I reviewed this book as part of my monthly reading wrap up on my YouTube channel https://youtu.be/6xKSz7GE77Q

This Happy tells the story of Alannah who is reminiscing about a relationship she had with an older man when she was 23 whilst also considering her relationship with her husband of 4 months.
The writing style was interesting and there was some bits I really like...the husband is never given a name for example. However the story goes off on tangents which I found made it difficult to follow at times. I wonder if this might be resolved if read in audiobook format. It’s style reminds me of Milkman by Anna Burns.
Overall a interesting bit definitely not an easy read.

When I requested "This Happy" I was intrigued by the storyline of a woman examining her affair with a married man six years before when she is now married to someone else. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. I found the main character Alannah self obsessed to an unnatural degree and I certainly didn't empathise with her. I read approximately 30% of the novel and simply couldn't go on with it. I found it very language dense and I struggled to find the flow within the structure of the book. Perhaps other readers will like it but sadly not for me. #Netgalley #ThisHappy

This was quite dissapoiting and i expected it to be much better than it was. I found the main character and her two love interests to be dull and i didn't really have much drive to read this. I managed 50% of this and the story still felt like it was going nowhere. The back promised a book that sounded much more interesting but it just didn't deliver. It was too much of a slow burn for me overall.

It's about a character who dives into life and love. A character who is unrepentant and who wreaks a certain kind of havoc that would probably make you hate her if you knew her but also kind of envy her. Hits a nerve. A million nerves. It's an intense read about relationships and who we are when we are in them. And who we make ourselves into.

I have seen This Happy mentioned in a magazine and intrigued by the title and the cover, I have decided to read it soon after. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it very much.

While reading it, but even more after, I still cannot understand the main idea behind this book. I understood the main plot of a woman who is remembering her past relationship and simultaneously overthinking her current marriage. I cannot even say if she loves her husband or she regrets it. Maybe she doesn't either.

The writing style is chaotic and does not read easily. I assume that this work is author's beginning of writing, so maybe the style will improve by then. Cause now it just feels like trying way too hard for absolutely no reason.
I would also recommend to make characters more interesting and not only focused on themselves.

Don't let me start about the sex scenes, please.

Overall, I would not consider this book to be groundbreaking in any way, with a lot of room for improvement.

Beautifully written, intelligent, poignant and subversive. Relationships are explored astutely and writing is brilliant too. The plot moves effortlessly between two timelines and creates a gripping narrative.

This Happy by Niamh Campbell is about a woman’s relationship with her husband and her memories of a man who came before him.