Heartfelt and inspiring look at late life introspection and long term friendship. Makes me want to write a letter to my best friend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I knew I would probably love this book because I loved this author’s debut novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, and I was right! I fell in love with this story and with the charming characters that were a part of this little world. I will forever love books that highlight that soulmates don’t have to be romantic; a lot of the time they’re actually platonic, and that doesn’t make them any less important. To have a friendship like the one between Joy and Hazel is an incredible blessing, and it did in fact make me cry more than once. I loved the message that it’s never too late to take charge of your life and get out of your comfort zone. If you love stories about friendship, family, and living fully, you’ll adore this book as much as I did.

For fans of A Man Called Ove or The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, this cozy novel follows our octogenarian narrator Joy, as she navigates the impending death of her life long best friend. As she confronts this great loss, she reexamines her life experiences, reckons with the people and places she has known, and gets up to some very interesting mischief along the way. Good Joy, Bad Joy leaves the reader pondering life’s great questions, like: What does it mean to be good? To be bad? What are the acts and relationships that make for a good life? And how do you nurture your own wild spirit in the face of expectations? At times, laugh out loud funny, I relished every moment I spent with Joy. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for my gifted ARC.

I absolutely loved Mikki Brammer’s last book the Collected Regrets of Clover. It’s one of my all-time favorites and I lend it to everyone, so I was genuinely grateful to receive an advanced copy of this novel.

Good Joy, Bad Joy carries that same warmth and emotional depth. It’s thoughtful, gentle, and quietly moving, exploring grief and joy in a way that feels honest and human. Brammer has a gift for writing stories that stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

Writing this through the tears in my eyes- what a beautiful beautiful book. This one is an ode to late-bloomers, to platonic soulmates, to forgiveness and honesty and adventure and joy. I highlighted page after page- the words spoke directly to my in such a meaningful and specific way. Mikki Brammer is an absolute treasure.

Another absolutely phenomenal book by Mikki Bramer, author of The Collected Regrets of Clover, so let's talk about it.

Joy is 89 years old and still very active for her age. She starts everyday with a text to her best and longest friend Hazel letting her know that she didn't die in the night. Joy is grateful for her long life, but she can't help but wonder why she's still alive when she's said goodbye to so many people who passed before her. Now the question is truly at the forefront of her mind when she learns that Hazel's sick. What follows in the rest of this book is a beautiful story of friendship, sisterhood, family and making a point to live a life you're proud of and enjoy.

Honestly, I will never stop recommending Mikki Bramer as an author, and will absolutely continue to read anything else she writes, because the world needs more of her stories. Going in blind to books by auto-buy authors is always rewarding, for this one I couldn't help but wonder what Good Joy, Bad Joy would mean but by the end I love that there's a kind of double meaning with the main character being named Joy. Despite living very different lives, I loved learning the story of Joy and Hazel and the friendship that started as children. There was also a beautiful self-actualization experience with Joy challenging herself to do things outside of what she thought 'acceptable' and seeing that translate into growth in her interpersonal relationships with her own daughter and grandson was so special.

It's not often the main character of a book is an old woman, which after reading this book is a real disappointment knowing the stories and experiences older generations hold.

I will continue to update this review with links to posts and websites I share my review on closer to publication.

Omg Good Joy, Bad Joy was such a beautiful book and a breath of fresh air because I normally read thrillers/horror books. I fell in love with Joy, she was so full of life at the age of 89 I just fell in love with her character. 5 stars easily!!

I was so excited to see that Mikki Brammer was coming out with another book. The Collected Regrets of Clover was one of my my favourite reads of 2024 especially considering I work closely with aging individuals.

This book was a character driven reflection on the aging experience, the reality of outliving many that you love and the idea that you can change your narrative and your story at any time. You are never too old.

Hazel and Joy are best friends of 80 years. Hazel is the life of the party. Joy has always been reserved. She follows the rules and is always in service to others. When Hazel gets diagnosed with cancer, it takes Joy's world for a spin.

I had so many tear filled moments of this book. Often I stopped, paused and reflected on Joy's story. This is a book that I know is going to stick with me for a long time to come and cannot wait for publication day so I can buy a physical copy for my shelves.

Thank you to Mikki for trusting me to review and to NetGalley for an E-ARC of this book. Cannot recommend this book enough!

“Who says your greatest love has to be a romantic one?” Hazel and Joys century long friendship had me crying at the end. A refreshing read for the first of the year.

When I tell you I ADORED The Collected Regrets of Clover, that may be an understatement. So, when I saw that Mikki Brammer was coming out with another novel, I was so excited. Good Joy, Bad Joy is a beautiful novel explores the nature of lifelong friendship, sisterhood, love, life and regrets. Are you happy with the life you have lived, and the way you chose to actually LIVE it? A beautiful book.