First let me say this was the perfect beach read and readers are in for a treat.

This multi-generational family story had mystery, family secrets, and love. It is everything you want in a story of this magnitude. I loved Keaton going home to Beaufort and having to clean out her grandparents home. I’ve done this and as you can imagine these homes are loaded with memories. Keaton finds her grandparents journals and begins to learn about her grandparents in a way she didn’t before.

Readers will love this story about family and friendship set on the North Carolina coast.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for this ARC!

What a cute story that I can absolutely see my patrons LOVING. It really touched my heart and I cannot wait to share it with my patrons.

I loved this book. It was interesting to learn about both protagonists. The flashback elevated the story. I didn't predict the ending which was a nice perk!

I was thrilled with the opportunity to read Kristy Woodson Harvey’s delightful new novel, “A Happier Life.”

Keaton quits her job the same day she discovers her ex has returned to his former love—and Keaton’s boss. Prepared to move in with her parents, instead, her mother sends her to a lovely beach town in Beaufort, North Carolina to get the family home ready to sell. This is a home Keaton didn’t realize her mother—and uncle—had been holding onto until now. Keaton knows very little about her maternal grandparents but from the moment she steps into the house in its seventies’ era grandeur, Keaton is determined to learn everything possible about who her grandparents were—and what might have led to their (very possible mysterious) disappearance.

The novel is written from Keaton’s POV, but we also get peeks into the lives of both her grandparents from writings that Keaton discovers. Her grandmother—Becks aka Rebecca Saint James—hosted dinner parties that everyone in Beaufort hoped to attend, and, as a result, left a part-journal/part-entertaining guide to Keaton’s mother. But Becks had her own secrets as did Keaton’s grandfather, Townsend. But while there is plenty of angst in the past, there is also plenty of drama (and romance) in the present, especially as Keaton grows closer to the townspeople of Beaufort (including the hunky Bowen and his precocious son, Anderson). I honestly thought I had this novel figured out, but the author had a few unexpected surprises for me.

This is a perfect summer read for anyone who wants to bask in the sunshine with memorable characters.

Four and a half out of five stars.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for a chance to read and review this heart-warming book.

There’s just something so cozy about southern fiction, and KWH brings it to life! I really enjoyed this story with multiple timelines and POVs. Becks’s notebook about her dinner parties especially made me smile. The found family, the town, the mystery…it was so charming!

Kristy Woodson Harvey does it again!

I just love Kristy's books so much. They have the perfect balance of depth, romance, drama and rich setting details, fully immersing the reader in the time and place, in addition to the characters' lives and relationships. And A HAPPIER LIFE is no exception. It's clear that Kristy poured her heart into this book — no wonder she calls it her favorite book she's written yet.

Starting with the character development — Keaton is so well developed. Truly one of the best character growth stories I've read in a long time. I enjoyed reading Keaton's voice, but there were times I was like, "COME ON, girl! You are a grown woman!" But that's the point. She had to start where she was to get to where she'd end up. And I loved that journey.

I also loved the various side characters and the nuance they brought to the story, from Anderson (love) to Harris and all the Beaufort ladies who added so much love and charm to the story. The romance sprinkled in was such a nice touch, too, without overwhelming the purpose of the story.

While the ending is tragic, there is beauty in it, too, and I was very satisfied with how everything played out. Another knockout from Kristy Woodson Harvey. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so good and pulled my heart strings in all the right ways!! Perfect to read on the beach!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Harvey seamlessly blends past and present stories in an interesting and satisfying way.
At the bequest of her mom and uncle, Keaton ( how I love southern names) travels down to Beaufort to get the generational family home ready for sale. No one has lived in the house since her grandparents, whom she never met, disappeared 50 years ago. The house looks lived in and someone just stepped outside for a moment. Keaton has help from her grandmother’s friends and the brooding guy next door with the adorable little boy. She feels like she’s getting to know her grandparents for the first time through their friends and journals, as she falls in love with Beaufort and the guy next door.

Beck St. James in 1976, happily married for 40 years to her soulmate, loves her life. She loves her grown children, her ability to fly a plane, her charity work, and most of all her infamous dinner parties where an invite is always coveted. She has an amazing life and when that’s threatened she must decide what to do about it.

A generational family novel that’s satisfying on so many levels and a lovely read.

4.25 out of 5. – A beautiful town. a beautiful seaside and a beautiful man are always a good combination, and this is what this book brings. The kid next door was adorable, and it elevated the meet cute to extreme cuteness level. Also the band of women in the town are funny and powerful and great comic relief. I loved the guide Becks leaves, such, even if a bit antiquated but still relevant advices in being a hostess, they were quite adorable. My only issue: Why was the house referenced as a narrator at the start only, i felt like that was a lost great narration technique and we just got a taste of it. A great book to read by the water this summer, with some beautiful family depth to it.

This is a charming love story that we witness for over a span of forty years. A charming little southern community is the setting for the mystery as to what happened to this couple. Keaton, the granddaughter is tasked with getting the house back in shape and ready to sell. She becomes enamored with the small town life and the residents while also maybe finally finding true love. Secrets, love, and personal growth are all entwined in this novel as it flips back and forth to revealing their lives and all their feelings. A sweet story that is sure to be a summer hit!
#AHappierLife #KristyWoodsonHarvey #NetGalley

After loving Summer Of Songbirds, I was thrilled to receive the opportunity to read this latest from Kristi Woodson Harvey, who is a must-read summertime author for me. I loved this one.

A Happier Life is a dual timeline novel written by author Kristy Woodson Harvey. Keaton is the protagonist who is jilted by her boyfriend and suddenly unemployed. She is tasked with cleaning out and preparing her Grandparents home for sale, which her Mom and Uncle have not visited in years. We follow the story between the timeline of present day Keaton and the past, with Becks, her lively, party hosting Grandma. We are transported to the coastal town where life is what we make of it and true love can be found. The story, the setting and hopes for a second book, with Anderson, Bowen and of course, Salt!

The setting is a special place to me and is accurately captured.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

Kristy Woodson Harvey delivers another southern small town hit! She sets A Happier Life in her own town of Beaufort, NC and evokes such strong ties to the actual town, and personal references such as naming the dog after her own dog, Salt. It makes you want to travel there and feel the small town magic for itself. It's an age old tale of a woman fleeing the city after a breakup to a small town where she finds her passion and heals her heart. But it's taken to another level by 2 things: the way she ties in three generations of the Saint James family with an interwoven thread of mystery and the addition of personal connections to Beaufort, past and present. I loved reading the Acknowledgements as well. A perfect read for summer!

I am a fan of this author- Kristy Woodson Harvey and her Peachtree Bluff series. This book did not disappoint in terms of fulfilling my expectations of a heartwarming southern charmer.
The story is told in alternating viewpoints and timelines which I found engaging. We alternate between Keaton in the present and her late grandmother Becks in the 1970s. Keaton's grandparents died before she was born leaving behind the mystery of their deaths. Keaton travels to Beaufort, NC to clean out their house and finds a little romance, interesting townspeople and a beautiful setting.
This was a such a nice escape from reality.
Thank you to the author, Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a beautiful book about the life and deaths of Becks and Townsend. A sweet love story of their relationship, secrets they kept about themselves to protect the other, Becks wonderful dinner parties and a suspicious man living next door. The book goes back to the 70s and also in present time when their granddaughter comes to Beaufort to get the home cleaned out and ready to sell. She has her own problems to work through. A great cast of characters that kept me interested in how they all turned out. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

Wow! I absolutely loved this book! I laughed, and I cried. This book really touched my heart. It's mostly about love, real love, sacrificial, honest, life changing love.

The characters are wonderful! I genuinely liked and related to Becks, Townsend, Keaton, Harris, Bowen, and Anderson. Their circumstances, losses, and gains touched my heart.

I will be pondering this book for a while. It's wonderful and I can't wait to read more books by this author!!

I was provided a copy of the book from Gallery Books, Simon and Schuster via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Happier Life
by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer of Songbirds and the Peachtree Bluff series presents a tender and touching novel about a young woman who discovers the family she has always longed for when she spends a life-changing summer in North Carolina.
This one is sooo good!
I highly recommend it for your beach bags this summer but have a few kleenex ready as well.
A HAPPIER LIFE will tug at your heart strings. But it also will put a smile on your face many times throughout the novel, and I believe you will laugh often; because there really is nothing Kristy Woodson Harvey does better than writing conversationally just like you were an old friend at the dinner table: her gift of storytelling is one for the ages!

A perfect summer read full of secrets and heart. It is a multigenerational story set in Beaufort, NC where the author lives. A Happier Life is full of emotions and a family that you will love.

A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey was the perfect mix of modern beach romance and 1970's dinner party vibes. After Keaton loses her corporate job and boyfriend in New York City, she takes the opportunity to visit the family home that has sat empty since the disappearance of Becks and Townsend Saint James and prepare it to be sold. She ends up learning about her family's history and figuring out what the next steps for her life will be. A Happier Life has everything I love in a good book. I always love that Kristy Woodson Harvey's novels have multiple perspectives and the back and forth between Keaton's current day and the lives of the grandparents who died before she was born kept me enthralled. Of course I always love the addition of an adorable dog and a cute kid. Salt and Anderson definitely delivered in that department. I also loved the Deckhouse Dames, the well-meaning busybodies that befriend Keaton and help her acclimate to her new surroundings. The Beaufort setting, the references to current businesses, and the connection to one of my favorite town events, The Old Homes Tour, added to the magic of the story for me because I could easily picture every scene. If you love Beaufort, books that are a little sad and a lot happy, and you want to see if Keaton finds a love as sweet and magical as her grandparents, then you absolutely need to read A Happier Life!

Dual narrator, two timelines, family drama, some romance, quirky side characters and a little mystery....what's not to like?!? A Happier Life was fun and easy to read and I could see it being a big hit this summer as a great beach read.