Claire has spent her life running away from the biggest regret she's had in life. She's tried to find love again, friends, a family, but the past keeps returning to tell her that she doesn't deserve such happiness in her life--not after what she did.
She's had therapy - two years of it, but the raw emotions still surface every time her life takes a turn for the better. When she moves to Wisconsin to get a fresh start on life, she finds a man who is willing to overlook her past mistakes and love her again. But when she finally shares her devastating actions of the past with Erik, will he too take away all of the happiness she's finally found?
Getting to know Claire and the other characters in the book is a slowly building process but you feel that you know these people, their good and bad sides and when the novel ends, you can cheer, grieve and sigh over the way their lives have changed by knowing not only Claire's secret but secrets they've kept from each other as well. I would certainly appreciate another book which continued the lives of these characters.

“A Season of Perfect Happiness” by Maribeth Fischer is a tale of secrets, loss, forgiveness, and friendship. Ten years ago, Claire went through a tragedy that she blames herself for. She moved to the other end of the United States, believing that she did not deserve happiness. Or love. That her life was just to be endured. Because after what she’d done, she could never hope for more.

But then she meets Erik. And his family. They welcome her with open arms, and she has a second chance of a loving family. Erik knows her secret, but not the others. But secrets have a way of surfacing, and when Claire’s does, years later, their lives will never be the same again.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

A Season of Perfect Happiness has an air of melancholy and hopefulness that is utterly captivating. As your whisked through this season during Claire’s life you experience the joys and struggles along with her. Beware, this book is utterly devastating in all the best ways.

10 years ago Claire experienced a unimaginable tragedy and the details of it remain a mystery for the first part of her story. Six years after moving to Wisconsin, she meets Erik and his three children. It finally seems like life has offered her a second chance at happiness, but as her past comes to light we are reminded that life and people are complicated. From there the story unfolds further with Claire becoming friends with Erik’s ex wife, Annabelle and the three of them trying navigate how to be a family. There’s also a long kept secret between friends and a person from Claire’s past that could ruin this new life she’s built for herself.

What distinguishes Fischer's narrative prowess is her ability to convey the diverse viewpoints of her characters with such depth and authenticity, rendering multiple POVs unnecessary. A rollercoaster of emotions doesn’t do this story justice. A Season of Perfect Happiness is a touching exploration of human resilience, love, and loss.

*Trigger warnings are hard with a book like this as it may contain spoilers, but if you have experienced trauma related to children, this book does contain emotionally heavy concepts. Fischer wrote a painful and beautiful story that may be upsetting for some and healing for others.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton books for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

A Season of Perfect Happiness is a book just bursting with potential that reels you in from the very first lines: If you could live an entire season of your life in perfect happiness, knowing that once the season ended, you’d remember nothing at all of that time, would you still take the chance?

An enticing question, for sure. After all, even benign happiness can leave scars. Right from the start, we know Claire’s happiness is fleeting. But we don’t know why. Early on, there are hints of a past marriage and a daughter, who seems to have met with an unfortunate accident. For several chapters, I kept turning pages, rapt, waiting to find out what happened – and why. Surely it couldn’t have been THAT bad.

Well, it is. This novel tackles an unspeakable kind of tragedy, one that badly needs a voice. And it also asks the question: who gets to judge if a mother is really “good.” In that way, it evokes Sue Miller’s book, The Good Mother, written over 20 years ago.

As Sue gets tangled up with a new love interest, Erik, the handsome father of three children (one with issues), she becomes engaged with his ex-wife, Annabelle. Erik and Annabelle are successful co-parents, and their two best friends are part of the newly assembled family. But except for Erik, no one knows a thing about her past life. And she consistently wonders if they will like her when they find out – and if she’s worthy of forgiveness.

There are times when the book falters. Maribeth Fischer relies too heavily on foreshadowing. Annabelle – who I believe was written to be a sympathetic character – does not make the mark for this reader. And sometimes, certain scenes come together or fall apart a little too neatly.

Still, I read this book quickly and eagerly. It will be great for book clubs because of some of the meaty questions it raises. I am grateful to PRH Dutton Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for an honest review.

Utterly Emotional!

I was NOT expecting to feel all the feels! I even had to put it down a few times to collect myself.

Claire finds herself trying to recover after some serious tragedy and the resulting emotional trauma, and needing to leave her home state of Delaware. Picking Wisconsin because it's shaped like a mitten, she never imagined what this change would hold for her, while she works so hard to keep her past a secret.

As she falls for Erik, she becomes intertwined deeply with he and his three kids - AND his ex wife! Realizing there's more to life than hiding from her pain and from allowing herself to develop relationships, she comes into her own with her new family and a few close friends. Until a ghost from her past arrives on the scene. She's desperate to keep her past hidden away, but can she?

Keep the tissues handy - this one may stir up some tears for you too!

Thanks to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and Maribeth Fischer for the eARC.

“A Season of Perfect Happiness” was my first book by Maribeth Fischer, but it won’t be my last. This book grabbed me from the first paragraph, as I was introduced to the main character, Claire.

I found the book description to be accurate. The reader knows going in that Claire fled Delaware because of a tragedy. The nature of the tragedy is revealed fairly early on, but the overall book is more about life after a tragedy rather than the tragedy itself. The author’s use of foreshadowing throughout the book was well done. There were times the foreshadowing would set the reader up for good news, but there were times it filled me with dread because of what was written.

During probably the last third of the book, I found myself lost in the pages and the world outside faded away. I found this book to be thought provoking and its plot has stuck with me (in a good way). Overall, I highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

This review, will be posted on my Goodreads and instagram

ARC REVIEW
Publishing Date: August 20, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars

“You don’t expect the good memories to hurt more than the terrible ones, but they do”

Brief Summary-
Claire has to start her life over again in Wisconsin. Carrying guilt and some heavy baggage she meets Erik and starts to fall foe him, she is so afraid of him and his family learning the terrible accident that changes her life forever. "Does any life exist without secrets?"

What To Expect/Content Warnings-
🌻Second Chances
🌻Found Family
🌻Mental Health Representation
🌻Postpartum Psychosis
🌻Harm To A Baby
🌻Infidelity

"Why Do we assume happiness is benign, that it doesn't leave scars"

My Thoughts-
whew chileeeee, this book is heavy. I wasn’t expecting it to be such an emotional read. The amount of dread I felt at the end of each chapter. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was immensely curious how everything was going to play out for everyone in this book. This would be a great lifetime movie 😩

Between the FMC and all the side characters I just wanted to hug them all? Like offer them a safe space to talk lol. The characters were flawed but likeable. I mean at some points I was rolling my eyes at the fmc like, “gurllllllll stfu” 😭

The author writing stye was exquisite, I was fully engaged. I cried with the characters, I felt all the emotions each was was going through. This book is heavy but I definitely recommend if you like sad books like me.

“If sadness can alter the chemicals in one’s brain, alter how a woman loves, how she grieves, how she thinks—and I know all too well sadness does do this—then why not happiness? Why do we assume happiness is benign, that it doesn’t leave scars?”

Playlist-
🎶One Headlight- The Wallflowers
🎶If It Makes You Happy- Sherly Crow
🎶3AM- Matchbox Twenty
🎶Fly Away- Lenny Kravitz
🎶How's It Gonna Be- Third Eye Blind
🎶Comedown- Bush
🎶My Love- Mitski
🎶Iris- The Goo Goo Dolls
🎶Hand In My Pocket- Alanis Morissette
🎶Adam's Song- Blink 182
🎶The Freshman- The Verve Pipe
🎶With Arms Wide Open- Creed
🎶Wonderwall- Oasis
🎶Shiny Happy People= R.E.M
🎶Alive- Pearl Jam
🎶Long Day- Matchbox Twenty
🎶Shine- Collective Soul


✨Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, & Penguin Group Dutton Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review✨

Claire has started her life over again in Wisconsin, but she can’t forgive or forget her past mistakes. When she meets Erik, she is terrified to tell him what made her leave her East Coast town years ago. It gets more complicated by the fact that he has three kids, one of whom is a special needs child, which means his ex-wife and children are a package deal. She becomes friends with the ex-wife and Erik and Annabelle’s friends. When someone from Claire’s past enters the scene, her new life may be blown to bits.
It makes me sad what people expect from mothers and themselves.
NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 20, 2024.

Thank you to @duttonbooks and @netgalley for this e-arc book. All thoughts are my own.


Ten years after an unspeakable tragedy caused Claire to flee her hometown, she finally feels content. She finally opens up and allows herself to go on a date. It’s with Erik, but he has a messy life. His ex-Annabelle is still deeply engrained in his life, and he has three children, including a set of twins.

Just when Claire thinks that life is going to be good now, a woman from her past arrives and threatens everything.

Will everything she’s worked so hard for during the past decade fall apart?


This book was sheer perfection. What a book about forgiveness and what it takes to be a “good” mother. This book explores some non-traditional thoughts, and deeper meaning to being a good mom. This book also really made me question what can be forgiven, and how long we should go before forgiving someone. I think all too often we are our own biggest critics, and are least likely to forgive ourselves, and that was showcased throughout the pages in this novel. I adored Maribeth Fischer’s writing. It was so beautiful and vibrant. Funnily enough, when I requested this book on netgalley, I mistook her for another author, but it ended up being a happy mistake, because I cannot stop thinking about how much I loved this one. The characters were so well written and developed. I enjoyed how the plot unfolded. It was done in a way that kept me on the edge of my seat with anticipation, and that’s not a normal feeling when I’m reading contemporary fiction.

This book does deals with trauma and I would say if you have triggers surrounding birth and associated conditions then please proceed with caution. I was a little thrown by them, but I think that the book handles the topics well and with the care that they deserve.

This book really challenged me although I do wish it came with a trigger warning for those in the postpartum period. These are absolutely instances/conditions that must have light shed upon them as they are not talked about often enough. This book really shows how although life events can absolutely shatter a person, it shows that they can put the pieces back together in a different way and still be whole. It also shows how we take advantage of relationships at times and how, we can heal some relationships if given enough time and understanding. It was such an example of learning how to love ourselves and letting others love us in spite of ourselves (loving all parts or at least understanding that the bad parts of our history don’t make us bad people.) I also enjoyed the very layered group of friends turned family and how that played out when truth was not at the forefront. It was an intense but necessary book!

Thank you to Dutton Books for the ARC; all opinions in this review are my own

Here are some words that rose into my mind as I have been contemplating writing this review: riveting, emotionally thrilling, memorable, and . . . . comparable to Jodi Picoult's intricate novels of family, relationships, and being human. The story is so unique, and the characters are all believable and likeable, even when at their worst. I loved the theme of happiness-- what it really is, whether or not we deserve it, how long it lasts . . . etc. This is a novel that I will remember!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of this book. All opinions in my review are my own. To be honest this book absolutely gutted me. That being said I do think it was beautifully written, especially in the description details. I could picture everything so vividly and I truly enjoyed the writing style. I do think it absolutely needs some trigger warnings due to the subject matters throughout.

Claire is a single women living in Wisconsin after experiencing a horrific tragedy that altered her life forever. She meets Erik who is a divorced dad of 3 and all the whole is harboring this massive secret that could and will alter their life forever. Reading about how she becomes enmeshed in his life and his family's life while still having an immense about of guilt about the tragedy she experienced 10 years earlier was absolutely captivating. Throughout the book she wrestles with feelings of unworthiness and fear and I was interested from cover to cover. The subject matter was very intense and quite triggering for me but I still loved it as a whole. Thanks for the opportunity to review it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of A Season of Perfect Happiness. This is a story of learning that you can forgive yourself of this you did when you were young. I loved everything about this book.

This was a well rounded story about the emotional turmoil that a parent goes through navigating their past, present and future and recognizing who you used to be vs who you are currently. Not that everyone goes through what Claire did, but there can definitely be a “before” and an “after.” The main theme of this book is a look into the lies we tell, the secrets we keep and how to navigate relationships regarding this delicate balance. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced copy.

I loved this story. It was so real. I could feel all the emotions. My own mother dealt with postpartum depression after she had my brother and went back to work. I remember how off I thought she was acting. It wouldn't be until years later, and the birth of my second son, that I would fully understand what she was going through, as I too, battled postpartum depression. It's hard for anyone to understand what goes through your head and the emotions you're struggling with inside. As a woman, I feel we need more books like these. Books that are real, feel real, and others can be like wow! I am so happy that Claire was able to save her marriage, and her friendships, and that she knows her daughter knows she loves her. I think this book is my favorite read so far this year. 5⭐️

I absolutely fell in love with this book and its cast of characters. Real people, real situations that flowed beautifully. Claire has spent 10 years regretting a terrible accident that caused her to leave her hometown, her parents and everything she loved. When she meets Erik and falls in love, she finds family in his children, his ex wife Annabel and their best friends Eva and Gabe. Life becomes beautiful and more than Claire could have ever hoped for. Until one day someone from her past comes back and upends everything Claire has built for herself. The author portrayed mental illness with a soft hand and in a believable way. Everything about this story was just so well done. Can’t wait to read more by this author!

This is a lovely story about a woman (Claire) rebuilding her life. I love books like this. I like to get lost in someone else's life and Maribeth Fischer provided that escape from me in a touching way.

A Season of Perfect Happiness by Maribeth Fischer Claire moves to Wisconsin, telling herself it is to start over after a family tragedy, but she is really running away and hiding. She meets Erik, a divorced father of 3 children, and gets wrapped into his life with his ex and their college friends. Can she allow herself to be happy? This novel is told in reflection from the protagonist. Immediately it sets a tone of tension and sadness that did not dissipate over time, it may have ramped up. I was so anxious reading this book! Knowing that things were not going to work out the way Claire wanted made me jump at every turn, cry at her tragic past, and wince when secrets were decided to stay secret. If you like a good cry and palpable tension this book is for you.



SPOILERS: As a therapist, I will say that this book handles mental illness with care and compassion. It discusses a topic that no one wants to think about with grace and dignity. Many of the characters backstories are full of trauma and the arc from that to who they are when we meet them in the book, rings true. The way Erik, Claire, and Annabelle parented their neurodivgerent son was amazing. As a mom, this book was often hard to read for many reasons, which shows how beautifully it was written, I was totally allied with the characters. But also, as a mom, it was nice to see how many of the parents in this book loved (as a verb) their children; putting their kids needs above their own, for better or worse. Thanks to Dutton, Penguin, and Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. 4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC! This is the story of how a woman who was broken rebuilds her life, creates new friendships, and regains a family. The first 30% of the book hinted at a huge secret Claire was keeping from her new boyfriend and her new friends. I felt this part of the book was drawn out a little too much and Claire’s fear of the secret getting out was on almost every page, and it was starting to aggravate me that I didn’t know what this secret was. But once she opened up to her boyfriend, Erik, the pace picked up. The blending of Claire’s new life with her past and her growth was amazing to read!

I thought this book was so sweet and constantly pulled at my heartstrings. The relationships between the characters were so real and genuine and it felt like they became my friends throughout the book. There were parts of it that felt a little bit slow to me but overall, such a sweet book of redemption, friendship, and forgiveness!

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton/Maribeth Fischer for the complimentary e-book in exchange for my honest review.