A Different Kind of Happy

by Rachaele Hambleton

There’s no such thing as a perfect family…

This is a warm-hearted, funny and relatable debut novel about the year in the life of a blended family moving in together for the first time (with assorted pets and catastrophes) and trying to make a go of things.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 8, 2021

Reviews

[Danielle Dent · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really hate leaving negative reviews but I just could not get on board with this at all. I’ve followed PTWM for years now and have read her autobiography so this was just too similar to her own story it felt like it was her life rehashed. I didn’t like the diary format at all, it meant the story lacked depth and there was a lot of repetition and you didn’t get a real feel for any of the other characters because of that. I felt every chapter/diary entry ended with an earnest, virtuous pep talk about being a mother that was patronising and just really ground on me. Overall, I just didn’t think much happened and it was really slow and unfortunately it just wasn’t very well written.

[Brook · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this story we see the main character, Jo, recover from heartache and find happiness with a new partner, 3 children, 2 stepchildren and their dog. It is written in a diary format through the eyes of Jo, and covers the highs and lows of life as she navigates her new and hectic life by the sea.

The first thing I noticed when reading this was how similar it is to the authors first book, an autobiography. By the end of the book I felt as though I had read a slightly altered version of the autobiography; details such as the number of children, the house by the sea, the alcoholic ex, even the absent parents all have a role in this work of fiction and I would be lying if I said I didn't feel slightly cheated, even though I loved the autobiography, it was so similar it could have been the same book!

The book is an easy read and I do usually enjoy diary formatted books, I don't think in this case it has worked out in the authors favour. Jo comes across slightly selfish, in making other people's heartache about her and how it affects her. For example she appears to have no empathy towards her grieving father, nor the obvious, and very serious mental health struggles of another character. I'm not sure if it's the diary format that makes it seem like this but it made it very hard for me to empathise with Jo at all. She also appears to undermine and judge other parents, constantly believing that what she thinks is right and everyone else is wrong. Again, I'm not sure if it just came across that way because of the format but it didn't work for me.

I also found that other main characters in the story, along with secondary characters were not fleshed out enough so appeared a little two dimensional, for example, she mentions her partners job several times in terms of pay and time off at the weekends but never actually says what his job is.

And finally (spoiler alert)

The abuse storyline seemed rushed to me, and there were a few triggering scenes.

Overall the book wasn't for me, although I loved the autobiography it feels like this book was just a rewrite of the first with a few extra bits added in.

[ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

i don’t really read this kind of genre but i did enjoy this book a lot!! it was so entertaining reading and experiencing jo’s feelings. and it did share a valuable lesson

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character lives is a self-righteous little world, everyone in her bubble are perfect little angels and everyone outside are emotionally unintelligent and unfeeling. All men are terrible (apart from her boyfriend), all marriages are abusive (except when she gets engaged at the end), all rich people are hiding nasty secrets (the protagonist is never lacking for money throughout the book). This is clearly semi-autobiographical and I must say, Hambleton really is a saint coming into town and solving everyone's problems, getting people out of abusive relationships that no one but her ever discovered, teaching other mothers how to properly parent, coming up with witty retorts to throw at her ex. I'm giving two stars because it flows so nicely that I didn't have to bare it for long.

[Jessica Keane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful “fiction”

“‘You couldn’t write this shit,’ and yet here I am …” Direct quote from the book and made me laugh out loud when I read it. Anyone who follows Rachaele on social media will have recognised at least 3 of the “characters” in this book. It read like one of her rambling insta stories - characters had no depth (which is a talent in itself seeing as they are real people) and the story was predictable and boring. Please don’t waste your time or money on this dross.

[Pamela Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book absoutley loved it and the outcome defo would read more by this author x

[Henriette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a powerful story about complications when it comes to dealing the break up of a marriage, difficult with exes, blended families and making new friends, but unfortunately the way it was written gave it the feel of an amateur book, perhaps a debut novel. The book reads as if it is one long diary entry or email to a friend about the happenings of each day in life of Jo. It is told first person with chapters with titles and within each chapter the days of the week. Perhaps because of how it was written it lacks some depth. I don’t feel we get to know the characters well enough and I miss stuff apparently normally take for granted, small details that give the reader the feeling that they are really there rather than just being told about events that happened.

Although I didn’t love how it was written, which wasn’t purely down to the diary style as I have read diary style books before that I loved, the story was still powerful and I felt for the characters and was affected by what Jo and especially her new friend Lou were going through to the extent my eyes became a little foggy.

Story in short:
After a broken marriage and a new relationship Jo and Jaime end up moving to Cornwall with their five kids from their previous marriages. In addition to blending their families and dealing with complicated exes they decide to get a puppy and Jo finds a part time job meaning her plate is more than full and she struggles dealing with everything. Jo’s new life also brings in new friends and makes her life so much livelier, but some of them also seem to be dealing with their own problems including domestic abuse and this also ends up causing Jo quite so stress.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this story in exchange for an honest review.

[Victoria Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jo is left devastated when her husband leaves her, heavily pregnant with their third child. But after a tough few years, she meets a man with kids of his own and she realises that it’s possible to have a different kind of happy…

I absolutely love everything that Rachael (aka Part Time Working Mummy) does online around parenthood, blended families and supporting those who have been domestically abused and I preordered this book as soon as it was announced, as I really wanted to support her.

However, this book didn’t quite work for me.

I knew it would be a fictionalised version of Rachael’s own life and I was happy to give it a go but the writing itself was uneven, there were continuity errors and the tense kept changing from past to present.

I did love the messages it held around blended families, what a healthy relationship looks like and how tough it can be to be a step parent but it just didn’t quite come together in the way I’d hoped for.

[Emma Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!!! It really tackled deeper issues like the struggles of juggling motherhood, step families and domestic abuse.

Although critics have said that it follows Rachele's life too closely, I think that's normal. I don't see too much reflection from what she shares of her own children (limited now due to the haters), but even if there was, most writers draw from personal experience. She's been through a lot so why not share it in a more light-hearted fiction way?

I loved the characters and how it highlighted the importance of being present and helping others, but also taking care of yourself and asking for help when you need it can be the most powerful move ❤️

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story and the way it’s told is fresh and unusual, it managed to make a strong point about people’s lives really well while still being readable.
The writing style is fresh and different, it feels like someone talking which I loved.
If I had a point for improvement
it would be that I wanted to know more about the characters. I felt that everyone had such an interesting back story which wasn’t covered in enough detail and they were so believable that I wanted to know more.

[ms D Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing read by the lovely Rachaele

Wow, tears, laughter, happiness, surprise...... and a giggle at the knowledge that the ex is kniwn as knob, so is mine! Even my kids call him that haha . It made my day. Rache, my sweet, you pulled it out of the bag again . What a brilliant read! Couldnt put it down. It brought so many memories, good and bad, and reminded me how strong I became and how strong I still am. Thankyou 😘

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I've read in a while. The diary format leads to a lot of rambly "he said, she said" and if this book has seen an editor it's not obvious. If you've followed PTWM for any length of time it's clearly autobiographical and includes a lot of information about her children's lives. I was expecting an actual fiction book based on the reviews and praise this book gets not her first book repacked into a "new" format.

[Stephanie Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Drivel

Absolute drivel. I’m glad I only spent 99p on this. Any more and I’d have asked for a bloody refund

[Pinkgirllx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but it didnt grab my attention as much as it should've

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book. Of course, this comes with the caveat that I knew absolutely nothing about the author or her blog before going into it. Some reviews state that it's a boring rehash of her social media, so your mileage may vary.

I'm kind of a harsh critic, but nothing about Jo seemed too hair-pullingly frustrating, as you can often get with protagonist foolishness to bolster necessary conflict. Of course, she has a few moments where she seems a little daft and clueless (SPOILERS - Obviously the arsehole was Molly's dad. But I'll give her credit for surprising me with Lou's domestic violence twist. I thought she had a terminal illness and was dying, and might leave the shop to Jo, from the way the book set it up.)

I just found it a charming read, even if it didn't stick with me deeply. It's not a book you come away from feeling fundamentally changed, but it was entertaining to me - even if a week on, I can't strongly remember what happened in it. I broke a really long book-reading hiatus with it, but it was a soft place to land and just the easy but ultimately uplifting read I was looking for.

[janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long time follower of Part Time Working Mummy I couldn't wait to read Rachaele's latest release and I wasnt disappointed.

For those who also follow the author it does feel autobiographical but is told in such a fresh and real way. As someone who has a 'patchwork' family it just resonated so deeply with me.

I haven't read such a heartwarming, heartwrenching book in a long time. Full of laughter, tears, happiness and surprises I read this in one sitting.

I really enjoyed the diary formatting of this read, I liked the 'rambling' parts! Anyone who has a similar family dynamic will understand those rambling thoughts, the cussing of the exes and the fragility of trying to keep everything and everyone together.

Covering a whole host of topics that sadly are more prevalent than many don't realise .. domestic abuse, loneliness, grief and fragile relationships.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Thanks to netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for the ARC

[Kimbaws · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley for the copy of this book.

This book was okay, I enjoyed hearing about the day to day in this book of the main character, family and friends, however like another reviewer has pointed out I also would have liked those characters to be fleshed out a bit more.

Unfortunately I found the main character's narrative a bit tedious. It was quite defensive about a lot of things, and how other people's pain and suffering affected her, or how they had it easier compared to herself in her life. Like another review has pointed out, it might be due to the diary type format that just didn't work either for myself, although I have enjoyed other books in a diary format before - I just didn't always feel myself rooting for the main character when I thought she wasn't being fair towards other people which is a shame.

[dreamer ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁݁·ꕤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a decent enough read. I read the sample on Amazon and it was interesting enough that I wanted to read the whole thing. However, the plot of the story was quite predictable to me. And as some of the other reviewers have pointed out, I don’t think the book went well into enough depth about a lot of the main characters. It could be because of the diary format, but we only ever get the view of the main primary character and her emotions/thoughts regarding all the events in the book. It’s difficult to gauge how some of the incidents in the book have affected the characters who actually experienced them. It also almost felt as if the author was trying to add too much of a dramatic impact within the book by having too many trauma and/or life altering storylines for some of the characters. And yet, everything works out well in the end.. which was a little bit unbelievable.

[Kath · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so I’ve read her other book (the autobiography) and was massively disappointed but because I like her on Instagram I thought I’d give her another chance. This was slightly better than the first book, I didn’t realise at first it wasn’t an autobiography and even when reading it I had to remind myself it wasn’t because all though the characters names are different it just felt so much like it was about her and her life experiences. I guess when writing a book that’s what happens sometimes you end up writing about your own life without realising (I always thought the same with Katie prices fiction books). Anyway this book is better than the first but still not worthy of 3 stars in my opinion

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this on audiobook and it was just so terrible.

The narrator was awful, she was so monotonous and flat and maybe made the rating of this book worse than necessary.

Also, it’s supposed to be a fiction book but read like an emotionless autobiography.

The book itself was anything but happy. The main character was gloaty and superior to everyone. She was very patronising in a “woe is me, I’m just trying so hard *sob* to be such a good mum *sob*, my daughters friend can open up to me more than her own mum *sob*”. No. Your just a full of yourself person who looks down on everyone else. Sob.

Just terrible.

[RKreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of the negative reviews of this book seem to focus on the similarity between the plot of this book and the contents of the author's autobiography. I did not rea the autobiography so my review has nothing to do with that.
I do think that most of the issues I have with this book are "me" things that would not bother many other readers:
1. Do not expect plot from this book- there is a plot but it is definitely not the focus and really only kicks in in the last 1/4.
2. I found what little plot there was, insanely predictable and lacking any interesting perspective.
3. I found the writing very repetitive. Many chapters focused on the same sentiments just loosely recorded.

[A book by the Fire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo, a mom of five and living by the sea, juggles a chaotic life, blending parenting, an unruly puppy, a custody battle, and an ex-husband who's a pain. As she navigates new friendships and family dramas in her small beach town, she learns that no one's life is picture-perfect. This heartwarming read touches on both the daily struggles of a mom and the trials of escaping an abusive relationship, offering comfort to readers. The grandma, Pat, steals the show!

Find a full review on my blog: https://abookbythefire.wordpress.com/...

[Kelly Hine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly aware that my 5* rating here is completely biased but I’ve been following the author for years and feel like she’s one of my friends 🤣 Although she has said this is a work of fiction there are so many similarities between the characters/ plot and her own life. It really made me smile and while the writing style isn’t the most refined, I loved the diary layout which enabled the story to ramble in a coherent way. Hope there’s a sequel!

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started this book I tried hard to remember this was a fiction book and not a real
Life story of part time working mummy. It’s a great book makes you feel you know all the characters and the story lines which are intertwined with all the characters. I cried, smiled, laughed and cheered jo on in this book - true friendships shine through, blended families and dramas through out you will feel like you are in the story. I loved it

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. it seemed such an easy ready but an all-around nice ending story that made me smile.
I feel it's very relatable to Rachaele and her past experiences, but that's clearly what's given her the base ground for a story showing what happens in the real life world but with a good support network it doesn't always have to end badly and just because something seems perfect doesn't mean it always is.

[Juliet Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Page 31 - " gotten".
Was nearly The End for me.

But fortunately, it did pick up and was very readable, if a bit preachy and a bit predictable.

Mind you, it's very easy to enjoy 5/6 children in a huge house on the beach when your partner or your inheritances are paying for it all and your mother in law enjoys being your domestic slave.

The sainted mother-in-law, up at the crack of dawn, making pancakes, delivering cups of tea, walking the dogs, doing all the school runs whilst baking brownies; the unbelievable teenage daughter, selfless, considerate and mature... always willing to look after the younger siblings.. yeah, really.....the wonderful handsome, domesticated, emotionally literate partner.... they all grate a bit - but are thankfully offset by the more realistic fractured relationships with Jo's father. True colours.

Also "peddle-boat". Really?

Author appears to be obsessed with cleaning. Maybe a metaphor???

[Hannah Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve read PTWM’s autobiography, there are some similar themes (divorce, blended families, absent parents etc). I found some of the characters similar to those in Racheale’s real life, but what author doesn’t create characters influenced by people they know? The main characters are loveable and the baddies easy to dislike.

For a first dabble into fiction, I think this was a great effort.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a disappointing book.
I listened to the audio book as read by the author.
I found this to be just too realistic and appeared to be the actual journal of the author and her life.
It felt quite immaturely written in journal form and perhaps should have just stayed in her private journal.
I won’t be in a hurry to read another of her books.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst I really enjoyed this novel, it did feel to me a bit like her auto-biography, (which I’ve read and really enjoyed)Maybe next time she should write about things that aren’t the same as her own family.
A very good debut novel though l, I give it 7/10 (4 Stars)

[Mrs S Ellsmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much depth and warmth

I loved reading this story and I can't wait for more. You really feel like you are apart of the main characters life and family. The characters are full of depth and well rounded.
Showing how complicated lives can still be full of love laughter and heart.