This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

This is What Happy Looks Like

By Jennifer E. Smith

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2013

404 pages (hardcover)

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? (from barnesandnoble.com)

I enjoy Jennifer E. Smith’s books. They are light-hearted, fun to read, and the plot moves along. She creates memorable characters who are likeable, yet have flaws as we all do. This is What Happy Looks Like, like her other books I have read, sets up a sweet meeting between two semi-complicated characters and then the reader sits back and reads what happens. This book isn’t the best piece of literature I have ever read, but it was enjoyable with some unique twists.

The one thing that annoyed me in this book is that in the emails between the teen characters, their grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. is great. I mean, there is little to no text speak and they use complete sentences. With all the somewhat unlikely scenarios in this book, no text speak seems the most unlikely and unrealistic (really!).

This is a good summer read when you want something enjoyable but not something that will make you think too hard. Plus, as many Jennifer E. Smith books are, this is a quick read… you just can’t put it down!