Are You Happy Now: 'One of the best novels of 2023' Sara Collins

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I'm aware this review is somewhat vague but I think this is a read best served without prior knowledge. I wanted you to be happy. I didn’t care what you were doing. It just got too much, watching you do the same thing over and over, and I realized you were never going to stop trying to become this imaginary version of yourself where you’re happy because you’re rich or signed to a big label or something huge like that. Even when things did go well, you were never happy because it wasn’t like this ultimate fantasy you already made up in your head. […] It was really hard to be around, to be with someone who was just never happy. it's good! i've been meaning to read this for so long and i was not disappointed, even if it was not what i had expected at all. All the characters are flawed and act out on their individual insecurities and anxieties. There were moments where I empathised with them but many times where I got quite frustrated with them too. What started out as a meet cute between Emory and Yun becomes a lot more complicated. I particularly loved the intimacy and complex dynamics between Yun and Andrew’s friendship.

Another section I truly enjoyed was “Fearing your Emotions” in chapter 8. This line made me really think about my emotions “ So when powerful emotions arise, we are afraid because we think we’ll be swept away and lose control. “ we read here how to be mindful of our emotions and not so much fear them like an ugly monster. I think a lot of times we do run from our emotions and as such we let fear or panic control us and our circumstances. The author clearly explains here many techniques to use to overcome these so called “scary emotions” and how to remain present and “intend” to be mindful, even doing the simplest chores like the dishes. By being mindful we can experience more peace and actually “be” in our now. I like that idea a lot, being in our now without clouding it with worry, judgment, or fear. There is a beautiful parable in Chapter 9 – Know what is what called “In the Land with no Mirrors – A Parable “ The mental cages we build that keep us from seeing. Outside the cages is life. Free Life. And Love. Vast and unimaginable. “ I thought that was such a relevant and heart warming statement ,within one of the lines of the parable. So many times we build cages, around ourselves and our emotions but we are naturally free and loving. Just as a bird in a cage, we long to spread our wings and fly and experience and express. And she thought, Oh shit, I really like him. Oh shit, because it was never a good time to realize you really liked someone. Realizing you really liked someone meant knowing on some level it was going to hurt. Like Cassidy's mate would ever want her." Briella muttered under her breath. She then gave me an almost knowing like smile. What was that about? Jacob and I were the only to hear it with our enhanced hearing. My mom didn't even Andrew is much more conventional, almost eye-rollingly so, handsome, financially comfortable, described as perfect multiple times by those around him, admittedly biased characters, but still. I liked him because whilst he was oblivious to peoples attention of him, he was also always so considerate towards others. I thought the premise was potentially very interesting - basically a mental health 'epidemic' - and the central question of whether this was caused by people becoming victim to an infectious agent or simply 'giving up' on life was very brave of the author.

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Berger talks about the stories that we tell ourselves, and the expectation that we put upon ourselves. The “What if …” and “I’ll be a success when …” that we run through our minds. Happiness is an internal thing, not an external thing. We are the only people that can make us happy or unhappy. The main problem with his life-as-a-movie theory was that it wasn’t easy to apply to other people who weren’t the protagonists of his reality. What happened to everyone else? I found Andrew and Fin’s relationship to be more interesting. Although their dynamic is in some ways more straightforward (but not entirely), I found myself wanting to delve more into their interactions than any others. Oh my baby girl can finally find her mate!" My mom had tears of joy in her eyes. One could easily see that I was her favorite of the three of us. In second is the oldest, my brother Jacob, followed by my older sister Briella. Mom never really liked her after she found out about all the men she has slept with. My mom was a big believer in waiting for your mate, and so was I, and secretly Jake was also.

I am done. Is it wrong that when he was on the plane, I was really hoping that the story was going to be that he finally got what he wanted all his life and then the plane crashed! Or that when he was trying to 'break in' to Amy's apartment, that someone would see him and call the police or shoot him?! What a question! Are you happy now? We want to put a nice face on ... smile ... and say yes. But so many times that is a mask that we put on to cover the fact that we are not happy … that we are perhaps even unhappy. “Are You Happy Now?” is a book of wisdom to be worked with, to be placed in our lives, to be made part of ourselves. Each of the ten ways is part of the path to a happy life. We follow four main characters. First Yun and Andrew, old friends, followed by journalist Emory and dancer Fin. If I’ve unlearned anything about ingesting stories over the past number of years, it’s that I don’t have to love a character to love their story. Which was a necessary perspective when it came to this novel, because our first protagonist is Yun, a jaded musician who is just almost likeable, but somehow never quite made it there for me. His relationship with Emory is interesting, in that it’s imperfect, and sometimes bland and often confusing, and reflects how sometimes we feel most lonely beside the person we’re supposed to be closest to. Does he regret it? Does he change is man-whore ways? Or does he continue on with Briella? How is Jake, Cassidy's brother, handling her departure? How about her mom and cheating father? How is she? You couldn’t actually tell people you just didn’t want to be with them any more. There had to be a better, more socially acceptable reason.Are You Happy Now makes for a deeply moving novel exploring the sadness and happiness of its main characters as they grapple with ordinary and extraordinary situations. While I was reading I felt many things: apprehension, joy, sadness, and tenderness. Are You Happy Now is a striking novel that for all the heartache it causes me, I look forward to revisiting again. I then shifted and ran over to the house. It felt really good to let my wolf out for a run. She had been so angry last time she shifted and now she was filled with nothing but contentment because we were finally fully mates - she was basically purring in delight. Wolves only purr when they are completely content and at ease. He didn’t want to die, he just wanted to stop, to cease, sit down. Maybe just sleep, for a year or maybe forever.” I love the epilogue – “Don’t believe what you think.” We suffer because we believe what we think … and what we think is our own perception of what is. Let go of that perception, and we see the “what is’ for what it really is.

Not simply about the pandemic, though, Are You Happy Now? follows as life continues on in spite of the world being metaphorically on fire, and how the impact of such an event irreversibly alters careers, relationships, and our own internal mental health struggles. The author asks us to question, if death is dangerous and if life is dangerous, in the last chapter. She wants us to examine these concepts for what they are. Is there proof death is dangerous? Could we liberate ourselves from fear of life if we did not fear death? A very valid point and one which is intrinsically examined here with preciseness and reasoning. The book ends with a Happy Life worksheet based on each chapter, where key points are presented and you are encouraged to write down and investigate the various parts of your life and examine for yourself things that are working and things that are not. This helps you see struggles more clearly and find the true path to your own unique happiness. “Are You Happy Now?” delivers fully with great depth, insight and invigoration. There is an tremendous amount of knowledge and information presented in this book. The language and concepts fit together with fluidity, efficiency and relevance. This book can not only help enhance your life and open your mind to seeing far beneath the surface – it can change your life as well! Phenomenal writing Barbara Berger! You have written a book of value, exploration and taken the concept of Happiness and fully helped people to understand what it is and how to be happy! After reading this book you WILL be asking yourself “ Are You Happy Now?” My favourite character was Emory, but even that felt like a distant enjoyment of her role in the story. She was so much more complex and insightful, wondering if she’s responsible for the narrative and consequent public response to the mysterious illness in the story. She had a good role in the story but I wish it was explored more. This was a wild and intriguing sci-fi dystopian. The novel starts off with an ominous gripping line when a “boy meets girl at a wedding and the world ends”. The story follows the four main characters, the way their life changes as they witness the affect of the mysterious catatonia. Yun, an agnostic struggling musician; Emory, a self inflicting news reporter hoping to gain success; Andrew, an underpaid teacher who had never felt much; and Fin, a young ballet dancer fighting against the world. The lives of these characters become intertwined with each other as they watch the harsh reality of NYC. Relationships are created, tested and some are distorted as “love not properly expressed mutated into something jagged”. REALLY? the fighting the bear story? Now I'm just baffled. and for him to think that ended his childhood? Maybe I don't see literary symbolism here, but that just makes no sense to me. Why does he rub his arm whenever he is stressed? And why would he rub Amy's arm? I see no corralation.

Customer reviews

My initial impression of this book was that it was a very self indulgent story about publishing and Chicago, told by an old Chicago publisher. If I'm being honest, that impression never really went away. My initial take on the protagonist was that he was average with a superiority complex, selfish and largely irritating. That impression never really went away either. It has been a few months since Damen, Evangeline, and I's little vacation as a family. It went really well and it was the most fun I've had in years! My mate made sure that every day was filled with excitement for Evangeline and I, and that every night was filled with the passion we both missed out on for too long. So needless to say, we are finally fully mated, and I love every moment of it. There is nothing that compares to the complete and warm feeling that a mate gives, and there isn't a way to express the feeling of love that consumes you entirely when they are near.