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Relative Happiness
Lexie Ivy loves her little house in Cape Breton, her big family, and the endless sea that surrounds her. She wouldn’t trade her life for anything, but at thirty she’s starting to feel like something’s missing.
Enter Adrian, a charming backpacker who takes a wrong turn at the U.S. border and ends up on Lexie’s doorstep, and Joss, an irresistible man who disappears just as quickly as he arrives. Lexie’s peaceful life has suddenly become more complicated than she ever imagined.
Lesley Crewe’s funny, whip-smart debut novel brims with Cape Breton-style humour. Filled with heartache without succumbing to it, Relative Happinessis the story of life and love in a small town, of four sisters who love, betray, and rescue each other in turn, and of Lexie Ivy’s joyful awakening. To be released as a feature film in 2015.
Enter Adrian, a charming backpacker who takes a wrong turn at the U.S. border and ends up on Lexie’s doorstep, and Joss, an irresistible man who disappears just as quickly as he arrives. Lexie’s peaceful life has suddenly become more complicated than she ever imagined.
Lesley Crewe’s funny, whip-smart debut novel brims with Cape Breton-style humour. Filled with heartache without succumbing to it, Relative Happinessis the story of life and love in a small town, of four sisters who love, betray, and rescue each other in turn, and of Lexie Ivy’s joyful awakening. To be released as a feature film in 2015.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
79 people are currently reading
677 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Crewe
19 books726 followersLesley grew up in Montreal, PQ. After graduating from Concordia University with a degree in English and Education, she and her hubby settled down in Homeville, Cape Breton and raised a family.
From 2000-2005, Lesley was a features writer and columnist (Home Fires) for Cape Bretoner Magazine, and from 2005-2009, a columnist (Lesley's Letters) with the on-line magazine, Cahoots.
In 2005 her first novel, Relative Happiness, was published by Vagrant Press, the fiction imprint of Nimbus Publishing. It was an instant bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has since written nine other novels.
In 2012, Relative Happiness was optioned for film, and in 2014, Lesley's characters came to life on the big screen. The movie was produced by Wreckhouse Productions, directed by Deanne Foley, and stars Australian Melissa Bergland (Winners and Losers), and homegrown Canadian talent like Susan Kent (This Hour has 22 Minutes), Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Trailer Park Boys), and Rob Welles (Trailer Park Boys).
From 2000-2005, Lesley was a features writer and columnist (Home Fires) for Cape Bretoner Magazine, and from 2005-2009, a columnist (Lesley's Letters) with the on-line magazine, Cahoots.
In 2005 her first novel, Relative Happiness, was published by Vagrant Press, the fiction imprint of Nimbus Publishing. It was an instant bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has since written nine other novels.
In 2012, Relative Happiness was optioned for film, and in 2014, Lesley's characters came to life on the big screen. The movie was produced by Wreckhouse Productions, directed by Deanne Foley, and stars Australian Melissa Bergland (Winners and Losers), and homegrown Canadian talent like Susan Kent (This Hour has 22 Minutes), Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Trailer Park Boys), and Rob Welles (Trailer Park Boys).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
May 10, 2015
I seem to be in a bit of a reading slump lately. Despite this book's cute cover, I did not enjoy it. I found it to be really corny. The overall story read like a lifetime movie, and it really didn't help that the MC had the vocabulary of an 80 year old grannie. I didn't hate this book, but I was pretty indifferent, as is probably obvious by my lack of enthusiasm in writing this review.
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
January 27, 2022
Another enjoyable read by Lesley Crewe. For me, it is the characters and the easy writing style that get me hooked. I laughed and I definitely cried. But I think if a book makes you feel something, it is worth the read. The romantic plot may be a bit far fetched, but I was able to overlook that because I like the characters so much. Favourite quote: “That was it. Lexie was so mad. Marlene had done it again. She managed to make her feel like two cents. She had to get over the horrible habit of always wondering what other people thought of her. If the truth were told, she probably never crossed their minds when she wasn’t in their line of vision. The only person she lived with was herself. She was the person she had to please, not the Marlenes of the world. She needed to grow up.”
June 6, 2015
I'm temporarily erasing my long long review here, because I don't want to influence people's perception on a local indie book which could only be beneficial for Nova Scotia's literature scene. Especially so soon after the movie came out, and I'm sure people will be looking for it. I'll just say, I wasn't crazy about it, it had some great points than it really didn't, but yay NS books!
February 24, 2018
I love the way Lesley Crewe can weave Cape Breton's magical, sea-salted air through her stories, how she can bring such real characters to life and take her readers on such intense journeys ... but until now I didn't realize she could write such sweet, sweet love stories. * feeling refreshed *
July 19, 2022
I adore Lesley’s quirky writing style and setting in the communities in Cape Breton. I found all of Lesley’s family members extremely well rounded, with all their own trials and lessons throughout the book. With four sisters normally I would’ve encountered a lot of “wait which one is that again” but each distinct character stuck out here. I read through it quickly. Compared to the rest of the book, I wasn’t as big a fan of the ending, but still loved it none the less.
December 18, 2023
There’s nothing deep or complicated about this book. The language is simple and straightforward. The book will never win any writing awards. The romances are straight out of the most implausible Hallmark movies. And I loved every bit of it. It was such a satisfying, feel good read.
January 29, 2023
I’m a big fan of Lesley Crewe, and decided to go back to the beginning and read this one too - her first book. Her writing in this debut is definitely not as developed, and I found the plot a little flawed… still doesn’t change my love for this local gem of an author. I’ll just stick with her more recent ones- Spoon Stealer and Nosey Parker are beloved books that I will always recommend and return to. ♥️📚🥄🕵🏻♀️
October 12, 2022
Another wonderful read. Will review later when I feel better.
LATER -
To say I am besotted with the works of Lesley Crewe would be absolutely bang on! And the more I read the more accurate it is.
Relative Happiness was Lesley's first novel and received rave reviews; it was even made into a movie which I think I would enjoy at some point, although I always enjoy a book more than its movie.
Relative Happiness, based on what I know, seems somewhat autobiographic, but more than that. It is a novel set in the Maritimes - mostly Cape Breton - and delves into relationships, as its title might imply.
The main character is Lexie, at 30 the eldest of 4 sisters, all of whom have quite distinctive personalities and lives, interwoven with one another, who is struggling within herself to find her true purpose. Beth is the married mother of 4, Gabby leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever she goes, and Kate lives with her new partner 5 hours away. Their parents are still alive and their mother is very active in much of their lives. (read into that whatever you will).
Along the way, Lexie meets and falls in love with 2 handsome and charming men, at different points of time, who both love her but in different ways. They both have their own baggage, etc. to deal with and eventually disappear under differing and hurtful circumstances. (mixed messages, anyone? failure to communicate, anyone? fear of the future, anyone?)
But wait, Lexie is pregnant and decides to become a single mother. No one disapproves but a lot of issues arise. Additionally, she does not want to inform the father, nor does she know how to. She loves being a mother, and her child is well-loved. There are many bumps in various roads, lots of heartbreak, and lots of tears, but lots of love and laughter as well.
Eventually, both men reappear, questions are answered, differences are resolved and/or dealt with satisfactorily, and the novel concludes (to my satisfaction, I must say).
I love the details in Crewe's books and stories. Her characters become like people we know well. They behave in ways we understand but perhaps don't quite approve of all the time. Their habits and traditions are familiar to us Maritimers, and I felt quite at home as I read along.
I felt this book was remarkable for a number of reasons, including the fact that it was a debut novel, but also for its realism and detailed descriptions of an era I well know.
If you've enjoyed Lesley's most recent novel, I feel most confident you will enjoy this one too. Now to decide which one to try next!?
LATER -
To say I am besotted with the works of Lesley Crewe would be absolutely bang on! And the more I read the more accurate it is.
Relative Happiness was Lesley's first novel and received rave reviews; it was even made into a movie which I think I would enjoy at some point, although I always enjoy a book more than its movie.
Relative Happiness, based on what I know, seems somewhat autobiographic, but more than that. It is a novel set in the Maritimes - mostly Cape Breton - and delves into relationships, as its title might imply.
The main character is Lexie, at 30 the eldest of 4 sisters, all of whom have quite distinctive personalities and lives, interwoven with one another, who is struggling within herself to find her true purpose. Beth is the married mother of 4, Gabby leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever she goes, and Kate lives with her new partner 5 hours away. Their parents are still alive and their mother is very active in much of their lives. (read into that whatever you will).
Along the way, Lexie meets and falls in love with 2 handsome and charming men, at different points of time, who both love her but in different ways. They both have their own baggage, etc. to deal with and eventually disappear under differing and hurtful circumstances. (mixed messages, anyone? failure to communicate, anyone? fear of the future, anyone?)
But wait, Lexie is pregnant and decides to become a single mother. No one disapproves but a lot of issues arise. Additionally, she does not want to inform the father, nor does she know how to. She loves being a mother, and her child is well-loved. There are many bumps in various roads, lots of heartbreak, and lots of tears, but lots of love and laughter as well.
Eventually, both men reappear, questions are answered, differences are resolved and/or dealt with satisfactorily, and the novel concludes (to my satisfaction, I must say).
I love the details in Crewe's books and stories. Her characters become like people we know well. They behave in ways we understand but perhaps don't quite approve of all the time. Their habits and traditions are familiar to us Maritimers, and I felt quite at home as I read along.
I felt this book was remarkable for a number of reasons, including the fact that it was a debut novel, but also for its realism and detailed descriptions of an era I well know.
If you've enjoyed Lesley's most recent novel, I feel most confident you will enjoy this one too. Now to decide which one to try next!?
July 15, 2008
I was originally drawn in as this was such a quick read and seemed like an all around feel good story. But I just couldn't feel happy for the characters eventual hookups. Adrian just seemed messed up and I didn't feel happy about him ending up with anyone.
I've never liked the happy ending where the second love interest is removed from the picture by being in love with someone else all along. Too easy.
I've never liked the happy ending where the second love interest is removed from the picture by being in love with someone else all along. Too easy.
April 14, 2021
I wasn’t aware of this book (or the movie) until I saw it in the library and decided it looked interesting and I was in the mood for a “delightful romantic comedy” as Amazon calls it.
Yeah. Bad description. I think of this book as more fiction and more about the family dynamics I guess than romance, and I didn’t find it overly funny, even though there was a some lovely witty dialogue.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. Because I started reading it as a rom-com, I got very confused about what the book was trying to be (because that wasn’t it).
The romance element of the book was not good. I really liked the character of Joss. Adrian was appalling. The romantic development had no depth, I couldn’t see how these people fell in love without knowing next to anything about each other at all.
In fact, really, there wasn’t a whole lot of deep POV in this book at all. Like, some sad stuff happened, and there was impact because of the characters reactions, but I never at any point really felt it because that POV just never sunk deep enough. It all felt on the surface.
And look, I don’t think this was a bad book at all. I read it, start to finish, and there were moments that I enjoyed. There were also moments I didn’t enjoy – the end, particularly –and there was a lot of stuff that just didn’t work for me. It felt so much like I spent the whole book just tripping from one moment to the next in Lexie’s life and it was a whole lot of telling me what happened, but I didn’t come out of this reading experience feeling like I had lived what happened with Lexie.
So, this was okay, it was readable, but too many things didn’t work for me to make this one a winner for me.
Yeah. Bad description. I think of this book as more fiction and more about the family dynamics I guess than romance, and I didn’t find it overly funny, even though there was a some lovely witty dialogue.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. Because I started reading it as a rom-com, I got very confused about what the book was trying to be (because that wasn’t it).
The romance element of the book was not good. I really liked the character of Joss. Adrian was appalling. The romantic development had no depth, I couldn’t see how these people fell in love without knowing next to anything about each other at all.
In fact, really, there wasn’t a whole lot of deep POV in this book at all. Like, some sad stuff happened, and there was impact because of the characters reactions, but I never at any point really felt it because that POV just never sunk deep enough. It all felt on the surface.
And look, I don’t think this was a bad book at all. I read it, start to finish, and there were moments that I enjoyed. There were also moments I didn’t enjoy – the end, particularly –and there was a lot of stuff that just didn’t work for me. It felt so much like I spent the whole book just tripping from one moment to the next in Lexie’s life and it was a whole lot of telling me what happened, but I didn’t come out of this reading experience feeling like I had lived what happened with Lexie.
So, this was okay, it was readable, but too many things didn’t work for me to make this one a winner for me.
April 7, 2025
I really enjoyed this story, especially reading something local. There were some things that annoyed me, the biggest of which are as follows:
- Confusing timeline: the references to time passing were quite ambiguous at times, especially in reference to Joshua. Give me a month and year at the start of each chapter if you’re going to time-jump. It was halfway through the book before I knew what decade it was in; I had only the original publishing date to go by at first.
- The ending. After such a mostly beautifully written story, it went Hallmark: too much too quick.
- Editing: I read a later edition, why were there still typos? At one point the completely wrong word was put in.
I truly did enjoy the story overall. I cried a lot! I will definitely read more by Lesley Crewe; I had heard of her but this was my first time reading her work. She is very descriptive, and I feel the hard topics were written in a very real way, not glossed over. So, while some annoyances were distracting, I look forward to reading more from this author.
- Confusing timeline: the references to time passing were quite ambiguous at times, especially in reference to Joshua. Give me a month and year at the start of each chapter if you’re going to time-jump. It was halfway through the book before I knew what decade it was in; I had only the original publishing date to go by at first.
- The ending. After such a mostly beautifully written story, it went Hallmark: too much too quick.
- Editing: I read a later edition, why were there still typos? At one point the completely wrong word was put in.
I truly did enjoy the story overall. I cried a lot! I will definitely read more by Lesley Crewe; I had heard of her but this was my first time reading her work. She is very descriptive, and I feel the hard topics were written in a very real way, not glossed over. So, while some annoyances were distracting, I look forward to reading more from this author.
June 19, 2024
This one took me ages to read, but that's partly because I "lost" it in a bag for 2 months...
This was an okay book. I rounded up to 3 stars, but really, it's worth only 2.5.
I found some of the story lines interesting of the 4 sisters, but as much as we're supposed to root for Lexie, she drove me crazy. She was all over the place. Having a baby without even trying to track down Joss was just selfish.
That Gabby just willingly accepts back a man who had a relationship with her sister is too weird to me. The sideline of Donlinda as such a spiteful cow was not needed nor Susie's wedding. It just seemed all disjointed, and a better edit was needed.
The only part that felt very real was Beth losing her baby. That part was written so well and so raw that I had to take a break from the book for a few days.
I wouldn't recommend this but maybe family drama like books are just not for me.
This was an okay book. I rounded up to 3 stars, but really, it's worth only 2.5.
I found some of the story lines interesting of the 4 sisters, but as much as we're supposed to root for Lexie, she drove me crazy. She was all over the place. Having a baby without even trying to track down Joss was just selfish.
That Gabby just willingly accepts back a man who had a relationship with her sister is too weird to me. The sideline of Donlinda as such a spiteful cow was not needed nor Susie's wedding. It just seemed all disjointed, and a better edit was needed.
The only part that felt very real was Beth losing her baby. That part was written so well and so raw that I had to take a break from the book for a few days.
I wouldn't recommend this but maybe family drama like books are just not for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2020
Reading this book felt like being on a roller coaster. There were times when I really liked what I was reading, yet other times when I would roll my eyes at the antics of Lexie. I’ve read most of this author’s books and have liked most of them very much, but this, being her debut novel, didn’t really ring my chimes. I liked the Canadian( Cape Breton) vibe of the story, and most of the characters were distinct and credible. But the whole Adrian character and Lexie’s relationship with him was weird and not really very credible, especially in the last few chapters. I thought that Lexie’s seemingly emotional mature character( oldest, most reliable sister and all) went down the tube towards the end, and I found the conclusion of the book, a bit, yeah, whatever.
March 29, 2022
This author is so easy to read. I love her characters, they are so relatable. I really enjoyed meeting the whole Ivy family. Many ups and downs, some unexpected twists, and lots of love. I enjoyed the Nova Scotia setting, and being from Montreal, I could visualize those city scenes also. It's so much fun reading a talented Canadian author. This book was a real page-turner for me, especially the last third, and I got fully immersed. And it ended exactly as I hoped it would.
August 31, 2021
I found a copy of local author, Lesley Crewe's Relative Happiness in the library of the cottage we are staying at. I just finished her latest book The Spoon Stealer a week or so ago and thought it was fitting to be able to read her debut novel as my vacation read. Well we haven't been at the cottage 24 hours and I've got it read. I really enjoyed it! I laughed and I cried in the roller coaster ride of Lexie's life. I loved how things ended and will be on the hunt for my third Lesley Crewe novel.
Note: I really loved the Sheree Fitch reference in the story, she is yet another beloved Nova Scotia author.
Note: I really loved the Sheree Fitch reference in the story, she is yet another beloved Nova Scotia author.
June 23, 2018
Well. This story certainly had a few tragic twists and turns. I was pretty much hooked from the start. Lexie is a character I can relate to on quite a personal level. After all the heartache, it ended exactly as it should, which is to say, perfectly and yes perhaps predictably. Loved it!
August 30, 2017
Loved it!
December 4, 2023
Another great read! So….if you have seen the movie and don’t plan to read the book….big mistake! The book is amazing and so different from the movie.
Happy reading 📖
Happy reading 📖
August 20, 2024
4 for most of the book… then a 2 for last 80 pages or so. 😬
November 25, 2024
I love reading books where locations and communities are familiar!!
March 25, 2022
I have really been enjoying Leslie Crewe’s books lately. I like her style, like that they are about Cape Breton.
I have enjoyed them so much that i had been reading them back to back. Not a great idea, they are an easy read, not a lot of substance. I enjoy that sometimes after a hard day. I don’t always want to read about pain, heart break etc. But after awhile I was getting bored of them. I’m going to take a break and get to the next one at the end of summer!
I have enjoyed them so much that i had been reading them back to back. Not a great idea, they are an easy read, not a lot of substance. I enjoy that sometimes after a hard day. I don’t always want to read about pain, heart break etc. But after awhile I was getting bored of them. I’m going to take a break and get to the next one at the end of summer!
August 1, 2022
I wanted to like this book but I think it just hasn’t aged well. The emphasis on Lexie being plus size was annoying and detracted from the story. Why did that need to be important? Sigh. Also, librarians can’t librarian with being computer savvy so her job made no sense at all. Not to mention how often she called in sick etc.
Then what was up with Adrian? Odd that the sisters didn’t seem to have any worries about sharing him. Or passing him back and forth, to be more accurate.
I wanted to root for Lexie but did she have to be just so good? Forgiving, responsible, etc etc? All the time?! Good grief.
Then what was up with Adrian? Odd that the sisters didn’t seem to have any worries about sharing him. Or passing him back and forth, to be more accurate.
I wanted to root for Lexie but did she have to be just so good? Forgiving, responsible, etc etc? All the time?! Good grief.
November 8, 2014
I saw a film at the St. John's International Film Festival which was, I now realize, loosely based on this novel. I enjoyed the film and sought out the novel. As usual, the book is better than the movie.
I found the characters engaging and felt for them in their troubles. For just one family, they encounter a lot of troubles!
The particular edition I read needs some editing. I found it annoying to see "pouring" used in place of "poring" and "lead" instead of "led", to name a couple of errors.
This is a book worth reading.
I found the characters engaging and felt for them in their troubles. For just one family, they encounter a lot of troubles!
The particular edition I read needs some editing. I found it annoying to see "pouring" used in place of "poring" and "lead" instead of "led", to name a couple of errors.
This is a book worth reading.
August 31, 2017
I enjoy a good chick-lit read from time to time, but this was not my thing. The best part was the family dynamic between the protagonist, her parents, and sisters in a small Cape Breton town, and I might have enjoyed it more if that had been the focus rather than the romance with a caught-between-two-2dimensional-lovers theme. I found all the whinging about weight and being 30 and single very wearing, and a lot of the supporting details were just off.
February 7, 2015
I adored this book. I have to admit the beginning made me hesitant, but I quickly fell for this story. I felt a connection with Lexie that I don't get with a lot of books and I loved that.
March 15, 2016
A great read during my vacation. Wonderful sense of setting. Full of emotion. Well done.
October 21, 2017
A good quick read between the heavy books. It could have used far more editing and proofreading. If you like Nicholas Sparks then you'll like this book.
May 7, 2023
so hard to get through
May 15, 2022
Ok, so I didn't hate this book. I did however have a considerable problem with a couple of choices characters made, and thereby the author made, yet I still liked every one of the characters (flaws and all!). I loved how different the sisters were from one another, and how different each of their relationships were with their parents. I adored the MC's best friend.
I always enjoy the setting of Lesley Crewe's books and appreciated the attempt to reflect the difference between a more urban part of Cape Breton compared to a tiny rural area. Sure there may have been a few too many stereotypes but I took them with a grain of salt. This is the 5th novel I have read by this author. I am glad I read her later novels first because I am not sure I would have given her another chance after this one alone.
A last note: There was a small yet annoying issue with the edition I read (the movie cover) having so many errors in spelling, grammar, missed words, etc... It didn't affect my rating but did negatively impact my reading experience.
I always enjoy the setting of Lesley Crewe's books and appreciated the attempt to reflect the difference between a more urban part of Cape Breton compared to a tiny rural area. Sure there may have been a few too many stereotypes but I took them with a grain of salt. This is the 5th novel I have read by this author. I am glad I read her later novels first because I am not sure I would have given her another chance after this one alone.
A last note: There was a small yet annoying issue with the edition I read (the movie cover) having so many errors in spelling, grammar, missed words, etc... It didn't affect my rating but did negatively impact my reading experience.
September 4, 2023
Light and fluffy and kept me entertained while in hospital. Not my favourite Lesley Crewe novel, by far. However, here's a funny story. I've waited for two days for my thoracic surgery and I'm getting weepy and cranky. The surgeon comes in to tell me that it's probably not going to happen that day/evening and I'm waitlisted for tomorrow. I asked him why the hell he bothered to come to tell me that useless piece of trivia. His eyes fell on "Relative Happiness" on my bed table and he proceeded to tell me how his wife had read one of that author's novels last weekend and had encouraged him to read it. I suggested he read Leslie Crewe's two really hysterical novels, we chatted for a bit, and he left. Funnily enough, I was called up for surgery about three hours later. Coincidence? I'd like to think not. It's quite possible that Lesley Crewe hasn't my surgery. One will never know ...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews