Another heartwarming story by this author! 3 friends connected further by their relationships with 3 brothers. Loved reading about their friendships and their romances. None of them go smoothly and there is enough question about how they are going to work out their problems, that the book is hard to put down!

The Happiness Plan by Susan Mallery is about three successful women who struggle with different aspects of their lives and need the support of their best friends to get through it

Susan Mallery is a go-to author for women's fiction. She writes another winner with this story of three friends navigating everything the world throws at them. I am recommending to readers who enjoy a leisurely read by the pool or at the beach. Perfect for those that enjoy a book strong on women's friendships. I look forward to the next Susan Mallery book!

A interesting story about three friends going through personal issues. They have always been there for each other.
A story about finding your happiness.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a book by this author that I didn’t love!

Heather, Daphne and Tori have been close friends for years. Daphne is married to Brody, she’s an attorney, successful, partner, do-it-all kind of woman. Heather owns a business, Tori works for her. Heather was with Campbell, but due to her past emotional baggage they broke up. Heather is also an animal advocate who fosters motherless kittens, who discovers a father she never knew. Tori and Grant are best friends, neighbors who experience a loss and wind up sharing a house.

I loved the support the friends gave each other, they were like a family. They, like all of us, are products of the past, and they had to figure out how to make it in spite of that. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I found this to be an interesting read with an interesting family dynamic. Though told from the POV of the three women, it is really the three male leads (brothers) that are what ties everyone together. This dynamic gives Mallery additional opportunities to examine conflict and how found families come together. A must read.
4.5 stars

Susan Mallory’s latest book The Happiness Plan is about a group of friends who support each other no matter what life throws at you. I loved most of the characters and the stories flowed nicely. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release. To be published June 2023.

I never hesitate to pick up a Susan Mallery book as I love her stories and this book is no exception. This book gripped me from the first page to the last page. The three main female characters are distinctly different but are best friends and totally have each other backs. The three main male characters are brothers and are a close fun group. There are many emotions throughout the book and the stories captivate you. You find yourself cheering for each of the characters and hoping they will all find their way. If you are looking for a great HEA book, then don't hesitate to pick this book up. Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

THE HAPPINESS PLAN – Susan Mallery
Mira
ISBN: 978-0-778-33355-5
June 20, 2023
Contemporary Romance

Seattle, Washington – Present Day

Three female friends are struggling in their personal lives and lean on each other. Will their plans to find happiness be achieved?

On the outside, Heather appears happy. She owns a successful business and fosters kittens along with her grumpy cat, LC. But deep down, she feels adrift after breaking up with her ex, Campbell. Heather discovers through a DNA test the identity of her father and contacts him. After meeting him and his family, she feels the need to pull back because she can’t commit to a relationship with them. Is her inability to commit the reason she lost Campbell? Her ex has moved on and now has a new girlfriend. Any regrets?

Daphne has a busy and full life as an attorney working to become a partner and parenting her new husband’s three children every other week. But her husband has accused her of having an affair with one of her fellow employees. She isn’t, but how can she convince him that she isn’t? Daphne wants a baby, though her long work hours would have to be reevaluated should that happen. As her marriage crumbles around her, Daphne struggles to figure out how to repair the damage.

Tori is friends with Grant, and they live in the same condo complex. However, one day a flood ruins their units, and they decide to share a house while they wait for the repairs to be done. Living together under the same roof has Tori coming to the realization that she’s attracted to Grant. If she breaks the buddy code between them and it turns into a fling, will she endanger her friendship with her girlfriends because Grant’s brother is married to Daphne?

Heather, Daphne, and Tori thought they were happy with their lives, but they are soon going down paths they never expected. In THE HAPPINESS PLAN, they struggle with the decisions they’ve made and are about to be made. As supportive as the three women are, will their decisions be the right ones?

Heather grew up with a single mother who whines and complains about her bad life but it’s always Heather and the rest of the family helping her. A chance to connect with her unknown father was a spur of the moment’s decision and they welcomed her with open arms. However, commitment-phobia Heather feels uncomfortable accepting their unconditional love and expectations. After a request is made of her by her new family, Heather screeches their relationship to a halt emotionally. Meanwhile, she gets to know Campbell’s new girlfriend and likes her. But is Heather really over him?

Daphne seems to have a perfect life all mapped out. She loves her husband and at work, her male co-worker is someone she considers a good friend. But too many lunches together—and a flower delivery—has her husband accusing her of infidelity. As they grow farther apart, Daphne wonders if, at the age of thirty-five, she will realize her dream of having a baby. Can this marriage be saved? Does her husband regret marrying her? What about a job offer that is being floated in front of her?

Tori is used to things being the same, so having her home flooded out, and then agreeing to move in temporarily with Grant, has her feeling on edge. Grant is nice, yet she knows that he is looking for a girlfriend. Why does the idea of him finding one upset her? Living together is nice and they get along, but Tori is unsure how to hide her newly discovered feelings for Grant. Meanwhile, she values her friendship with Heather and Daphne. If she breaks it off with Grant, will it end their friendship?

As readers can see, there are complicated and convoluted storylines going on in THE HAPPINESS PLAN. But it’s a feel-good tale that is a perfect beach read even if it isn’t set at a beachside resort. Heather, Daphne, and Tori are supportive of each other and help in making the decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Don’t miss the emotion and the drama in THE HAPPINESS PLAN.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

I enjoy books with multiple interrelated storylines and Susan Mallery does this well in The Happiness Plan. The characters and backstories are all well-developed and the flow of the book keeps the reader highly entertained.

Heather is successful in business despite her upbringing. She was raised by a single mother who was full of self-pity and a lack of motivation. The impact of this unfortunate relationship has affected Heather in her personal life. When she meets her father and his family, things begin to change for Heather.

Daphne has recently made partner in her law firm but the 70-80 hour workweeks remain. She desperately wants to have a baby but her husband, already a father from a previous marriage, says the timing is not right. Her friendship with a male colleague is innocent, but when her husband sees this differently their relationship becomes stressed and may not be able to recover.

Tori and Daphne’s brother-in-law have always been the two singles in their group of friends. When their apartments both flood and they need to relocate, they agree to share a house while their renovations are being done. Will their friendship survive living together?

I enjoyed the book and the message about what constitutes a family. The women all grow personally and in their relationships during the course of the book and although it was somewhat predictable, I appreciated witnessing the joy that came to each of them. This is another great book from Susan Mallery.

I recommend this book to those readers who appreciate Women’s Fiction.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

4.5 stars/5.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. It was really well written and it just had you trying to solve the mystery. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

I read my first book by this author last summer and have loved her ever since. What I loved most about this one was the relationships between the women. I liked how they all had problems but worked to resolve them!

I'm a huge Susan Mallery fan and know it's summer when one of her books comes out! The Happiness Plan is a book about friendship, love and hope.

There is a lot going on in this book and once you can keep the characters straight you are immersed in the friendships between Heather, Daphne and Tori. They are all going through different struggles in their lives and their friendship is key to helping them get through.

If you love women's fiction then check out this book -- it comes out June 20th!

I appreciated how friendship is a main theme in this book. With 3 best friends involved with 3 brothers there was a lot going on, and a long journey to the end. Characters are very real, their thoughts and feelings relatable., There were times I wanted to shake some sense into one of them, and other times I wanted to cry for them. I was happy they all had the strength and perseverance to save their relationships and enjoy their happy endings.

Heartbreaking and smooth. Sweet and romantic. I so loved reading this one and I truly enjoy Susan Mallery.

Once again, Susan Mallery has written a story that has you cheering for all the main characters! With every book I read from this author, I feel like I become part of the story and the characters are my friends. This was a really good story about friendship and love!

I enjoyed the closeness and interactions between the characters. There were several, but it was easy to follow because they were frequently together. Emotions are strong and I was rooting for all of them to find happiness at the end. The discussion questions were thought provoking and interesting.

It’s chic lit summer novel. Nothing too deep but enjoyable read about three women’s lives and how they make decisions to grow.

Susan Mallery means summer! This book is based around three friends and thier own set of troubles. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review.

NetGalley and harlequin were kind enough to provide me with an arc of this book.
I have been a huge fan of Susan mallery for years. Her newer works are taking a different turn than the previous books I read . While I liked this book for what it was it’s not something I will reread .
This book had several different storylines going on at once though they are connected . The central characters are around three brothers and three girls friends who are best friends . Grant , Campbell and Brody are brothers while heather daphne and tori are the friends .
This book handles some tougher topics and how it effects their lives.
Brody has an ex wife that is remarried as well as him being married for less than 2 years to his current wife (daphne)
Tori and grant are the non couple friends that are neighbors and help each other out as grant is a doctor who works the night shift . He had a toxic last relationship so he is reluctant to fall in love again. Tori doesn’t have any family of her own so their group is her own family that she chose but has a history of picking the wrong guy.
Heather grew up in a hurtful childhood with alot of responsibility put on her shoulders from a young age and her mom was single as she was result from a one night stand where only first names were exchanged .
Some characters learn about family later in life and others learn that emotional affairs can be just a destructive as physical ones.
I was rooting for all the people and was happy they all ended with a happy resolution. The book does include discussion questions at the end of the book which I enjoyed .