I found it really hard to review this book, it had good qualities but I felt like the story was only half finished.

The book starts with Frankie, Alison and Kate contemplating life, drinking wine (mostly) and making New Year’s resolutions. However, when I looked at the contents page I could see that the book only goes up to April. This I find really strange as how are we supposed to know if they stick to their resolutions. The other point is that the underlying theme of the book is friendship and self-love and improvement, but I honestly couldn’t believe that the friendship between these three women was genuine, they seemed more like strangers. I liked Frankie's character as she was strong, determined and sassy and I found her life easier to follow. I understand why James created a character like Alison as she bounced off of Frankie as they were to some extent complete opposites. Alison was regimented, loved control and planned everything down to the IKEA bag! I was sad to read about Kate being mummy shamed by another character and I wanted the author to explore this more.

This was an easy read, and I enjoyed the overall story line of the book. It’s a good read for this time of year as it links to New Year New Me and people can relate to the idea of battling through new years resolutions. I was expecting more from this one as I felt it lacked depth and emotion.

I read this author for the first time. I did not realize this was the second book in the series. I did not lost and enjoyed the book by itself but I want to read the first book to get the background. I really enjoyed the book and loved the characters. This is a great light read.

This was a light and entertaining read. I enjoyed following the stories of the women in this book although I think the “happiness project” of the title was only really touched on in the plot and could have been explored more to bring the women together as opposed to it being fairly separate stories. That said, I found it an enjoyable read. Thanks NetGalley!

First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book.

I enjoyed this book about 3 moms who are friends, and their decision to do a happiness project (otherwise known as New Year's Resolution).

Frankie and Kate show up on Allison's doorstep. Allison just lost her Mother-in-law, Maggie, and Frankie and Kate show up to help make Allison feel better. They all 3 are good friends, but seem to have misconstrued ideas about each other and how they have it all together, or not.

They decide that instead of setting New Year's Resolutions that they most likely won't keep, they're going to set about on a Happiness Project. They each have to do something that is outside of their comfort zone, that will make them happier/ better in the long run.

Go on an adventure with each of them, until they all realize, they have accomplished their Happiness Projects!

The Happiness Project by Pippa James is a light, uplifting read about motherhood, friendship, and striving to live your best life.

The novel unfolds in three parallel storylines, the third person narratives of Alison, Kate, and Frankie. Following the death of her beloved mother-in-law Maggie, Alison is motivated to make some changes in her life,and enlists the help of her two friends to undertake a "Happiness Project." Each woman promises to strive towards a specific goal, such as becoming healthier, securing employment, or seeking to find her Zen. The women offer support to each other throughout their individual journeys and, essentially, take Maggie's life motto to heart - find joy by getting on with "just living".

If you are looking for inspiration to start your own happiness project, this is an inspiring and pleasant read. If nothing else, this novel reminds us that we don't need lists or mission statements to find happiness - it is, in fact, found in simply living our best lives with those we love.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

When 40-year-old Alison Lund’s perfect world falls apart she sets a New Year’s resolution with her friends to create a “happiness project.” Their goals are to make the most of every day, work on getting into shape, and to be more spontaneous. But, can they do all of this while trying to manage complex relationships, kids, friendships, work, and more? Frankie has vowed to take control of her life that is tumbling out of control. Kate has vowed to be more laid back during this pregnancy. And, Alison wants to figure out how to deal with the death of her mother-in-law. Can they make their project a success and improve their lives?

The plot lines are well-written and intertwine seamlessly. This book is a light, reassuring read for young mothers who are trying to keep everything running in their lives, and everyone else’s. It is funny and refreshing to know that you aren’t the only one who . . .

This was a cute, fun read to start the new year with. "The Happiness Project" follows three young suburban mothers learning to balance friendship, jobs, hobbies, their kids, and a myriad of other problems that come with being a young mother in today's world. It's nothing new or groundbreaking, but I liked the three main characters and was happy to see them learn and grow in their respective "Happiness Projects." However, I definitely think moms would get more out of this than me, whose life is just so far removed from the problems of PTA and pregnancy that I found myself caring less than I feel I should have about some of their issues.

Three women wanting to improve and brighten their mundane lives by setting new year resolutions- which should make them happier- hence the title. Alison has always carefully planned everything in her life, from things in her house house to things her son Xander plays with.When her mother in law Maggie dies, she is left reeling as she was a large influence and inspiration to Alison. Her new year’s resolution is to be more like Maggie and keep her legacy alive. Frankie needs a job and gets one at a local hotel and spa but finds there is more to work than just doing the job she was employed to. Kate is dealing with her third and unplanned pregnancy and determined that she will relax more with this one and be more “Zen”.
I really wasn’t quite sure what to make of this book. I loved that the women supported each other come what may, however there was so much talk about pregnancy/children etc that it got rather tedious and I wondered if I had slipped into a child care manual. They wanted to refresh their rather shallow lives and for me this was a slow plot. I was expecting to feel inspired and uplifted but kept thinking all they seem to have is their children for which they didn’t seem very appreciative. The character I took to was Frankie who for me, had far more about her than the others. I wanted the others to come alive but it somehow didn’t happen and I was left feeling rather disappointed. Not the book I was anticipating, that said maybe more interesting if you have small children around and relate more to it because of this. The best part for me was the final few chapters- doing “The Glorious”, team-work and camaraderie- far, far better than the rest of the book.

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Sorry to say this book failed to keep my attention. I struggled to relate and have any interest in the three characters. I did like the message but there really wasn't anything special about it.


Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A quick read following three mothers and their New Year’s Resolutions or ‘the happiness project’ as they refer to it. This is the second book in the series but it can be easily read as a stand-alone as I did.
I enjoyed reading each section following the characters but I can’t say I warmed to many of them. Frankie was probably the most interesting and had the best story but I found the others to be quite two dimensional and a little uninteresting. It’s classic chick-lit featuring some fairly bland plots and characterisation. Having said that, I did found that it got more interesting towards the end but I can’t say that I was gripped. It was well written and structured but not particularly memorable.

New Year, New resolutions - and so many ways to try and make the new year a better one. So why not start, for yourself or for friends, The Happiness Project?



The story
1) Exercise more
2) Eat healthily
3) Learn how to live again…

Forty-year-old Alison Lund has always carefully planned everything in her well-ordered life, from colour coordinating her beautiful house to persuading her excitable son Alexander that sticker charts are more fun than misbehaving. But Alison’s perfect world has just fallen apart…

Her head is left spinning when her beloved larger than life mother-in-law, Maggie, passes away and Alison is left heartbroken. Every afternoon they’d talk and laugh over a pot of tea, she was the glue that kept Alison together through the first few tough years of motherhood. And now Alison is trying to figure out a future without her.

With a little help from her two best friends, Alison resolves to be more Maggie. After an emotional New Year’s Eve get together, the three women create a happiness project, challenging themselves to step outside their comfort zones and make the most of every single day.

Daring to do things differently, can Alison learn to live more spontaneously and find happiness along the way? Or will letting go be harder than she ever imagined?

The opinion
First things first: this book is marketed as a hilarious book, as being "one of the most poignant and uplifting books you will read this year". I wouldn't quite describe it as such. The most uplifting book I will read this year? Probably not. It is, however, a great book about friendship and the struggles of friendship when faced with old insecurities, running kids and new year's resolutions.

After all, setting up a happiness project - what could possibly go wrong, right? (Even if that happiness project is more so the start of the book, than the actual plot) Surely, there's no possible way for a pact that has "happiness" as its explicit goal to possibly go wrong? Right?

Apart from that bit where, as we all know, it's all too easy to see other people's best and compare it with your worst. Even if those "other people" are your friends. Pippa James really goes into the "gritty" of friendships - how, even when you're supporting each other, you can feel looked down on. How sometimes your best feels like lacking, when compared to how easy things may seem to come to them. How it can often feel as if your own insecurities are highlighted by the contrast with your friends, especially when you are projecting them on those around you...

Suffice it to say: I could really identify with each of the three women and the journey they made throughout this book. Each of them faces circumstances that force them to have to change. Frankie maybe more drastically so than the other two, although, then again: Alison's transformation is saved to the last and packs quite the punch because of it.

One thing I should maybe note: this is technically the second book in a series. This isn't really announced anywhere that I could find, which left me feeling as if I was missing out on some information. Turns out I was, of course. However, after the first couple of chapters, you really are all caught up. So while it might be useful to read the first part of this series first, it's not necessary as such. If you're willing to make your way through those first chapters, that is.

The rating: 3/5
While I did enjoy this book, I think I might have gotten my hopes up too high because of the praise this book had gotten already. Sure, The Happiness Project is a very enjoyable read, but: again... I wouldn't quite go for "the most poignant"... If you're in the mood for a lovely story highlighting mothers and the way their friendships develop? Then this is exactly the book for you!

-Saar

A feel good story about three young mothers who make a New Year’s Resolution pact. Allison is the organized one, always on top of things, vowing to try something different out of her comfort zone. Kate is expecting her third child, and wants to remain Zen during this pregnancy. Frankie is a single Mom, looking for work and attempting to be a true adult. These three friends see each other through some challenges to succeed in their Happiness Project. Recommended for a light, fun read.

I would describe this as a very average book. It's a fine fluffy contemporary if you want something that doesn't make you feel too much or think too hard. I think the cover nicely indicates what kind of story you're getting into. It's not a YA novel, but it has the same amount of substance as one. If that's what you're looking for then great. Pick this up. If you're looking for a diamond in the rough, I would pass.

I enjoyed the 3 different perspectives in this book - following 3 different women throughout the year. A very easy, quick read so perfect if that's what you're after but quite simple plotwise.

I’m sorry to say I really didn’t enjoy this novel. It didn’t capture my attention and I found it hard to care about the three main characters. Maybe if I’d read the first part of this series, it would have flowed more for me. The plot, for me, was lacking and there was no reason for me to keep turning the pages.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book; I truly did. The cover and description are right up my alley. It’s about motherhood and friendship. There’s a little romance.

But, there were too many characters. Three main females, but none were clearly defined or developed. I wasn’t drawn to Alison, Frankie or Kate.

The three friends fit well among each other - the PTA mum Alison, the does-it-all Kate and the sarcastic, young and bold Frankie. Their Happiness Project, a New Year’s Resolution pact, is full of the standard fare - get fit, stress less, find a job to love, etc.

Frankie’s character does provide a few “Hell yeah” moments as she stands up to a misogynistic boss and a few laughs when she quips about the idiocy around her.

I tried to love this book and the characters, but it just didn’t suck me in or hold my attention.

I have to say that I dithered on a rating for this one. I think it would have been five stars if we actually followed the three women (Alison, Frankie, and Kate) for the whole year. They make resolutions for New Year and we stop in March/April timeframe. Also Alison's storyline felt like something was missing. She never talks to her husband about how she feels and about missing his mother. I thought her being the best mother ever thing was laughable since it seems she can't really cook and her kid is a nightmare. Frankie's storyline was very interesting with her trying to keep a job she was good at and moving her relationship along. I was disappointed with Kate's storyline though. Why the author didn't have Kate push back at her "friend" who criticized her choices when it came to motherhood was surprising.

The Happiness Project is a weird title for this book I thought. It seemed to me that none of the women really got happy until the very end of the book. There seemed to be a lot of things left unsaid and misunderstandings. I also thought that there should have been more scenes between the three women. Most of the time James just follows the three women separately with one of them wondering about the other one. I didn't get that they were best friends most of the time.

Alison is dealing with the loss of her mother in law that she was really close to. She decides that the New Year she will change things up to be better about and asks her two best friends (Kate and Frankie) to make resolutions too.

I thought it weird Alison didn't discuss her mother in law much with her husband. And her husband was just a jerk for most of the book telling that she really hasn't gotten out of her comfort zone and being condescending about everything she was doing. They don't have a real conversation it seems to me.

Kate is dealing with her third pregnancy and missing her husband who isn't around much. Throughout her story though she compares him to everyone around them, she realizes she's lucky. It's odd though we don't see her with her two kids besides a couple of scenes here and there. And then the plot has her meeting up with an old friend who mommy shames her.

Frankie is trying to find and keep a job. She's also doing her best to raise her 4 year old son without leaning on her mom or her ex much. A new relationship has her dealing with her boyfriend's vindictive ex though.

I thought the writing was good, but the flow wasn't. The three storylines at times seem totally separate from each other. I also thought that Alison and Frankie's tension wasn't that believable. I realize this is a sequel to the first book where the three women meet each other, but there doesn't seem to be much friendship here. Just a lot of people not speaking up to each other.

The ending was jut okay, not really earth-shattering or anything.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review of “The Happiness Project”.

At the beginning of “The Happiness Project” we meet the three main characters, all mothers: hot-tempered, single Frankie, organised Alison and Kate, who is already a mother of two and is feeling less than excited about her new pregnancy. There isn’t a lot of context information about the characters and I found that confusing; after doing some online research I found out that THP is a sequel to another book by Pippa James, “I will survive”. I wish I had known this because reading THP first I felt I missed a lot of information about these characters.

Frankie, Alison and Kate meet on New Year’s Eve and decide to make resolutions or, as they decide to call them, a Happiness Project. Kate decides to chill and enjoy her pregnancy, Frankie resolves to sort out her financial life by finding a stable job - and keeping it, and Alison, who has just lost her mother-in-law, decides to get fit and make some changes in her family’s diet. As the year progresses, the three characters try to keep their Happiness Project going… but sometimes it isn’t easy: life gets in the way.

One aspect I really liked about the book is that the three women act as a wonderful support system for each other. In the book, there are plenty of female characters and not all of them are friendly or supportive: we have ex-wives of boyfriends, queen-of-the-PTA mothers and even a close friend gone vegan that judges every single choice made by more “traditional” mothers. But Alison, Kate and Frankie can always find their safe space when they get together. 
I also liked the different models of motherhood that are portrayed in the book: I think you can get the message that no model is perfect: at the end of the day, each mum just tries to do what she can to keep her children happy, in a way that aligns with her personal values.

This book caught my interest because the synopsis compared it to some other books I had previously read and loved… and I’m sorry to say it has nothing to do with them. It’s way more shallow and I didn’t feel a connection with the characters. It’s supposed to be a fun, light read but it felt very slow for me. I liked the premise of the story and the synopsis, but as I reader I prefer deeper books - and I believe that you can find that in this particular genre.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you to bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did not realise this book was part of a series, so I started the book confused ,because the characters knew themselves better than I did. This was a book of missed opportunities because as soon as something of real interest was happening it switched to another chapter and the interest almost forgotten.

This was not my favorite book. The description intrigued me, as I found it just around New Year's Day. I didn't know it was part of a series, and I'm guessing I would have enjoyed it more if I read the first book.