I really enjoyed Jeanette Escudero’s debut, The Apology Project, with its important messaging about friendship. I had a feeling Happyish would be just as emotionally refreshing, and it was.

Alex is celebrating the one year anniversary of her divorce, but before she meets her friends to share drinks, she finds out she has a brain tumor. From contentment with her independence and personal growth to uncertainty and doubt in one fell swoop.

Alex has plans, though, and they involve traveling and adventure. She finds a companion along the way. Eventually Alex has to go home and confront reality.

This is such a heartfelt and well-written journey. Alex is a character I saw much of myself in. Sometimes you spend your whole life trying to be independent only to find that you can’t do this journey on your own.

Happyish is a thoughtful and inspiring story, and one that left a mark on me. It’s about loss and mothers and daughters and friendship and finding yourself at any time you are lost and so much more. Jeanette Escudero, I love your style. Can’t wait for what’s next.

I received a gifted copy.

Title: Happyish
Author: Jeanette Escudero
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.50
Pub Date: September 20, 2022

I received a complimentary eARC from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Lighthearted • Refreshing • Thoughtful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

It was supposed to be a good day.

On the one-year anniversary of her divorce, Alex Martinez is getting closure—and margaritas with her two best friends. But just before the celebratory meetup, Alex is clobbered by life once again. Damping the cheer is the diagnosis of a brain tumor she can’t pronounce, a procedure she’d rather postpone, and the prospect of what to say to an already heartbroken mother. Not that Alex plans to tell her anything anytime soon.

Going from blissful to blindsided in one afternoon, Alex has other plans: to be impulsive and embark on an adventure she’ll never forget. Expected destinations: the Grand Canyon, Puerto Rico, and zip-lining through Costa Rica. Unexpected companion: a hiker named David who’s found a woman after his own heart. But no matter how enriching the journey, how long can Alex keep running?

💭 T H O U G H T S

Books centering around grief and death have quickly become a subgenre I gravitate towards given my own grief journey. When I saw Happyish I was immediately intrigued and knew I would want to pick it up at some point. Although it has taken me quite some time to get to, it was one of those books that happened at the right time.

Although it is definitely on the light-hearted side (despite dealing with heavy content), I really enjoyed Alex's journey. Written in a wise and comical manner, I was allowed into Alex's life as she journey's from frantic life-alternating news through the uncertainty of what to do and finally coming to terms with her own life. While I understand the concern surrounding Alex not immediately seeking care, however, I also see the flip side of being given such a diagnosis and just not knowing what to do with it.

I adored the road trip aspect and how the author interweaves the memory of her sister into the narrative, so I got to know Amy on a different level. It was one of books with many moments for pause and reflection. A constant reminder that life can change at any moment. While I would have liked a little more emotional depth, I completely understand the intent of keeping it on the lighter side.

Happyish was one of those lighthearted books that reminds the reader of the importance of living in the present and never taking life for granted. One that left me feeling satisfied. It was an enjoyable journey, and I'd consider picking up more of Jeanette Escudero's work in the future.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone looking for something light
• readers in need of a reminder about the importance of living

⚠️ CW: death, sibling death, grief, terminal illness, cancer, medical content, divorce

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"And it’s okay to fall apart once in a while. And it’s okay to inconvenience people, and it’s okay to feel your feelings. The people who love you will still love you."

In Jeanette Escudero’s “Happyish", the reader is taken on an emotional journey alongside protagonist Alex Martinez. On the evening of her divorce anniversary, Alex plans to celebrate with two of her closest friends, hoping to find closure and a sense of joy.

The story takes a turn when Alex receives the diagnosis of a brain tumor. Despite the overwhelming news, Alex decides to give the tumor a name, Bob, and attempts to ignore its presence. Rather than following her doctor's advice to undergo immediate surgery, Alex embarks on a bold plan to travel to various destinations, including the Grand Canyon, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica.

As Alex sets off on her adventure, the reader is gradually introduced to the memory of her late sister, whose unfinished bucket list becomes Alex's mission. Escudero reveals the profound impact of her sister's death on Alex's life, deepening the reader’s understanding of her character and the emotional baggage she carries.

Throughout her travels, Alex encounters a diverse range of companions, making her journey all the more enjoyable. However, as the novel progresses, the severity of her headaches intensify, forcing her to confront the reality of her condition.

In this funny and heartfelt novel, Alex Martinez's journey from denial to acceptance, and the accompanying emotional rollercoaster, makes for a compelling narrative.
Jeanette Escudero’s “Happyish" reminds the reader of the importance of cherishing the present, healing past wounds, and finding happiness where we are.

I enjoyed reading Alex’s story, it was an emotional journey as she received news of brain cancer on the day of her divorce. Those are both personal heavy issues for me. I did enjoy the second chance aspect of it as a way to remember to never take any day for granted and live life fully.

I really appreciated this book and it was a pleasure to read. I loved the plot and the main character Alex. It reminds us to enjoy life and take nothing for granted.

Thank you to @netgalley and @amazonpublishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to @letstalkbookspromo for including me on this buddy read.

What would you do if the day you are to celebrate the one year anniversary of your divorce, you are given the news that you have a brain tumor? For Alex, it means she goes on a wild adventure instead of telling her friends and facing treatment. Her adventure list is a bucket list created with her sister before she passed away at a young age.

This book is a heartfelt journey as Alex learns to accept her diagnosis and learning some more life’s lessons. It is beautifully written and realistic. It was easy to connect with Alex. Highly recommend

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #amazonpublishing #letstalkbookspromo #ltbreaderteam #happyish #jeanetteescudero

Alex finds out she has brain cancer on the anniversary of her divorce. She doesn’t want to face the treatment options and decides to travel to all of the places on her bucket list. The bucket list was a list of places her sister and her wanted to go to but she died from cancer at a young age. People have called this book light but it felt pretty my grim most of the time. The ending was nice.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

On the anniversary of her divorce, Alex is diagnosed with a brain tumor. She can only hide for so long before has to face her fears and grief. This was a great story watching Alex come to terms with her diagnosis after some serious denial. The supporting cast here was a lot of fun and great characters to watch support Alex and challenge her at times.

This was a fascinating story that reminds us that we need to take advantage of every day. That while sometimes we're lucky to have a second chance it's so important to value each and every day. This story will take you on a wild roller coaster of emotions and you will fall in love with the main character.

I really enjoyed Jeanette Escudero’s debut, The Apology Project, with its important messaging about friendship. I had a feeling Happyish would be just as emotionally refreshing, and it was.

Alex is celebrating the one year anniversary of her divorce, but before she meets her friends to share drinks, she finds out she has a brain tumor. From contentment with her independence and personal growth to uncertainty and doubt in one fell swoop.

Alex has plans, though, and they involve traveling and adventure. She finds a companion along the way. Eventually Alex has to go home and confront reality.

This is such a heartfelt and well-written journey. Alex is a character I saw much of myself in. Sometimes you spend your whole life trying to be independent only to find that you can’t do this journey on your own.

Happyish is a thoughtful and inspiring story, and one that left a mark on me. It’s about loss and mothers and daughters and friendship and finding yourself at any time you are lost and so much more. Jeanette Escudero, I love your style. Can’t wait for what’s next.

I received a gifted copy.

I am conflicted about this story. I love a good second chance at life story. I appreciated that the main character was willing to move on from her horrors of the past year, and make a new journey.

The confliction was the adamancies of not getting the care she needed for an ailment. I could understand if this was discussed a time or two, but it felt like the author continually placed that in our minds and just wouldn't let it go. It was a bit draining honestly.

The red bow ending was great. Overall, just meh.

I received a free copy of Happyish by Jeanette Escudero in exchange for an honest review. But y'all, I would gladly pay for this book (lucky for you, it's on Kindle Unlimited). It is so good. It had me from the very beginning, and I haven't had many books that were not autobiographies, memoirs, or fantasy reads do that lately.

I feel like Alex is a very realistic character, that is easy to empathize with. She has had a shit year and just keeps getting more and more piled on her. And while some things are based on her own perceptions, that doesn't mean they're any less real to her.

I actually highlighted so many things in this book. One that really sticks out to me is:

"It's ok to fall apart once in a while. And it's okay to inconvenience people, and it's okay to feel your feelings. The people who love you will still love you."

I just feel like it's so easy to connect with Alex when she struggles to connect with others or struggles to acknowledge her emotions because she would rather people rely on her rather than having to rely on others. (Maybe that says a lot about me, but hey, I'm working on it 🤷‍♀️ lol)

Overall, I gave Happyish ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I HIGHLY recommend adding this to your TBR list. It's in the same category as Eat, Pray, Love (which I also loved), and Alex is just a wonderful main character that is easy to connect to even if you don't necessarily agree with all of her decisions or rationalizations.

From the outset I was captivated by the story and loved the journey we went on with the main character, Alex.

Happyish is a book about finding yourself and discovering who you really are and what you want to do with your life and that its never too late to change and that change can be the best thing to happen to you.

I really enjoyed the style of writing, as even though there were lots of heavy topics discussed throughout the book and the main character has lots of different struggles, it wasn't a heavy or a sad read which I thought it could be going into it, I felt like it was an uplifting read.

This book was such a lighthearted, fun, thought provoking read! Where it could have gotten heavy and super emotional, it dove into some complicated real life topics so gracefully! Alex is the perfect protagonist who doesn’t dwell on all her unfortunate circumstances, but decides to take chances and live her life to the fullest! I have already recommended this one to some friends and know they will love it just as much!!

🍁 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 🍁
Happyish
Jeanette Escudero
Rating: ★★★★/5

This is such a wonderfully written book that will elicit all the emotions! Even though the subject matter is heavy, the author did a great job making it relatable and heartwarming. I swapped back and forth between the electronic version and audio because I was so caught up in this story! As an added bonus, 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺𝘪𝘴𝘩 is available on KU with added audio!

🅂🅈🄽🄾🄿🅂🄸🅂

It was supposed to be a good day.

On the one-year anniversary of her divorce, Alex Martinez is getting closure — and margaritas with her two best friends. But just before the celebratory meetup, Alex is clobbered by life once again. Damping the cheer is the diagnosis of a brain tumor she can’t pronounce, a procedure she’d rather postpone, and the prospect of what to say to an already heartbroken mother. Not that Alex plans to tell her anything anytime soon.

Going from blissful go blindsided in one afternoon, Alex has other plans: to be impulsive and embark on an adventure she’ll never forget. Expected destinations: the Grand Canyon, Puerto Rico, and zip-lining through Costa Rica. Unexpected companion: a hiker named David who’s found a woman after his own heart. But no matter how enriching the journey, how long can Alex keep running?

It’s time to accept past griefs, reconnect with her mother, and find her way back to happy. For Alex, whatever the future holds, maybe everything she really needs to face is right where she left it.

Thank you to @letstalkbookspromo @sidneyhalstonauthor and @amazonpublishing for the gifted electronic copy!

Happyish, which published last Tuesday, is about rolling with what happens and making the most of it. On her one year divorceaversary, Alex finds out she has a brain tumor, which earns the nickname Bob the Blob from her two friends. Work is also stressful for her, and her boss suggests she take a break. Before scheduling the surgery she's told she needs, Alex decides to hike the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim with a small guided group. Reading about her hike brought back memories from my 9 day trek on the Arizona Trail last April! Her adventures continue from there. I definitely needed tissues while reading this one! 😢
If you enjoy books with a female MC experiences growth throughout realistic struggles, then I think you'll enjoy following Alex in her attempts to be truly happy instead of just happyish. Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

While this was definitely outside of my usual radar and tastes, I could not put this down and finished it in one sitting. Happyish hits the ground running introducing Alex as she is going to her one year divirce anniversary celebration with her best friends after receiving news from her doctor that she has a brain tumor. With her sister who has passed away from cancer in mind, she is determined to take a vacation to all of the places they wanted to go together as children. Jeanette Escudero structures Alex’s journey beautifully incorporating romance, the complexity of mother daughter relationships and grieving a loved one. Very readable and highly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for the e-ARC!

For a book surrounded around our MC and her brain tumor, it was reflective and had unexpected humour.
Without any spoilers, the title is more than fitting, and gives you a beautiful story of survival. Alex was immediately likeable and I found myself rooting for her. Wonderfully written with such captivating, well developed and relatable characters.

Thank you to @netgalley @sidneyhalstonauthor @amazonpublishing and @letstalkbookspromo for the ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes it takes a tumor to make you realize you’re not really living your life in a way that really makes you happy. Meet Alex, about to celebrate her 1 year anniversary of her divorce when she is floored with the news that she has a benign brain tumor that needs to be removed with brain surgery. Alex decides to take a trip of a lifetime before facing the brain surgery, finds her true path in life, makes some life altering changes, and even finds love. This is both a light hearted and heavy read all wrapped into one that will have you smiling, laughing, and crying!

Thank you @sidneyhalstonauthor @amazonpublishing, and @letstalkbookspromo for the gifted copy of Happyish.

Thoughts 💭: This was such a fun and emotional read. Forty-something year old Alex is meeting with changes in her life beginning with her divorce. Later she learns that she has been diagnosed with a life-altering disease. She is initially denial about her diagnosis but eventually goes into a vacation while honoring the memories of her sister, who died to due to cancer as well. In order to cope with these traumatic life-changing events, Alex decides to face her fears to take the surgery but before that, she decides to strike a vacation (possibly her last one) from her bucket list.

In this endearing novel, I absolutely loved the fact that not only was there a middle-aged character, but there was a recognition of cancer and other terminal diseases that often make our way into our lives. Cancer is something that hits close to home, as I lost my mom to it. However, we see that the author not only encourages us to face difficult situations, we also have to live our lives as if it is our last day - carpe diem! As many reviewers have said, though, keep a box of Kleenex next to you because it would be hard not to be emotional. This novel also reminded me of Eat, Pray, and Love.