Happily Whatever After follows protagonist Page after the worst week of her life: losing her job and her boyfriend. As she moves to a new city to start fresh while crashing with her brother, she changes her life by following her heart…to the dog park. It is there she meets the people who will help her find her direction and maybe even heal that broken heart.

I’m not one to write negative book reviews. If I find I don’t like a book, I take a “it’s not the book, it’s me” approach. Just because a book doesn’t click with me doesn’t make it bad or not worth reading; it just wasn’t a good fit.

I hate to say it, but Happily Whatever After wasn’t a good fit for me. I had a hard time relating to the protagonist, which makes reading the first person narration a bit more challenging. There were many things I enjoyed in it (you know it wasn’t unbearable because I didn’t give up on it; I still had to find out how it ended!).

Aspects I enjoyed were the descriptions of Washington, D.C. and what life is like when you’re starting over in your mid thirties. I thought the author did a fabulous job of setting up the hurdles she had to overcome and showing that every obstacle is not met with a peppy can do attitude; some things truly do knock you down. Though I didn’t connect with Page, this book is full of fun and quirky characters that are fun to get to know. I also loved the diversity of characters; our world is made up diversely, and it’s refreshing to find that represented in a book where the diversity isn’t a plot point.

While I neither loved nor hated this novel, it was a fun read about finding who you are and deciding what matters. It has both light and serious moments and an unexpected personal struggle.

Happily Whatever After by Stewart Lewis will be available July 28.

I received an advanced reader copy of this novel in order to review it.