A Season of Perfect Happiness

by Maribeth Fischer

A Season of Perfect Happiness fundamentally questions what makes a “good” mother, with a propulsive and heartrending portrayal of one woman’s efforts to find her voice. Ten years after an unspeakable tragedy caused Claire to flee her hometown in Delaware, she finally feels content. She has a quiet, tidy life in Wisconsin, a place she picked at random for its shape on a map. Her careful existence centers on a simple keep her social circle small and keep the past a secret. But when she meets Erik—a lighthearted theater nerd who gives Claire more of a chance than she’s given herself in a long time—that plan seems increasingly impossible, especially after she finds herself emotionally entangled not only with Erik, but with his ex-wife, Annabelle; their three young children; and a small set of friends, the kind she’d always wanted to have around her. Life after the accident can be full of joy, Claire realizes—going on a date to see a thousand-pound pig at the state fair, giggling over obscure inside jokes with friends at a music gig, making smoothies while the kids wear their infamous cooking hats. Being a partner, a best friend, a mother. But when a person from her past arrives, Claire’s worst mistake threatens her new life, and the deep friendships she’s made hang in the balance. If Claire chooses to share the parts of herself she has kept locked away for so long, will the family she has built still recognize her—and have a place for her? Or will everything she has spent the last decade working toward fall apart?

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Adult Fiction, Audiobook, Adult

384 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2024

Reviews

[Meagan✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW
Publishing Date: August 20, 2024
My Rating: 4 Stars

“You don’t expect the good memories to hurt more than the terrible ones, but they do”

Brief Summary-
Claire has to start her life over again in Wisconsin. Carrying guilt and some heavy baggage she meets Erik and starts to fall foe him, she is so afraid of him and his family learning the terrible accident that changes her life forever. "Does any life exist without secrets?"

What To Expect/Content Warnings-
🌻Second Chances
🌻Found Family
🌻Mental Health Representation
🌻Postpartum Psychosis
🌻Harm To A Baby
🌻Infidelity

"Why Do we assume happiness is benign, that it doesn't leave scars"

My Thoughts-
whew chileeeee, this book is heavy. I wasn’t expecting it to be such an emotional read. The amount of dread I felt at the end of each chapter. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was immensely curious how everything was going to play out for everyone in this book. This would be a great lifetime movie 😩

Between the FMC and all the side characters I just wanted to hug them all? Like offer them a safe space to talk lol. The characters were flawed but likeable. I mean at some points I was rolling my eyes at the fmc like, “gurllllllll stfu” 😭

The author writing stye was exquisite, I was fully engaged. I cried with the characters, I felt all the emotions each was was going through. This book is heavy but I definitely recommend if you like sad books like me.

“If sadness can alter the chemicals in one’s brain, alter how a woman loves, how she grieves, how she thinks—and I know all too well sadness does do this—then why not happiness? Why do we assume happiness is benign, that it doesn’t leave scars?”

Playlist-
🎶One Headlight- The Wallflowers
🎶If It Makes You Happy- Sherly Crow
🎶3AM- Matchbox Twenty
🎶Fly Away- Lenny Kravitz
🎶How's It Gonna Be- Third Eye Blind
🎶Comedown- Bush
🎶My Love- Mitski
🎶Iris- The Goo Goo Dolls
🎶Hand In My Pocket- Alanis Morissette
🎶Adam's Song- Blink 182
🎶The Freshman- The Verve Pipe
🎶With Arms Wide Open- Creed
🎶Wonderwall- Oasis
🎶Shiny Happy People= R.E.M
🎶Alive- Pearl Jam
🎶Long Day- Matchbox Twenty
🎶Shine- Collective Soul


✨Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, & Penguin Group Dutton Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review✨

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire left her hometown of Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, she’s made a fresh start living in Wisconsin and a random place she picked from a map because it’s the shape of a mitten. Claire's a loner, she works as a graphic designer, makes collages, goes to the gym and runs and she doesn’t have any friends.

Then she meets Erik, a divorced father of three and he’s the project manager of the historic Ten Chimney restoration. Claire’s world changes, she’s introduced to Erik’s two best friends Gabe and Eva, his ex-wife Annabelle and the couple’s three children. Claire becomes part of the group, the three women bond and become besties. Claire’s madly in love, she has a partner, she’s helping Erik care for his kids and it's something she wasn’t sure she would feel comfortable doing and enjoy.

Claire had a reason for leaving Delaware and why she needed to move across the country, and when she discovers a person from her past is visiting Ten Chimney’s for two weeks, she’s worried the worst mistake of her life will be revealed and she will lose her friends and be judged.

I received a copy of A Season of Perfect Happiness by Maribeth Fisher from Penguin Random House and Edelweiss Plus in exchange for an unbiased review. Wow, what an amazing story and book, it tackles some difficult topics and subjects, it makes you think about what happens when a person makes a major and life changing error, due to reasons out of their control and the consequences.

Claire isn’t the only character in the narrative to do something wrong, yet when it comes out what she did and the one person who really turns on her isn’t perfect herself.

Five stars from me a story about complicated relationships, parenthood and having a child on the spectrum, friendship, family estrangement and types of loss, secrets, forms of mental illness and the stigma around it, missing out on life and motherhood.

I had never heard of the historic building Ten Chimney’s and it was built by Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and I highly recommend this book and it will make you feel a variety of emotions and keep a box of tissues handy.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Season of Perfect Happiness is a book just bursting with potential that reels you in from the very first lines: If you could live an entire season of your life in perfect happiness, knowing that once the season ended, you’d remember nothing at all of that time, would you still take the chance?

An enticing question, for sure. After all, even benign happiness can leave scars. Right from the start, we know Claire’s happiness is fleeting. But we don’t know why. Early on, there are hints of a past marriage and a daughter, who seems to have met with an unfortunate accident. For several chapters, I kept turning pages, rapt, waiting to find out what happened – and why. Surely it couldn’t have been THAT bad.

Well, it is. This novel tackles an unspeakable kind of tragedy, one that badly needs a voice. And it also asks the question: who gets to judge if a mother is really “good.” In that way, it evokes Sue Miller’s book, The Good Mother, written over 20 years ago.

As Claire gets tangled up with a new love interest, Erik, the handsome father of three children (one with issues), she becomes engaged with his ex-wife, Annabelle. Erik and Annabelle are successful co-parents, and their two best friends are part of the newly assembled family. But except for Erik, no one knows a thing about her past life. And she consistently wonders if they will like her when they find out – and if she’s worthy of forgiveness.

There are times when the book falters. Maribeth Fischer relies too heavily on foreshadowing. Annabelle – who I believe was written to be a sympathetic character – does not make the mark for this reader. And sometimes, certain scenes come together or fall apart a little too neatly.

Still, I read this book quickly and eagerly. It will be great for book clubs because of some of the meaty questions it raises. I am grateful to PRH Dutton Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for an honest review.

[Desiree Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE GOOD:
Beautiful. Heart-wrenching. Hopeful. Devastating. Growth, and longing, and love, and betrayal. Healing. Forgiveness. New beginnings. A future bright as a cracked mirror.

THE BAD:
- The cover. While I get how it illustrates our leading lady Claire’s own Season of Perfect Happiness, it’s doesn’t represent the tone of the novel. The story is very serious, melancholy, and more akin to a domestic suspense tale.
- Oh, the prolific double negatives! 😩

CONCLUSION:
Absolutely absorbing. Highly recommended.

[Shannon (The Book Club Mom) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Messy. Complex. Intense. These are three words that immediately come to mind when describing A SEASON OF PERFECT HAPPINESS by Maribeth Fischer. I pretty much inhaled this book over the weekend, book friends. I couldn’t put it down. I’m extremely grateful to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. It was a true gift as it incorporates all of my favorite themes like marriage, motherhood, and female friendship. Some books just randomly land in your lap at the perfect time, and feel like they were made for you. This is that exact type of book for me. I’m definitely the target audience for it.

The reader meets Claire ten years after experiencing a tragic event, which causes her to flee from her hometown in Delaware. She moves to a new town in Wisconsin, and seems to have settled in quite nicely. She meets a man named Erik, begins dating him, and is welcomed by his family and friends almost immediately. We don’t know exactly what happened to Claire until around the 25% mark in the story, but you’ll have your suspicions. Soon enough, her past begins to seep into her present, and causes some major rifts and complications in her new relationships.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Mental health representation
- Reflections on life after trauma
- Fresh starts and second chances
- Mother-daughter relationships
- Female friendships
- Motherhood and marriage
- Emotional reads
- Wisconsin setting
- Secrets, lies, and betrayal
- Well-developed characters
- Friends feeling like family

The subject matter will feel a bit heavy at times, but it’s SO worth the read. The conclusion kept me on the edge of my seat. I was holding my breath, biting my fingernails, and on the brink of tears multiple times. It was intoxicating! I really can’t recommend this novel enough!

5/5 stars for A SEASON OF PERFECT HAPPINESS!

[Meghan Samberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many different feelings, but this book was brutal. I’m sure it will stick with me for awhile. At times I loathed this book, and I don’t know that I could ever say I loved it or really liked it. I read it almost all in one sitting, despite it being way too long (so many details! So much back story! And full walk throughs of every conversation and thoughts about the conversations!). I thought I would be annoyed as it kept going, but it was so real and honest that it didn’t feel bloated and I didn’t feel annoyed. I felt the lead’s ache, the collective need for people to be better than we all know we are.

[Lovemybooks2020 Cindy Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story. Having been from Wisconsin I could related with so many things in the story. This was a wonderful, character driven story about love, loss and friendship.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book. My goodness. The amount of times I was wiping my eyes and rooting for their love! Second chance romance will always be my favorite trope. Everyone deserves to be forgiven.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I just adored this book and characters. Claire had to leave her home (Delaware) because of a horrible accident that happened with her daughter. She flees to Wisconsin to start a new life where she falls in love and meets her best friends.... the only thing is- she hasn't told anyone about her past.

It is a beautiful book about friendships, secrets and pasts... 4 stars because I truly don't understand why she wouldn't share what happened to her and why she felt it was such a big secret.

Highly recommend!!

[Kristen Amen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written family drama with a few surprises along the way, thanks to Edelweiss+ for the ARC.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so thankful I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and got to read it. The book touches on emotional topics and relationships and parenthood in a beautiful way. I really connected with the rawness and realness. Additionally, the growth and changes in the characters was a highlight. A well rounded, gently told story.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So heartbreaking and Apollo good!

Review to follow!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely cast of characters in a mostly character-driven novel, a family drama. This started off slow but held my interest. 5/5 stars.

[Bbecca_marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Season of Perfect Happiness
by Maribeth Fischer

Thank you so much partner @duttonbooks
#duttonpartner for the gifted copy!

About the book👇🏽

Ten years after an unspeakable tragedy caused Claire to flee her hometown in Delaware, she finally feels content. She has a quiet, tidy life in Wisconsin, a place she picked at random for its shape on a map. Her careful existence centers on a simple plan: keep her social circle small and keep the past a secret.

But when she meets Erik—a lighthearted theater nerd who gives Claire more of a chance than she’s given herself in a long time—that plan seems increasingly impossible, especially after she finds herself emotionally entangled not only with Erik, but with his ex-wife, Annabelle; their three young children; and a small set of friends, the kind she’d always wanted to have around her. Life after the accident can be full of joy. But when a person from her past arrives, Claire’s worst mistake threatens her new life, and the deep friendships she’s made hang in the balance.


🍂My thoughts:

Five incredible stars! I laughed, I cried, and I felt all the things. I finished this book earlier this month and this story still squeezes my heart. Sure it’s a story about love, family, and forgiveness but it’s also about trying to be the best mother you can be in an impossible situation. Everyone’s experience of motherhood/parenthood isn’t the same and yet people will cast judgment regardless. This was raw and beautiful and I found myself completely entranced. I highly recommend this book, there’s so much takeaway and it’s one i’ll cherish forever. A Season of Perfect Happiness is out now!

Happy reading 📖🍂

[Stacey E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second change marriage troupe is my FAVORITE but this was hard to read. At the 44% mark, I was literally done with Claire. Although she had experienced so much trauma, she was not a likable person for me.
Her reason for leaving her husband were ridiculous and selfish, especially since he was like that when you met and you battled the symptoms from the beginning. Also, making tally marks for the hours you're unhappy seems childish. No wonder you're unhappy, you're keeping track of it so that's what you're focused on. Being married I 100% get how little things a spouse does seems so big at times and can drive you insane but she seems super controlling and makes a HUGE deal out of things that don't even matter. I sympathized with her with what happened with her daughter but I just couldn't make myself like her and she honestly made me lose interest in the whole story.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin group for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

[Lisa Stahlman · Rating 5 out of 5]

You ever read a non-thriller where you have that worried feeling in the pit of your stomach just waiting for the other shoe to drop? That’s the feeling I had for most of this book. First it was waiting to find out what Claire’s secret was, then it was waiting for her past to catch up with her, and then it was seeing how her friends reacted to the secret when they finally found out. While the whole book was about marriage, extended family, friendships, and getting beyond your past, it was also very suspenseful. Despite the heaviness of Claire’s past, you see this broken woman finally forgiving herself and moving on with her life. I thought this was a beautifully moving book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book. I’ll definitely be buying a copy when it does come out.

[Kim Swartz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a depressing read. Without giving anything away, I felt the author used a serious subject as a plot device in a disingenuous and inauthentic way. The book was too long. Most of the characters were unlikable, toxic people. The only thing serviceable was the writing. It’s too bad the author chose to write a soap opera for her debut outing.

[Michelle Herzing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Maribeth Fischer for this absolutely beautiful, heartbreak of a book! Reading Claire's story made me question what secrets are worth keeping and how I would ever move beyond a tragedy like what happened to her. This story of second chances was wonderfully written, and I could hardly put it down even though I gasped out loud and had tears streaming down my face at various points in the book.

Readers should be warned that the mental health issues broached in the plot may be difficult for many readers. I do not have personal experience with such traumatic events, and even so, I was emotionally distraught during parts of the book. I was impressed, however, with the realistic reactions and responses of all of the characters to situations, and even though I did not always agree with what people did, it seemed like a natural reaction.

I loved the examples of adult friendships that were portrayed through the characters in the novel, and I was even envious at times of the close bonds these people had maintained through the years. The secrets they had kept from others to protect them from hurt, and the support they showed for each other was admirable even though it did not all work out positively.

Thank you to Netalley and Dutton for the digital ARC of A Season of Perfect Happiness by Maribeth Fischer. The opinions in this review are my own.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A SEASON OF PERFECT HAPPINESS by Maribeth Fischer is a stunning, complex, emotionally devastating study of motherhood, friendship, sacrifice, and atonement. It is an examination of whether some sins are too grave to be forgiven and looks at the damage caused by carrying secrets.

This is not an easy book to read or process. I found myself putting it aside in order to think through the questions it raises: What does it mean to be a good mother? How much of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice to bring peace to others? How can we expect others to forgive us when we can’t forgive ourselves. This is a book that forces you to look at the ugly parts of ourselves we hide from others.

Ms. Fischer has created a fully fleshed out character in Claire. She is multidimensional, sympathetic, infuriating, and so very damaged. In short, she is human with all that it entails. While this book presents challenges and poses hard questions, it is beautifully written and worthy of your time.

An unexpected delight for me were the many references to places I’m quite familiar with. It’s not often I find a book set in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Each local connection got me further invested in the characters and story and each was like discovering a hidden jewel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence, but this and another book I read, both of which were published this year, were exhaustingly detailed about the minutiae of domestic life. I found myself skimming those parts to get to the story, which, really, did have at its heart the family lives of three couples. Claire, with a deeply painful back story, meets up with a man who brings her back to the land of the living in a new city. He’s a father of three, a boy and girl twins, and soon Claire is a part of their lives and his ex-wife and two college buddies. But secrets are hard to keep with good friends, and as secrets seep out there are consequences. Claire is an artist and the friends are all connected to a theater called Ten Chimneys, which seems at once peripheral and an important part of the story. The tie in seemed a little contorted, but the importance of it grew as the story progressed. The painful story at the heart of the novel, which involved post-partum depression, was a heart breaker. The interactions among the (often dramatic) friends became a little tedious. This is, truly, an exploration of what it means to be a mother, of what makes a family, and how quickly happiness can slip through your hands.

[Erin Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so emotionally charged and is beautifully written, it had me enthralled from the first page. It is the story of family, second chances, love, forgiveness, regret and so much more. Can one ever truly forgive oneself for an unspeakable act? This story explores this question and in the process helps it's characters heal deep, deep wounds. The writing is gorgeous and takes the reader on a long winding journey which fully satisfies at the end. A beautiful piece of work. The cover art is perfect. Highly recommended. 5 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for chance to read and critique an ARC version of this novel. All opinions are my own.

[Mary Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Season of Perfect Happiness by Maribeth Fischer is one of the best books I've read in 2024. Not only is it a page-turner, but it asks profound questions. Perfect for our bookclub which has selected it for February.

I particularly liked the sensitive treatment of one of the characters, Spencer, who appears on the autism spectrum. She treats him respectfully and does not minimize how his needs shape his family's life but never becomes about the problem with Spence.
I also appreciate her accounting of Ten Chimneys where many scenes take place.

Her love of Waukesha County in Wisconsin is evident too. A big plus for us who live here.

Mary Jo


I highly recommend this book.

[Kate Czyzewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just absolute wow. A Season of Perfect Happiness ultimately asks readers the question, what makes a good mother?
.
Heavy, thought provoking, holding my breath with my heart racing. I can’t thank @browseaboutbooks enough for putting this on our radar. 💕
.
Can’t wait to meet Maribeth Fischer and chat with our Book Club tonight🥰

[Christy Stickney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It made me cry many times. Truly such a great book.

[Audrey]

10 chimney's is on my bucket list. I am taking this book to my book club... but with the request to get it back.... because I would like to read again

[Keshia Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You don’t expect the good memories to hurt more than the terrible ones, but they do.”

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The way it flowed so easily, how she would give you peeks into the future, how curious I was to know how it all turned out.

[Bookaddicccctttt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why more people aren't talking about this book! I loved it. I originally got this book as an ARC, but never got to it, but I'm so glad I finally picked it up!

Claire has a 2nd chance at having a happy life. After a tragedy strikes her and her family, Claire is faced with a hard decision that will ultimately decide her future fate as well.

Claire doesn't believe after what she did, she is able or even allowed to be happy. Will her new life bring her to happiness, or last for only a season??

[Morgan Sciarrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book blind after a book store employee recommended it to me and WOW this book takes you on a journey. This book is beautiful, heart breaking, and thought provoking. It can be heavy at times, but the book is so well written you feel like you are a part of the friend group.

TW: postpartum depression

[Allyson Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book. It was so layered and devastating and lyrical and heartbreaking and beautiful and hopeful all wrapped into one. That's not an easy accomplishment. Maribeth Fischer is such a good writer! I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend it!