A Happier Life

This was a heartwarming and atmospheric story that blends a bit of mystery, complicated family dynamics and a sweet, low spice romance. The author takes readers to North Carolina and pulls them into the lives, loves and secrets of a multi-generational family and small-town life.

In the present day, Keaton is a woman whose personal and professional lives suddenly implode. With nowhere to go, she heads to Beaufort, North Carolina to prep her grandparents' house, which has been ignored for decades, to sell. As she cleans the old house, she unearths a mystery about her grandparents and meets many of the locals along the way. 

In 1976, Keaton's grandmother, Rebecca "Becks" St. James is popular in their small town and known for her active social life, but she hides a desperate secret. Through her diaries and notes from Beck's beloved husband, Keaton pieces together their life together and tries to figure out what really became of them.

Loosely based on the author's great uncle and aunt's lives, the story has good bones. There's a lightness to the storytelling, but perhaps a bit too much going on. I loved the setting and its cast (Anderson and Salt!), but I wanted more depth and tension to the mystery, which fell flat for me. A less rushed romance would have added a touch more sweetness to this southern charmer. 

This beachy read would appeal to readers who like easy-going stories set in small towns, with multiple POVs and timelines, a dollop of nostalgia and the chance to witness a character figure out what she wants out of life.

 

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: Gallery Books

First Published: June 25, 2024

Read: January 23 - 27, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: Present Day: Keaton Smith is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort, North Carolina, on the market—the home that Keaton didn’t know existed until now—she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, she’s confronted with secrets about grandparents who died before she was born. And as she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, she soon finds she has more questions than answers.

1976: Rebecca “Becks” Saint James has made a name for herself as the best hostess North Carolina has ever seen. Her annual summer suppers have become the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But she’s struggling behind the façade. Becks strives to make the lives of those around her as easy as possible, but this summer she is facing a dilemma that even she can’t solve. And as the end of the season looms, she is brought to a decision she never wanted to make.

As both Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of the women in their family for generations.