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

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Release Date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Poppy
Pages: 416
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased
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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?

ADD TO GOODREADS 

Graham accidentally emailed Ellie asking her to walk his pig. When she writes back to inform him he has the wrong email address, they strike up a pen pal friendship. Graham loves having someone to talk to that doesn't treat him like the movie star he has recently become. So when his latest movie needs a place to film, Graham tells the director about Ellie's small hometown.

I love small town summer romances. This book was sweet and fun. It didn't have the emotional depth of The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight but I still enjoyed it immensely. First I love that Graham has a pet pig! Too cute. I've seriously wanted a pet pot belly pig all my life. LOL Babe is one of my all time favorite movies. I also love the little emails included. Those were the perfect touch to the story. Graham is one of the down to earth type of famous people and at times I wondered if he would quit but he really loved acting. With it comes the media attention so it cane be a difficult career path to follow.

Ellie is a small town girl with a little bit of a secret past. Her mom had an affair with a politician. They took off to live their own life and now he might be running for president. She does not want any media attention. This part of the story was a bit frustrating. That Ellie would pull back from Graham because of this. It took a lot away from the romance. They only have a short few weeks of filming. The ending was left rather open so you don't really know where things go but that there are lots of possibilities. I don't have a ton to say about this book. It is just one of those fun, light romances perfect for summer and brightening your mood after a long hard day.  :-D



"How are you supposed to find what you're looking for if you're not convinced it's even out there?"

"Exactly. How can you know it makes you happy if you’ve never experienced it?”
“There are different kinds of happy,” she said. “Some kinds don’t need any proof."

"Maybe growing up was really nothing more than growing away: from your old life, from your old self, from all those things that kept you tethered to your past."

"I'd have to come to rescue you," he told her. "I might not have a white horse, but I do have a very portly pig."
"How romantic," Ellie said.

Rating: 4/5