So Happy Together by Olivia Worley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars rounded up**
So Happy Together is a twisty and dramatic Social Thriller that should be read as a warning about the potential hazards in modern dating. Singletons listen up!!
This story follows Jane, a 24-year old, aspiring NYC-playwright. Jane meets Colin, her perfect person, via a dating app. She can hardly believe her luck. He’s too perfect.
Sadly, he breaks things off after only 6-dates. Jane doesn’t see it as forever though, just a bump in the road of their longer term relationship. She’ll do anything to make it so.
Then Colin starts dating Zoe, a up-and-coming New York artist, who also appears to be quite successful in various online space as an artistic influencer.
Zoe may have a lot, but Jane knows Zoe will never be able to love Colin like she can, but what’s she willing to do about it?
I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. The audiobook was well narrated and kept me engaged during a very long solo road trip. Nevertheless, the story itself was a bit of a mixed bag for me, particularly in the second-half.
The beginning was super engaging and gripping, but the further it went, the more it started to lose my attention. It almost got too twisty, if that’s possible?
With this being said, I did still enjoy quite a few of the twists thrown into this wild tale. Also, I appreciated the risks the author took with the story. It’s not your typical Dramatic Thriller and actually went a lot darker than I expected.
I think for me, the most difficult area was towards the end. There were so many things popping up, and some were hard to track, so it felt muddled. I’m still not entirely sure I understand how exactly everything played out.
I think where the author really succeeded here was with the creation of the characters. I love an unreliable narrator, and Jane seemed like one, but she wasn’t the only character in this story who you couldn’t necessarily believe.
I liked how the author played with the abundant psychological manipulations of this cast of characters. It had me doubting everyone, and I sort of love that.
I also really enjoyed the New York setting, and just that whole feel of being a young person, transplated to NYC, trying to make a go of it. You’re amongst millions of people, but it can be such a solitary endeavor.
Overall, I definitely vibe with Worley’s ideas and character work, even if the execution wasn’t perfect in this one. This is the 2nd-novel I have read from this author, and I’m definitely excited to read more.
You never really know what you’re going to get.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I do recommend the audiobook. Michelle H. Lee’s narration was perfect for Jane’s perspective.
Again, while this wasn’t a flawless novel, I still found it to be a lot of fun and appreciated how dark and twisted the author went with it. Looking forward to more Worley!!