Laura Hankin | HAPPY & YOU KNOW IT

Plot (via Goodreads):

After her former band shot to superstardom without her, Claire reluctantly agrees to a gig as a playgroup musician for overprivileged 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 perfect 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 cool women who pay her bills, she uncovers secrets and betrayals that no amount of activated charcoal can fix.

Review:

Once again, Berkley blew me out of the water with another unexpected non-thriller read. I can see why this novel is being talked about so much and why it was a BOTM choice for the month of May. This is at times hilarious, at times darker, and all around beguiling. I started this one on my lunch break and completely found myself riveted in this unique and rather complex story that was easy to sink my teeth into and for something that was a non-thriller, I was surprised with how much I just loved this story from the beginning, not that a mention of Beyonce and I Know What You Did Last Summer within a single page wasn't an example of why I love Laura Hankin so much!

This read reminded me of an adult Gossip Girl combined with elements of Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives. You have these elite and filthy rich women, a new outsider that they embrace, and some backstories that combine brilliantly with the present timeline creating a whirlwind of an emotional story and a pacing that is jaw-dropping. Hankin's prose dazzles off the pages as much as her stunning characters crafting together the perfect novel. I read this one in one day and I'll be damned if I was even close to letting anything get in my way when it came to reading this story. I loved these characters and I loved how unique they were. With each chapter, I found myself completely captivated with their lives and the turn of events. While the prologue to this one was intriguing and comedic, yet a little panic-inducing, even without it I would have been addicted to this story and Hankin took me on such a funny and thrilling story that at each moment I was either laughing, picking my jaw up off the floor, or wondering where this one would go next.

If you want a funny story with vivid characters, phenomenal pacing, and an illuminating prose then this is the story for you. It was a perfect combination of a plot, characters, and fantastic writing. I loved this story so much; I simply cannot recommend it enough. Did Laura Hankin turn me into a fan of contemporary fiction? She just may have! I do know one thing, I am going to be absolutely begging for more stories by Laura Hankin for quite a long time.

Special thanks to Berkley for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5