Review: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

This Is What Happy Looks Like by: Jennifer E. Smith

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

If you’re looking for a really adorable summer romance, this book is perfect for you. It’ll make you happy. :)

Superstar Graham Larkin accidentally e-mails small-town girl Ellie O’Neill about the care of his pig, Wilbur. They start up a correspondence every day, and soon, they both know each other better than anyone. In order to meet Ellie, Graham makes sure his new movie films in Ellie’s town. When they finally meet, they spark up a romance, but will Ellie’s secret prevent their happily ever after?

Ellie was actually a really sweet character. She didn’t have a normal upbringing but her mom and her had a tight little family. She made some strong decisions but other than that, she wasn’t a horribly memorable character unfortunately. I also enjoyed that she didn’t completely fangirl over Graham like all other girls.

Graham had a regular upbringing and he became famous in his teen years. He wasn’t stuck up like I first thought he may be. I am not a fan of those guys. But Graham was surprisingly kind and funny and really down to earth. I loved everything that he did for Ellie when she really needed it the most. He was swoony a bit, but I could have used some more swoons from him.

Ellie’s mother was a great mom and Quinn was kind of a crappy friend to Ellie but slightly redeemed herself at the end. Again, I think one of my biggest problems with this book is that I wish that the all characters were more developed. Oh well.

I loved how we got to see the e-mail correspondence between Ellie and Graham. It showed how their relationship started but again I had a problem with the 3^rd person POV just like I did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. I don’t know, but for some reason it just really peeves me and makes me enjoy the book less. It’s sad because I love the plotline a lot. I also thought the plot could have been a bit more developed and the story kinda ended abruptly. The romance was cute and clean. I always have a thing for movie stars falling in love with regular people.

While this is by no means my favorite contemporary, it’s a cute, light read. Especially for summer!

Favorite Swoon-worthy Quote: He leaned in, his lips meeting hers, which tasted faintly of peanut butter, and he closed his eyes, and he held her by the shoulders, and he kissed her. It was exactly as he’d thought it would be, like the first time and the millionth time all at once, like being wide awake, like losing his balance. Only this time, it wasn’t just him; this time, they were losing their balance together.

Rating: 3.5/5 Tar Heels!