Tuesday 19 May 2020

Review: Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin

A dark, witty page-turner about a struggling young musician who takes a job singing for a playgroup of overprivileged babies and their effortlessly cool moms, only to find herself pulled into their glamorous lives and dangerous secrets....

After her former band shot to superstardom without her, Claire reluctantly agrees to a gig as a playgroup musician for wealthy infants on New York's Park Avenue. Claire is surprised to discover that she is smitten with her new employers, a welcoming clique of wellness addicts with impossibly shiny hair, who whirl from juice cleanse to overpriced miracle vitamins to spin class with limitless energy.
There is perfect hostess Whitney who is on the brink of social-media stardom and just needs to find a way to keep her flawless life from falling apart. Caustically funny, recent stay-at-home mom Amara who is struggling to embrace her new identity. And old money, veteran mom Gwen who never misses an opportunity to dole out parenting advice. But as Claire grows closer to the stylish women who pay her bills, she uncovers secrets and betrayals that no amount of activated charcoal can fix.
Filled with humor and shocking twists, Happy and You Know It is a brilliant take on motherhood – exposing it as yet another way for society to pass judgment on women – while also exploring the baffling magnetism of curated social-media lives that are designed to make us feel unworthy. But, ultimately, this dazzling novel celebrates the unlikely bonds that form, and the power that can be unlocked, when a group of very different women is thrown together when each is at her most vulnerable.


Review: I knew very little about this novel going into it and sometimes that’s the best way. I have to admit that this was a cover buy and then I got an audio copy from my library and so I listened to this one over the course of a weekend. I loved it. 
This book has it all, New York society intrigue, mystery and drama drama drama. I liken this one to Candace Bushnell’s New York based novels with the added dangerous element of Liane Moriarty. Imagine what havoc could be wrought by an upper west side playgroup and the Mums and babies that belong to it?

We as readers are obviously outsiders of the group but we have Claire on our side who is also an outsider and so we kind of get to enter the group with her. This book alternates perspectives between Claire and Whitney and we get a little look into some of the other mommy’s lives too. You can imagine what kind of a window that is. Claire is a great character to spend the book with because she is much more normal like you and me and not a member of that society but will she get sucked in?

There is drama and backstabbing galore in this book and it also has the added element of social media to it which just adds another dimension and another way everything could come crashing down. 


I think fans of reality TV will enjoy his one because we get a rare glimpse into this society but at the same time it is also a good book for those that like just a touch of crime or mystery to their contemporary novel. I am honestly blown away by this book and will be recommending it to everyone. 
To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

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