Lonely in Happy Town

by K.A. Mielke

In Kristopher Mielke’s romance set in the world of gaming, a lonely teen works nights at a convenience store, only coming alive in the game Happy Town — but he soon finds himself crushing on the same girl in both places.



Juggling the complexities of his feelings, he must confront the blurred lines between fantasy and reality while navigating his own identity. As he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, he faces the challenge of bridging the gap between his two worlds.

Genres: Young Adult

208 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2025

About the author

K.A. Mielke (he/they) is the co-author of Victory Lap with Riley Alexis Wood, and the sole author of Losing Hit Points and Lonely in Happy Town (under the name Kristopher Mielke). They love drinking too much coffee, watching long video essays about philosophy and cartoons, and writing about queer heroes and hungry monsters. They live in Southern Ontario with entirely too many people and pets to list.

Reviews

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mielke has done it again. This time, a cozy mobile and console game offers the backdrop to their budding romance where queer teen Quentin, who finds life easier to live on the other end of a keyboard, crushes on two women, but one of them he only knows digitally. Social anxiety, finding your own bravery, and fighting for your own self-worth all become personal quests Quentin needs to master—if he can face them, rather than taking another shift in the game at virtual coffee shop Starbocks.

Mielke’s deft touch with Quentin’s stressors—home, financial, social, mental—combine into a catastrophizing character the reader roots for, even when Quentin repeats his pattern of retreating away into his comfort zone of cozy gaming. Of note, I truly appreciated Quentin’s tipping point with his father, and his journey with co-worker (and crush) Celeste, a trans girl whose openness about her own mental homework lays down a great deal of the foundation for Quentin’s forward motion. In fact the repeating motif I enjoyed the most was how often Quentin realized the way forward was to risk being himself, and to speak what he’d been holding back. That’s a terrifying truth to face down, and when he makes those steps forward, I cheered every time.

Understand, I really liked Losing Hit Points, but I loved Lonely in Happy Town.

[K.A. Mielke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the author of this book. What started as a cute little Christmas short story inspired by my addiction to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has become something much more meaningful to me. Lonely in Happy Town is about depression during the holiday season, finding community online and IRL, and my enduring, lifelong love of Animal Crossing and other cozy games. It is also about ska, and making soup, and learning you deserve to be loved--and how those who don't love you as you are don't deserve you. Quentin has the misfortune of being given a lot of my own anxiety and insecurity, and I hope writing him helps readers who feel the same way.

Mostly, however, Lonely in Happy Town is about serving virtual coffee with a barista chicken in a cafe called Starbocks.

[Jessica Sundsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so delightful! I loved this author's previous book, Losing Hit Points, but I think I love this one even more. A sweet queer YA love story with all the cozy Animals Crossing vibes. Also, as someone with anxiety, I identified so much with Quentin's struggles and appreciate the positive talk about medication.

Looking forward to more from Mielke!

[Hilary Nihlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that the love interest was trans. And I enjoyed the Animal Crossing references.