Bianca
Written on Dec 7, 2015
How are you supposed to find what you’re looking for if you’re not convinced it’s even out there?
A winning combination of humour, heartbreak and romance make this a must read for fans of John Green - and lovers of Zac Efron films. When 17-year-old Graham Larkin sends an email to a friend about his pet pig, Wilbur, the last thing he expects is a response from the other side of the country, from one Ellie O'Neill. As their online friendship blossoms, they begin to reveal more about themselves but crucially leave out the truth about Ellie's past and Graham's career as a Hollywood heartthrob. And when a new location needs to be found for Graham's next film, he jumps at the chance to visit Ellie's hometown, Henley, Maine. But, now that they're together, it's impossible to keep their secrets for long and there's a lot to overcome if love is to blossom...
- ISBN10 0316212814
- ISBN13 9780316212816
- Publish Date 1 December 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Little, Brown & Company
- Imprint Poppy
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 432
- Language English
Reviews
nightingalereads
Written on Apr 27, 2015
girlinthepages
Written on Sep 4, 2014
What makes this novel charming is not just the picturesque setting in a tiny seaside town in Maine or the attractive, boyish movie star who’s disinterested in dating his fellow Hollywood, but rather the rotating perspectives between Ellie and Graham in the book. Seeing both of their sides of the stories is fun, especially when there are mix ups, as they often have different perceptions of how situations play out. Their email banter is really endearing, especially as they transition from anonymous email buddies to in-the-flesh people, an awkward situation that many readers will know if they’ve “met” someone online before in person. Ellie is a likeable character who is perhaps the only teenage girl in town who doesn’t want to date Graham (and she has her own interesting family history for wanting to stay out of the spotlight, which I found to add some interesting depth to the romance novel) and she’s the kind of girl you just can’t help rooting for. Graham, though sweet, was the side of the romance that I had a harder time liking, because he’s a tad bit, well…boring. He didn’t grow up an actor so his internal dialogue is often that of just a “normal guy,” but I found he was lacking that “star” quality that is what actually makes the normal girl/movie star pairing such an interesting fantasy.
Be warned, however, that this book doesn’t have the most clearly defined plot. There’s not really a conclusive ending, which some may find infuriating and some may find refreshing. The book itself is really just a story of events as Graham and Ellie get to know each other better in person, a compilation of sweet, clean moments and emotional reveals that draw them closer to each other little by little. It’s undeniably fluffy, and would translate well into a family-friendly romance movie. While it’s definitely tame and sweet for the typical romance genre, it was a really peaceful read that was comforting to a little bit at a time and watch these two teens navigate their feelings for each other.
Overall: If you want a sweet, charming contemporary romance this book is a perfect fit. While it’s not as emotional of a read as The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, it still takes a cliché romance situation and makes it fun and endearing again. It’s fluffy in the best way possible.
This review was originally published at Girl in the Pages
Joséphine
Written on Apr 13, 2014
Somehow the characters, while not one-dimensional per se, didn't hold my interest for long. The initial email exchanges were cool and kinda funny too since it turns out Graham has a pet pig but once the book transitioned to "real life", there wasn't all that much left to hold my interest. No twists and turns. Just an introduction of conflicts in the first few chapters that were all resolved in a very predictable manner towards the end. Most of the chapters in between read like fillers to me.
The least that could've come out of this would've been a sweet romance that leisure unfolded between the pages. Alas, that didn't happen either. Despite all the time in the world that could've been contained in the middle chapters, I have to cry out instalove! I mean, come on! Graham already planned to spend his week-long break from filming with Ellie practically the moment he laid his eyes on her. Sure, they had emailed each other for a couple of months and so it might come off as though they had known each other a while. All well and good. But the basis of their real life relationship didn't solidify much over the course of the weeks, so what was the point of it all, I ask!
I don't mind reading books where readers mostly experience characters' day-to-day lives and no crazy plot twists happen. They don't all need to be issues book with heart-wrenching stories. Neither do they have to be so hilarious, I can't hold my laughter in. I do however require depth in those cases. I want to see what makes those characters tick and why they make the choices the way they do. Even if a book is meant to portray a sweet romance, there has to be something more than just that. There has to be more to the characters and the plot. Doesn't help that a third through the book I thought, "Here's a good place to end. I don't need to read the rest to know what happens anyway."
That's why I decided the book just wasn't for me. It was light-hearted yet so incredibly long-drawn and these two things don't go well together for me. If a book is light-hearted, then it shouldn't waste too many words to get to the point. If it's long-drawn, it better be because it's building up the suspense and makes the wait worth it. The combination of these two only makes sense to me if a good measure of philosophising is thrown in or good measure. That obviously wasn't the case in This is What Happy Looks Like. It could've turned out to be a nice little tale to while away a couple of hours like The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight but for that I found it too thick a book.
This review is also available at dudettereads.com.
Sam@WLABB
Written on Jan 11, 2014
Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on Jul 27, 2013
Although What Happy Looks Like features a teenage heartthrob swarmed by fans and paparazzi, the tone of the book is a little mellow. It draws on the atmosphere of the small Maine tourist town in which Ellie lives, and the calm of the surroundings seems to seep into Smith’s writing. Even as Graham and Ellie run from the paparazzi, run from each other, run from their parents and manager, nothing is written as urgently as one suspects it must be.
Part of the point of the book, of course, is showing that being a movie star is not always as glamorous as it sounds—but if an author puts a movie star into a romance novel, a reader does expect it is to make the romance more exciting, evoking girls’ childhood fantasies of marrying their favorite celebrities. Smith succeeds so well at making Graham come across as an ordinary guy that his status as a movie star seems like a plot point more than part of his character. (Ellie has reservations about dating him and subsequently being in the public eye herself.) His being a star initiates events, but does not add much swoon-factor to his romance with Ellie.
In general, the romance is not swoony—few lines stick out as being romantically quotable. The real emphasis is on Ellie and Graham as characters, often individually. Both are complex and dynamic; they accomplish true growth during the story, ultimately strengthening their bonds with their parents and friends and coming to understand more about themselves. In the end, the exploration of their characters overshadows their romance, both thematically and plot-wise. This is hardly wrong, but it is surprising due to the romance-heaving marketing and may disappoint readers who go in expecting a little more love.
This What Happy Looks Like is cute and solidly written, great for fans of contemporary YA who enjoy light issue stories and a smidgen of romance. It is not highly original, but it will just hit the spot for people looking for chick-lit.
lizarodz
Written on May 17, 2013
I really enjoyed Smith’s The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (see my review here) and I’ve been eagerly waiting for the opportunity of reading her latest book.
The story begins with a series of emails exchanged between Ellie and Graham, after Graham sends an email in error about his pet pig. Ellie replies and thus the couple communicate anonymously with each other the span of a few months. The advantage of not knowing the person at the other end of the country is that they both got to be themselves, and they genuinely liked each other.
For some reason I couldn’t identify that well with Ellie. It seems to me that her mother transferred her paranoia and negative experiences with the press to Ellie and in turn, made her feel the same way. I think she gave up too soon on a potential relationship because of that fact, even if it made her miserable. On the other hand, I love Graham! No because he is a handsome and famous actor, but because he is so sweet and considerate in spite of that fact. Although he loves acting, he had a very difficult time adjusting to the fame and what that means. In part, this is a great coming-off age story of self-discovery and on how to set new boundaries that feel comfortable with the person they were becoming.
The plot is simple and believable. Nowadays couples and friend meet all the time through the Internet. Graham did all he could to make sure he could meet Ellie in person because he felt a real connection to her and also because he was so lonely. I felt bummed by the fact that Ellie gave up so quickly (before getting her common sense back), and that Graham allowed it. It slowed the pace of the story considerably, in my opinion. The escapade on the boat was a little weird to me as well. The writing is good, and easy to read. The story is told on the third person and we get to ‘be’ in both of the main character’s minds.
Now we come to my biggest ‘issue’ about this book: what is going on with the ending? To me, it’s a non-ending! Way to open for my comfort. I’m sure other readers will make their own happy endings, but my imagination is not that good. Couldn’t we get an epilogue, a new string of emails after they met?
In the end This is What Happy Looks Like turned out to be an enjoyable light contemporary romance, but not as good as Statistical Probability.
Some quotes for you:
“Childhood memories were like airplane luggage; no matter how far you were traveling or how long you needed them to last, you were only ever allowed two bags.”
“He could see her, and it was just like he’d thought. It was just like being punched in the stomach.”
:…How can you know if makes you happy if you never experienced it?”
“There are different kinds of happy,” she said. “Some kinds don’t need any proof.”
“Like sunrises?”
About the cover: It’s lovely and appropriate as the story takes place in a beach town in Maine.
Ashley
Written on May 15, 2013
Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews
I was first drawn to This Is What Happy Looks Like because my boyfriend and I met online and I loved the idea of reading a book about people who meet through e-mail! Now their story doesn't come close to how my boyfriend and I met and how things progressed from there, but I guess I didn't expect it to. This Is What Happy Looks Like is fun and a bit fluffy, and is overall a really enjoyable book!
One of the things I loved most about This Is What Happy Looks Like is that there are no annoying, petty arguments between Graham and Ellie. I hate it in books when the romance needs a conflict so the author conjures up ridiculous and ultimately pointless arguments. Luckily, this is not the case in This Is What Happy Looks Like. Their relationship isn't perfect and there are obstacles to overcome, but they are realistic and subtle and there's nothing annoyingly small and petty keeping the two apart. There is kind of an annoying, petty argument between Ellie and her best friend, but it was a side plot so it didn't bother me that much.
Graham was a fabulous love interesting! He's a movie star, but he's actually a very sweet and down-to-Earth guy. He's extremely selfless and I love how obvious it is that he listens to Ellie and remembers what he says.. like the way he references some of their e-mails from months ago and remembers every detail. It's so obvious that he cares about Ellie and he isn't caught up with his image or public appearances.
Although there are a couple bigger issues in This Is What Happy Looks Like (like with Ellie's father), this is ultimately a fun, light, flirty summer read. It's perfect if you just want to kick back and read about a sweet summer romance without too much emotional baggage.
I think the main thing I wasn't crazy about was the ending. It was a sweet ending, but it was also pretty open ended (not all that different from The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight I suppose). We aren't given a very clear idea of where the relationship is heading from there. It's hinted that they continue with a long distance relationship, but I feel like there are so many unanswered questions. As someone who has been in a long distance relationship for years, I know the road isn't easy and a lot can happen, so I think I was just a little unsatisfied with the uncertainty of that. But at least it did end on a pretty positive and hopeful note.
I think the general consensus is that This Is What Happy Looks Like isn't quite as powerful as The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, and I guess I do agree with that. But at 4 stars and 4.5 stars, it's obvious that I really enjoyed both books. They're both fun, romantic, and sweet, and this one in particular is a great summer read!
The Verdict
jnikkir
Written on Apr 30, 2013
This is What Happy Looks Like definitely delivered in the "cute summer read" category. I loved Ellie and Graham, both strong and believable characters in their own rights. Ellie is a very normal teenage girl and she had a personality I really enjoyed. Graham is definitely not what I imagine most teenage heartthrobs to be like - he doesn't love the spotlight, misses his parents, but is truly passionate about acting.
Graham's and Ellie's emails were probably my favorite part - the book opens with the string of emails that brought the two together - an accidental misspelling of Graham's pet-sitter's email meant that he emailed Ellie about his pet pig, Wilbur (who unfortunately doesn't make an appearance). The two hit it off right away, and their emails back and forth are so much fun to read. I really loved them once they met, as well - their in-person relationship is pretty slow-moving because Ellie is reluctant to be seen with the famous Graham Larkin, but they're still adorable.
I would be remiss, though, if I didn't explain the few things I did find disappointing about this book. Now, it's probably because I was expecting to be blown away after loving Statistical Probability, but I really didn't feel the emotional depth in this book. I know it's completely different circumstances in this one, different characters, etc etc, but I was expecting a bit more emotional resonance, and I just didn't feel that here. Additionally, like I mentioned above, my favorite part of the book was Graham's and Ellie's email correspondence, which tapers off a lot as book goes on. I just wish it could have stayed as strong as it was in the beginning.
But these are relatively small complaints - I'm still easily giving it four stars for pure enjoyment factor, believability of the characters and relationship...and overall cuteness, lol. ;) Definitely pick this one up if you're in the mood for a fun summer read.
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{ This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved... }
Jyc
Written on Apr 16, 2013