Becky's View: This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

This is What Happy Looks Like
by Jennifer E. Smith
♦publisher: Little Brown BYR
♦release date: April 2nd, 2013
♦hardcover, 416 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Review:  Jennifer E. Smith knows how to bring on the charm.  From being stuck on a plane next to a cute british guy to most girls’ secret fantasy of dating her favorite movie star, her stories strike a chord with many a girls’ dream-come-true scenarios. Her stories are certainly nothing ground breaking, but just perfect light reading that puts a smile on your face when you need a breaking from ghosts and vampires and post-apocalyptic worlds.

She also write characters that are easy to become invested in.  The story of Ellie and Graham caught my heart right away. It starts with an email gone astray---an email about taking a pig on his daily walks, no less.  When Ellie gets this mysterious email, she can’t resist responding and they start emailing back and forth, getting to know each other and forming a really great friendship without ever really know the details of each others lives. Graham does, however, know where Ellie lives and where she works, so he arranges for his next movie to be filmed in her town so that he can meet her face to face. 

There are some great funny little mishaps along the way and some really great touching moments. The greatest part of their story, I thought, was that even though he was this mega star, he was not the biggest secret in Ellie’s life.  I loved that she was so conflicted about dating him, not just falling at his feet because he was famous. The fact that he was famous was actually what gave her pause—because of the crazy paparazzi and because of how it would affect the lives of the people around her, especially her mother.

Watching them try to make it all work out, seeing these two good people grow closer, go through some pretty rough times together, and make the most of their time together despite some pretty unusual circumstances and so many things working against them was the charm of this story. This would make a great beach read, so I recommend picking it up soon!

 

Find Jennifer E. Smith online:  Website  •  Twitter

Purchase the book:   Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound