happiness for beginners...

"The plan, as I had fantasized for the last six months, was to drive out to Wyoming and have a brave adventure with a bunch of strangers that would totally change not just my life, but my entire personality. The plan was to set out alone into the world, conquer it, and return home a fiercer and more badass version of myself. The plan did not include anybody but me -- especially not, of all people, Jake."

Helen Carpenter, who is thirty-two and has been divorced for a year, decides it's time to change her life. So she signs up for an extreme wilderness survival course in Wyoming. The other participants are all college students. Then there's Jake -- her younger brother's best friend who's had a crush on her for years-- who has also signed up for the course. But Helen isn't interested in Jake; she just wants to prove that she can survive on her own. And maybe find a little happiness along the way.

Helen is a funny and easy-to-relate-to narrator, although there were times when I wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. And I really liked Jake, although the relationship drama between him and Helen sometimes felt a little contrived and unnecessary ... and also a tad predictable. The outdoor adventures they have--all the mishaps, successes, and lessons learned along the hiking trail--is what I liked best...and why I'm recommending this book. happiness for beginners by Katherine Center is an entertaining and happy novel, and a perfect read to start off the new year.

Happy Reading!