Eden Appiah-Kubi's "Her Own Happiness" follows the journey of two queer, Black friends navigating life in their early 30s amidst the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maya, a plus-sized woman, finds herself overwhelmed by the chaos of lockdown, so she decides to return to her hometown of DC. Her close friend Ant, unwilling to lose their bond, accompanies her, leaving behind his home in Hawaii for the first time. Set firmly in the tumultuous year of 2021, the novel vividly captures the anxieties, isolation, and mental fatigue brought on by the pandemic, including the prevalence of Zoom calls. While some may find it too soon to revisit this period, others may discover solace in relating to the struggles faced by young millennials during this period. Beyond the challenges of rebuilding their lives during such uncertain times, the story delves into the evolving dynamics of Maya and Ant's friendship. As Ant begins to develop romantic feelings for Maya, they explore the complexities of transitioning from a platonic friendship to an allo/ace relationship.

This was my introduction to Eden Appiah-Kubi's work, and I found this to be an enjoyable and captivating story. I loved the exploration of the relationship between these characters and the challenges they face along the way. The immersive writing style and engaging prose work perfectly, allowing the reader to absorb the story fully. I'm eager to read more from this author in the future.

Unfortunately DNF. I just couldn’t get into this book. It started too slow and couldn’t keep my attention. I also found the main character unlikeable in the chapters I did read. I’ve been trying to read this for so long but I just can’t get through it.

I really wished that I liked this book more than I did. It is always important for me to support plus size authors and characters. However, I feel like this one missed the mark. There just wasn't all that much to the plot for me. The whole thing felt anticlimactic and I was left with "oh okay that's how it ended". I think if you have ever had to move all the way across the country back to your family after a perceived failure you will definitely connect with the main character. I certainly did. On the other hand, I did not connect with the love interest or the love story in general. It was great representation for the aro ace community. It was interesting to read how that community can struggle when it comes to life partners and navigating that field. So while this book had great multicultural and gender/romance representation, it just didn't do it for me with the plot. I just feel like nothing ever happened and there was never a real climax or problem to work thorugh.

DNF. This started off too slow and did not intrigue me or keep my attention, which was a little disappointing because I liked the premise and read and liked this author's previous book. The hinted at romance did not interest me. and kind of confused me because I thought it'd be about "her own happiness" not finding love

This book was okay. It wasn't life-changing or what I'd qualify as a page-turner, but the writing was solid. I was disappointed to learn that the author doesn't identify with the LGBTQ+ community since the book is heavily centered around that, so I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone off that fact alone. But craft wise, I have no complaints other than, overall, the book just probably wasn't for me.

This story was well written, beautiful, and a representation for not only black people but queer people as well was top notch.

Her Own Happiness is a heartwarming story about starting over, friendship and life during the pandemic. I enjoyed the fat and queer rep and the fact that it was a character-driven story. I loved Ant's character. His personality was refreshing, and his journey to becoming less co-dependent was nice to see but I wish it was not prompted by his confession. I struggled with Maya because she was a little ungrateful and selfish at times, and made it seem like the fire was more of an inconvenience to her than to her boss who lost her home.

The general premise was nice, but I did not enjoy the romance. I did not feel any romantic chemistry between Ant and Maya, so the romance felt a little forced. If they remained friends and the romantic subplot was dropped, I would’ve enjoyed it more. Maya meeting Emme and allowing her to change her made sense because Maya experienced decision fatigue, but the resolution after Maya decided to take back her life was unsatisfactory. I had issues with the formatting of texts and chat exchanges, some were in bubbles and some were not, which impacted my reading experience as there are many of them. I wish some of the events were told through narration and not texts because they seemed important.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Her Own Happiness is smart, insightful, funny, and deeply poignant. The emotions of trying to find your own place in the world are universal.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for this read. The book was quite good. I love a good coming of age and this book got better as it went on. It was a bit slow to start but had a strong ending. Thanks!!!

I was excited to read this book but sadly I do not think this was a book for me. The writing style was not for me, it was a bit too many pop culture references and astrology heavy throughout the whole book. Which was fine in the beginning but then made me a bit annoyed because they just kept coming and it was getting frustrating to read.

Something I did really enjoy in the book was the queer representation and having chubby BIPOC main characters. It's always nice reading about someone who has the same body type as me, since we rarely see it in novels unfortunately. Furthermore, at first I thought the main characters were maybe in their early twenties, so I was really shocked to read they were in their early thirties/late twenties. They read really young and I would say behaved very young as well to be in their early thirties.

Overall, I was really excited going in to this, but it sadly did not meet my expectations and was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for this E-Arc.

This book was so so great! With a main character named Maya, my name, I knew I was bound to like this novel. I loved it so much that I even had my mom read it after I finished it. It was a bit of a long read for me. At the beginning, I had to start and stop a few times, but after the halfway point, I could not put it down! I highly recommend to anyone who loves books about female friendships and coming of age.

I loved this book, it gave me everything I wanted as a reader and more. I am a sucker for a cover and fell in love with the storyline and characters. Well written and kept me engaged :)

As Maya and Ant navigate through life during the pandemic, they are experiencing a lot of changes as they work through this individually and together. This story touches on self discovery, as well as were does their friend go.

This was an interesting read. There was a situation in the book that I vividly saw had me speculating from the beginning.

If you have not picked up this book, I would suggest that you do so.

This was very beautiful but I also didn’t love it. I don’t think I’d want to read anything by this author again but I digress.

Interesting read set during the covid pandemic. The story focuses on two friends and their evolving friendship. It is so amazing to read about different main characters and their interactions with friends and family. The scenarios are a bit too real. How many older kids moved home because of the pandemic? What is that dynamic like after being on your own and living by your own rules? Then you have to find your your way again. Friends are a wonderful support system. It is so great to see the relationships portrayed in this story. I'm a fan. I love the ideas the author put together in this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Nice read, here are some tropes/facts:
👩🏿‍🦱self development
❤️queer representation: ace and pan
😷covid/pandemic life
😨quarterlife crisis

This book follows a fuller, black, queer woman who just had her whole life fall apart. She moves back to her parents and starts developing a new life. She explores new job prospects, finds new friends, a new type of relationship with her best friend, and many other aspects of her life.

To be honest, while i enjoyed reading, i felt like the book was building up to something bigger that never came. This was kind of anticlimactic but it was still enjoyable. The many mentions of covid werent my favorite but it was reality at the time, and still is sometimes, and i think it is relevant to the book as well, because it led so many people to start a journey of self development, and this also goes for Maya.

Recommend!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the the in exchange for an honest review.

This is a heartwarming journey of self-discovery and friendship complicated by shifting emotions. Maya grapples with the daunting task of rebuilding her world from scratch after her dreams come crashing down. At the core of the story is the endearing friendship between Maya and Ant, a friendship with unwavering support in the face of life's uncertainties. Appiah-Kubi beautifully captures the genuine warmth and emotional depth of their relationship.

Delving into themes of mental health, the story delicately and authentically addresses the challenges of grappling with depression. There is also a lovely representation of an asexual relationship in all of its facets, offering a refreshing and much-needed portrayal of diverse identities within the realm of contemporary romance.

Appiah-Kubi's sensitive and thoughtful storytelling fosters a deep sense of connection with the characters and the end leaves readers with a renewed sense of hope and optimism for the journey ahead. Loved it!

Thank you to the author and Montlake for the eARC! This is an honest review.

This was a disappointment for me. If the characters were straight out of high school and this was labeled as young adult, the story may have gone over better. But as a 30+ year old, black woman (like our main character) the overall story was unrelatable. It was choppy, underwhelming, and underdeveloped.

This really missed the mark for me.

This was an okay read for me but at certain points I found the book to be rather bland. Nothing about it really stands out besides the plus-size and sexuality representation. The characters have vulnerabilities but lack actual depth. I wasn’t fond of the ending either but the author takes us on a journey with Maya as she struggles to rediscover herself and find her footing in the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re given a dual POV from Maya and Ant which gives readers a better insight into their friendship and what both characters think of each other. It didn’t really give romance to me because I didn’t feel any real chemistry between the characters. The romantic aspects were really a sub-plot in the novel. Maya and Ant’s relationship was bound by codependency which was really on Ant’s part. The way the dialogue was written I felt they’d just been friends for so long that after awhile one of them grew feelings. But it was never anything strong enough to build a romantic relationship. Which we kind of see that in one part of the novel where Ant gets rejected by Maya.

Overall, this was decent some readers may find it very relatable. The flow and pacing were really slow so I found myself a little bored at times. This wasn’t a total fav for me but you might enjoy it. Special thanks to the author & #Montlake @amazonpublishing for my gifted copy!!!

Rating: 3.5/5⭐️

I probably would have DNF'd this book if it hadn't been for the audiobook because it just really wasn't for me. Although, at the end, it has this truly fantastic line referencing Lexapro, which I like to joke is a medication that should make me a sponsor because I literally will not shut up about how it changed my life. So loved that. The book got a whole bonus half star for it. Essentially, Her Own Happiness follows a woman whose life is falling apart and she's having to move home and in wit her parents, who live in the DC area. Her best friend decides to move with her because he's... well, he's in love with her, but he's ace and so he thinks that it is just a deep platonic love. The two of them then proceed to have their own solo journeys to self-actualization with the romance taking not even a back seat, but like stowed away in the trunk. And the solo journeys are not equal, with our FMC's taking much more space. And that is, I think, where my issues arose. Because what was this book trying to be? It didn't feel like a romance because the romance was not at all a focus beyond the two of them thinking about one another a good amount. But the page time they share? Limited. And how can you have an only one bed trope where I still feel like I got no page time with the two of them together?? I truly cannot explain how this book did not work for me because on the one hand, it seems like it should have and on the other hand, I was desperately bored. Anyway, if occasional talk of religion (Christianity specifically), trying to sort out your career after everything has fallen apart, and family dynamics are things that interest you, give this one a shot.