This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: This is What Happy Looks Like
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
ISBN: 9781478978770
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Released: April 2, 2013
Duration: 8.5 hours
Source: Playaway from my public library

Summary:
"Perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet - albeit virtually - when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. The two seventeen-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first name.

In a witty and unforgettable correspondence, Graham and Ellie share details about their lives, hopes, and fears. But they don't tell each other everything: Graham doesn't know the secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is unaware of Graham's life in the spotlight.

When Graham seizes an opportunity to spend time in Ellie's tiny hometown of Henley, Maine, he takes their relationship from online to in person. But can two people from such different worlds be together despite the odds stacked against them?"
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First Lines:

"It was not all that different from the circus, and it came to town in much the same way. Only instead of elephants and giraffes, there were cameras and microphones."
Page 21
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Review:

I feel like everyone hopes someone they meet online will turn out to be famous. Or maybe that's just me. :) So the whole idea of this book was super cute and wonderful.

Graham and Ellie accidentally start emailing - just a slip of the fingers made Graham email the wrong person. But then they started talking. And becoming friends... and maybe more. It all changes when he shows up in her tiny town to film a movie. They realize just what it would mean to be together. Not to mention all of the attention they would attract by being together.

I loved the last book by Jennifer E. Smith - the same sort of cute romance that just makes you feel good. That's what I was hoping for with this book and I wasn't disappointed. She weaves a romance that seems both realistic and a little over the top at times. But that's only to make the whole thing more exciting.

Beyond the romance, this book is also about family. Ellie has a secret about her father that just cannot get out into the world. Her mother spends her time protecting Ellie and keeping her from making huge mistakes. Which is something she can't do when Graham is around. But it's sort of a beautiful relationship between a mother and daughter. You can feel how much they love each other and their little family.

I just think there is always a need for heart warming stories like this. No, it's not even remotely reality, but there is something so calming and comforting about this type of story. I will definitely recommend it to any of my chick lit/realistic lovers. They will definitely find this one to fit the bill.

Okay, so I listened to the audio for this book. While everything flowed well and all, I did have one little complaint. And it's nitpicky. But the woman reading Ellie had a way of enunciating things that otherwise would have been drawn out a different way. Some of the letters were too hard, so it wasn't how we would normally speak. I got used to it after a while, but Ellie's voice in my head is a little more robotic. :) Otherwise, it was really well done.

After listening to this book, I've decided I really am a Jennifer E. Smith fan. I'll probably read/listen to anything she writes after these books. She spins a great story that makes me want to snuggle up and lose myself in it. If you haven't read anything by her before, I highly recommend you give it a shot. Especially if you love romance. ;)
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