A Happier Life.

 

★★★★★

 

Present Day: Keaton Smith is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort, North Carolina, on the market—the home that Keaton didn’t know existed until now—she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, she’s confronted with secrets about grandparents who died before she was born. And as she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, she soon finds she has more questions than answers.

1976: Rebecca “Becks” Saint James has made a name for herself as the best hostess North Carolina has ever seen. Her annual summer suppers have become the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But she’s struggling behind the façade. Becks strives to make the lives of those around her as easy as possible, but this summer she is facing a dilemma that even she can’t solve. And as the end of the season looms, she is brought to a decision she never wanted to make. 

As both Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of the women in their family for generations.

 

 🌷

 
Heartwarming. 

That's simply one way to sum up this beautifully written story. I didn't want to stop reading Keaton and Beck's stories because I wanted to see how their stories would end. A Happier Life is a remarkable novel. I wish I could rate this book more than five stars. I adore reading novels with multiple timelines. I always wondered how the timeframes in would relate to one another, and in this case, it was a family connection; granddaughter and grandmother. Despite being related, Keaton and Beck's story took place years apart, and even though there was a connection to Keaton's point of view, it felt like I was reading two separate stories. That’s one of things that I love about reading from multiple timelines and perspectives. That way, you can relate to each character more personally. 

I like both Keaton's and Beck's views, but I found Beck's story more compelling, particularly the way Beck and Townsend loved each other. Their love story warmed my heart. What the two of them had; that’s true love. That's why I didn't like what Becks was keeping from Townsend; I could understand why she wanted to do it, but I wondered whether he'd figure it out eventually. Their love story had my emotions everywhere, and there was part of me where I didn’t want for their story to come to an end. Keaton, I admired the growth of her character and her determinations to learn the truth about her grandparent’s disappearance. I do believe she was more trying to do that for her mother and uncle, more than herself. 

I couldn't help but love Keaton and Bowen's relationship. She needed someone like Bowen in her life after the events of her last relationship. I loved the connection she had with his 10-year-old son, Anderson, who I believe is among the sharpest 10-year-olds I've ever read about. I was rooting for two of them all through the book. I loved how townspeople in Beaufort went out of their way to help and make Keaton feel welcome as she prepared to sell the house. I have a hunch she would have had a far more difficult time if they hadn't all been so supportive. I loved the descriptions of Beaufort, North Carolina, and wished I could visit. 

There is much more I could talk about, but I don’t want to include spoilers. A Happier Life was such inspiring story for me. I love the fact that it was mix between romance, women’s fiction and some historical fiction. This is the second book that I have read by the author, and I'm excited to see what other adventures she has in store for us.