⛱️ A Happier Life - Kristy Woodson Harvey

5 ⭐️ - I now have to read everything Kristy Woodson Harvey writes. She is 2/2 with me. I am obsessed with how her books make me feel. They have so much heart, nostalgia, growth, and connection. I will be thinking about this one for a while. I love the story, all the changing POVs, the mystery, the familial connection and growth. Ugh it was all lovely. I wish I could read it over again.

What an engaging book! I definitely enjoyed my time with all of these wonderful characters. The setting is in North Carolina and is perfect for a summer read. The story is told in two timelines so the plot is multilayered. Keaton’s story is present day and her grandma Becks is 1976. Keaton is trying to find meaning and happiness in her life and going through her grandparents old home and the journals they left helps to give her clarity. This is such a heartwarming story and I highly recommend it.

You can always count on Kristy Woodson Harvey to deliver the perfect summer read! | have read all of her backlist and while the Peachtree Bluff Series will always have my heart, A Happier Life is right up there as one of my new favorites! This book has it all - there are long buried family secrets, mystery, a gorgeous Southern setting, and of course a sweet romance.

Keaton is in need of a fresh start and leaves NYC to help clean out her late grandparents house in Beaufort, NC. Keaton’s grandparents died before she was born so she is eager to learn more about her family. The house hasn’t been touched in 50 years as secrecy has surrounded the family and Keaton is determined to find some answers.

Told in alternating timelines, I love a multigenerational story as we get to know Keaton in present day, and her grandmother Beck in the past. The connection between these two was beautiful and Keaton was able to learn so much about herself and figure out truly where she belonged.

I think one thing that Kristy Woodson Harvey always does a beautiful job of is placing the reader in these coastal small town settings with unforgettable characters that just scream summer living! I wanted to be living in Beaufort with Keaton and the sexy next door neighbor and meeting for coffee with Beck’s friends. There is truly something for everyone in this book and should be on your TBR for the summer!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

[ thank you @gallerybooks for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own! ]

PUB DATE: June 25, 2024 (out now!)

Well my friends, Kristy Woodson Harvey has done it again! This was another great book by her.

If you are looking for a book that has secrets, mystery, some family drama, light romance and set in North Carolina, this is for you.

I loved the dual timelines, I loved the journal entries. I truly enjoyed it every time I picked it up to read. And she also includes two recipes in the back. I made the oatmeal cookies (shown in the picture) and they were delicious! 😋

>>Do you keep or write in a journal?

Kristy Woodson Harvey is an auto-buy author for me. I have been waiting for this book for a year.
Keaton has gotten some bad news at the office. Or, is it bad? Keaton now has the opportunity to get her grandparents' beach house ready to sell. She makes new friends, learns some things about her family, and there is a good-looking man next door. This is a great read for the beach, pool, porch, or for listening to while walking.

This is definitely a different type of love story. The tag line being can true love happen twice with the same person. Liz and Tobin are struggling in their marriage and work to try and see if it is worth saving. Their second chance fight was a little heavier than the cover indicated. Even Liz’s attempts at improv to prepare for a pitch at work aren’t light.

I loved the MCs’ occupation was wilderness guides for a company. And I loved the MC was shown in all her social awkwardness even though I do wish it wasn’t every moment in the book. This would have helped me to connect with Liz earlier in her story.

I loved the yes and philosophy practiced as part of the improv and how that ultimately helped Liz figure and get what she wanted.

There was heart in the writing style that included both heartbreaking and heartwarming moments. And that ultimately there was redemption and hope in all of the couple’s trials and tribulations.

Gail Shalan did an excellent job voicing Liz and showing the ups and downs and anxiety that encompass her daily life. I wasn’t terribly fond of the male voice she used and that she used it for every male character. It made it a little harder to remember who Liz was speaking with. But I did appreciate that she made Tobin’s voice a little quieter than Liz’s. That seemed to fit with his personality.

While this wasn’t what I was expecting, I enjoyed this second chance romance between Liz and Tobin.

My gosh I absolutely love Harvey’s writing! She is a favorite of mine and her writing never gets old!
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey is another beautifully written novel!
I really loved this book along with her writing and storytelling. She writes the ultimate comfort reads.
The love, mystery, family and drama made this story so unputdownable!
This was the perfect feel good summer beach read!

Thank You NetGalley and Gallery Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A Happier Life should be in everyone’s beach bag! The book takes place in a small, coastal town in North Carolina and I thought the dual timelines was a creative way to show how the community developed over time.

One timeline is told in the present where Keaton is looking for a fresh start by organizing and getting her late grandparents’ house ready to sell. The other is told from Keaton’s grandmother’s perspective as she faces a difficult diagnosis and prepares to say goodbye to her family, friends and neighbors. The chapters were connected in subtle ways and I loved how Keaton was able to learn about her family’s history while also giving herself a new beginning. This southern family drama had a mix of romance and historical fiction making it a unique read perfect for a summer day at the beach. Thanks for sharing a copy with me!

A HAPPIER LIFE by Kristy Woodson Harvey

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy pub day to this gem. Thanks for the gifted copy @gallerybooks!

Oh man, what a good summer read (as always from KWH!). I just loved Keaton and Becks, the dual timeline and POVs, the dreamy location & the many, many historical touches and references. Oh, and Salt of course! #doodlemom

While somewhat a love story, A Happier Life also touches on family drama/history, self exploration & discovery and finding friendships, love and sense of home in the most unexpected places.

It gave me Peachtree Bluff vibes in the best way, so if you haven’t read that series by Kristy, please do yourself a favor and dive in. I can definitely say this one is right up there with that series as my fav KWH. I’m kicking myself for being too slow to get to see her this week at @mjudsonbooks but encouraging you to go see and support Kristy on tour if she’s coming to a city near you!

A fifty=year-old mystery set in a small, coastal town, wrapped in Southern charm and hospitality. Just like all Southern girls do, Kristy Woodson Harvey will wrap you around her little finger, weaving friendship, love and mysteries of the past with love and enlightenment in the present, Recipes included!

Keaton’s life has been turned upside down after breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job. Her mother then asks her if she could go to Beaufort to prepare her grandparent’s house to be sold. Against her better judgement, Keaton decides to go. She finds her grandparents home to be untouched since the 1970’s and is transported back to their world via journals.

In this multigenerational story told through multiple POVs (past and present) you learn that through life, love and grief, there’s always a greater purpose and lesson to be learned. I loved most the character development throughout the story. Seeing Keaton blossom and her coming to understand her mother and uncle much better. I enjoyed that second chances are always an option!

I wasn’t expecting to cry with this one, but I did. Again, I thought of my own mama while reading this and found myself wondering if she knew her time was coming. Was she being intentional in how she spent her final months…weeks. I’m so grateful I was able to get one last hug and one last “I love you!”

I highly recommend this summer read to any and everyone. It’s a beautiful story filled with a bit of mystery, love, family and friendship 💕

Happy Pub Day to one of my favorite authors, @kristywharvey! I know I say it every time she has a new book out, but Kristy Woodson Harvey has really outdone herself with A Happier Life. It was everything I hoped it would be and so much more!

A Happier Life is one of those great reads that has a little something for everyone. It’s part women’s fiction, part romance, but then I would also consider it to be historical fiction with an element of mystery as well.

The story follows Keaton, a young woman who is looking for a new beginning after her life in New York basically implodes. Keaton travels to Beaufort, NC to help her mom sell her childhood home. Keaton never met her grandparents because they died in a tragic accident 50 years earlier. Their bodies were never found and Keaton’s mom abandoned the home, so when Keaton enters the home, it is exactly as it was the day her grandparents died. Keaton slowly begins the process of preparing the house for sale, getting to know her grandparents along the way as she reads journals and her grandmother’s guide to entertaining guests. What soon becomes clear to Keaton though is that all things are not as they seem and preparing the house for sale gives way to unraveling the many secrets that it holds about her grandparents.

I absolutely loved how KWH has crafted this story as a dual POV/dual timeline where we get to know Keaton’s grandmother Becks in the past & watch the beautiful romance unfold between Becks and her beloved husband Townsend as well as the many challenges they faced together, while in the present we follow Keaton as she slowly falls in love with Beaufort & its fabulous residents, including her sexy neighbor and his son. I was rooting hard for Keaton to dump her NYC life & move to Beaufort because she & her adorable dog Salt just seemed so happy there.

If you love charming coastal towns, single dad romances, found family vibes, & compelling mysteries, this is the book for you!

This is another Kristy Woodson Harvey book that I could not put down! I was immediately transported to Beaufort with Keaton as she goes to settle her family's estate. The pull of the family mystery and secrets also swept me right in! With flashbacks to Rebecca St. James's life and present day, a slow build story unfolds. I enjoyed everything about this book! Thank you to Gallery Books and Kristy Woodson Harvey for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This is the perfect beach read set in a quaint NC town on the water with mystery, love stories, and dual time lines.

I didn’t want to put this book down. The story has a mystery, love stories, work drama and family drama. What more can you ask for in one book? It was a fun read and my favorite KWH book so far!

This dual-timeline story is told in the alternating viewpoints of Keaton Smith and the grandmother she never got to meet, Rebecca “Becks” Saint James. Becks' story is a love story, and it begins when she meets the love of her life - Townsend Saint James. Her parents forbid the match because she is Methodist and he is Catholic, but she is certain he is the one for her, and they marry anyway. She gets disowned by her parents and that hurts, but she knows she made the right decision. They move to the seaside town of Beaufort, North Carolina, where they have two beautiful children, and he sets up his medical practice. Life is good. Becks is known for throwing legendary dinner parties, and everyone is envious of the kind of love Townsend & Becks have. Then one fateful night, after their end-of-summer dinner party, Townsend & Becks disappear, never to be seen again. Their car surfaces later where it went into the water, but divers never found either of them. Nobody knows what really happened. Their two adult children shut the house up and refuse to go back. They keep everything as it is, and pay people to keep the house up for them. Now the housing market is up, and they are finally ready to sell, and say goodbye. Keaton, fresh out of a breakup and a job, is at a crossroads. Her mom and uncle offer to pay her to go down to Beaufort and clean the house out and get it ready to sell. She agrees, but once she gets there, & she begins digging into the past, she becomes enamored with Becks and wants to learn more about her grandparents. Keaton & befriended by some of the local ladies who knew Becks when, and they tell her stories, and take her under their wing. Keaton even wins over the grumpy next-door-neighbor and his adorable son. It doesn't take long before Keaton realizes that life in the Big Apple wasn't so great after all, and this small coastal town with all of these wonderful people, is right where she is meant to be.

I love this author's books, and this is my new favorite. I couldn't put it down. I laughed with Keaton. I cried with Becks. I don't know if I can properly convey how much this book moved me. I wish I could have had a love like Townsend & Becks did. The author made two wonderful female protaganists that you are going to fall in love with, root for, and in Beck's case - mourn. This is the perfect beach read. I highly recommend you add this one to your beach bag. You are going to love it!

A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey offers a modern day romance and a look back at 1976 and the romance of Keaton Smith’s grandparents. This tug at your heartstrings tale swept me up and transported me to the seaside town of Beaufort, North Carolina where I found love, mystery and more. An absolute must read!

I have family near Beaufort, North Carolina and have walked its streets. In fact, I am heading there this summer! So of course I was curious to read A Happier Life. Harvey pulled me in, made me laugh, cry and fall in love with the house and the characters.

We meet Keaton Smith, who finds herself homeless & jobless and in need of a fresh start. When her mother and uncle offer her the chance to close up their parent’s home, she jumps at the opportunity to spend the summer at the beach as she learns about the grandparents her mother refuses to talk about.

Keaton and her dog arrive to find a time capsule. While her mother and uncle have paid for maintenance, the home is exactly as it was the night her grandparents left it, the night they died in a car accident.

I loved the story that unfolded as we moved between present day and the summer of 1976. We learned about Rebecca “Becks” Saint James’ marriage and life in Beaufort from her famous summer suppers to their tragic end. We also got to know townsfolk, including the handsome neighbor and his adorable ten-year-old son.

Harvey had me equally invested in both timelines, but Becks is the one that tugged at my heartstrings from her blessed marriage to events that unfolded that summer. The characters were wonderfully developed, as was the suspenseful thread and outcome.

A Happier Life is a story I will revisit and the perfect book to bring along to the beach or include in your book club. I plan on grabbing copies for holiday gift giving. Perfect for fans of women’s fiction, chick-lit, family stories, and cute romances.

ALL THE STARS ⭐️ for this one!!!! I never wanted it to end, and it’s one I will want to reread in the future. I still have several KWH books to read, but this one is my favorite so far, and it will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry (one scene in particular had me ugly crying where I couldn’t see the page), and it will tug at your heartstrings.

A little romance, a little mystery, and a lot of southern charm. KWH has a way with words. This was so eloquently written. It’s just one of those books that made an impact on me, and a story I won’t forget easily. These characters were something special 🥹

The setting of Beaufort, NC had me wanting to get in my car and drive there. I could very easily imagine the quaint little town. With the town, came the best secondary cast of characters. They looked after each other, did the neighborly things, and brought lots of laughs to the story.

As Keaton cleans out the home of a grandmother she’s never met, she starts to wonder what happened to her grandparents. They died before she was born…but no one knows the full story. Keaton learns a lot about herself and how important family is in the process.

Rebecca Saint James….the ultimate southern lady. Full of charm, wisdom, and grace, “Becks” shows us the power of true love. Everyone wanted an invitation to her famous supper parties. I loved how her past timeline started with hostessing tips and words of wisdom ❤️ She reminded me of my own grandmother, who is loved by everyone.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read this one and get on my level of obsession!

I absolutely LOVED this book! Harvey has a way of writing novels that makes me devour them quickly.

I love a book written with dual points of view. It gave us such good insight into the lives of both main characters.

I really enjoyed the “mystery” aspect of this story as well.

Keaton is at a crossroads. Suddenly unemployed and having to move out of the space she shared with her former lover (and newly reconciled ex-husband of her boss), she grudgingly agrees to go to Beaufort to prepare her mother and uncle's childhood home for sale. She never met her grandparents, who disappeared before she was born--presumably killed in a car accident though their bodies were never found.

She discovers a time capsule. Her mother and uncle literally locked the door and walked away from the house after their mother's last dinner party. Although the exterior has been maintained, the interior is just as they left it in 1976. Despite being creeped out by house, which has been in the family for two centuries, Keaton is quickly captivated by Beaufort and her quirky new neighbors, especially the single dad next door and his adorable son.

Told in a dual timeline from the points of view of Keaton and her grandmother, Becks St. James, this is a delightful mix of romance and suspense. What did happen to Becks and Townsend St. James? And how did it affect Keaton's own emotionally distant mother? Keaton is someone I really want to be friends with, so it's not surprising she quickly becomes a part of her new community. #AHappierLife #NetGalley