I loved the interaction between Polly and Annie in this book, and a special mention to Dr. McGrumpy too. There was laughter, heartache, tears, embarrassment and a lovely dose of realism contained in this story and I could easily see it being made into a film.

A really enjoyable chick lit novel which touches on some deeper issues that people struggle with, without making you feel depressed

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This was a lovely uplifting and thought-provoking read. Powerful issues were addressed but in a light-hearted and humorous way. It made me laugh, cry and feel thankful. The pacing, the unique structure, and the whole idea is a refreshing, life altering read that I can only recommend. It’s a sad story, but it’s uplifting too, despite its subject matter. It makes us all realise how we can think differently just a little each day, and how much that can help us through the hard times.

It was a little cheesy and predictable but also very sad and touching.
I really enjoyed it. I hadn’t heard of 100 days happy before and reading this book might help me stop moaning about something and appreciate what I have. I’m glad I read it.

I started reading this book, not knowing what kind of mood I was in and expecting to put it down and change my mind after a few pages. Don’t you just hate when you don’t know what you’re in the mood to read??? Well, within a few pages I was engrossed and decided this was the perfect book for me to be reading at that time.
Polly is a brilliant character and I immediately took to her colourful ways. She changes Annie’s life and there was so much that I took on board from the book. I’ve recommended it to loads of people already. Yes, there are sad parts and I did shed a few tears when reading it, but it leaves you with such an overall positive feeling that it’s definitely one of my favourite reads of 2018.

I would have persevered longer with this book was it not for the fact that there's a "joke" about cupcakes giving you Type II diabetes within the first two pages. This isn't funny in the slightest.

The clue is maybe in the title. I read this while coping with loss and phypain and before the end I feel better.

A wise, gentle and well written book. Loved it and intend buying one for a birthday gift. All round feel good.

A lovely story that was tinged with a touch of sadness and then hope for the future. Very readable and definitely recommended.

I had been hankering for this for a long time after I'd requested it on Netgalley. I knew it was going to be a tear jerker, but just was never in the frame of mind for laughing through the tears and so I stayed away but I am so so happy I finally got to it because what a gem this book is !

We begin with our lead, Annie Hebden, trying to get the attention of a receptionist in a hospital. The receptionist isn't taking to Annie's firm approach and so ignores her but quickly jumps for a stranger who seems to be of the more positive demeanor. And so it is that we meet Polly. Polly decides to latch onto Annie and begins to turn up everywhere, at her house, at her work, and we wonder what her story is. I can't give away too much but I will just say that both Annie AND Polly have reasons to hide away from life and I knew I was in for a both a treat and a rough time.

This book was magnificently done, a real lesson in writing, in particular the way you didn't dislike Annie even though she was like a rain cloud and Polly like the sun. Polly decides she's going to change Annie's life and make her see that there's more to life than just getting through each day. The surrounding characters were fantastic, the settings perfection, and the genius of the new heading for the one hundred chapters (not all long, don't worry!), that showed us the one thing Annie had to do to change things blew me away.

This is a very special book and a very special mention has to go for Polly but in particular the moment when we actually got to SEE her. I had her in my mind as something and then suddenly started bawling crying when I really saw her ( trying not to cry now actually!) There was so much comedy and joy and heartbreaking aches in this book and it blew me away. If this isn't in my Top ten at Christmas (yes, I know I chickened out last year!), I will be so so shocked. Thanks so so much to Netgalley and Sphere for this book in return for an honest review and to all the bloggers whose posts convinced me I needed to suck it up and read something that required me to be braver.

Rating: 5/5

Annie has been dealt a really hard hand in life. She has lost her only child to cot death, and then her husband to her best friend. She has completely given up on life, spending her days wandering between her unfulfilling job to her lonely, shared apartment where she dines on ready meals for one in front of the TV.

One day, while visiting her mother, who has dementia, in hospital, she meets Polly, an upbeat, eccentric and charismatic young woman who has been diagnosed with cancer and given three months to live. Polly, hoping to make a difference in the lives of those she touches before she meets her end, challenges Annie to begin living her life again. Based on the social media-influenced project, 100 Days of Happiness, Polly encourages Annie to do things every day to reawaken her soul, from mending old wounds, making amends and facing her past, to taking up new hobbies, getting a makeover and opening herself up to things that frighten her. As Annie slowly starts to open up to Polly, she learns that not all lives are equal or fair, but they should still be lived.

How To Be Happy is a very sweet book. It's what I call 'popcorn for the brain' in that it's an easy but enjoyable read that would be best inhaled at the edge of a pool or curled up in front of the fire on a winter break. Calling it a 'vacation read' isn't a bad thing. Sure, the language or dialogue, at times, is a little simplistic and unnatural in places, and sometime it falls into the realm of being overly sympathetic. But overall it is a charming story that is wholly uplifting and positive, reminding us all to live each day to the fullest and, despite the darkness, to still look for the streaks of colour in the world.

Sidenote: There is one part in this book that did make me question it. In a scene where Annie is upset and hysterically crying, Dr. Max responds to her by saying, "Only dogs can hear you now", which is a line lifted straight out of Friends. Maybe only us millennials will notice it, those of us who grew up witnessing Ross and Rachel's drawn-out romantic drama, but it made me question the authenticity of the author's words. Not a huge deal, and not one that should deter anyone from reading this book, but I thought I would note it here.

A true feel good book about finding friendship, love and forgiveness in unlikely places, I love how the concept of 100 happy days was featured in this book.

This book contains every kind of emotion and has the loveable Polly and her menagerie of friends she has collected at different stages of her life who embark on this journey with her.

A recommended read that I really enjoyed and that really makes you stop and think about the way you approach things in life and whats really important and why you should make every day count

Annie has lost pretty much everything she loved and is just enduring from day to day: going to work, visiting her mother in hospital, avoiding her flatmate.

Then Polly sweeps into her life. Polly is lively and beautiful and a major force of nature. She also has terminal cancer and about three months to live. Polly doesn’t want to waste a day of that and she’s determined to pull new friend Annie out of her slump, too, over the course of a hundred days of happy things.

Put like that it sounds a bit twee, but that’s not the case. The reality of Polly’s illness is never sugar coated and nor is the effect on those around her. Annie’s situation is only too believable and I could relate to some (thankfully not all) aspects of it.

I loved the supporting characters too - Costas and George, and of course Drs. McGrumpy (not his actual name) and Quarani. All these characters were adorable in their own way.

A story which is heartbreaking, hilarious and ultimately uplifting... highly recommended.

Despite the title, this is not a self help book. Or perhaps it is.
What it certainly is is a cast of believable, sympathetic characters thrown together by circumstances.
It's good fun, sad in parts and moves at a cracking pace.
I thoroughly enjoyed it

How to be Happy is the first book I have read by this author using the name Eva Woods, and I was curious to see how it compared to her other works.
I found the first half slow, the main characters, Annie and Polly and the 100 days thing failed to move me as much as I felt they should have. Even with short chapters, my interest was waning. But the second half felt much more natural. Perhaps the pace quickened, or maybe the point of it all started to hit home, whatever the change was, it worked for me.
Eva Woods is a good writer and she has chosen a difficult set of subjects to address and largely succeeded, with a good balance of humour and pathos. The latter stages Annie she presents- the one who alternates between being in control and having the rug pulled from under her feet is a very genuine creation. I’m glad I continued with this one.
With thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK

I have just finished reading this addictive book and I am exhausted emotionally! The characters Polly and Annie are so real I feel like I have lost two friends by finishing the book. The book is 'an easy read' to get into and seemed quite light-hearted - and then the emotional grip took me, I have been addicted to reading even though I didn't want to get to the inevitable heart-breaking moment. I have laughed out loud, smiled a lot, felt frustration and sobbed - so hard at times that I couldn't carry on reading for the tears. The last time a book made me feel like this was 'Me before you' Jojo Moyes. It has left me a lot t think about, much to be grateful for and totally moved! Thank you NetGalley and LittleBrown book group and particularly Eva Woods for emotional roller-coaster! I need to pause now before starting my next read as I want to stay in this moment a while!

I got a couple of chapters into this book and couldn't bring myself to read it any further. I'm sure it's a great book but it hit a little too close to home for me. I hope my review doesn't put people off, this is just my opinion.

I enjoyed this charming and uplifting book. It was a bit different and made me see the world through Polly’s eyes, appreciating it a bit more. Annie is leading a miserable existence until she meets Polly, who sees the good in everything and is determined to make her life count in her last days by improving life for others. The characters are warm and appealing. There are some heartwarming moments and some very sad ones but the novel is ultimately uplifting and full of joy.

Oh for goodness sake! Does anyone know a plumber…for eyes, as my eyes seem to have sprung a leak. No, I’m being serious. If you’re needing proof just take a look at my pillow! It’s still damp (yes, it was a big leak, ahem).

Polly, Polly Polly – whatever will we do with you!

I bet my very last chocolate chip cookie (brave!) that there will be a lot of readers relating to Annie and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be singing ‘Annie are you okay, are you okay Annie?’.

Poor Annie has had a heart-breaking time of it, but the nitty-gritty details don’t start becoming clear until further on in the book. Of course we get to know a little bit about what has happened to Annie and, to be perfectly honest, you probably could work out the rest of it yourself. Regardless of how Annie’s past becomes clear to you, it doesn’t make it any less heart-breaking. If anything, it probably made my heart break all over again, each time Annie delved into her past. You can’t forget things like this in a hurry.

On the off-chance, Annie meets a lady who seems to be determined to show people how to wear orange, red, bright purple….and cowboy boots, ALL at the same time. I know, I know – aren’t you jealous?! In all seriousness, Polly does a little bit more than that. ‘Little’ being a huge understatement. Polly turns out to be a lady whose shoes nobody will ever fill.

You’ve probably heard of the ‘100 Happy days’ tag on social media, yes? Well author, Eva Woods, has incorporated that hashtag into her storyline, giving it the attention it deserves in one small swoop. We all get days where being happy ends up being such a mammoth task. We all go through things which make us think ‘will I ever be happy again’ and, you know what? That is life and that is totally fine. However, whats special about this storyline and the characters in it, is how every chapter shows you how the little things in life really do make a difference. Obviously it won’t fix the problem, but for those ten minutes (or however long it takes to do something that makes you happy), you get to find the true meaning of happiness in such a simple task. If you’re all for spring cleaning and decide that cleaning your windows will make you happy – who is anyone to judge? If you think that laying on the sofa reading a book will make you happy – GO FOR IT! Everyone finds happiness in different things and ‘How to be Happy’ highlights that in such a beautiful, beautiful manner.

Not only that, this book highlights how important it is to just ‘be’, that it is perfectly okay to feel sad and feel like you can’t go on. For one an author has written a storyline which hasn’t made ‘sadness’ into a ‘must not do’ kind of thing, and for that I take my hat off to her.

There was nothing about this book I didn’t like, but Polly stole the show ten times over. I have never met a character with such presence, colourful nature, and a heart of gold like Polly. I don’t think I will be forgetting this character in a hurry either. Why would I want to?

Yes, this book is extremely emotional and yes, the storyline covers topics which are very, very difficult to read. But you know what? Eva Woods hasn’t written anything in her book which life itself doesn’t cover. Can you close your life? No. Can you forget about a situation in the blink of an eye? No. You have to keep moving whether you like it or not, just like Annie and Polly. Through the tears, through the laughter, and through the endless nights of pain, these two characters found the type of strength that can only be found from deep within, but they never knew it existed if it wasn’t for what they had to go through beforehand.

I related to Annie a lot, even if I hadn’t gone through the same things as her. She has the type of personality which will become a voice for readers who are too afraid, too ashamed, or even too scared to speak up about certain things. That in itself is like MasterCard – PRICELESS.

‘How to be Happy’ is a book which just keeps on giving, every time you turn the page. It’s a book which is guaranteed to make you laugh, make you cry, probably make you think ‘you’re talking rubbish’, whilst also making you think ‘hang on, you might be onto something here’. A little bit of everything in one place; and they say the little things in life are the most important.

There is a lot of this storyline that I will be taking away with me and using to give the well needed kick up the youknowwhat. There is also a lot of this book which will forever be held in my heart.

‘How to be Happy’ is one of the most beautiful books I think I have ever read as it has taught me a very important lesson – to live.

From the bottom of my heart I thank the author for writing such an enchanting, beautiful and mesmerising read. A read which has become one of my most favourite books of all time. A book which made my eyes spring a leak. A book which I will remember for a long time to come. A book which teaches you life lessons in the most jaw-droppingly beautiful way.

Absolutely beautiful, I cannot recommend this book enough. You just have to go and grab yourself a copy right now.

One of my favourite books of 2017. This wonderful book is a must-read. It reminds you to really make the most of each day. Let go of the past, move on from the negative and embrace new experiences. It's beautifully written and you find yourself laughing one minute and crying the next as the main characters go through a whole host of emotions. Absolutely loved it.