A Happier Life
Kristy Woodson Harvey
355 pages
Gallery Books
published June 25, 2024
Thanks @GalleryBooks #partner for my advanced reading copy.
A summer read with a mystery thrown in. There was never any doubt in my mind where this one was headed but I loved the journey to get there. I connected with Keaton from the start and loved the charm Beaufort offered.
It is told in a dual timeline in the present and the last few weeks of Keaton’s grandparents’ lives. I really enjoyed the chapters in the past and the mystery of what happened to the Becks and Townsend.
What I appreciated the most in this one was how the author wove the past and the present around the house and Beaufort. There was that link that ran throughout that tied it all together. There was such a strong bond between Keaton and her grandmother even though they never met.
I liked Keaton and Becks, but the supporting cast was also strong. Especially Anderson, Bowen’s son and Salt, Keaton’s dog. At times they stole the show.
I am always a fan of finding your place in the world and found family. Keaton grows so much in this one. From not knowing where she belonged or who her people were to A Happier Life.
I think this was a great read and perfect for the start of summer. And if I haven’t convinced you yet, there is a hot single dad in this one too. And recipes at the end too!!
About the book
Present Day: Keaton Smith is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort, North Carolina, on the market—the home that Keaton didn’t know existed until now—she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, she’s confronted with secrets about grandparents who died before she was born. And as she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, she soon finds she has more questions than answers.
1976: Rebecca “Becks” Saint James has made a name for herself as the best hostess North Carolina has ever seen. Her annual summer suppers have become the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But she’s struggling behind the façade. Becks strives to make the lives of those around her as easy as possible, but this summer she is facing a dilemma that even she can’t solve. And as the end of the season looms, she is brought to a decision she never wanted to make.
As both Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of the women in their family for generations. For fans of Summer of ‘69and The Notebook, “A Happier Life is that wistful, sparkling summer song whose notes will long linger in readers’ memories” (Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author).
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