Book Review

This lovely cover got my attention but the story had me settle in for the night!

The Forgotten Guide to Happiness (Expected Release Date: August 9, 2018)

Sometimes, happiness can be found where you least expect it…

Twenty-eight-year-old Lana Green has never been good at making friends. She’s perfectly happy to be left alone with her books. Or at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Nancy Ellis Hall was once a celebrated writer. Now eighty, she lives alone in her North London house, and thinks she’s doing just fine. But dementia is loosening Nancy’s grip on the world.

When Lana and Nancy become unconventional house mates, their lives will change in ways they never expected. But can an unusual friendship rescue two women who don’t realise they need to be saved?

An irresistible story of love, memory and the power of friendship that readers of The Keeper of Lost Things and The Lidowill adore.

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My Thoughts…

Don’t you just love Netgalley? It gives you the chance to read wonderful books from authors you don’t know, and depending on the author, opens up a world of undiscovered books waiting to be read.

I have never read anything by Sophie Jenkins but this one was really charming. Life-affirming even. Despite dealing with serious issues like dementia, adultery, and grief, Jenkins shows the reader there is a silver lining and that we can celebrate life instead of loss.

The MC Lana, had everything she ever thought she wanted. A published novel, the man she loves… basically the life she had dreamed of. That is until the man leaves and she is crippled with writer’s block and can’t deliver her second book. Forced to re-evaluate everything, Lana finds a different sort of life, one that perhaps is better than the one she thought she wanted.

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are quirky and in the case of Nancy, larger than life. I also loved the writer angle to the story as it gives readers an inside look at the process. This was a delightful book and I would happily recommend it.

Rating… A

*Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review