I enjoyed this book. I loved how it went back and forth between the lives of Keaton and her grandparents. I thought it was romantic and funny. I had tears in my eyes at the end because of the proposal and how the mystery of her grandparents disappearance got solved. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Keaton's life in New York has been upended and when her mom and uncle ask her to go to Beaufort, NC to help fix up their family's home to sell she gladly agrees.

As I am in the process of creating my own happier life this book spoke to my soul.

Memorable quotes:
"Dearest darling, food is love. Flowers are jewels. No good party is complete without both. Come to think of it, no good life is complete without all four.

"The trick is to be who you are, eat what you like, laugh too loud, have opinions too big, from the very beginning."


This book was so phenomenal. It's Kristy's best work yet and so unlike anything I've ever read. The setting, characters and their struggles and developments were so well done.

You get dual timelines and POVs of Keaton and her amazing grandmother Becks. Becks was the true meaning of a hostess and memory creator for her family. I got such a nostalgia reading about her life and it really made me miss my grandmother.

This wasn't just a story of the two women, it was also a cozy mystery that was inspired by two true events. As the author mentions in the acknowledgements "Truth is stronger than fiction" and it's so true.

The love between Becks and Townsend was so palpable, they gave me total Noah and Allie vibes from the Notebook. Our current day love story was a beautiful slow burn that really uplifted me.

This book had such fun chapter titles which I LOVE. It reminded me that while I love reading all kinds of books the ones like this that give me all the feels and have me blubbering and wanting to hug my kindle are the best types of self-care books.

There was such powerful manifestation in this story and it's something I believe in strongly. Manifesting a visit to Beaufort, NC one day.

I have goosebumps typing this book review and I'm so happy it found its way into my life when it did.

All the stars and then some.

I need more of Becks recipes and party planning tips!!

Kristy Woodson Harvey knocked it out of the park with this book. I was hooked from the early chapters and fell in love with each and every character.

This story flashes back and forth between the grandparents of the main character and present day. As more and more connections are made, I like the characters even more. The town in the story is the one that we all dream of being a part of. Friends who are more like family.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I’ve always dreamed of having big dinners surrounded by friends. I love how this tradition brought so many together in the past and present storyline.

If this book is not made into a move or tv series, I’d be surprised! It’s so so so good!!

Kristy Woodson Harvey creates relatable characters and memorable plots. A Happier Life is historical fiction and about a woman who sells her grandparents home and in the process learns a lot about them. I loved that part of this novel was set in 1976.

This book exudes the charm of the South. Settle in with a sweet tea in hand, you're transported into a story of southern family drama and a touch of romance. I look forward to Kristy Woodson Harvey's summer reads each year! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A Happier Life is set to be released on June 25th.

Keaton loses her job and goes to her mother’s childhood home to her it ready to sell. Her mother and uncle haven’t been to the house since their parents died 40 years ago. Keaton finds friendship, love and a sense of self while there. You will love Keaton and all the characters in this wonderful story of love and strength.

Saturdays are for staying up “late” to finish Kristy Woodson Harvey’s latest masterpiece!
A huge shoutout to NetGalley for the ARC of one of my favorite writers!
A Happier Life may be Kristy’s best book yet! Little ole Beaufort will be a must visit for readers after they devour this long line of family secrets.
Do yourself a favor and preorder this book RIGHT NOW.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
NetGalley #netgalleyreads #KindleUnlimited #bookstagram #beaufortnc #smalltown #bookreview

I would recommend my patrons to read this pleasant beach read. Good character and plot development. Believable characters that you will root for. Always love Kristy Woodson Harvey’s stories
5stars

I loved the Peachtree Bluff series, but just couldn’t get into this book. It was slow, I never really connected with the characters, and couldn’t really tell if it was a mystery or not.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

A Happier Life🏡

I really enjoyed this! I always have a great time with @kristywharvey books, and this has a fun dual timeline element. In the present, after a breakup and leaving her job, Keaton travels from NYC to South Carolina to clean out her grandparents’ home to put it on the market. No one has been inside in over 50 years, though! In the past, Keaton’s grandma, Becks, is followed through the years when she first met her husband and the final summer of her life.

I like how this incorporated both romance (two actually! Keaton’s grandparents and eventually Keaton herself) as well as mystery! It kept me reading to know what happened but also because I really enjoyed the characters in all of the timelines. Especially Keaton’s new next door neighbor, 10 year old Anderson🥹. Such a great mix of story elements from historical fiction to romance to family dynamics to mystery. Definitely put this one on your summer tbr!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a lot of books by this author, but this was easily my favorite of all of them. I especially enjoyed the mystery that was at the heart of this novel.

🏝 BOOK / REVIEW 🏝

I will never in my life pass down the opportunity to read a book crafted by the southern queen herself, @kristywharvey 🥹. Ugh - I adore you. Seriously ... you make reading so enjoyable, light, and heartfelt!!

A huge thank you to @uplitreads for allowing me to read this gem months in advance - I am so grateful to work together 🫶. This one publishes on June 25th by @gallerybooks, and it will be the perfect beach read. It was also a wonderful book to read in the dead of winter, as it helped to transport me to warmer weather!

If you want a feel good, and heartwarming book about life, unexpected love, and self-discovery, this will be a perfect book to add to your collection. I truly loved how Harvey weaved in the past and present seamlessly. Becks is a character that you can not help but love. She and Townsend had such a beautiful relationship that helped inspire romance in the present day. Keaton and Bowen were so sweet together, and I loved her relationship with Anderson. This one is very light on spice, but it worked incredibly well with the story. I was truly enamored by everyone in Beaufort - it was the perfect southern setting for this novel. You'll enjoy some mystery mixed into the plot as well, which was a really nice element to the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This one was an interesting read for me that I very much enjoyed, 5 star rating from me. I'm not always a huge fan of duel timelines depending on the author's writing but this one worked. You have the 1976 line with Becks Saint James' story and the present day line of Keaton Smith. I especially liked how Keaton discovers grandparents that she knew nothing about and was adopted by a new community where she thrived. Throw in a little mystery, what really happened to Becks and Townsend? A little romance between Keaton and Bowen. Add in Anderson, Bowen's son and Salt, the dog! What's not to love!

I want to live in Beaufort. Oh, so endearing with its Southern seaside charm, lifestyle, and characters that a few chapters in you call friends. It's more than a page turner, it's a life inspirer. To live your dream, to live grand—whatever that may mean to you—to do things right, and to love on people—thoughtfully, intentionally, lovingly, making their world more beautiful.
As always, this book has all the feels. The highs, the lows, the suspense with its—just teasin', I don't do spoilers. Kristy Woodson Harvey's novels never disappoint. KWH's prose flows effortlessly, like floating down a lazy river. Her writing style, so flawless you're wholly engrossed and forget you're reading. So let her sweep—no, softer—carry you away to A HAPPIER LIFE.
A special thank you to @kristywharvey @uplitreads and @netgalley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster for the honor & delight of reading an ARC. Now, the only thing I have to wait until June for is the hard copy to come out so that I can add it to my Kristy shelf.

A Happier Life is sure to become one of your favorites. It's The Must Read of the Summer!
Happy Reading. XO

Keaton ends up taking a break from her career in NYC to help her her grandparents house up for sale in NC. She didn't even know her mom still owned the house as her grandparents died in a car crash before she was born and her mom never talks about them. She gets to NC and immediately discovers the man next door, that her grandparents didn't actually die in the car crash, and warm welcoming people in NC that maybe feels more like home than NYC...

This book was SO good!! I always look forward to the next book Kristy Woodson Harvey releases! I was so excited to get my hands on this one early, and I’m glad to say I enjoyed it so much!

This is such a beautifully written love story. But it was so much more than that. This book has romance, life challenges, secrets, discovery, and so much more. This is a quick and easy read, even though it’s filled with so much. I found myself not wanting to put it down once I started it. I loved the small town feels in this book, I felt like I was there, wishing I was! There’s so much to this story I don’t want to say more without giving it all away. But I highly recommend you add this book to your TBR!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the best books I have read recently. First of all, the opening scene is amazing! Readers will not be able to complain that this book starts slow or does not engage them right away. The story of Becks and Townsend in the 1970s is so intriguing and unusual, and their granddaughter Keaton’s move into the house in the present day allows for the stories of multiple generations to be explored. The town of Beaufort is evocatively described and populated by an interesting cast of characters who befriend Keaton and help her to understand the grandparents she never knew.. While there are multiple love stories in the book, I found the exploration of family relationships—parents and children, siblings, etc—to be even more compelling. In my opinion, this is Kristy Woodson Harvey’s best book yet, and I loved every page.

Highly recommend this to anyone looking for a character driven, closed door romance. Would make a great summer read!

I just let out the biggest sigh upon finishing this book. It's not exactly happy, but it's not exactly sad either.

This book was so good and so wonderfully written. The author managed to tell a book from different times, and different people, yet make it all feel seamless. I truly felt like I was in the head of each narrator and that's not always easy for me.

I will say, many of the main characters have first names that I think should be last names. Yes, I know, that's only MY opinion, but it was on my mind throughout the book. :) In fact, I'd say it's the only "wrong" thing about this book.

I appreciated that while Keaton is broken up with early, she doesn't let that, or the potential of a new romance, take over her life. She's set on getting her grandparents house cleaned up and on the market. During that process she learns so much about both her grandparents and it's endearing how she absorbs it and opens her heart, and home, to those around her because of it.

I would definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This might be my favorite Kristy Woodson Harvey yet! What an incredibly beautiful story. I loved every single second of it!

The dual timeline and multiple POV was pure perfection! I absolutely adored the Beck and Townsend storyline from the past, the dinner parties, the journal, the notebook…and of course the seaside setting.

A Happier Life is the love story that you absolutely won’t be able to get enough of! I can’t wait for everyone to read this book when it hits shelves. Do yourself a favor and go ahead and preorder it! You definitely won’t want to miss this 🩵