A gentle novel about five 20-somethings set in 2005 that explores mental health, acceptance, and found family. Muddy saves Harley, who tells this, from himself and then becomes his great and unexpected friend. They're flatmates and part of a universe that includes Chelsea, Noria and Finley- all different, all protective of one another. Harley's dropped out of university and he's back working at the movie theater where Chelsea is now his boss. He hasn't told his father, a Ghanian with strong opinions about homosexuality who refuses to acknowledge what Harley has told him about himself. He's struggling with depression, anxiety, and challenged by his inability to move forward even as his friends do. Muddy is dealing with his beloved grandfather's dementia. These two form a bond that's stronger than those between the others- who are no less important to the story. They all help Harley when he's assaulted. This is very much a coming of age story. It's beautifully and lovingly written (Mensah is clearly committed to his characters). Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. A good debut and a worthy read.

This is an odd but interesting book that holds no punches. The narrator, Harley, has dropped out of college and moved back to his small home town and is giving up hope of finding joy. He’s estranged from his religious father who can’t accept his gay son and just doesn’t see what the point of his existence in the world is. He has a good group of friends and a new housemate Muddy catches him off guard. This story is about a lot of things and most of the topics are heavy. It’s not really a happily ever after story, but I also didn’t cry. The characters were interesting even when they were being a bit odd. I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I pushed into it, the story was beautiful in a very sad kind of way. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up for the brutal, tragic, honesty.

Harley is struggling and has dropped out of university and is living and working with some friends. He is very depressed and suicidal, mainly as a result of his father's refusal to accept Harley's sexual orientation. When his new roommate comes across Harley attempting suicide, a strong bond is formed between the two that forms the foundation of the story. Frequently while reading, I thought back to David Santos Donaldson's Greenland. The situations felt very similar with young gay men of color diminishing themselves; however, this story went in another direction with the inclusion of a small group of very interconnected friends rallying to support Harley. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Muddy's grandfather, bird watching, and frequent musical references. I felt like it gave the reader a place to rest and absorb the horrific details of the what Harley was going through before continuing on. Though I'm still a bit uncomfortable with how the other members of the group constantly treated Harley as though he were many years younger than them, despite the only 2-3 year age difference. Even knowing it was from a place of love, it chafed me a bit when it came up. I suppose if Harley was comfortable with it then I should be, right? Ultimately, this was not only a story of Harley coming in to his own but also a great one of friendship and found family.

Small Joys
By Elvin James Mensah

Small Joys is an appropriate title for this book. It is the story of Harley, a young, gay, black man who has been shunned by his father and who has sunk into a depressed state wanting to end his meaningless life.

As he is about to kill himself, he is stopped by a young stranger nicknamed Muddy, who happens to be bird watching in the woods. It turns out that the two have a friend, Chelsea, in common – and they are both staying in a flat owned by her father. From there the story lays out the small joys of friendships which develop and the mutual discoveries about people who may be different from you but can still love you for who you are.

This is an interesting read about assumptions we make and the reality of what can happen if we reach out to others.

DNF at 15% because the writing style is not working for me at all. The story is intriguing, so I might pick it back up in the future, at which time I’ll update this. Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a lovely book about friendship/found family and mental health.

It was lovely to see Harley be taken under the wing of Muddy. And see Muddy and Finlay decide they will watch out for Harley and his mental health. I liked seeing the interactions between all the friends, no matter how messy.

There were some wonderful talks about mental health and sexuality.

[cw - suicide attempts, passive suicide ideation, depression, homophobia, assault]

Content Warnings: Suicide attempts, suicidal ideations, depression, anxiety, toxic relationships, domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual content, racism, homophobia, and hate crimes.

Small Joys is one of those novels that deals with some heavy topics, takes you through so many emotions, but in the end you're left with warm feelings and hope for a brighter future.

What I really enjoyed about this book was there was no clear direction...it's like we just popped into one summer of someone's journey of self discovery. We get to see someone who hits their lowest slowly begin the journey towards finding love for themselves and finding their place in the world around them.

Small joys was a great debut novel - and not really what I was expecting.. It tells of the developing friendship between Harley and Muddy, as they navigate the difficult waters of early adulthood.

Harley dropped out of college and moved in to a flat with friend Chelsea. Muddy is a new roommate who very quickly understands that Harley has secrets, and really needs a friend.

This is a touching story of a small group of young people, Harley, Muddy, Chelsea, Noria and Finlay and their difficulties with families, romantic relationships and with their path in life. Harley in particular has a very fractious relationship with his father, and has struggled with mental health issues for a while. Muddy is ever the optimist, determined to help Harley find love and joy.

This was a relatively slow moving and gentle book, with a very 'real' feel to the relationships described.

A good read.

Beautiful story. Likable characters - I’d go birding with Muddy any time. Once I was through a tough opening chapter, it was a breeze of a read. Some triggering topics, but they were explained well and handled gently. My only complaint is that I want to know how everyone is doing now! 4 stars for a very lovely debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review (my first) this wonderful book!

A heartwarming story about the friends who get us through our darkest times. It took a while to get used to the British slang (and I had to look up some of it!), but once that was accomplished, the dialogue was fast, smart, and witty. Loved all of the mid-2000s music references. Some of the characters felt a little too selfless, perhaps an idealized version of friendship for plot purposes. Overall, it was a beautiful, uplifting book.

Thank you to NetGallery and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Worth the slow start, this is a quirky, but sweet book about how the constants of friendship, love, and support can help you find the space to turn a corner and live for yourself.

With a cast of characters that seem strange at first, a romantic interest named Muddy, a “rich” best friend who only wants to talk about herself, and her attractive, but shallow new boyfriend, this book was hard for me to get into. Set in 2005, a huge part of this book is how the characters use music to relate to each other early on in their friendships, which was a miss for me since I’m not a fan of rap. But as they all start to fall in and develop deeper relationships, I appreciated that their connections were genuine and the characters deepened to be more multifaceted. I particularly enjoyed the birding excursions, and the sharing of hobbies that happened between the friends.

Harley is struggling with anxiety and depression and has just dropped out of school. He is about to take his own life, when he first encounters Muddy, an avid birder out for a quick walk in the woods by his new place. While not making a a fuss about it in the moment, from this point on, Muddy takes an intense interest in helping Harley out, being supportive, making him feel included in their group of friends, and sharing his infectious joy with him whenever possible. As a gay black man, Harley has struggled a lot with his identity and his estranged relationship with his religious African father, and so his friendship with a black woman, Noria, and new additions, straight white men Finn and Muddy, is healing for him. But what he feels for Muddy is stronger than friendship, and he worries about the complexities of falling in love with a friend, particularly a straight one.

Unfortunately this book was a dnf for me. But it has nothing to do with the story or anything. I just didn’t vibe with the writing style but I know so many people will really enjoy this. The characters are interesting and I think it can really tug at your heart strings. I don’t know anything about the author but this felt very self insert to me so I know this book means a lot to them. I hope it finds its audience because I would love to check back in on this author in the future to see what they are coming out with.

Did not finish. I think the book is for a different audience than me. I could not relate at all. I gave it a 25% read, but could not continue. There are too many other books out there.

Small Joys is a quiet story about a Black gay college-aged male, Harley, who contemplates taking his life. His plan is interrupted by his new roommate Muddy, who is the complete opposite of Harley. In light of these differences, a profound friendship emerges between these two. It is through the power of this friendship that Harley begins to work through his anxiety and depression, as well as learn what it means to be loved.

Books that are this character-centric are hit or miss for me. However, this DEBUT was an absolute hit. Harley's journey toward happiness is certainly turbulent, but it is written with such care. We all have that person in our life who brings out the best of us when we're around them. This takes that notion to the next level by highlighting how these types of bond can truly save lives. One of the most memorable quotes from this book is "Friendship didn’t insulate you from affliction, but it did make the path to some sort of recovery feel worthwhile and almost pleasant, it allowed you to experience the most wonderful things, even in the dark." We all need a Muddy in our lives, and I will be thinking about this incredible friendship for a long time.

As I read this book I felt like it would make a great screenplay. Along the lines of Normal People, the story woven was character driven and heartfelt.

For a book that started out so heavy and dark it was quite beautiful in its own way. This is a book about friendship, family and not fitting into your parent's expectations. I loved Harley's friends, he is one very fortunate young man to have them. I especially liked his new friendship with Muddy, everyone should have a friend like that in their corner. The book was uplifting in the way that I was cheering Harley on throughout. There are many serious topics covered like suicide, homophobia, racism and mental health issues but the author did it in an informative and sensitive manner and did not use them in a gratuitous way.

Muddy was another character I loved, the way he spoke about birds and his granddad (especially his dementia) really tugged at my heartstrings as my eighty-year-old mother loves watching the birds at her feeders in her yard. This is the type of book you think about long after you finish reading it. What a beautiful debut. Small Joys was a big joy to read.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an electronic Advance Readers Copy of this novel.

Harley, a young gay black man, has dropped out of university and has gone home to his rural town in England to try to figure out his life. Depression, anxiety and a distant and homophobic father plague his life. Living with his friend Chelsea, his flatmate Muddy comes into his life and strikes up a tender friendship with him. For the first time in his life, Harley knows the power of having a found family and having support to be who he is.

Small Joys is a touching debut novel by Elvin James Mensah. The writing is very delicate and muted and reflects Harley's personality. It's probably not for everyone as it can be depressing yet uplifting at times.

this book approaches queerness and masculinity in a very interesting way. Harley is a Black gay man who has been suffering in depression and other mental health issues. his life story shows how cruel and toxic masculinity has done to, especially, Black men. one afternoon, he gets to meet a friend who later then shows him the “small joys” he can keep from life.

the story is both warm and heartbreaking. the writing flows very beautifully and I love the way Elvin seems to write it in a very honest way. I always appreciate a writing that allows men (or people, in general, but especially men) to be vulnerable, and Elvin ticks that box.

A story of friendships and family and attitudes. A young man leaves college and moves in with friends and tries to get his life together.

Small Joys is heavy, beautiful and feels really important. The beginning is very heavy but important. Can one person change your life? Harley is moving home to Rural England after dropping out college. He's miserable and wants to end his life but this attempt is interrupted by someone who changes everything. Muddy, his hew roommate is exactly what Harley needs at this time. He's outgoing, charming and confident. Muddy and Harley's friendship grows and together they find a life worth living. Life is complicated, messy and beautiful but worth it. I was moved by this sweet story and I enjoyed my time with it. Small Joys is a heartfelt story of friendship and love.