I don’t read a lot of romances so when I do, I’m very choosy. Rachel Hanna is one author I’ve learned to trust. Her books have characters who feel genuine and behave in a manner I find believable.
This book is about a woman whose life gets turned upside down and she has to go back to a place she never wanted to live in again. Not only that but she finds herself reevaluating herself and those around her. Josie and her daughter Kendra are great characters and I’m hoping they’ll be included in future books because I’d like to see how things turn out for them.
I loved the character development in this book, as well as the setting of small town life. This book left me smiling after a very hard day at work.
I received this as a free ARC from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. Unfortunately I could not get into the story line of Happy Harbor. I made it to 30 percent and I was not interested in the story. It follows Josie as her life changes after the death of her grandmother.

Rachel Hanna's latest book, "Happy Harbor" is everything a Hallmark movie needs - a flawed heroine who doesn't see herself as flawed, but sees everyone around her as flawed. Josie Campbell is an efficient worker - so efficient, that she views everyone on her team as failing their tasks. Her boss sees it differently, and fires her. She seeks sympathy from her fiance, who announces that he's in love with someone else. Her teenage daughter is expelled from her school. If this isn't enough, a telephone call changes her life - her grandmother, Adeline, who raised Josie has passed away. When Josie and Kendra travel to Happy Harbor, for the funeral, Josie finds that Adeline has left both her home and her restaurant to Josie, on the condition that she stay in Happy Harbor for at least six months and doesn't fire any of the restaurant's employees.

Josie finds that one of the waitresses at the restaurant is her estranged mother, Diane, who Josie only remembers as an alcoholic and horrible mother. Diane is sober now, and had been forgiven for her mistakes by Adeline, but can Josie find it in her heart to do the same, while trying to deal with her own daughter's troubles?

This is a book about relationships and forgiveness. Rachel Hanna mixes love and loss while spinning a tale of mother/daughter relationships. Special thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book!

Happy Harbor by Rachel Hanna ⭐⭐⭐⭐


A story about forgiveness and reconciliation between a mother and daughter.

Josie's life was about to change in so many ways.
Josie has to break down her walls and trust others.
I enjoyed the relationship rebuilding between Josie, her mother and her daughter.
It's a great feel good romance story for mom.

I received an ARC for this book. Thank you Rachel Hanna, Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing.

This is a sweet story about a family healing! We see a troubled teen find a better situation, a daughter and mother reunited, and a woman giving love a chance. Set in a small town, this was a fun, quick read!

This is A Hometown Romance and it is Josie’s story. Josie had her daughter Kendra when she was young but she managed to get away from her hometown of happy harbor and all the bad memories of her mother being a alcoholic and always being the talk of the town. Now years later and Josie feels like she has it all until everything in her life falls apart and then her nana who she loved so much died leaving Josie her restaurant and historic home and even though Josie is devastated and grieving the loss of the most important person in her life she decided to return to Happy Harbor with her daughter Kendra even if it is the last place that she ever wanted to go back to and hold so many bad memories and while there her daughter loves living there and wants to stay which had Josie thinking about what she wants, her life and also how she is going to try and move forward and then Josie gets another surprise when her mother turns up and says that she is sober and wants a chance to make things right for all the pain that she caused Josie while she was growing up so now Josie will have to dig deep and also make a big decision about if she is really ready to forgive her mother for everything that she put her through and give her the chance that she wants especially as Josie’s nana always wanted her to make up with her mother. Wow this really was an emotional rollercoaster ride of forgiveness, trust, pain, moving forward, devastating loss, grief, reconnecting after so many years and harmful memories, great characters and a really great description of the town that makes you feel like you are there going through everything. This book was so well written and the storyline pulled you in and had you turning the pages to see what the outcome would be for them all and I really enjoyed reading it. I can’t wait to read more books by this author in the future.

Happy Harbor sounds like the perfect place to find happiness. Unfortunately for Josie Campbell this place holds a lot of unhappy and painful memories. She fled her hometown many years ago, and never looked back. Her mother, Diane, humiliated her with her drunken antics. The only thing about Happy Harbor that was good for her was her grandmother, Nana.

Josie is finally living her dream with a successful career. She is also engaged and has been able to get her daughter, Kendra, enrolled into a top-notch school. In one fell swoop her world crumbles around her. Everything that was good is now tainted. Then she receives the news that her beloved Nana has died. When she reluctantly heads to Happy Harbor, she has no idea that her world is about to be even further knocked off its axis.

I saw three differing opinions from our three main characters. Kendra looked at the move as a second chance, an opportunity to start over. Diane is looking for forgiveness, while also acknowledging that she does not deserve it. Josie has a generally bad attitude about everything, but as I learned more about her haunted past, I found myself empathizing with her and then wanting to have a stern talk with her as well.

This was a very special book about second chances, forgiveness and finding happiness in circumstances by letting go of the past. It was also a lesson that no matter how much of a control freak Josie was at times, she had to learn to let go. The characters had real life issues which made them relatable and easy to like. I also loved the community of Happy Harbor. These folks cared about one another and took care of each other. This is what I called a warm snuggles book, as it will just warm your heart right up.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Josie's life was about to change in so many ways. I hope most people don't ever have a day that bad! the story keeps showing Josie how she can break down her walls and trust others. The characters are interesting. I enjoyed the relationship rebuilding between Josie, her mother and her daughter. It's a great feel good romance story. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A story about forgiveness and reconciliation between a mother and daughter. Well written. This was my first time I read a Rachel Hanna novel, enjoyed her writing style.

I was so grateful to be an ARC reader for this book. Thank you Rachel Hanna, Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Jessie Campbell has tried to stay away from her home in Happy Harbor. But when a family relative dies, she returns to the town to live in the family home and to run her family's restaurant. Her mother, a former alcoholic is working in the restaurant! So many unhappy memories and trust issues for Jessie. Add to that, handsome Walker Jackson is living in her guest house. Sparks fly between mother and daughter and Jessie and Walker.

Happy Harbour was my first Rachel Hanna book, and it will not be my last. I was blown away by the story and wondered how on earth I have not discovered her books before.

Josie is the MC and she is a single mum who seems to have it all, a well paid job, a nice condo in a desirable suburb, a fiancé and a daughter who is attending a prestigious school. A world away from the backwater small southern town she hailed from and an alcoholic mother who was either absent from Josie’s life or scandalising everyone when she was there. Josie couldn’t wait to get out of town as soon as she could. Josie trusted no one and believed she was the only person capable of doing things right. She was super critical of everyone but felt it was for own protection. There were two people who she loved unconditionally, her grandmother who raised her and loved her, and her daughter Kendra, who Josie has never regretted being the unmarried teenage mother of.

The book opens with Josie being fired from her job, being dumped by her fiancé, having her daughter being suspended from school and being told her beloved grandmother had died and to please return to Happy Harbour to attend the funeral and the reading of the will.

Josie has been left her grandmother’s historical home, and the family restaurant which her grandmother says she has to run for six months. Josie has no choice but to stay.

Of course things are not that simple. Kendra takes to Happy Harbour likes a duck to water, and Josie’s estranged mother shows up sober and hoping for a second chance. Then there is Walker, a tenant of her grandmother’s who is as wise as he is kind. Josie needs to work out what she wants from life, can she leave her child trauma behind and get on with her new start to life.

The theme of the book would have to be forgiveness and character growth. And there is a lot of character growth as the three women change their lives around and each forgives the other for past hurts. Of course it is not smooth sailing for any of them and it is Josie who needs to make the biggest adjustment as she is very self centred and seemingly incapable of making up her mind.

I loved the journey and will certainly recommend this book. I will also read more books by this author - she is officially on my must read list

Happy Harbor…the title in itself brings a smile. Josie is a single mom dealing with a difficult job in a difficult big city who has a horrible day as her life collapses around her. She left Happy Harbor as a teenager swearing to never return but circumstances change. Relationships ebb and flow, change becomes the norm and an unexpected legacy is a catalyst for most of the changes. The small town atmosphere is enough to make you want to move ther.e and sit awhile. A strong four star is awarded to this lovely novel I thoroughly enjoyed.

Loved it. A sweet romance. Interesting family dynamics. Work challenges. Change. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy. My review is voluntary.

I enjoyed this story of love and forgiveness that begins in Atlanta but mostly takes place in the small South Carolina town of Happy Harbor. The main character, Josie, has had a tough childhood and adult life growing up with a mostly absent alcoholic single mother. Josie was raised by her grandmother and is now a single mother herself. I honestly didn’t like this character for most of the book because she was so difficult with others. Overall the characters were so good and had lots of depth. The one of the main themes of the story is that people can change and thankfully so did Josie!

Josie life is falling apart and the question is, can she mend it? Fired from her job and no career insight, dumped by her cheating fiance and her teenage daughter Kendra is rebellious and disrespectful. Josie's childhood memories of an alcoholic mother, Diane, haunt her. Its a lot to deal with let alone turn around.
The main setting is Happy Harbor, a close knit town where everything is cringe worthy amazing. I couldn't help but want to live there!

I found the storyline predictable. The dilemmas throughout were not thrilling, causing the plot to be a little weak. There was just enough in the story to keep me turning the pages. The main characters all have their charms and I did want to see where they ended up with their trials and tribulations.

Thankyou to #Netgalley, publisher and #RachelHannah for the free copy of #HappyHarbor in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Happy Harbor. I really enjoyed Josie’s story. She comes home after her grandmothers death and is faced with many obstacles. In order to be happy, she has to learn to trust again and make a life for her and her daughter. This story is very heartfelt and I would recommend.

Rachel Hanna is one of my favorite authors which was why I wanted to read this book. This was a very different style book for her. The main character, Josie is fired from her job, gets dumped by her fiance and her teenage daughter gets expelled from school all in the same week. Then her Grandmother who raised her when her alcoholic mother left, dies and leaves Josie her historic home and restaurant in the small town of Happy Harbor. Josie is reluctant to move back to Happy Harbor since she has bad childhood memories of the town. Josie's abandonment issues makes it had to trust anyone and and has caused her to be a tough unlikable person. Given limited options, Josie moves back to Happy Harbor to try to start a new life for her troubled daughter. Her now sober mother is back in the picture. Josie doesn't trust that she has changed. Josie meets her Grandmothers guest cottage tenant and sparks begin to fly. I enjoyed reading this book even though at first didn't like the main character. But, as Josie begins to change and soften, she becomes more likable.

I recently read "Happy Harbor" by Rachel Hanna. Although the characters and storyline were enjoyable for the most part, I found some aspects of the plot to be a little far-fetched. Specifically, I felt that Josie's quick forgiveness of her mother Diane seemed unrealistic, given how her childhood was affected by her mother's alcoholic behaviour.

Josie Campbell had a seemingly perfect life in Atlanta until in two days she was fired from her job, and dumped by her fiancé, her daughter was expelled from her private school and then suffered the loss of her beloved Nana. She was hesitant to return to the town where she had grown up, Happy Harbor, as it brought back painful memories. However, her Nana willed her restaurant and historic home, hoping that Josie could learn to work with others and reunite with her mother, Diane. One of the characters I enjoyed reading about was Josie's daughter, Kendra, who underwent significant personal growth throughout the book.

Despite the enjoyable storyline, I did find Josie's indecisiveness and self-centred behaviour to be a bit tiring. However, the small-town atmosphere of Happy Harbor was a delightful aspect of the book, and I wished that there was more emphasis on the restaurant and its employees in the second half of the story. Overall, I found "Happy Harbor" to be an enjoyable read that had its moments of brilliance, but also some areas that could have been improved.

I love Rachael Hanna but I had a hard time getting into this book. It did not capture my interest the way her books normally do. I did keep reading the book and finished it.

Josie returns home after her Grandmother dies, she tries to live out the requirements of her grandmothers will. any book by this author is really good.