This book fell prey to trying to fit too much into one story. When I picked up the arc, I thought I was going into a love story, but it turned out to be more of a literary fiction with a romance subplot (that doesn’t get introduced until 40% in, which caused the book to feel a little slow moving). I see what the author was trying to get across here, but there were a few too many moving parts for the story to feel fully fleshed out and believable. There were also a few practical inconsistencies that would pull me out of the story. Overall, I enjoyed it well enough but didn’t love it. It’s a good read if you’re in the mood for more of a women’s fiction book, but don’t go in expecting a romance book.

I expected more of a cozy romance but what I got was an exploration of trauma, grief and healing that also healed my soul a little while reading! It was a beautiful story.

Relatable relationships and story. The main character's anxiety definitely translates and makes the reader nervous for how things will turn out. I enjoyed the female friendships and support. The story is cute and makes it an easy read.

This was an amazing book! It had so much emotional moments in this book and I loved how hard working the main female character was!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

From the very first page, I was rooting for Sophie to walk away from her controlling, emotionally abusive husband and reclaim her happiness. This is a story about healing, breaking free, and finding the courage to stop generational trauma in its tracks.

I despised Robert (her self-absorbed husband) and couldn’t have been more delighted with how his arc wrapped up. On the flip side, Lucas was the kind of character you can’t help but fall for-kind, steady, and everything Sophie needed.

I loved every page of Sophie’s journey, and I’m still smiling at the ending. A heartfelt, empowering story that will stick with me-definitely one to look forward to.

https://www.goodreads.com/user_status/show/1132741057#:~:text=was%20I%20didn%27t-,like,-the%20main%20character

This was my first NetGalley read and I enjoyed the experience.

I'm a romance girlie and I like to use them as palette cleansers after heavy reads or just a bad day in real life.

I chose this book because of the cover and I thought the title was cute. From the looks of it, a baker romance story with a cat, maybe a little cozy read for the start of fall.

It is not any of those things, truly. There are romance elements, but I wouldn't call this a romance. The FMC enjoys baking but she herself isn't quite sure she's a baker. Honestly, the main motif here was uncertainty. I felt that all the thoughts, conflicts, and relationships were "underbaked", so to speak.

You're reading half way through the book before you hit a character that the FMC shows romantic interest in. This book had potential to be a great romance if maybe 3 relationships were chosen, perhaps the FMC's husband, daughter, and boss relationships and fully developed them. I wanted to care about these characters, but didn't. I wanted to root for something, but couldn't. I ended up looking forward to the book's ending so I can move on to another book.

A good romance is a book where I'm sad it's over, I want it to continue, or I'm haunted thinking about these characters all day.

I'm really let down by the cover, I thought it was going to be treat. I'm rating this 3 stars because I appreciate the real life issues it talked about and the feelings that go with it.

At one point, Sophie, the FMC talks to her best friend:

Alicia: "Please say you go the last available room... And there's only one bed."
Sophie: "I think that only happens in romance novels."
Alicia: "Why can't this be a romance novel?"
Sophie: "Robert put a real damper on the plot"

GIRL. What are we doing here?!?!?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a wonderfully written portrayal of grief and what it feels like to navigate life losing your mom while still being a mom.

Three word review? I LOVED IT!

Full review? Change is always hard, now imagine changing your life at 46 by leaving an emotionally abusive marriage, creating a new secret side hustle, working part time all whilst supporting your daughter big life changes?

I have a thing for stories with female revenge rage, even though this is on the softer side it was still as enjoyable to see women reclaiming their lives.

Heartfelt, adorable, and moving story about it is never too late to change your life around

Thank you NetGalley & Lake Union Press for this opportunity!

Just Add Happiness by Julie Hatcher will be out on December 30th, 2025.

If this book teaches you one thing it is this: It is never too late to make a change in your life. We follow our main character as she is hit with blow after blow that culminates in her finally divorcing her husband and making a stand on her own away from the toxic relationship it was in.

What I liked best about this book was how it realistically portrayed the FMC dealing with life's challenges. Things don't suddenly happen, you make them happen. The story deals with themes of toxic relationships, standing up for yourself, taking charge of your life, exploring who you can be, and finding love through it all.

The story really picked up, but it took about 40% of the book before I was hooked. It's a slow start but has a strong end.

Thank you NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book so got me!! I felt so seen! This book is for all the woman who are trying to gain back their power and be who they were always meant to be! Strong, gorgeous, and unapologetically whole!! I loved watching Sophie grow into her true self and take back her life!! A really sweet wonderful story that totally captured my heart!! Julie absolutely does it again!!

I LOVED this book! I’m definitely in a period of enjoying FMCs who are older than the 18-22 range and Sophie was perfect! I love a good second chance romance and Julie did just that!

Absolutely telling all my friends to read this when it comes out!

this was a wonderfully written portrayal of grief and what it feels like to try to navigate the world without one of your pillars. even with the distance between you and all the conflicting feelings, losing your mom is always a complicated experience.

sophie's journey to process a new world where she's no longer a daughter but is still a mother, while dealing with her (admittedly) horrible husband and a daughter moving onto adulthood feels realistic, and it's clear there's a lot of empathy in these words.

it's never too late to reinvent yourself and find your passion. it's never too late to choose yourself.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just Add Happiness follows the story of Sophie, a forty-something housewife who divorces her emotionally abusive husband, Robert. While Just Add Happiness isn't usually the kind of book I would normally read, I found Sophie's tale empowering and uplifting watching her go from strength-to-strength while navigating her new life.

With her divorce imminent, the sudden loss of her mother, and the earth-shattering news that the abusive man who raised her wasn't her father, Sophie must find her footing in a post-divorce world, and make a living for herself. Masquerading as The Invisible Baker, Sophie meets Lucas who runs a French restaurant, and accepts a job as a pastry chef, all the while falling for the charming widower, and exposing her soon-to-be ex husband for his financial crimes.

Although I found the characters a little difficult to warm to at times (Sophie unknowingly dumping her marriage insecurities onto her newly-engaged daughter and continuing the vicious cycle of mothers putting their daughters down in her family), and the ending feeling somewhat rushed and hastily tied-up, I enjoyed Just Add Happiness more than I thought I would, and found myself unable to put it down when I started it.

I would recommend this book to those who are looking for an uplifting, female-positive story, with a HEA after a healthy dose of angst.

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i will start off by saying, this is not my typical read in some ways. i tend to migrate towards dark, suspense, fantasy, etc., where i like to escape reality a lot of the time.

this, was not any of that, but still was an amazing read.

Julie wrote about trauma, grief, and just how an older woman tries to find her own happiness in the world that seems so against women sometimes.

i did take a star politely because sometimes the fmc rattled off into her 'what if's' so much, i wanted to literally jump in the book and hug her and calm her down. which in ways, feels like my own head sometimes. but it also felt like sometimes it just dragged.

this was definitely a good read and plan to look forward to more her of her writing.

This was such a warm and uplifting read! I really enjoyed following Sophie’s journey as she picked herself back up and started fresh. The mix of family drama, second chances, and a little romance made it so easy to root for her. I especially loved the baking touches—they added so much heart (and made me hungry!). A cozy, feel-good story perfect for anyone who enjoys women’s fiction with lots of heart.

This was such an emotional read for me. The author did an amazing job representing emotional abuse and finding ways to try and overcome those ideas placed in the main character’s (Sophie) head. I loved the growth of the Sophie with the support of her friends. The romance was a cute bonus as well. Definitely recommend

This book was inspiring and swoony and uplifting, and I highly recommend reading in a book club setting with other women to talk through the themes and reactions, preferably over cake. Julie Hatcher sets up the plot perfectly in the first chapter, where we learn that Sophie hates her controlling husband and is supported by her ride or die best friend Alicia, as they continue to hatch a plot for her to be set free. We see Sophie building her baking business from the very destitute ground floor of her post-divorce life, and as she encounters set backs that felt very realistic, she kept driving forward and showing resilience. This is a book about mothers and daughters and how marriages and long-term relationships build and sustain cycles of behavior, and it was a very lovely pacing to let these themes almost gently find resolution in the third act.

The tone of the novel was determination, but it also had a wonderfully calibrated slow burn with Lucas, a handsome, age-appropriate restauranteur who looks at Sophie like she hung the moon. I loved their interactions and how they built believably towards a deeper relationship. Extra points for centering this on a mature woman, giving her a mature man, and letting them find ways to communicate that were authentic to their experiences in love. Extra extra points for Sophie claiming what she deserves and finding strength to be herself, in full focus for others. This was my first Julie Hatcher novel and I'm going to devour her catalogue now, because I want more of these female friendships and stories of falling in love with the life that speaks most authentically to you.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The author does such a good job of creating vivid characters that I felt I was Sophie's friend witnessing all the action. I read the book slowly over the course of almost two weeks and found myself thinking about the characters constantly. Sophie, her soon to be ex-husband, her best friend, her daughter and her boss all are well-thought out characters. The secondary characters were nicely integrated into the story. The situations are realistic and the tension and emotions are intense. I had to keep reminding myself that the book would have a happy ending because at times, I thought her terrible, rotten, no-good ex would win out. The plot is good with enough details to make the scenes realistic, but not overwhelm the story.

really nice and easy. Nothing too stressful or sad, which is always nice. would recommend to anyone that likes romcom vibes.