Thursday, June 30, 2022

A Happy Catastrophe by Maddie Dawson

Marnie MacGraw is a bit of a matchmaker--she believes in love and sees sparkles in the air when she meets two people who are meant to be together. Of course, she's already found her match. She loves Patrick--even though they are complete opposites--and she wants to have a baby with him. But she also knows she needs to be ready to accept whatever the universe brings her way.

Patrick Delaney is an introvert. He used to be a up-and-coming sculptor, but then a fire ruined his hands, scarred his face, and killed his girlfriend. That was seven years ago, but he thinks about it everyday. And even though he loves Marnie, he guards his heart from loving her too much because he can't risk the pain of losing her. And he thinks he's too empty inside to ever be anyone's father. 
 
Then along comes Fritzie. She's eight. She loves doing cartwheels and asking too many questions. And she's Patrick's daughter. A daughter he never knew he had. And she's about to change Marnie's and Patrick's life forever. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed everything about this book. It alternates between Marnie's and Patrick's POV, which worked well because the two of them are so different and I liked being able to see the same situation from both of their perspectives. I thought Patrick's struggle to get over his grief and guilt, figure out how to be a dad to an extroverted eight-year-old, and embrace the chaotic joy of having Marnie in his life was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. His and Marnie's relationship is messy, diverting, funny, flawed, hopeful and full of heart. I was rooting for them to make things work because I liked them so much. For me, A Happy Catastrophe turned out to be a sweet and charming romance. 

Happy Reading!


36 comments:

  1. Sounds good! That's great they give you both POVs.

    Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. They're such different characters, I really liked the switch of POVs in this one. :)

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  2. That's an interesting synopsis that really does seem to give the flavor of this book.

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    1. Thanks! I'm not always the best at summing up plots, but I do try. :)

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  3. Both of these characters sound great! Will keep this book in mind should my mood calls for it. :)

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  4. It does sound like a fun relationship, with a little bittersweet mixed in. Glad this one was good! :)

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    1. The grief and guilt he was dealing with did add depth to this one and made it more than just a simple romance.

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  5. This sounds like a lovely read! Something that I will enjoy as well. The fact that there's a cat on the cover has nothing to do with it of course...

    Elza Reads

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    1. :D Cats and dogs always make a book better.

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  6. This is a romance I would try. The introduction of the very yound daughter into an already interesting pairing sounds good.

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    1. Her sudden presence definitely caused some big ripples in their relationship.

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  7. Nice review, Lark. I like the sound of this, especially the surprise 8 year old!

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    1. She's a small tornado of fun, that's for sure. :)

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  8. This sounds like such a sweet read! I love it when we get POVs for both characters. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. :)

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    1. The alternating POVs worked really well in this one.

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  9. Hi Lark, I need to read more novels that are in the romance category because one can overdose on the gothic and murder mysteries and this book sounds really good. I like the fact that the two main characters narrate alternating chapter because Patrick in particular has had alot to contend with and so we need to know how he sees life.

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    1. I really liked Patrick and reading his POV. He was my favorite character in this one.

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  10. This sounds like such a cute story! My husband and I watch a lot of romance shows, but I don't really read a ton of books in the genre.

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    1. They can be a bit predictable, but they're also fun. And I like to mix them in with the other books I read. :)

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  11. Great review, Lark. I love the cover!

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  12. That sounds like a good premise for a book. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. I did enjoy it. And I liked that the story had a little more depth to it than just two people falling in love.

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  13. This looks so cute and with a really great plot.
    Happy to have found your blog - new follower.

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    1. So glad you came by! And thanks for commenting. :D

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  14. This sounds really good, cute but also with some depth, which I always love.

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    1. There is a little more depth to this one, which I liked. :)

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  15. Oh, this sounds delightful! Neither too frothy nor too angsty.

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    1. It was a nice mix of real life and romance. And it has a feel good ending. :)

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  16. Oh this premise, just sounds heartbreaking and hopeful all at once! - Verushka @ Pop. Edit. Lit.

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    1. That's the perfect way to describe this book! :)

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  17. Replies
    1. It's just a fun read that'll make you smile. :)

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