Hanna wants to make you move to Happy Harbor, is there such a place? I certainly hope so. Mother daughter relationships thoughtfully explored for 2 generations, there is room for forgiveness and redemption. The inclusion of autism spectrum was well done, with a believable storyline, that was not overly done.

When the main character was introduced (Josie) I thought she was pretty rude and brash. As the story went on she made some incredible life changes and became much more likeable. I loved the story of Josie taking over and saving her grandma's restaurant in the sleepy little town of Happy Harbor along with the story of her relationship with her mom and daughter.

I listened to this book and the narrator was great!

5 Stars! Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader!

Publish date 06/11/2024

I'm so conflicted about this book. The format is similar to many other books I really liked - woman is drawn back to her hometown after her aunt dies and leaves her a home and business, she must face past issues, meets someone. I LOVE this story arc. But I couldn't stand the main character, Josie. She grated on my nerves and was so over the top obnoxious that I just couldn't root for her. Her turnaround didn't feel sincere, or maybe I'm just cynical.

But I can't say I hated this book either. I really liked so many of the other characters, and of course the quaint small town that makes you want to move right now. So I'm giving this book 3 stars.

Thank you to #netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

In Happy Harbor, Josie is the main character and drove me crazy! She didn’t have a great childhood but sometimes you just have to move on and realize that all the decisions you are make now are your own, not someone else’s. As the story progresses though, I was cheering Josie along as she started to trust her daughter, her own mother and even the guy next door. I wanted to hug her at the end and say, “You did it! You deserve this life. Now don’t mess it up!” It is for sure a book about believing in yourself but learning that life is really hard all alone… so ask for help sometimes!

I just finished Happy Harbor by Rachel Hanna Audiobook - Narrated by Rebecca Gibel and here are my musings.

Josie Campbell left Happy Harbor and hasn’t looked back. The only thing she misses is her grandmother. She doesn’t miss growing up with an alcoholic mother. One whose antics are the stuff of legends or the fact she was barely there for Josie growing up.

Josie has a great job, a condo she loves, a fiance and a beautiful teenage daughter who goes to a top high school. Things could not be better. Then in the blink of an eye it all crumbles in an instant. Her fiance ends things and she is fired from her job… Icing on the cake, her daughter Kendra is suspended for the rest of the year. Can things get worse?

The next thing she knows is her beloved Nana has passed away and Josie has to return to a place that she wanted to forget. Her Nana has left her the house and the restaurant. Josie wants neither but Kendra really wants to stay so inserting herself into Nana's shoes and soon is glad she did. The handsome renter is a huge bonus of being home but her mother, Diana, working in the restaurant is not something she was expecting to have to face but Diana is sober and Nana put this all into place in hopes they can reconcile before it is too late.

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this one but the second the narrator started to talk, I already knew I was wrong. I felt like the story was written in such a way that you can’t help becoming fully invested in these women.

This book covers some pretty deep topics. Alcoholism, death, child neglect to name a few. It isn’t difficult enough for me to issue trigger warnings but they are for anyone who may need a warning. I felt the book did a great job of accurately portraying everything it touches upon while keeping the book more on the uplifting side.

The book is really well written and I loved how the women all came together at the end to forgive and move past all the negative things that have plagued their lives. They all grow and change into the kind of people they can be proud of. I’m a big fan of connecting with characters in books and this one was done to utter perfection.

Loved the small town feel with the cute romance thrown in. Definitely a winning combination in my world,

4 stars thank you @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for my gifted copy

Happy Harbor
By: Rachel Hanna
Narrator: Rebecca Gibel

This book gives total Hallmark vibes. Josie is a single mom who struggles throughout her life with relationships. Trust has always been an issue. Restoration is far fetched in her mind. She just doesn’t believe that anyone ever changes.

This is a book of restoration, reconciliation, forgiveness, bonding, growth. Triggers: alcohol, alcoholism, loss of family member, anger.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a stand alone romance novel that follows Josie Campbell is a self-made woman with a great job, living in Atlanta with her daughter that is enrolled in a top rated school, and a fiance living her best life. Then one day it all comes tumbling down...  She loses her job, her daughter is expelled, and her Nana who raised her passes away leaving her the cafe and her historic house back in her hometown of Happy Harbor.  This is not what Josie wants as she has spent most of her life trying to distance herself from her small town scandals, and alcoholic mother Diane. Her daughter Kendra is excited at the idea of a fresh start, near beaches, a new school where no one knows her, in a town that adored her great Nana.  Can Josie get over the past and keep Nana's last wish of reconciliation with her mother and keeping the cafe open?  The good:  This is a nice warm comfort read about second chances. Walker, Nana's guest house tenant was a nice surprise and so supportive. BUT... Josie's attitude is very strong and she is not a pleasant person in the beginning with severe trust issues, understandably.  Her daughter, Walker, her support system, and the town itself makes this a great read. I listened to this in audiobook format and the narration was great.  I received an arc and it was the perfect vacation read. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone publishing. #HappyHarbor #NetGalley #ContemporaryRomance #BeachRead #WomensFiction

This book had a sweet theme of faith and forgiveness. Overcoming the past and starting a new present. I just couldn’t get past the narrator. She made the characters seem whiny and her male lead voice was off putting. Sweet story just would have like it more by reading than listening

This book could totally be a Hallmark movie! It has all the elements of a great story- romance, second chances, heartbreak, forgiveness, love, loss, family and a gorgeous setting. I loved the storyline- it was captivating and kept me engaged the entire time.

Josie spent her entire adult life distancing herself from her childhood in the small Southern town of Happy Harbor. Growing up with an alcoholic mother who was either absent or scandalizing the town with her antics, all Josie ever wanted was to escape to somewhere no one knew her as Diane's daughter. Now, she finally has it all--a great job, a condo in one of Atlanta's most desirable areas, a successful fiancé, and her teenage daughter, Kendra, enrolled at a top-rated school. But when that life falls apart, and her beloved nana dies, Josie is forced to return to the one place she never wanted to visit again.
I will be honest, I was not a big fan of the main character, Josie. I tried to not let her attitude and “chip on her shoulder” throughout the story taint my opinion of the entire book. I get that it was part of the author's goal in developing the story to show how the trauma and pain of her past contributed to her harsh personality.

“Sometimes our memories of bad times take up so much space that we don’t allow for better memories to replace them.”

If you are looking for an escape to a small, waterfront town this summer and love thought provoking reads and stories of second chances, I totally recommend “Happy Harbor”.

Hanna welcomes readers with open arms and deep emotions into the real moments of life. From the heartache to the hope, Happy Harbor dares to put it's soul on full display. Josie Campbell is a beautiful mess in need of a bit of polish. A wonderful life that despite the speed bumps is worth everything in the end.

I want to move and live in Happy Harbor...forever!! I realized it right off the bat, but it takes much convincing for the protagonist, Josie, to reach the same conclusion. You know that's not a spoiler because as all Rachel Hanna fans know, she gives us the happy ending. The fun of the novel is watching the transformation as Josie fights to the very end. Take the journey with her. Although you want to jerk Josie out of her hissy fits, you are truly rooting for her all along the way.

This was my third Rachel Hannon novel and her writing style is great. I always enjoy her books.
I was excited to have the book and the audiobook so that I could go back and forth. The narrator wa great too.

This is the story of Josie, an adult granddaughter who inherit her grandmother’s house and restaurant just as she loses her job for being hard on the people that work for her and her fiancé. Her daughter isn't thrilled to be moving to happy Harbor, a small southern town where her mom grew up. Once they arrive and get acclimated, the daughter loves it and begins to change her ways and starts to blossom. While Josie is exhausted trying to get acclimated, run the restaurant and deal with her grandmother‘s death. She finds out that her mom Diane has actually been in town for years after becoming sober, is a waitress at the restaurant and also lives above the restaurant. Josie better get used to her showing up in every place that she is.
It’s a story of learning to see some people can change if they really want to and the mother and daughter repairing their terrible relationship due to the hurt the mother caused with her abandon of Josie. But this isn’t a sad book. This is a happy book that shows community supports its own., there are a few love stories and lots of new happy memories being made. It’s an uplifting and happy book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Harbor by Rachel Hanna, is a heartwarming, small town, clean romance.
Josie Campbell has distanced herself from Happy Harbor, the small town she grew up in and from her alcoholic mother. The only contact she still has is with her Nana who still lives in Happy Harbor. Now, Josie is living her best life in Atlanta, Georgia with a great job and condo in one of Atlanta’s most desirable areas. She has a successful fiancé, and a daughter enrolled at a prestigious school.
But when her Nana passes away, Josie is forced to return to her hometown and carry out her Nana’s wishes by running the restaurant for six months with none other than her estranged mother. Not to mention the fact that she lives in her grandmother’s historic home open for tours and is landlord to a very handsome gentleman who lives on the property.
Josie’s prickly personality and controlling nature make her a difficult to like main character, but despite her belief that people can’t change, she begins to lose her rough edges.
I loved this uplifting story and look forward to reading more books by Rachel Hanna.

This is a cute, quick, clean, small town romance. I enjoyed the story and the small town setting. I will say that the story didn’t feel new or original, but I still enjoyed it for what it was. I throughly enjoyed the side characters in the story, especially Josie’s daughter Kendra. Josie was a bit abrasive at the beginning of the story, but grew n me over time. The romance was sweet, but definitely took a back seat to the family drama between Josie and her mom.

I thought the narrator did a great job. She had the perfect voice for this type of hallmark style romance.

Overall, a cute romance for those readers looking for a quick, clean romance with small town feels and family drama.

Josie Campbell has spent her entire adult life distancing herself from her childhood in the small Southern town of Happy Harbor. Growing up with an alcoholic mother who was either absent or scandalizing the town with her antics, all Josie ever wanted was to escape to somewhere no one knew her as Diane’s daughter. Now, she finally has it all—a great job, a condo in one of Atlanta’s most desirable areas, a successful fiancé, and her teenage daughter, Kendra, enrolled at a top-rated school.

But when that life falls apart, and her beloved nana dies, Josie is forced to return to the one place she never wanted to visit again. Soon, she finds herself stepping into Nana’s shoes in Happy Harbor: running her quaint restaurant, living in their family’s historic home, and bumping into Walker Jackson—the disturbingly handsome man who lives in the guest house—on a near daily basis. All of which sounds idyllic, if it weren’t for the painful memories lurking around every corner.

Still, the place seems to be good for Kendra, who begs to stay, and Josie is inclined to at least make an attempt at a new life in this old town. That is, until her mother turns up. Diane insists she’s truly sober now and wants just one more chance. Nana’s last wish was for the two of them to reconcile, and she’s even arranged things to help make that happen. But with a lifetime of painful experiences that have taught her not to trust this woman, can Josie truly bring herself to forgive Diane?

From USA Today bestselling author Rachel Hanna, “Happy Harbor” is a compelling story about confronting the past, finding forgiveness, and ultimately discovering healing and hope. It delves into the intricacies of the characters’ lives, the lasting effects of trauma, and the power of second chances. If you enjoy heartwarming tales set in small towns, this book is definitely worth a read! 🌟

4.5/5
Please see Goodreads for the full review.

Loved this Hallmark type read. There were complex relationships between mothers and daughters, autistic representation, addiction recovery, sweet love (no spice).
Highly recommend!

This was the second book I have listened to by Rachel Hanna and I can't wait to read or listen to more. Rebecca Gibel was the narrator for this beautiful book and I absolutely loved her narration. Her voice was so easy to follow and kept my attention throughout the whole book. I didn't want to stop listening to it. This is a beautiful story about a family that have their own struggles and how they overcome them, Josie need to over come her trust issues, Kendra needs to find herself and where she fits in, and DeeDee is trying to get everyones trust back. It's a heartfelt story that will leave you smiling. I would highly recommend this audiobook!!

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for allowing me to listen to this ARC for my honest opinion.

A sweet listen of redemption, forgiveness. change, letting go of old hurts and moving forward for all of the right reasons. Josie is walking around angry. Always. It is her go to and doesn’t make her terribly likable. When her life implodes and the only family member she loved and loved her back she has no choice, but to go home to the place she swore to herself she would never ever go back to. It’s an emotional listen (read) to Josie finding herself and happily ever after.

I have become a huge fan of Rachel Hanna books and audiobooks! I have listened to many of her books as I am in the car and my trips are made so much more pleasant.
I liked this audiobook so much. Josie sure took a while for me to like her. She was in a bad spot in her life, and she took it out on everyone she could.
She had a lot going on and nothing was going right for her. The loss of her Grandmother was a tough thing for her to deal with but it helped her make changes in herself and her life and that was exactly what she needed.
Happy Harbor gave her a lot of time and the changes not only for herself but her daughter also.
I enjoyed listening to this and the narrator was perfect. This is an excellent choice for a beach read this summer.
Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Hanna and Blackstone Publishing – Audiobooks for the ARC Happy Harbor. This is my personal review.

Thank you Blackstone Harbor and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. I listened to the audiobook and really liked the narrator. This story is a heartfelt small town story about family and finding your happiness. I really enjoyed the relationships between the daughter and Josie, and Josie and her own mother.

Trigger warnings: death, grief, loss, alcoholism