Title: Happiness for Beginners
Author: Katherine Center
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2015
I did really enjoy this story, but I probably won’t be reading anymore Katherine Center books. As much as I loved this, I just didn’t feel like I was totally drawn in. Honestly, this was just one of those rare moments when I actually enjoyed the movie more than the book. Something about the book just didn’t quite sit right with me. Everything about this story was just pleasant. I wasn’t engaged. But I also wasn’t overly bothered.
One of the things that made it difficult to connect to this story was Helen. I know that she was going through a time of drastic change, I just found her to be a little bit too whiney and judgemental. Don’t get me wrong, I probably would’ve had some very similar thoughts if I was in her shoes. But, I’d also work on moving past the judgement to acceptance. She never quite got to that point of maturity. Mostly she maintained her judgemental nature and didn’t quite move on from it.
Then there was the fact that Helen was very entitled when it came to Jake. She turned him down repeatedly, but then still felt possessive and entitled to all of his attention. It was somewhat difficult to read about. And if it was a man showing that possessive entitlement, he would’ve been completely called on it. I just wanted a little bit more growth in the person as well as the relationship.
I enjoyed this story, and I’m glad that I had the pleasure of reading it. But I didn’t quite love it. It’s one that I will happily shelve and move on from. I’m not gunning for another story of this calibre. But I definitely enjoyed my brief foray into Center’s world.
Earth and Skye 