I Hope You're Happy

by Marni Appleton

Photos of women eating go viral; a cookie communicates a threat;, and women working dead-end jobs become entangled in the performances around them. Everyday experiences of friendship, family, dating, and desire catapult the reader into a creepy vortex of horror. Characters reveal themselves in slippery glimpses, through positive affirmations, social media accounts and secret appetites.

With this collection of haunting and haunted stories, Marni Appleton immerses readers in a world of fleeting encounters, empty couplings, break ups, bust ups, threesomes, and ghosts to present a kaleidoscopic overview of twenty-first century life.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2025

Reviews

[Kobe · Rating 4 out of 5]

i sat and read through every story in one sitting. WHEW. terrifying in a perfectly understated way - i loved this!! 4 stars

[lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of haunting short stories about womanhood in the modern world deserves so much appreciation and is one I will be regularly recommending from now on.

These stories had me hooked with the way they addressed such universal experiences but with an eery, often horror-esque, edge to them. This collection spans topics such as mother-daughter relationships, social media, desire, misogyny, and the art of performance. These stories felt incredibly original to me with the way these topics were presented, and I was truly mesmerised (and wishing I could write like this). They were wonderfully absurd yet still so grounded in realities that many of us have faced, leaving you often with a feeling of bitter nostalgia.

Averaging approx. 30 pages each, these stories are the perfect length to keep you gripped. Concise, beautifully structured, and leaving you satisfied. The writing is the exact style that I adore - simple, with subtle descriptions that reel you in with little snippets of information. It was so easy to race through, I never felt myself tripping over the language, and it was always a delight to pick up at the end of a day.

I urge you all to grab yourself a copy - this isn’t one to miss for the fans of short stories, explorations of womanhood, and a little bit of creepiness!

And thank you to Indigo Press for gifting me with this wonderful copy ⭐️

- Lara <3

[Esme · Rating 2 out of 5]

completely unsubstantial stories told poorly

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunting, dark & delicious short story collection 🌭

An exploration of a modern world that feels liberating but unhinged, where the boundaries between public and private are blurred. Delving into women’s feelings and the social cultural things that shape our lives, questioning the aspect of being passive v our lives being something of our own creation and what are the choices shaped by expectation.


I liked how it delved into the effects of social media - how people present themselves and how people are presented to us - how people are perceived.

All the stories had an eerie aspect to them. Spanning themes such as desire, social media, misogyny, mother-daughter relationships, friendships and relationships. They all felt so gripping and some even left me wanting more!

✨ Chastity was definitely the stand out story for me.

[Tamsin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection of short stories, beautifully bridging themes of horror and comedy, lust and spite, friendships and loss. I saw different parts of myself articulated in so many of the characters. A must-read!

[Janet Appleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting, thought-provoking, spine-tinglingly thrilling read from start to finish. Read it through cover-to-cover quickly to get the overall gist of the stories and now delving back into the book for a more indulgent read. Incredible work. Highly recommended!

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weird book in the best kinda way. A perfect reference to how insane modern day life is as a woman twisted into chilling stories you'll fly through!

Would definitely recommend!

[Gabby Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual cup of tea, however it was well written and definitely something to think about.

[thea · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5⭐️
I liked the first and the last story, everything in between personally felt like a drag. took me over 2 months to finnish this book

[Caitlin Holloway · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty broad-ranging collection of short stories that are all written very well, but so much so that I’m left disappointed that I couldn’t read more. So many solid plots were built up and left unresolved, so though I enjoyed this book, I’m left feeling quite frustrated.

[Kate Tomkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't often write reviews, and I don't often read collections of short stories. I find that I often prefer to get a whole tale and all the details that come with that. But that is exactly what I found here. When I first picked this book up at my local library, I was disappointed to find it was a collection of short stories, as that isn't what I usually enjoy. And yet, I added it to my stack before leaving and I'm so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed these stories, especially "Shut Your Mouth", "The Mirror Test", "Positive Vibes" and "Intimacy". I felt like I could see myself and relate to a lot in the entire collection. The short story collections I have read previously (mainly when required for study) have all focused on women with bad marriages and babies, or men. These stories were a refreshing difference and I look forward to reading more from Marni: Thank you for sharing your writing!

[Gianna Brimlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book this year!! Appleton really encapsulates what it’s like to be a modern woman. Each short story is fresh and thrilling and I couldn’t help but finish each one in one sitting! When reading this book I felt so connected to the shared experiences of women at every stage of life! I loved the way the stories capture the beautiful mess of teenage years and the raw honesty of facing adulthood. From navigating shifting friendships, deciding whether to have kids, or untangling complex relationships, Appleton’s characters are deeply relatable. This collection of short stories made me feel seen, nostalgic and hopeful all at once.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong collection of stories about the various ways in which women are hurt by misogyny, patriarchy and impossible societal pressures. 3.5 stars rounded down because lots of the stories felt incomplete, sputtering out to a disappointing and unfulfilling close. Not in a good ambiguous, think-for-yourself kind of way, but in a way that seemed as if the author herself did not know where to go next with the character or storyline, so a lot of them just abruptly end.

The Mirror Test was the best story.

'Tomas didn't want to break up, then I didn't want to break up but, in the end, we both agreed. Whenever we talk about it now, I cry, which he assumes means I want to get back together. But I don't know how to explain the tangle of love and sadness, the desire to to be together forever and also to never see him again.'

'I accept the wine. My phone vibrates in the pocket of my jeans. Tomas calling again. My heart, my brain, a static fuzz. What is he doing? Is he drunk, is he high, is he angry? I wonder if Tomas thinks I've had sex with someone else. That's what he thought last time he got like this. Endess phone calls, mysterious texts. He'd heard something from someone and he wanted to know, he just wanted to know. He felt that he had a right to know.'

[Sarah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last time I loved a collection of short stories this much I was about 9years old reading Roald Dahl's The Great Automatic Gramatizer.

Sometimes short stories can feel like an uneven album, the first 3 are the lead singles, then there's a dip, the best song is hidden around track 7 and then in peters out to filler for the last 4 songs. Appleton's however is akin to Lily's West End Girl in that there isn't a weak link. They all deserve the book equivalent of Ivor Novellos.

The stories are dark, reflective narratives that explore women’s friendships, self‑image and the pressures of modern life with a blend of wry humor, horror‑tinged social commentary, and focus on female experience. It's an exceptional set of short stories. Not a single story you'd want to skip. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Lily tier. If you are called Mexican Natasha or Exiled Aimee immediately go to the bookshop. 5/5.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something interesting in reading short story collections front to back. It’s like a tasting menu for the way the writer thinks and sculpts stories.
There were definitely some weaker points within, but it was incredible that no individual story went too far, the endings felt right and at their best tantalising in their abruptness.
Definitely ranking up a star because the final story was by far the strongest. It worked its way inside my head and held there.

[abi slade · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

pros ✅
- very black mirror-ish, conceptually cool
- hedda gabler mentioned
- very quick and easy to read
- funny and odd, defo a more obscure recommendation for the “weird girl fiction” genre
- cool cover

cons ❌
- bring back my speech marks!!!
- the stories were good but sort of indistinguishable from one another, tonally and vibe-wise all in the same voice
- it did all kind of wash over me
- following ‘a little life’ is going to make you look a bit rubbish i fear

[Cordelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant collection of short stories, all of which explore many shared experiences among women.
Marni Appleton demonstrates a true understanding when it comes to highlighting how challenging the transition from girlhood to womanhood can be.

Thank you to The Indigo Press for an advance reader copy of this short story collection.

[Emma Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an exciting debut. I inhaled so many of the stories in this anthology that I’ve already gone back for a reread of several. Such an evocative collection, which chronicles both the starkness and the subtleties of the shared experience of modern womanhood. Standouts for me were: Intimacy, Margot, Under The Circumstances and Triangulation.

[Candela Martínez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought it in London during yoga training, brought it on my overseas holiday, but didn't stick. Stories did not have much substance to them and felt like unfinished work. Would have liked to read some of these further or just skip altogether.

[amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

most of the stories were.. a little dull?
HOWEVER some of the ideas were really great and would like to see them written as books in themselves. I loved the last story in the collection especially

[Ed Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really impressive first collection. Great ideas and witty, incisive writing. Fascinating blend of humor and, at times, horror.

[Hollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting collection of stories! I couldn't stop reading 🤭

[Farrells Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story collection that explores navigating relationships through a feminist lens. Painful moments and plenty of relatable content.

Read by Mahli

[Tracy Hollen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

[Iga · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNI at about 70% boring or maybe I’m just not a huge fan of short stories.. not enough substance in each story with the ending always leaving me feeling unfulfilled

[Kaitlyn Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Jen Talbot · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/3

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

im not actually im kinda depressed now