Audiobook Book Review – This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith, Narrated by Andrew Sweeney and Marcie Millard (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 8 hours and 37 minutes (432 pages)
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Release Date: April 2, 2013
ASIN: B00C56H0D2
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

“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 17-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?”

Previous to this book I had read Smith’s “The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight” and enjoyed it. This was a cute contemporary fiction romance. It was decent but ended pretty open I know there is a follow-up novella that is supposed to tie things up better.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was well done. They have different narrators for the parts told from Ellie and Graham’s POV.

The main theme running through this book is fame and how people deal with it. Ellie and her mom had their life ruined by fame and publicity early on. Then Ellie finds out that the mysterious boy she has been talking to is a famous actor and is reluctant to get involved in the paparazzi circus that caused her family so much pain years ago.

I did find the topic of dealing with a sudden rise to fame kind of interesting. Watching how Graham’s sudden rise to fame has changed his life is thought-provoking and sad. That was probably the most interesting part of this book. Most of the book is just the romance between Ellie and Graham and how they have to struggle to make their situation work.

In the end it was an okay read but kind of boring at points. There isn’t much resolution to the story either. It does end in a fairly realistic way that does make you feel somewhat positive.

Overall this was an okay read. I liked some of the talk about fame and how it affects people. The chemistry between Ellie and Graham was good but not fantastic. It was a quick read that I enjoyed. However, I feel like Stephanie Perkins writes books that are very similar in style and I always enjoy Perkins books a lot more.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– Audiobook Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– YA Reading Challenge