Happily Ever After by Harriet Evans | Book Review

"At twenty-two, Eleanor Bee is sure about three things: she wants to move to London and become a literary superstar, she wants to be able to afford a to buy a coffee and croissant every morning, and she doesn't believe in happy endings. Ten years on, and Elle's life has changed in ways she could never have predicted. Because the past has a funny way of catching up with you, and Happily Ever After comes in all shapes and sizes."

This is the second Harriet Evans book that I am both reading and reviewing. The first book I read of hers also happened to be my first book review on this blog back in May 2012 : I Remember You by Harriet Evans | Book Review

Her first book completely underwhelmed me and I had no intention of ever reading her work again. That being said, I had absolutely no idea that it was the same author when I picked up this book in the shop.

I read the back and it stood out to me as something that I would really enjoy considering it was the perfect cocktail mixture.
A dash of London.
A twist of New York.
A sprinkle of the glamorous world of the publishing industry.
A slice or two of the sweet and sourness of sex and relationships.
And a hearty lug of real life problems that one can easily relate to.

So I bought it without even realizing it was the same author I had previously picked apart!

Once I had figured it out (it took me a while,) I found that I was really pleasantly surprised. 

I adored the way she described every intricate detail so beautifully - though at times I felt like because the book was written over a series of years through the key characters life, that the author slid in a lot of unnecessary things relating to the year in which the chapter was supposed to be based on. That was its only downfall - oh; and it be brutally honest I must admit that the key character did annoy me a bit. She seemed clueless to me at times - not a 'strong' heroine to me nor someone I'd look up to even when she was reveling in her successes.

I couldn’t have read this book at a better time in my life – I probably say that about the majority of books I read but I guess that you pick up exactly what you need to from every book you come across.

This book takes you all throughout Elle’s life, from the dreaded days of teenage school life all the way up to her thirties.

It touches on the years in between those times, on the trials and hardships she faces as well as the successes and saucy secrets of an independent female.

It takes you on a journey from a messy, sporadic girls situation in life where she can barely afford lunch - where she is practically bowing down to those she works with (sound familiar to anyone???), she's at the bottom of the food chain… to blossoming into a woman. 

A woman with power and confidence. 

A woman who inevitably still has problems – like we all do.That's a good message I picked up from this book.

As a woman in my mid-twenties, falling out of bed at 7am each morning and procrastinating against gym, then feeling guilty and doing squats in the shower while brushing my teeth at the same time; scarpering around the gallery I work for making coffee for everyone and typing out the bosses handwritten letters – it was a perfect read.

It’s just a great book to read when you’re at that sort of stage in your life; just trying to get by. 

Neither here nor there. 

Dreaming of something big but needing to make ‘Right Now’ work as best you can.

It reminds you that you have no idea where you’ll be a year from now – even a month from now.

Every tiny thing that happens in life, sets you on a different course that you could never have thought of. 

No one knows where they’ll end up. 

And that’s the beauty and the excitement of life.   

 

Even in our darkest moments - there will be light at the end of the tunnel. 

Even Cinderella eventually got her happy ending...