I won this ARC of HAPPY & YOU KNOW IT by Laura Hankin, out 5/19/2020. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the chance to read and review!
Publication Date: 5/19/2020
Rating: 4 / 5
In HAPPY & YOU KNOW IT, we begin with Claire, an out of work musician who was recently ousted from her band only to have them go on to greatness. Out of desperation, Claire agrees to take a gig playing as a musician for a playgroup of wealthy babies and moms. Claire finds herself welcomed into the group with (mostly) opened arms and it soon becomes a regular gig.
Alternating with Claire’s POV, we hear from a few of the mothers as well. Whitney is an Instagram influencer mom, putting forth a public image of the perfect life. Gwen is a dedicated mother, always with advice on how to parent better (including keeping her baby OUT of the public eye). Amara is somewhat of a mismatch with the group, the one with the fussy baby and the one who isn’t sure being a full time mom is for her.
I really had fun reading this one. It did an excellent job of balancing the dark humor with the story! Following Claire and hearing her inner thoughts as she gets drawn into this over the top play group instantly got me hooked. Getting the moms’ POVs also to see behind their perfect life exteriors to some of the darkness within was a great balance. There were moments where I absolutely wanted to scream at some of the characters’ decisions, but it made for a fun read!
This was an excellent change of pace from some of the heavier books I had been reading and I would recommend you check this one out when it’s released on 5/19/2020!
Reading challenges:
#AroundTheYearIn52Books – a book with an emotion in the title
DG Reads 