If It Makes You Happy is the kind of book that feels like walking into a warmly lit kitchen on a chilly fall evening—comforting, nostalgic, and exactly what your heart needs. Set against the dreamy backdrop of 1997 small-town Vermont, this story delivers all the best parts of a slow-burn romance: lingering glances, delicious emotional tension, and just the right amount of mutual pining wrapped in flannel and cinnamon rolls.

Cliff is the ultimate soft-hearted single dad with a grumpy streak that only makes him more lovable, while the narrator’s journey of post-divorce healing is tender and relatable without ever feeling too heavy. Their chemistry crackles quietly beneath every page, and the cozy, autumnal vibe made me want to throw on a cable-knit sweater and light a candle immediately. It’s equal parts swoon-worthy and soul-soothing—perfect for anyone craving a romance that takes its time and hits you right in the feels.

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a book in one sitting. This has definitely made it to my top fav reads for this year omg. This book is perfect for FALL! Best believe I’ll be picking it up once it hits stores and will be rereading.

I adore these characters soooo much.

Cliff has my heart. He’s literally a sweetheart. We love a reassuring king!!
I felt like I could relate to Michelle in so many ways.
Brittany and Emily have my heart. I loved the bond between Brittany and Rocket.

I did not expect to tear up with the epilogue.

If you want a cute cozy read this is the one for you!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc.

I have officially found a new favorite romance/comfort/all season book. Copper Run, Michelle, Cliff, Rocket, Emily, and Brittany are all characters I can feel myself carrying for a long time. Growing up Gilmore Girls was a comfort show of mine and somehow this book took that and made it better.

If it Makes You Happy isn't some epic love story that involves hero's or world altering stakes, but it does involve a woman who doesn't think she's worthy of love and a man who jokes to keep everyone comfortable. Michelle and Cliff's friendship was incredibly tender and warm. It felt like apple cider on a fall day, truly. The way their relationship fell into place was so natural it felt like no time had passed when I was reading.

I could ramble on all day about how much I loved this book but the relationship that stood out to me the most was Rocket & Michelle's. The relationship between 'man's best friend' and their owner is one of a kind and watching them grow together was enough to make a grown woman weep. That epilogue did make me tear up- it was the most wholesome thing I've ever read.

I loved this book so much that I bought the physical copy promptly after reading the arc because I wanted a copy on my shelf that bad- I couldn't just have it on my kindle.

Thank you Berkley Romance and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. Thanks to you I have found my new comfort read.

This book made me so happy!!! I was looking for something cozy to distract myself with but I wasn't expecting to fall so drastically in love with Cliff and Michelle's. This book was a warm hug and I won't shut up about how much I loved it. It was cozy and lighthearted but at the same time it was emotional at parts and sexy in others. The chemistry was undeniable and Cliff being a single father definetly did a number for me. I'll be waiting until fall to get my grabby hands into a physical copy of this one.

If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia is an absolute delight—a swoony, sunshine-drenched romance that perfectly balances small-town charm, emotional depth, and irresistible chemistry.

Set in the whimsical world of Honeywood, Olivia once again proves her mastery of crafting feel-good love stories with just the right touch of real-world messiness. The characters are warm and authentic, with the female lead radiating strength and vulnerability in equal measure. The male lead? Pure cinnamon roll with just enough spice. Their dynamic is playful, heartfelt, and beautifully paced.

What really makes this book shine is how Olivia tackles the theme of happiness—not as some perfect destination, but as a winding, sometimes uncertain journey. There are moments of laughter, a few tears, and plenty of sweet, tender scenes that had me hugging the book by the end.

If you’re a fan of cozy romances with rich character development and a setting that feels like a hug, If It Makes You Happy is the book for you.

Perfect for fans of:
• Small-town romance
• Found family vibes
• Low angst but high heart
• Characters learning to choose joy—even when it’s complicated

Julie Olivia, once again, you’ve made happy!

I just know for a fact that this is the kind of book that is going to get everyone having it on hold when the time comes to check out from the library.

It’s quite a privilege I got to read this fantastic book early. “If it Makes You Happy” is a cozy, fall read with a single dad, and a small town that screams “Gilmore Girls”. A complete nostalgic story for anyone looking to snuggle up by the fire place as they watch the leaves fall down. And although it’s not fall at this very moment, I imagine this is the exact book that would get someone to crave that time of the year even more.

I swooned, I laughed, and often through my kindle across the room. This book was to die for, and will be that way for any hopeless romantic looking to just relax and watch two charcaters who go form dislike to like, fall in love. 5/5 for all the vibes and feels.

This book told me to grab a fall candle and a blanket, and I absolutely did exactly that. I absolutely will be rereading this book ‘If it makes you happy’ when fall comes because I just know that the vibes will be top notch. Just think Gilmore Girls. It feels like a warm blanket wrapping around you🫶

Our heroine just got divorced, inherited a B&B with more creaky floorboards than guests, and is one bad scone away from a full meltdown. Enter Cliff: small-town dad, cinnamon roll in a flannel, bakes like Mary Berry possessed by Ryan Gosling (He was so hot my pants accidentally felk to the ground)

Tension that will make you blush like crazy, chemistry that will make you melt, and a story that will absolutely have you giggling and kicking your feet. This isn't just a romance, it's cozy emotional damage wrapped in knitwear.

Read this if you love:
- Gilmore Girls fall energy
- Gruff softies who bake
- “We can only be friends” lies
- Small town healing with a side of pastry-induced attraction
-Single dad

By the end, I was aggressively Googling Vermont inns I cannot afford and contemplating my life choices, because I fear now it’s my turn to live my love story.

Love love love love! I loved everything about this sweet Fall-themed romance. The crisp air, the cozy vibes, the 90s nostalgia. All of it were perfect in my book. Our romance book club is going to absolutely flip for this one, so we are buying several copies.

YALLLLL THIS BOOK OH MY GOD!!!

so i had been eyeballing this book for quite awhile seeing all of my friends love it but i was a little hesitant to start due to the size of it, when i found out that it was getting republished i thought “oh what good timing” in the sense of there would probably be minor edits/revamping so better to just wait and man oh man im left with wanting to kick myself for ever waiting but so happy because this book found me at the absolute perfect time. i (unfortunately) reside in florida and i am a cold weather, fall/winter loving, hates living in a big city girl to my core and with summer starting to ramp up this felt like such a wonderful escape into all the cozy vibes i couldve dreamed of 🥰

let me start with this is a MAJOR slow burn, like they dont get together till 70% agonizing (lovingly) slow burn BUT THE BUILD UP IS SOOOO WONDERFUL 😭

there are way too many good things about this book to sit and try to convey to you just how wonderful it felt to read it, usually with larger romance books such as this there are always points where it starts to fall off through out. especially when the romance isnt at the forefront almost the entire time, but dare i say that aspect was what made this book absolutely perfect?

you get to watch cliff & shell through out all of their stages. her reluctance to let him in and help her, the way he slowly but surely chips at those high walls shell surrounded herself by, the way they fall into like with each other and then love, the way shell falls in love with cliffs two girls. the cutest/sassiest dog!!! all of it was pure perfection. theres just enough angst through out but not too much that it gets annoying. the nostalgia factor is done brilliantly, its there and you feel it the entire time but not in a cliche way whatsoever.

lastly, the epilogue of this book 🥹 tears WILL be shed.

This literally felt like drinking a warm cup of tea on a crisp fall day. Julie captured all the cozy, small town vibes and feelings! I absolutely loved this.

This was literally one of my favorite reads of the year and I will be recommending this to absolutely everyone I know. If you love Gilmore Girls, this is the book for you. This takes place in a cozy little town called Coopers Run. After the death of her mother, Michelle comes to this town to run her mother’s pride and joy, Bird & Breakfast. Michelle was never that close to her mother but would do absolutely anything for her sister including putting her life on hold to run this bed and breakfast until her sister graduates. Michelle is fresh off a break up and a death so she is starting over temporarily in this small town. Immediately once she steps into this town she meets her next door neighbors: Cliff and his daughters. Cliff is a single dad who owns the bakery in town. He is a jokester, golden retriever and would do absolutely anything for his kids. Throughout this book Cliff and Michelle develop a friendship like they’ve never had before. They are confiding in each other and telling them things no one else knows. This is the perfect strangers to friends to lovers. This is such a wholesome and different romance book to the ones I’ve normally read and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

You know how we all read our sweet and cute romance books and then we talk about the tropes and the components of the book we really loved. This book feels bigger than that. I can sit here and say it gave Gilmore Girls vibes and the grumpy/sunshine, single parent, slowburn made me feral and all of these things would be true, but If It Makes You Happy felt like a hell of a lot more.

I saw this book on TikTok somewhere, while I was doom scrolling and someone had said it was literal perfection. Those are big words so immediately I had to request it on Netgalley (bless their souls for approving me). After finishing it, I am now firmly on the side of it was immaculate and I have NO NOTES. I am ranking this as one of my favourite books of 2025 so far.

I wish I knew how to capture in writing how this book made me feel; but alas thats why I'm reader and not a writer. Following Michelle & Cliff's relationship made me giddy, at one point I was literally SO mad at both Allen and Tracy, how dare they make these sweet perfect angels feel inadequate.
Julie Olivia made all of her characters so flawed and real, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to stumble into a small town and meet them all. She outlined the complexity of human relationships so well it had me hyper-analyzing my own feelings about certain people.

So like I said, I can try to sell you on the usual things I would say about a book, because most of the time books are just an good time and thats not a bad thing; just that this book was more than that and I will be screaming about it from the rooftops from here on out.

I love how the author captures the essence of fall, with its crisp air, cozy vibes, and the feeling of starting anew. The emotional depth, the small-town charm, and the blossoming connection between these two characters make this an absolute must-read if you’re looking for something tender and uplifting. This book made me believe in the magic of second chances and the unexpected paths to happiness.

I previously read this story when it was indie-published, and was more than happy to read it again! This is SUCH a fantastic romance. As someone born in 1991, this gave me allllll the nostalgic vibes, and I was so here for it. The setting and imagery were done so perfectly and had me feeling like I was essentially in Stars Hollow or another cozy small town. Cliff and Michelle were so perfect for each other, and I was so happy his sweet girls had another strong female to love them as they deserved all of the love (they were so fun). Julie really knows how to make you feel like you are the one in the story with the way the small moments are focused on (such as the description of the baked goods and the smells, the descriptions of the atmosphere, etc.) As a single parent myself, this story truly resonated with me and I can only hope to find a love like this for myself and my daughter one day.

This was such a cute read. Gives all the warm and cozy vibes of the fall season. I loved all the 90's vibes and references it just made me so nostalgic. Just gave me all the feels for the season and is the perfect romance to read with a hot drink.

Loved this one! It's so cute and cozy and giving all the small town autumn feels. I loved the setting and the 90's vibes and references. I also loved the two main characters and how they share a similar history but handled it differently.

This was such a cute and cozy story. The vibes and romance were so good. Also loved that both main characters had similar but different divorce stories and how they handle it. Can’t wait for everyone else to read this book.

This was a great 90s rom com love story. Loved the descriptiveness of the town, all I could picture was the Gilmore girls town with the nosy neighbors ha! This was easy to get into and I easily read it in a day. Also, probably my favorite part was the dogs personality the author gave him. Too funny

This book was a perfect nostalgia read that I devoured. I won’t give too much away, but that epilogue… I was fine until the epilogue. 😭 😭

Sooo good!! I love that this was set in the late 90s. The plot and the characters were excellent!

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