This book is is a lovely contemporary, modern take on the way we live today. The subplots entwined with the main plot which helped move the plot along. A light read, but also a commentary on how social media is taking over the lives of people and how it has been allowed to rule.

Daisy is a happiness coach with her first major client. Will she be able to make herself happy too?
A wide range of side characters, including her quirky best friend.

I dnf'd this book at 10% as the writing style wasn't for me. The characters weren't that interesting and I couldn't follow what the plot of what the story was meant to be

Cute, funny and heart-warming, but unfortunately for me nothing really groundbreaking. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this book, but it didn't give me the feelings that I wanted from it.

A lighthearted read and a pleasure to do so. The characters and the whole thing was well worthy of my time and I recommend this to all. 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

The Happiness Project - Man, this was GOOD. I was smiling the whole way through. It’s a happy and wholesome book!

A cute lighthearted quick read, however felt a little rushed at times and I occasionally struggled with the writing style at times, however it was still an enjoyable read.

This was a cute book that I thought was a fun read. The pace was pretty fast so I was able to read it within a day. It just didn't give me the feelings that I love from a good romance book. so I will be giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Good, but just missing something special.

The following review was posted on my blog 3 days ago, Thursday, December 1st, the day of publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram between today and Tuesday, and has already been posted on Goodreads. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.





“It seems the secret to happiness was there all along, a smiling face, winking at me from the froth.”

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 3 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses parent death and mental illness. Deep dive into cancel culture. I was honestly struggling so much to read this that I can’t recall anything else.

“The Happiness Project” follows Daisy Blane, a self-proclaimed Happiness Expert while she hasn’t even found happiness herself. That’s all you have to know about this book, really. She gets “canceled” and critiqued for just that a few times. She looks for happiness and love where there is none. But she gets her happily ever after, so at least there’s that.

There are two very unique things about this book: 1) there are no proper quotations just these ‘ ’ little guys and 2) the amount of times the narrator thinks/says “I” will drive you insane. ‘I did this and then I did that.’ It got repetitive and annoying after a while. It almost made me think about DNFing at one point, but I am sort of glad I stuck through.

This is a cute, lighthearted read that is trying to be quirky to a fault. I know we’re supposed to empathize with Daisy, but I just could not connect with her. One would think a panda-looking, adorable dog could save the day, but Doodle really wasn’t enough to save this one for me. This didn’t feel like the Romance books I love, it was much more Women’s Fiction with just a tiny sprinkle of Romance.

I’m not sure I will be recommending this book—unless you’re a big fan of first-person narration, then perhaps this book would be for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Embla Books in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: December 1, 2022

- Friends to lovers
- Miscommunication
- Finding happiness

I don't like giving negative reviews but sometimes books just don't hit the mark.

The Happiness Project has a great premise but unfortunately it hasn't been executed well. It lacked consistency in pace, seeming to jump from 0 to 100 in parts and incredibly slow in others. The MC was narrow minded and judgemental, this does get slightly better as the story progresses. I also didn't connect with any of the characters in a meaningful way so I wasn't invested in how their stories panned out.

I probably should have DNF this book but I need to get better at that.

A really cute, uplifting read!

Daisy, the Happiness Coach, is secretly crushing on coffee van barista Joe, who’s a literal artist in both coffee making and charm arts. She’s super superstitious and cute at that. Quite quickly she realizes, that her take on happiness might work on others, but she is not allowing herself to be happy too.

It was an interesting read with some good writing! It takes on the subject of cancel culture, and social media in general. If you’re a fan of hashtags, challenges and staying positive, then this book is for you!

As much as I liked it, I can’t fail to mention how rushed or chaotic it felt at times. While most of the emotions and interactions felt authentic, I had some doubts about the authenticity of some characters.

Thank you Kirstie and NetGalley for an ARC copy!

While I think that the story itself has a lot of potential, I just could not get into this book.

Daisy is a quirky self professed happiness guru who has had an unfortunate past - her mother died in childbirth, her father was there but not, so she pretty much raised herself. While doing so she develops superstitions that really hold her back in life. She is tired of her job (and boss) working at a hotel so she quits to become a full-time happiness expert. Her first (and only) client is a self centered actor who pays really well but she seems more like a personal assistant to him. While working with him she starts her own journey of self discovery and lands herself a Happiness column in the local paper. She has few friends in her sheltered life - Eva, her best friend, who worked with Daisy at the hotel and is now a temporary roommate - along with rent-a-dog named Doodle. And there is Joe, the coffee guy who may be her soulmate. There are lots of twists and lots of miscommunication in this book!!!

The writing style is just not for me. I thought that the story was just all over the place. There was no consistency in the pace of the book. I did enjoy the second half of the book. To me the dialog was very confusing and I often had to go back to re-read because I wasn’t sure who was speaking. I felt like this was a self-help book hidden inside a fiction novel that really seemed to drag on.

While I loved the setting, I just couldn’t relate to Daisy. How does one become a Happiness Expert when they do not know what happiness is in their own life? Daisy is very opinionated and hurtful to those closest to her although she did seem to change as the story went on.

Thank you to NetGalley, Embla Books and Kirstie Pelling for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley & Embla for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I had to DNF this. The writing style seemed a bit all over the place and I wasn't really sure what was going on. The dialogue felt muddled and the story's structure expected the reader to already know too much about the characters, which left me feeling confused. The premise and description sounded very promising, but I was ultimately disappointed by the writing structure and plot.

This is a sweet and light romcom set in London, where Daisy Blane has set herself up to be a Happiness Guru. Each morning she walks to collect her coffee from Joe, and they share friendship, a little chat and the last few clues of the crossword (when business allows).

The book follows Daisy as she works with her first client - Vince, who has asked for help when he is sacked from a theatre show he has recently headlined - a show that Daisy attended, and was humiliated at. We are also introduced to Daisy's friend Eva, who runs a dog rental website (enter stage left.....Doodle!). Daisy & Eva used to work together at a concept hotel, but Daisy couldn't stand the owner, Kai so she quits to focus on her Happiness Project.

What follows is a bit of will they/ won't they between Daisy & Joe, a strained friendship with Eva who is dating hotel owner Kai, a blossoming work relationship with Vince, a couple of convenient plot twists and lots of funny moments - I'm looking at you chocolate massage!

All in all, it was a light and cheerful read.

Thank you to Embla Books, Kirstie Pelling, Netgalley & Instabook tours for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Want a book guaranteed to bring cheer? This is it! Happy 1sr December release to The Happiness Project by Kirstie Pelling. What better way to enter cosy reading month than with a story jam-packed with laughter and love and even an adorable scruffy Doodle dog! Daisy is a love guru, giving advice and tips to others in order to help them find their gappy ever afters. However, she isn't having much luck with her own love story. Can she follow her own advice to a happy ending? A story full of heart, joy and laughs. #thehappinessproject #kirstiepelling #netgalley #emblabooks

Unfortunately I DNFed this book. The descriptions for everything, from a box to what the character is wearing, were distracting and repeatedly took me out of the story. By the time they were over, I struggled to remember where we were at in the story and what was going on.

I personally didn’t click with this book. The dialogue wasn’t very cohesive and sometimes it was hard to track what was going on because the jumps were so unexpected. I wanted the characters to feel more fleshed out but Daisy felt flat and most of the other characters weren’t interesting enough to keep me motivated throughout my reading. Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me and I wish I had enjoyed it more.

I loved this book! It was a cute, fast paced book that still hit all the feels. Daisy was incredibly charming, if neurotic. I loved her, over-the-top superstitions and all. Honestly, it’s hard not to be charmed by her warm and energetic attitude, along with her honest desire to help others find joy. There’s the other side of Daisy, though, that runs from her childhood pain. The one that wants to store up all the good luck and can’t step on cracks in the street…. the one that can hold a grudge and be terribly judgemental. This just made her more multifauceted to me, though. I enjoyed watching her work through these issues and come to terms with what it would take to find her own happiness. Having a soft spot for books that highlight personal growth, this one really spoke to me.

As far as side characters go, I enjoyed Eva and Doodle the most. I mean, who wouldn’t? The dog is an amazing companion and good for comic relief, and Eva is your basic ride-or-die bestie (who will still call you out on your bull). I loved her side hustles, her acceptance of Daisy, the fact that she’s always got her back. Vince was, at times, too extra… but I loved him anyway and actually think he had the most character development of all. Joe is kind and charming. I liked the interactions between him and Daisy.

All in all this was a great read. It was fast paced, while still hitting all the feels for me. There were times I cried for Daisy, laughed with her, and wanted to strangle her (this happens with fictional characters more often than I’d like to admit). I’d give it four stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
On the adult content scale, there is drinking, language and sexual content. The latter isn’t terribly over the top, but it’s important to know. I would say this book is geared towards adults but would be acceptable for older teens (16+).


I was lucky enough to recieve and eARC from Netgalley and Embla publishing in exchange for an honest review. My thanks! I have actually pre-ordered the ebook from Amazon (a steal at $2.99) and may do another small post on release day.

:"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I quite enjoyed The Happiness Project. I found the interactions between the characters realistic and enjoyable. At first I felt like too much information was being thrown at me in the the first few chapters, then I got comfortable with Kristie Pelling's writing style and let it take me for an adventure.

Can you be coached into being happy if you are unhappy? The question plagues many people and is one of the reasons people seek therapy. Daisy is not a therapist (as she repeatedly tells her client) but does help people become happier in their lives. Daisy is a happiness coach. She is just starting her business and has one client in the book. Daisy has a degree and paperwork for her client to work on as homework. I believe if I met Daisy in real life, she would be an excellent happiness coach.

Daisy’s life is not perfect. Her friend is crashing on her sofa, she has a will they/won’t they thing going on with her local coffee/budding pizza guy. She hates her former boss, who happens to be in a relationship with her sofa crasher. Throughout all of this Daisy is figuring out who she is. I enjoyed her story and how the book comes together with a few surprises. It is a cute romcom that will let you escape into its pages. Perfect for reading anytime!