Personally, I found Small Joys to be a rather honest depiction of depression, social anxiety, and suicidal ideation. My main gripe was that Muddy did not seem entirely authentic at times. He remains unreservedly present for others, without getting a deep enough look inside the character himself as to why someone might have seemingly boundless energy to show up constantly for multiple friends in his life. Don't get me wrong, I was holding out for Harley's redemption arc, and was happy to see Muddy's considerable hand in that. But without more Muddy exposition, his uniform devotion felt almost unrealistic. Besides that small nit, Small Joys was full of quiet beauty and shows the reader what centering friendships (and not always, gasp! romantic relationships) can look like within a friend group. I loved this honest tale, and am looking forward to reading what Mensah does next.

A quiet, beautiful story that suffers from overwriting. I found myself skimming but I still wanted to know what was going to happe .

A truly meaningful and lovely book with a bot of odd humor. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher

Probably one of the most fiercely British books I've ever read. Unfortunately, that meant a lot of the humor was completely lost on me. It was still a cute story and I was rooting for everyone, but it ended up being very dull without the British sense of humor.

**Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC**

Loved how authentically and thoughtfully this book explored recovery from depression, gay identity, and the healing nature of friendship.

While "Small Joys" is now archived on NetGalley, I wanted to leave a quick review for anyone who might be interested based on the description. This book completely stole my heart.

Harley's story resonated with me deeply. Facing failure and feeling lost is something we can all relate to, and the way Elvin James Mensah portrays Harley's struggle is both honest and tender. Then Muddy enters the picture, this larger-than-life character who just oozes positivity. Their friendship felt genuine and heartwarming.

The blurb mentions "laugh-out-loud" moments, and they weren't kidding! Mensah's writing had me chuckling throughout the story, but he also knows how to tug at your heartstrings. The characters grapple with some tough issues, but it's all handled with a beautiful balance of humor and sensitivity.

Overall, "Small Joys" is a beautifully written coming-of-age story about friendship, self-discovery, and the importance of finding your chosen family. It's a bittersweet reminder that even in the darkest times, there's always something to find joy in, no matter how small. Highly recommend!

This didn’t resonate for me in the way I had hoped. The writing was lovely but the character development felt flat and unrealistic at times, but I think any heartfelt expression of a mental health journey is important. This had beautiful moments but overall didn’t work as I didn’t feel a character arc or sense of story.

Harley and Muddy unexectedly become roommates. Harley is a young queer black man struggling to find his way. Muddy is a bird-watcher and rugby player with an enthusiasm for life. Can the two become friends despite the obstacles they face from society and their friends?
I really wanted to like this book! The description makes it sound entertaining and funny. So, I slogged through the first 20%. I didn't laugh once. And I couldn't get past the profanity so did not finish the book.

At its core, a good story about friendship with relatable characters. Overall, it's fine, very British.

I enjoyed the description of mental health and the portrayal of the struggles that come with that in this novel. I also enjoyed the male friendships portrayed between straight men and gay men as that isn't often shown in books. There was not much plot and I think the story stalled out at points. The story was very British lol

Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah is a special book that explores complex topics but also focuses on themes of kindness, acceptance, and found family. The setting and time period is pitch perfect with strong character development.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I had quite a hard time finishing this book. It was very slow paced for the whole book, despite the highest highs and lowest lows. Muddy's friendship provides such an extreme amount of support and love, and although I loved Muddy's willingness to help and support those who need it the most, it almost felt unrealistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Harley is depressed. He’s quit college and moved back home to his rural town in England. He’s on the verge of making a tragic decision when he is interrupted by his new roommate, Muddy. Muddy is the polar opposite of Harley; freewheeling, confident, masculine, and presumably heterosexual, he pulls Harley into his orbit and friend group. With his relentless positivity, zest for life, and love of birds, Muddy brings light back to Harley’s life–until the past threatens to darken it again.

I adored this novel of found family and finding meaning in small things. The friends are each different and have their own struggles, but the way these working-class 20-somethings show up, accept, and stay for one another–especially Harley–is remarkable. I loved their dynamic, I loved Muddy, and I didn’t want this to end. There are some triggers here, with Harley’s depression, but I was smiling throughout so much of this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were so realistic and I especially loved the main character. His voice was so unique and the perspective is one that is greatly lacking in popular media. This book was diverse in the best ways and none of the characters felt like a stereotype.

At times this book felt slow and I'm not the biggest fan of first-person POV, but I would overall highly recommend this book.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick. Our library purchased and our patrons have been checking out and and enjoying the book. I see it is a popular book club choice as well we hope to have more oppurtinies to support authors like them

Small Joys had small joys in it. It started off with a triggering bang, but it gradually worked its way into heartwarming territory. Depression and hopelessness replaced with waking up to new opportunities and try agains!

Harley was suicidal because he wasn't feeling accepted by his father and he was having hard time finding his way in this world. A bird watcher saw him and changed the course of his life. This bird watcher was his new housemate. He, Muddy, was a typical lad with friends to play rugby with. Harley was not sure if they could get along at first. Harley was quiet, introverted gay man, while Muddy was all "masculinity". But eventually, life showed them how similar they were and appearances did not dictate personality.

In his small circle of friends, Harley found love, acceptance, protection, and peace. It is what everyone deserves, right?

I enjoyed this book’s quiet, steady character exploration. I thought the focus on the importance of friendships, navigation of different forms of friendships and relationships, and how both evolve over time, were excellently handled. The additional focus on mental health for black, queer men (and health for men in general) were likewise thoughtful and authentic. The characters are all nuanced and show both depth and growth, but without changing in ways that feel overblown. Narrator Harley, for example, remains quiet and introspective even as he begins opening more to those that are important to him. As an aroace, I especially enjoyed Muddy’s evolution to understanding his asexual identity (while not explicitly labeled as such, his desire to not have sex with anyone is clearly defined).

The book is deeply ensconced in 2005 Britain, especially the music of the time, so some readers may lack familiarity with slang, geography, and/or music. I didn’t find these distracting, but some readers might. Content warnings for homophobia, including an attempted exorcism, racism, suicide attempts.

This book tackles very heavy topics in an open way. SMALL JOYS is the perfect title for this book; I ended it full of so many feelings for our MC.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book had some very dark moments and heavy topics, but much like the title “Small Joys” there was humor, and some really beautiful scenes woven in between the sadness.

This book is not shy about anxiety and depression, and is very open about mental health struggles.

Harley’s journey is tough to follow in the beginning, but watching him start to trust his support system of friends and go to therapy, and in the end his realization that his life is worth living, was really wonderful.

Muddy was this absolute sunshine of a character, and Finlay, while an asshole, was a good person deep down. Chelsea and Noria were a delight as well. I love their friend group, and how much they all loved each other. The dynamic was playful and supportive, and how as they learned more about themselves they called each other out and respected each other.

At first reading this, I was getting through it pretty slowly because it is a heavy start, but the ending was lovely, and the book is so well-written. I think this will be on my list of favorites for the year. Definitely a recommend from me.

Content Warnings: Suicide Attempts, Homophobia, Anxiety, Depression

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I rarely give up on books but I came close over the days that I read “Small Joys”. It is an exhausting look at depression and sadness and maybe the edge of mental illness. It is also an examination of friendship - the kind that you hope and pray to have at some point in your life and if you are lucky you will find that friendship when you are at the lowest point, when you are at the bottom of the pit - the kind of friendship that takes the time to watch, listen and tries to pull you up and out of that all consuming despair.

When you come at life with the belief that it is “something to be bargained with, to be battled with” somehow you just know that it is not going to be uplifting and easy to like or jump onboard. Couple this premise with very brash, outspoken and more outspoken characters in this book, it was just exhausting. But I kept reading and thinking and feeling so badly for this poor boy who has no self-worth - so, so sad. The road is going to be long and arduous - one giant step forward and a million baby steps backwards. Healing, rupturing, rejecting, accepting, realizing that hope can be had, friends can be made, they can care and try to protect and you might start to share and see what it can be to heal and realize you have worth. The words aren’t empty when they are spoken with the love found on the pages of this book.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a copy.