Happiness for Beginners: A Novel
Mar 2015 · Sold by St. Martin's Griffin
4.4star
15 reviews
Ebook
320
Pages
family_home
Eligible
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About this ebook
As seen on Netflix - from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bodyguard and Hello Stranger
Helen Carpenter can’t quite seem to bounce back. Newly divorced at thirty-two, her life has fallen apart beyond her ability to put it together again. So when her annoying younger brother, Duncan, convinces her to sign up for a hardcore wilderness survival course in the backwoods of Wyoming—she hopes it’ll be exactly what she needs.
Instead, it’s a disaster. It’s nothing like she wants, or expects, or anticipates. She doesn’t anticipate the surprise summer blizzard, for example—or the blisters, or the rutting elk, or the mean pack of sorority girls. And she especiallydoesn’t anticipate that her annoying brother’s even-more-annoying best friend, Jake, will show up for the exact same course—and distract her, derail her, and . . . kiss her.
But it turns out sometimes disaster can teach you exactly the things you need to learn. Like how to keep going, even when you think you can’t. How being scared can make you brave. And how sometimes getting really, really lost is your only hope of getting found.
Happiness for Beginners is Katherine Center at her most heart-warming, captivating best—a nourishing, page-turning, up-all-night read about how to get back up. It’s a story that looks at how our struggles lead us to our strengths. How love is always worth it. And how the more good things we look for, the more we find.
Helen Carpenter can’t quite seem to bounce back. Newly divorced at thirty-two, her life has fallen apart beyond her ability to put it together again. So when her annoying younger brother, Duncan, convinces her to sign up for a hardcore wilderness survival course in the backwoods of Wyoming—she hopes it’ll be exactly what she needs.
Instead, it’s a disaster. It’s nothing like she wants, or expects, or anticipates. She doesn’t anticipate the surprise summer blizzard, for example—or the blisters, or the rutting elk, or the mean pack of sorority girls. And she especiallydoesn’t anticipate that her annoying brother’s even-more-annoying best friend, Jake, will show up for the exact same course—and distract her, derail her, and . . . kiss her.
But it turns out sometimes disaster can teach you exactly the things you need to learn. Like how to keep going, even when you think you can’t. How being scared can make you brave. And how sometimes getting really, really lost is your only hope of getting found.
Happiness for Beginners is Katherine Center at her most heart-warming, captivating best—a nourishing, page-turning, up-all-night read about how to get back up. It’s a story that looks at how our struggles lead us to our strengths. How love is always worth it. And how the more good things we look for, the more we find.
Ratings and reviews
4.4
15 reviews
Daneilia Pulido
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May 11, 2024
Something to be desired at the end. I can see how this may not be a series because this was for "beginners." However, I could see this adding to the story of Helen's life past her beginning to happiness. Helen's life had been challenging with a critical loss in her life, her parents relationship being what it was, and then her marriage to someone who was only invested in himself. During Helen's journey at her outdoor getaway, she learns who she is now, what she's capable of, and that she can lean into love again. This story was sweet and the little self identifying journey I needed to read. As a therapist I'm always preaching for people to do self check-ins every 3 months to see what their current likes and dislikes are as well as identifying who they are overall. So, the little journeys we take such as Helen's outdoor adventure are essentials to caring for ourselves, seeing the changes in ourselves, and learning to do or see new things in and of ourselves.
Tom Brien
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December 12, 2023
I you want a nice, personal rom-com then this is it! It's light, fun, down-to-earth, and a good balance of corny and abrasive.
Razan Abdulrahman
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January 17, 2016
Perfect
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
KATHERINE CENTER is the author of four novels about love and family: The Bright Side of Disaster, Everyone Is Beautiful, Get Lucky, and The Lost Husband. Her books and essays have appeared in Redbook, People, USA Today, Vanity Fair, and Real Simple—as well as the anthologies Because I Love Her, CRUSH, and My Parents Were Awesome. Katherine is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. She lives in Houston with her husband and two sweet children.
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