This was a light read that was good to get the year started with. The story follows Lana, a struggling writer who has just had her follow-up novel turned down by her agent Kitty. Her first novel had been a success so she had the pressure to live up to that but also what happened next with her characters. Although there is romance in the story and it is talked about, it’s nearly always on the back burner and doesn’t feature heavily like other authors might have done.
Alongside her book being turned down, the story starts with Mark, Lana’s boyfriend (and inspiration for the hero in her first book) leaves her for a free-diver named Helga. Lana soon finds herself struggling to make ends and practically homeless but soon an opportunity to help with Nancy presents itself.
After the disaster of a meeting with her agent, Lana heads to the pub to commiserate and bumps into Jack. He tells her that his step mother is also a writer, which she shrugs off - little does she know that Nancy will help to change her life!
At this point, Lana moves in with Nancy and they become unlikely housemates.
Lana’s character was likeable but sometimes needed a good telling off as she could sometimes come off a little selfish that every action was for her own good not for the good of those around her but she was relatable as well as flawed just like we all are.
Nancy’s character is both endearing but also heartbreaking. Dementia has definitely had its effect on her but she still has a sociable personality, which in turn causes it’s own issues. Even being an elderly lady with dementia she still has so much to offer to those around her. You can feel the other’s frustration with her but also their love for her too.
The Forgotten Guide to Happiness is a warm and easy read, it’s tender and inspiring. The characters are charismatic and likeable, they do have their flaws - but that adds to the different layers you get in a person.

I finally started this book as I am making an effort to fully clear my netgalley backlog. I decided to DNF at 15% as I am not enjoying the rudimentary writing style. This author is not for me. Sorry!

Sorry - forgot to post this review, now going through reviews had written and saved, yet not posted:

A very brave subject matter for a debut author. Perhaps what obtained the publishing contract? Anyway, this was an enjoyable book that bodes well for the author's future. I wish her well.

Beautifully written book about dementia and friendship. This deals with a sensitive subject well. Would highly recommend this to my older students to read.

Although this book has mixed reviews, I found this book fear warming, light and really funny in parts. I really enjoyed it and feel It should have more credit than it's got.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

A love story, a touching study of a brilliant woman losing her mind and an exploration of what love really means feature in this well written novel. At times moving, uplifting, entertaining and funny, it's impossible to put down.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sophie Jenkins at an event and I bought her book soon after. I've only just got around to reading it - sorry Sophie - but it was a lovely, heartwarming read about loneliness, finding yourself and friendship.

I wasn't really sure what this book was going to be about exactly - I was intrigued by the idea of Lana (28 yrs old) becoming a house mate with an 80 year old woman. Once I began to read this book I was just hooked straight in - it felt like coming home, I just instantly clicked with the character of Lana.

Maybe it helps because Lana is a writer and I am always intrigued by writers. We also get to follow her to the publishers for a little chat about her newest book and other writer type things. I just loved it! If that wasn't enough she then she moves in with Nancy who is an octogenarian famous writer - two writers in one book! I just loved the description of Nancy's house too. Unfortunately Nancy has dementia and there was a whole other side to the story with her forgetting most of the time what she was doing and getting muddled up. I felt that the dementia aspect was very true to life and well written.

Lana has a bit of a writers block but she needs to pay her way in the world so she begins to teach a writing course and I found the little insight into writing techniques fascinating and it became a book within a book. There were also the would be writers on the course and their stories too along with Nancy who Lana invites along. Lana feels if she could only take some tips from Nancy, get to know her technique she could be a better a writer.

Aside from all the girl fan writing stuff there is a love story here too. Nancy has lost a love but maybe she's found another - or has she. A little bit of will they won't they which by the end had me racing to find out - well will they or not!

A lovely gentle read which I was sad to finish. I just loved it - did I say that already! I'm giving it five out of five stars.

Reading this book felt like having a very long chat with a friend after I hadn't seen her for a while.

The characters are very real and I enjoyed seeing how Lana coped with her life after her boyfriend left her, her second book was rejected, and she faced homelessness.

What a wonderful story that shows us true love, sadness, compassion and human spirit. Lana Green was a fantastic character and the story telling of dementia was so accurate and heart breaking. I read it in a day.

Reading the synopsis, this book seems like a heartwarming story of a woman who's finding inspiration and friendship from an old woman, right?

Wrong. This book is none of those things. The plot never picked up and doesn't really make sense. The main protagonist, Lana, is one of the weakest I've ever read. She's bland, she's self-centered and doesn't care about Nancy at all. She always thinks of Nancy as this famous author, source of information and a person to learn to, which is her main motivation to cohabitate with her. And when that doesn't work, she read her journal. And in the middle of this, there's Nancy's step son. At its core, this book is a romance between Lana and said step-son, with Nancy being used as an excuse for them to spend time together. And in the end, Lana doesn't feel like she has any growth at all, she still unlikeable and bland, and the plot never really picked up and grab my attention either. I don't know the meaning of the title either, since there's no guide in the story or whatsoever, and what grates on my nerves more, that false synopsis.

This was a DNF for me. I just found the pace too slow for my liking and I found it hard to care about any of the characters or where they ended up within the narrative.

I tried. I picked it up every day hoping the pace would pick up or something interesting would happen within the story, but at the 50% mark, I decided I was going to stop reading.

For this reason, I have left a starless DNF review on Goodreads but I have not featured it on my book blog.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read it.

Firstly a massive thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a digital copy in exchange for a frank and honest review.
I loved this book it was warm, funny and genuinely uplifting. The characters were like-able and at the same time unconventional. Yes it's a feel good romantic read but the central relationship between Lana and Nancy is much more interesting than you might expect. Definitely one to read and Sophie Jenkins an author to look out for!

Lana's second book was rejected by her publisher because heartbreak and bitterness aren't appealing. So Lana goes in search of a hero, a feel-good-factor; she meets Jack who offers to step in and be her fictional hero because then he gets to date her without the emotional mess. Jack has enough on his hands with his Stepmother Nancy, in the early stages of dementia, who the police deem too vulnerable to live alone. Lana broke without her advance offers to move in with Nancy to look after her and keep her safe in exchange for a place to stay. Seems everyone needs a hero, the question is what qualities really make a good one?

This novel has heart, it's not your typical boy meets girl they live happily-ever-after story. It's funny, charming but it's also thought-provoking and full of spirit. Nancy is the life and soul of the book her zest of life, the way she commands attention and her ability to bring the other characters together is a joy to read. The scenes detailing her dementia and the way society treats a declining health are poignant. This quirky read written from a struggling writers point of view is certainly worth a read and guaranteed to keep you entertained on these gloomy grey days.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

My Thoughts

‘... It’s not what you’ll do for love, but what you’ll give up. This was my test and I wasn’t going to make the same mistake this time.’

The Forgotten Guide to Happiness is enjoyable and heartwarming with its touching storyline, solid characters and an easy to read writing style. It is most definitely not the typical formula for a romance book, which was good. There are a range of tales to be told here, that will undoubtedly engage you on more than one level.

‘Love. What was it all about? I thought about my dad and Jo-Ann’s unlikely alliance and whether love amounted to nothing more than finding someone you could watch Netflix with.’

The main character Lana is ‘challenging’, but her flaws are what make her more real. She is a writer searching for a subject for her next book, after her initial book about her whirlwind romance with a travel photographer was a hit. In her search for a story/hero (plus a search for a place to stay and money to pay for things) she befriends a famous feminist novelist from years gone by, who is suffering with dementia and the stepson that cares for her. So you see, apart from Lana’s journey, there is the journey of Nancy and her battle with dementia, plus Jack and his saddened view of love. More than the one proverbial string to this bow as I stated.

‘It’s not right, is it? What are we saving her from, Lana? What are we saving her for? So that she can live a long old age locked up in a place that’s not her own?’

The story was travelling along pleasantly enough until just over the halfway mark when, in my view, Lana completely lost the plot. I know .... I know ... it was her journey, her lessons to be learnt - but seriously! For all her complaining, this particular event was a little hard to swallow. This twist in the tale did not make sense to me at all. It was like Lana became a completely different person. This is where the story lost its way a bit for me.

‘We both had our baggage, and even though it wasn’t actually matching, it was definitely the same brand.’

The characters that kept me engaged to the end were Nancy and Jack. He is a good soul with so much heart. Nancy added the flamboyance to the tale and more of her story would have been beneficial to the overall storyline. Not only her history, but her battle with dementia and its impact on those around her. Overall a good tale about love and the power of friendships.

‘These are the reasons that I like to write: it’s safe. It’s so much easier to make sense of the world in fiction, where there are rules and regulations and the writer has total control over people’s actions. The problem I’ve always had with real life is, you never know what’s going to happen.’




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Apologies this has taken so long to review. I loved this story - it's different to other books out there at the moment which is very hard to achieve. My book club is now reading. Thanks.

Lana writes a book about her perfect love affair with Mark and it becomes a best seller. When he leaves her she writes another book and it’s rejected as being vindictive and sad. With no money for rent she moves in with an elderly lady with dementia, Nancy. Jack, Nancy’s stepson arranges their meeting and things start looking up for Lana. As friendships develop the story let’s you feel the failing health, a light romance and life moving forward. Set in England the books flows toward an expected end with a twist. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was certainly not what I expected it. I definitely found myself liking it more than I thought I would. I found the plot enjoyable but the characters are, in my opinion, what really made this story. They are interesting, entertaining, and makes the story worth reading.

The Forgotten Guide to Happiness

I found it an interesting concept, to write a fictional story through the eyes of an author writing her own novel in the story, and then to add in the literary group that touched on their novels and characters was quite refreshing. I loved the characters of Jack and Nancy and Nancy's dementia was portrayed with humour but compassion. I think one of the things that comes from this story is that love can take over your whole being and rationale. The story took a little while to get into but then I found it well written and easy to follow.

Thanks to Sophie Jenkins, Avon Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book for review consideration.

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