This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

When seventeen-year-old Graham mistypes an email address, he accidentally finds himself corresponding with Ellie, a girl from Maine with big dreams for the future and a scandalous past. Ellie has no idea that Graham is actually a movie star, or that his latest project is about to be filmed in her hometown—all so Graham can finally meet her, the first girl who sees him for who he really is. But Graham has no idea just how strong the pull of Ellie’s past is, and how important it is to keep it buried

Smith’s novel has the potential to be cheesy and clichéd, but the authenticity of the connection that Graham and Ellie feel keeps the story somewhat grounded. Smith’s characters also are surprising and funny, resisting the Hollywood-meets-real-world tropes that are often overdone. As Smith slowly delves deeper into Graham and Ellie’s pasts and their own story together, the complicated feelings that each character has towards each other and their parents lead the plot in unexpectedly interesting and emotionally charged directions. While not as memorable or as serendipitous as The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, This is What Happy Looks Like is a romantic book that satisfies.

Cover Comments: I like the black and white photograph with the colorful design on top. Very whimsical and pretty, and it matches the story well.

Book purchased.