tissues to get through it!!!
The book finishes like you think it will, but what makes you think twice is what Polly and Annie do to make life its absolute best. There is a “day” in the book when Polly talks about wasting time dieting, rushing around, getting things done, when in fact she has been missing all these years the delight of an eclair in all it’s ooey, gooey, fat-filled wonderfulness.
This book “got to me”. The cliche of “stop and smell the roses” is known by all, but it is truly the simple things – chatting to a stranger, buying a homeless person a cup of coffee, calling a friend, watching the sunrise – that makes the world a truly terrific place.
If 1/10 of the people in the world read this book and follow it’s message this world would be a much happier, grander place. I, for one, think that this life is well worth “trying” every day. Happy reading; don’t forget the tissue box!
Review by Jennifer Boksman