Happiness for Beginners: A Novel | 
pickSimilar to Cheryl Strayed‘s book about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, but with a group of raucous twenty something year olds and thirty two year old Helen as the protagonist. I enjoyed this fun, finding yourself book with a badass female lead.
Book #39 in 2024
pickI was more into the backcountry hiking trip and wilderness aspect than the romance, but still enjoyed it all.
pickSweet, funny, warm and charming… loved everything about this book! Such great characters and plot… I laughed and i cried! Another home run by Center!
pickAnother home run by Katharine Center. Going to watch the Netflix movie based on it tonight. 💖
New movie on Netflix today based on Katherine Center‘s tagged book, it‘s pretty adorable.
pickI have had this book on my Kindle TBR for ages now but I finally got it read as the Netflix movie is out today. Katherine Center books are sweet, funny, warm & witty & this one is no exception. Loved all the characters & watching Helen, our MC grow. The wilderness survival scenarios were fun to read & I am really looking forward to watching the movie this weekend. I don‘t think it‘s my favorite of Center‘s novels, but it‘s well worth the read.🧡
pickSimply perfect! Can‘t wait for the Netflix show later this month.
#h4bbuddyread on Instagram is a wrap - with the author Katherine Center. It‘s been a while so the re-read was a joy. It‘s the #guiltypleasure read summer is made for. Sweet as sugar with some sarcasm and sass. It‘s going to be a Netflix film on July 27, can‘t wait to see these endearing characters come alive. I think the tune for #titlesandtunes would be The Cupid Shuffle 🙉
pickHelen Carpenter, 32 yo, is newly divorced from a recovering alcoholic who won‘t stop calling her. Adrift and in need of meaning, she signs up for a wilderness survival course, which could make her hopeful; instead it‘s a disaster. This is Helen‘s journey to some semblance of happiness. This got great reviews, and it is good, but to me not as wonderful as her other books. Great characters, unique premises.
#Pantone2023
#JoysOfJuneReadathon Day 5
Up next on 🎧
I‘m using this for my Reading Around The States Challenge.
I love this author and am excited to read some of her backlist.
#bookspinbingo
pickOne book that you can read over and over and never tire of… fine, I confess I have many books I can reread all the time!
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However, Jake and Helen are in my top five! I love them a lot and have read this book several times… because it‘s just so good!
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You know what? This is the perfect book for you to pick up this weekend! Have a good one ☀️!
pickThis book was funny, easy to read, sweet and kept me interested. A perfect palate cleanser from the stuff I normally read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickThis was fun, even though it was fluffier than I expected it to be. It was pretty obvious right away that it was going to be a romance, more than the hiking adventure I originally wanted. I still enjoyed it though.
#littenlisten, also was on the to-do list for National Trails Day.
pickAnother cute Rom-com from this author. Her writing is hitting the spot right now. I would take this book on a camping trip and read it by the camp fire.
pickKatherine Center nails it every.single.time!
Sometimes you have to leave things behind in order to find yourself.
Three weeks in the remotest wilderness starts teaching Helen the very things she needs to learn. Like how to stand up for herself. And how being scared can make you brave. And how sometimes you just have to get really, really lost before you can even have a hope of being found.
bailedThis is downright obnoxious! I wasn't this immature when I was a young teenager, let alone at 32. Bailed at 26%.
pickOh my gosh! Why did I wait so long to read this one? Cute story of an unprepared woman who goes on a 3 week Outward Bound type hiking trip with a dash of romance, of course. I loved the writing. Looking forward to reading many more books by this author. ⛺️🥾 🎒 Book 54 4⭐️
pickOh my goodness so good!! Love this author. First book done for #bookspinbonanza #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
pickI picked up Katherine Center's Happiness for Beginners on a whim--I'd signed up with a buddy read for What You Wish For (coming out this summer!) and found out that it was a loose sequel to Happiness for Beginners. I'd loved Center's books How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire and figured I should give this first book a shot. I loved it!⠀
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Helen Carpenter is a little bit of a mess. ⬇️
pickThis book made me feel all giddy inside! 🤗A perfect happy and light read that I sped through because I just couldn't put it down. The characters were all relatable and I loved all their unique and wonderfully crafted personalities- especially Jake and Duncan. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional boy? I think Jake is my newest fictional crush 😜 Highly recommend this book, especially if you need something happy in between deeper books 🙏😍
pickI did not realize this book even existed until I listened to Anne Bogel's One Great Read Podcast last week. After listening to her discuss this, and knowing I have enjoyed Katherine Center before I decided to give Happiness for Beginners a shot, and I found completely delightful.
For my full review please visit my blog at: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2019/07/19/happiness-for-beginners/
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Ahhh this was such an easy read! I was rooting for the main character. One of my bucket list vacations is to trek and camp out in the Grand Canyon. There are guided tours I once obsessed over. Not sure I‘ll ever actually do it but this character did something similar.
FavQuote “The things we remember are what we hold on to, and what we hold on to becomes the story of our lives. We only get one story. And I am determined to make mine a good one.”
pickReally enjoyed this one! Easy read and I was rooting for her! 🥰
After reading How to Walk Away a few months ago, I‘ve been anxious to read more by Katherine Center. I‘m about a third of the way through this one and I‘m really liking it so far.
pickFirst book that I read by this author and I loved it. Just a fun read, Helen is divorced at 30 and decides to take a survival wilderness course to change her life for the better if she doesn‘t die while doing it! Fun reading!😁
pickThis book made me smile.
Helen embarks on a journey of self-discovery and unlikely romance as she participates in a wilderness course with her younger brother‘s best friend.
Book 5 finished. #24in48 #24B4Monday
pickWhile I didn‘t enjoy this one as much as How to Walk Away, it was still a cute, aptly titled story about second chances. There were a few moments along the way that left me scratching my head, and I for sure wanted to shake some sense into Helen, but all in all it was a nice and quick summery read.
Because I enjoyed How to Walk Away so much, I‘m down to try another book by this new-to-me author!
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pickA very sweet story. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
pickI really enjoyed this contemporary fiction. The main character was loveable. Fun audio book.
pickJust finished this and it made my heart cozy ❤️☃️☕️
I'm finally reading again!! And this is a good start - really enjoying this 30 something's journey to recover from divorce by doing a wilderness challenge. And her brother's best friend may be crushing on her too. Love the dialogue so far - very snappy and fun!
Loved this review by Brene Brown on the cover of Happiness for Beginners. I'm only 5 chapters in and already totally hooked.
pickKatherine Center has mastered the art of allowing the reader to feel the story, and experience what's going on through the characters' emotions. This tale left me swooning, believing, and always wanting more. Loved this read!
But the things we remember are what we hold onto, and what we hold onto becomes the story of our lives. We only get one story, and I am determined to make mine a good one.
Listening to this one on audio, which is my least favorite way to consume a book. Unfortunately, it's the only version our library has.
