We live in a world where the litmus test for a "good" piece of media is how it measures against a Shakespearean tragedy. There's doom and gloom available in spades around us: from movies to the news. It can be incredibly difficult to locate a true "feel good" work, one that has you smiling without shedding a single tear. Happy Endings is such a breath of fresh air. As its name suggests, it is a collection of short stories each with a truly happy ending. Each pair of characters has a sweet and succinct story of joy that comes to a nicely packaged and neatly resolved end. This is worth a pick-up as it will brighten your day and will leave you feeling lighter.

In a Nutshell: What an adorable graphic novel! Three quirky stories within one book. Each has ‘happy endings’, and even better is the entertaining journey to these endings. Loved this! Much recommended!

This graphic novel was originally published under the same title in August 2024. This is the English translation, coming out in April 2025. The cover of the English edition appears to have a different vibe from that of the French edition. I read on the author’s Instagram page that the second cover under the dust jacket will be the same as what we see on the French edition. However, I like the English cover better. There is something absurdly hilarious about seeing two such stiff-looking agents in formal wear standing against such a pastel pink background, and holding a cat to boot! 😹

The book contains three short stories, each showing two characters who reach a happy ending. Now some of you might dismiss this immediately, saying, ‘Ah, I don’t read romance stories.’ So to you I say: None of these tales are romance stories in the true sense of the word, though they do contain minor elements of love stories. The three stories are independent of each other, though we get an epilogue (which is the icing on the already delicious cake) showing the main duo from each tale.

Each story is whimsically charming, not the type you would expect to be cutesy or funny. I love how each tale has something unusual in its plot, even though this genre isn’t really known for twists or surprises. The title is completely justified; every story has an adorable ending, and not necessarily in the way you think.

The art style and colour palette differs for each story, offering them not just an individuality in appearance but also a distinct setting and mood. The colour scheme is mostly monochromatic, so at no point do the colours overwhelm the plot. The whole packaging works excellently.

Here’s a quick glimpse at the individual ‘happy endings’:

🎨 Story One: ‘Happy New Year’ – 4 stars.
An art student asks a handsome guy to pose for her on New Year’s Eve. While he accepts her request, he is suspicious of her intentions. Why would any artist want a model on New Year’s Eve, right? She has to have ulterior motives!
While this was my least favourite of the three stories, it still entertained me. I loved the goofy guy, and how his nose kept dribbling as he posed. It was so comical! (And a little gross, too!)

🌊 Story Two: ‘Ocean’ – 5 stars.
Two agents from the future are sent into our world to capture a criminal who has created a temporal paradox. They find their target easily, but as their time travel device faces a charging issue, they cannot return home immediately. What now?
This was the longest story of the book, and the most amusing. This should also have been the silliest, considering the identity of the “villain” and the cartoonish agents, but it ends up more cute. I also loved it for not taking the typical love story route. A shoutout to the futuristic character names: Toots and Boots! 😸

👻 Story Three: ‘One Summer Day Song’ – 4.5 stars.
A cemetery gardener secretly falls in love with a professional grave mourner. However, he has his suspicions about the actual identity of the mourner. After all, how can this fellow cry buckets of tears, the way “people cry in mangas”? I won't say more! 😆
This story keeps shuffling between endearing and entertaining. From the story title, you might assume that this is the most romantic of the three. It is. But it is also the funniest and even involves a surprise reveal. The ending is the best!

As you can see, I am delighted with this trio of stories. I knew that this book would be a light read, but I didn’t expect to laugh so much. Every story ensured that I had a huge grin on my face when I reached ‘le fin.’ I would absolutely love to read more books by this author.

Much recommended to graphic novel enthusiasts looking for a whimsical and rewarding story collection.

4.5 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each story. Offering my own ‘happy ending’ to the book by rounding it up!

My thanks to Publisher Spotlight and Fairsquare Graphics for providing the DRC of “Happy Endings” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Byron had become a recent favorite after I read Little Thieves last year. When this popped up on NetGalley, I had to request it, and I'm so glad I did! My only issue is that I would have loved all of these stories as full length novels on their own. They still worked well together, but the last two stories felt like they had more to it than the New Years one. Very excited to get a physical copy for my shelves

I really enjoyed the intertwining stories of Happy Endings! The art was very cute and I enjoyed all the characters. I'm not sure if I would classify this as middle grade (it's currently tagged that on NetGalley), but I know it could definitely be in a young adult collection. Overall, just super cute and fun and I'm glad I got a chance to read it! Thank you!

So this is actually three stories in one. The first is very short and sweet about an artist falling for her muse. The second is a much longer about time traveling agents who get stuck and the third was my favorite about a cemetery gardener falling for a grave mourner.

The whole thing is queer and they all obviously have happy endings. I'm a little confused about the actual collection of stories and what brought them together. Whether or not it's just three different stories this author has written and they decided to publish them all together or if they've been published previously separately. I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring it out because of the language difference and since these are translated from French. Either way, I did enjoy it. The last story was by far my favorite. The second one was good but I did have trouble following it, and the first was also good but it was so short.

1st: 4 stars
2nd: 4 stars
3rd: 5 stars

10 STARS!!!!!

LOVE!!! Love the Illustrations! Love the Stories! Love The Characters! Absolutely Love Everything about this Book. It's a breath of fresh air to the soul.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucie Bryon, and SARBACANE for this ARC in exchange for an Honest review.

There need be more stories that feel like you're getting a hug. There are multiple stories, and some parts were really funny. The colors felt whimsical and spring like, and I'm thinking about reading it again right away.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A short cozy collection of stories to get you through the night.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Publisher Spotlight for the copy of #HappyEndings in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

The art style in happy endings is likely my favorite part of the graphic novel. It's cute, and simple, yet has a lot of character to it. I enjoy the limited use of color overall. The stories included were brief with a focus on relationships, which were wholesome and fun. I just wish each of them felt like they got the same amount of time and attention. My favorite was likely Ocean, but the twist of the final story was good too.

There were moments in this story where I genuinely laughed, but overall I was left pulled out of the story a bit by the translation. Now, my copy was an unedited ARC so this could be fixed in the final version but I noticed more than a few times where it was hard to read a page either because the font was doubled over itself, some words were still in French, or the sentence structure didn't quite make sense for the English reader. Perhaps when the final edition of the book is released I will reasses this aspect.

Happy Endings was such an adorable book. It felt like a cone of ice cream on a hot summer day: just sweet, fun and very refreshing. I loved every single one of the stories and the characters. The dynamics between them are so adorable, I basically giggled and grinned and awwww-ed my entire way through this book and immediately re-read it just to relive the joy I felt.

Even though they're lighthearted stories, each of them have some really important moments. For example, Boots & Toots is about welcoming news paths of life even if they weren't what we planned before. In Song of a Summer Day, I loved that Arthur's friends were instantly super supportive of his romance with Vincent.

The art also had a strong summer feel to it with its vibrant colors and the very free, flowy lines. It's a very minimalist style that lets the dialogue and the story really take place in your mind and it's also super cute.

I highly recommend this book to all those who are looking from something sweet and quick to read. This is also a perfect summer read!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes life is hard and you just need to read a cute story where everything works out, and this book is exactly that. Happy Endings has 3 illustrated short stories that all have happy endings, and I loved them all. The first story was my personal favorite (though I’m biased towards any characters who are artists). The art was so cute, I especially loved how the facial expressions were drawn!

The first story, New Year’s Eve, was absolutely adorable! I loved the characters and their sweet, heartwarming journey in this short tale. It left me wanting to dive deeper into their lives and witness their growth and development. The illustrations were equally charming and beautifully brought the story to life.

The second story, Ocean, featuring Toots and Boots, was just as delightful! Their bond was so endearing, and I loved how they faced every obstacle together. The story felt fresh and original, keeping me hooked from start to finish—I truly couldn’t put it down! The ending left me a bit emotional, especially since it seemed like things were finally coming together for Toots and Boots.

In One Summer Day Song, I was completely captivated! This story was so engaging and tugged at my heartstrings. I found myself eager to uncover what would happen next. One of my favorite quotes, “I think about the things I love in life that I’ll miss in death,” stayed with me long after I finished reading—it was so powerful and emotional.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. It’s officially one of my favorites, and I know I’ll be revisiting it again and again.

loved!!!!!!

It was super cute and delightful.
Really enjoyed each unique story cant wait to read more by Lucie.

Happy Endings by Lucie Bryon is a delightful graphic novel that captures the beauty of love, self-discovery, and embracing life’s imperfections. Through vibrant, expressive art, Bryon introduces us to an art student and her captivating model, two time cops navigating an unexpected new life, and a graveyard groundskeeper uncovering unexpected joys. Each story radiates warmth, sincerity, and a quiet celebration of life as it is. The thoughtfully chosen color palette perfectly complements the narrative. Happy Endings is a charming reminder that even amidst life’s uncertainties, beauty and happiness can be found.

I didn't really get it, I guess. They were short, cozy stories but they didn't "move me" or make we want to suggest others read it

Quirky and cute! The panels and artwork are well done and I absolutely loved how lighthearted and easy each story was. Everything has a small invisible string for a connection. The cemetery story is my favorite and made me giggle at the end.