Book Review and Giveaway: Something Like Happy by Eva Woods

Title: Something Like Happy 
Author: Eva Woods
Source: Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary:

With wry wit and boundless heart, Eva Woods delivers an unforgettable tale of celebrating triumphs great and small, seizing the day, and always remembering to live in the moment.

“It's simple, really. You're just meant to do one thing every day that makes you happy. Could be little things. Could be big. In fact, we're doing one right now…”

Annie Hebden is stuck. Stuck in her boring job, with her irritating roommate, in a life no thirty-five-year-old would want. But deep down, Annie is still mourning the terrible loss that tore a hole through the perfect existence she'd once taken for granted—and hiding away is safer than remembering what used to be. Until she meets the eccentric Polly Leonard.

Bright, bubbly, intrusive Polly is everything Annie doesn't want in a friend. But Polly is determined to finally wake Annie up to life. Because if recent events have taught Polly anything, it's that your time is too short to waste a single day—which is why she wants Annie to join her on a mission…

One hundred days. One hundred new ways to be happy. Annie's convinced it's impossible, but so is saying no to Polly. And on an unforgettable journey that will force her to open herself to new experiences—and perhaps even new love with the unlikeliest of men—Annie will slowly begin to realize that maybe, just maybe, there's still joy to be found in the world. But then it becomes clear that Polly's about to need her new friend more than ever…and Annie will have to decide once and for all whether letting others in is a risk worth taking.

My Thoughts:

It is so easy sometimes to get bogged down and trapped by the hard things in our lives. The days when nothing goes right. The times when everything looks bleak, and you think things will never get better. But then imagine a firecracker of a person lands in your life, battling her how very serious issues, but shows you how to view life differently, turning your life upside down in a good way. On some level, it would probably irritate you at first. We get so stuck in our problems sometimes, and need a big shove to get out of our mental state. For Annie, Polly provided that giant shove, forcing Annie to look out at the world instead of the problems in her lap. This book ran the gamut of emotions for me, and I definitely needed kleenex as I read, but overall, the message is to live your best life. YOLO. Carpe Diem. All that. But really do it. Go out, and do one thing that makes you happy everyday. It doesn't have to be huge - just something, anything, that makes you happy. Treat yourself to that mocha. Step away from your work and take a walk for five minutes. Or go big, book that trip you have always wanted to take. (well, if you can financially afford it - don't go crazy now.) This is the only life we get and we need to take advantage of it while we can. I loved this book, even with all the emotional upheaval it caused. I am even giving away a copy of it, that was provided to me by the publisher. A nice, new hardcover. I don't know about you, but shiny new books are a thing that make me happy. So go ahead and enter! You don't need a blog, just an email. Please however, live in the United States. :) Just leave a comment below and an email by September 9th, 8 pm to be entered. I will pick the winner using random-ize.com.