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I Want You to Be Happy: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26A tender, witty, and sharp debut novel about the passions and peculiarities of modern love, by “an extraordinarily gifted writer” (Sally Rooney).
Chuck and Joey meet in a bar. He’s in his mid-thirties; she’s twelve years younger. He long ago abandoned his ambition of being a novelist and works as a copywriter at a big ad agency. "Lead copywriter," he corrects himself. Joey is living paycheck to paycheck on her barista wages and privately dreams of making it as a poet. They go back to Chuck’s luxury flat—a world away from Joey’s cramped house-share, the crumbs in her bed. Soon, Joey is imagining a future between them and Chuck is moving on from a major change in his recent past. Amazing, how meeting a new person can make you feel so new.
Funny, excruciating, and true, Jem Calder's I Want You to Be Happy is a sharp-eyed tale of two people searching for meaning and connection in modern times, missing the mark maybe, but still trying.
Chuck and Joey meet in a bar. He’s in his mid-thirties; she’s twelve years younger. He long ago abandoned his ambition of being a novelist and works as a copywriter at a big ad agency. "Lead copywriter," he corrects himself. Joey is living paycheck to paycheck on her barista wages and privately dreams of making it as a poet. They go back to Chuck’s luxury flat—a world away from Joey’s cramped house-share, the crumbs in her bed. Soon, Joey is imagining a future between them and Chuck is moving on from a major change in his recent past. Amazing, how meeting a new person can make you feel so new.
Funny, excruciating, and true, Jem Calder's I Want You to Be Happy is a sharp-eyed tale of two people searching for meaning and connection in modern times, missing the mark maybe, but still trying.
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 14, 2026
2 people are currently reading
2403 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 22, 2025
a love story for the digital age or a cautionary tale - maybe both?
really enjoyed this! such a sharp, poignant examination of modern relationships and loneliness. will write a full review soon.
really enjoyed this! such a sharp, poignant examination of modern relationships and loneliness. will write a full review soon.
December 24, 2025
3.5 rounded up
December 17, 2025
I don’t feel like I was reading the same book as the reviews as I found this depiction incredibly sad of 2 people living mediocre unhappy lives where they felt trapped. I enjoyed their coming together and the mismatch of their feelings but the unlikeable character of Chuck did jar my enjoyment of the book overall.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I delved right into this hoping it might fill a Sally Rooney-shaped hole (she is after all an admirer of Calder's writing). Whilst I wouldn't put this up there with Rooney's novels just yet, there is no doubt that Jem Calder is a writer to watch and this is a really promising debut novel.
We follow Chuck, mid 30's, who works as a lead copy writer, and has just recently split from his fiance. He soon meets Joey, a 20-something aspiring poet who works in a coffee shop. Despite the prominent age gap and both of them being at very different stages in their lives, the two are drawn to each other.
First off, Chuck is a highly unlikeable character. And I don't mean the kind we love to hate. Whilst you can sympathise with the fact that he is clearly mentally going through a lot right now and has a drinking problem, he's also just a bit of a dick who doesn't treat Joey particularly well. Joey is disappointingly not as fleshed out as Chuck's character, but you can't help but root for her. Unusually for this kind of novel - a microscopic look at an all too real modern day relationship - I never once wanted them to be together. They felt like a mismatch from the outset and I couldn't see what either of them was getting from the other. And although it leaves you feeling a bit odd and unsettled to not be rooting for your two main characters to make it, I have to applaud Calder for doing just that.
It's uncomfortably honest, extremely awkward, and so rooted in our modern world that it's enough to make you feel a little bit sick.
If you like novels about messy feelings and relationships, about writers, those with dreams and those who fail, then this is for you.
We follow Chuck, mid 30's, who works as a lead copy writer, and has just recently split from his fiance. He soon meets Joey, a 20-something aspiring poet who works in a coffee shop. Despite the prominent age gap and both of them being at very different stages in their lives, the two are drawn to each other.
First off, Chuck is a highly unlikeable character. And I don't mean the kind we love to hate. Whilst you can sympathise with the fact that he is clearly mentally going through a lot right now and has a drinking problem, he's also just a bit of a dick who doesn't treat Joey particularly well. Joey is disappointingly not as fleshed out as Chuck's character, but you can't help but root for her. Unusually for this kind of novel - a microscopic look at an all too real modern day relationship - I never once wanted them to be together. They felt like a mismatch from the outset and I couldn't see what either of them was getting from the other. And although it leaves you feeling a bit odd and unsettled to not be rooting for your two main characters to make it, I have to applaud Calder for doing just that.
It's uncomfortably honest, extremely awkward, and so rooted in our modern world that it's enough to make you feel a little bit sick.
If you like novels about messy feelings and relationships, about writers, those with dreams and those who fail, then this is for you.
November 18, 2025
highly readable and vividly real, I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY is a sharp portrait of modern relationships and our increasing isolation in a digital-first world
this might be a bit of a marmite book; if you like the cover, i think you’ll like reading this - contemporary, hyper-specific while maintaining distance, a little tongue-in-cheek about its own predictability
i was rooting for Joey, resenting Chuck as i know i was supposed to. it can be very hard to make phone usage in books feel genuine and be interesting, but this was accurate and amusing. i’m looking forward to reading more by Jem Calder
thank you very much for Faber & NetGalley for the ARC!
this might be a bit of a marmite book; if you like the cover, i think you’ll like reading this - contemporary, hyper-specific while maintaining distance, a little tongue-in-cheek about its own predictability
i was rooting for Joey, resenting Chuck as i know i was supposed to. it can be very hard to make phone usage in books feel genuine and be interesting, but this was accurate and amusing. i’m looking forward to reading more by Jem Calder
thank you very much for Faber & NetGalley for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Two tortured, unlikable artists at different phases of giving up; one who left their dreams behind for a corporate job, and one still holding onto the bohemian mess of a barista/poet life.
Despite their very different lives, Joey and Chuck find something in each other that they need, even if they aren't really sure what that is yet. Both of them have fallen prey to the chaos of modern society in a different way, in different tax brackets and experiences - but underneath it all was two messy people, desperate for connection and searching for joy in a world that wants them to just work and consume.
Both of them were chaotic, lonely, flawed, sometimes toxic people trying to muddle their way through life and it made for a complex love//hate relationship with them both. The spotlight mostly followed Chuck (it is a parody of reality, after all) but the third person, fly on the wall narration still gave us a chance to get into both of their minds with a stream-of-consciousness, thoughtful flow.
It's a story with no real plot, no typical structure or clear conclusion - just a directionless snapshot of life that made it rather compelling. Sometimes this style really works for me, sometimes it doesn't; while this wasn't perfect for me and I found it somewhat unsatisfying (yes, life can be unsatisfying so it's a good choice) it's still brilliantly written and if you love those books that feel like a thought experiment, you'll love this one.
It explores the power imbalances within relationships, the way we each have our own perceptions of the same things - how a relationship can be everything to someone and nothing to someone else, and just how isolating and confusing modern love can be in an increasingly connected but lonely world.
This is an ode to the creators, artists and creatives - an essential story about human connection, the desperate need to find meaning and the impossibility of feeling fulfilled in a world that doesn't want you to be.
Despite their very different lives, Joey and Chuck find something in each other that they need, even if they aren't really sure what that is yet. Both of them have fallen prey to the chaos of modern society in a different way, in different tax brackets and experiences - but underneath it all was two messy people, desperate for connection and searching for joy in a world that wants them to just work and consume.
Both of them were chaotic, lonely, flawed, sometimes toxic people trying to muddle their way through life and it made for a complex love//hate relationship with them both. The spotlight mostly followed Chuck (it is a parody of reality, after all) but the third person, fly on the wall narration still gave us a chance to get into both of their minds with a stream-of-consciousness, thoughtful flow.
It's a story with no real plot, no typical structure or clear conclusion - just a directionless snapshot of life that made it rather compelling. Sometimes this style really works for me, sometimes it doesn't; while this wasn't perfect for me and I found it somewhat unsatisfying (yes, life can be unsatisfying so it's a good choice) it's still brilliantly written and if you love those books that feel like a thought experiment, you'll love this one.
It explores the power imbalances within relationships, the way we each have our own perceptions of the same things - how a relationship can be everything to someone and nothing to someone else, and just how isolating and confusing modern love can be in an increasingly connected but lonely world.
This is an ode to the creators, artists and creatives - an essential story about human connection, the desperate need to find meaning and the impossibility of feeling fulfilled in a world that doesn't want you to be.
January 19, 2026
Andrew O’Hagan & Sally Rooney… are you lying or is he blackmailing you?
Maybe he’s a good short story writer who couldn’t translate to a longer form but I am deeply underwhelmed by this book. I was definitely hooked at the start and I liked the tension building between the two characters, very evocative of noisy bar, awkwardness etc.
I just wasn’t convinced - two people trying to hide in each other but not really? Joey didn’t seem to have much development and Chuck was a loser.
Definitely some good snapshots of their relationship, interactions etc. Maybe should have been a series of short stories or something?
I think there were parts that were well-explored, the uncertainty of the first dates, their neediness, Chuck’s mundane depression but like… come on
The writing was so long for what!
Maybe he’s a good short story writer who couldn’t translate to a longer form but I am deeply underwhelmed by this book. I was definitely hooked at the start and I liked the tension building between the two characters, very evocative of noisy bar, awkwardness etc.
I just wasn’t convinced - two people trying to hide in each other but not really? Joey didn’t seem to have much development and Chuck was a loser.
Definitely some good snapshots of their relationship, interactions etc. Maybe should have been a series of short stories or something?
I think there were parts that were well-explored, the uncertainty of the first dates, their neediness, Chuck’s mundane depression but like… come on
The writing was so long for what!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2025
Devoured this! A deeply realistic representation of modern dating, relationship anxious, loneliness and lack of direction young people face today. Couldn’t put it down, was unsettlingly mundane and intoxicating in a way where you feel part of the character’sthought process and feel deeply for them both. Only not 5 days as I thought Joeys character wasn’t as flushed out as Chucks and wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending. But otherwise no notes
November 17, 2025
I was asked to review this by NetGalley. Wow I loved the characters and this is modern dating, just how the modern world feels with lack of dIrection, relationship hang ups.
Interesting story of dating today and lonliness too. I have to say I so loved Chuck.
Recommended read but not due for publication till May 21 2026.
Interesting story of dating today and lonliness too. I have to say I so loved Chuck.
Recommended read but not due for publication till May 21 2026.
November 19, 2025
3,5 out of 5, but rounded to 4
A really sharp, sometimes crude commentary on modern relationships. On how people can leave an effect on you after they exit your life.
When I get a chance and my opinions had time to settle, I'll update this ☺️
A really sharp, sometimes crude commentary on modern relationships. On how people can leave an effect on you after they exit your life.
When I get a chance and my opinions had time to settle, I'll update this ☺️
November 12, 2025
Got so attached to these characters; the character of Chuck was so perfectly articulated, I swear I saw him on the tube last week. Really enjoyed this.
November 27, 2025
Jem Calder's debut novel is a contemporary love story between Chuck and Joey. Despite their age difference, these two souls adrift in the London dating scene find each other and a romance blossoms. Calder is very good at characterisation - I felt I knew both these people by novels end, and was keen to learn more about them the more I read. So an engaging story, well told, if a little familiar - but aren't all love stories? This is a good one though and recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews