The Happiest Ever After by Milly Johnson

 

The Happiest Ever After by Milly Johnson.

Published 15th February 2024 by Simon and Schuster.

From the cover of the book:

Polly Potter is surviving, not thriving. She used to love her job – until her mentor died and her new boss decided to make her life hell. She used to love her partner Chris – until he cheated on her, and now she can’t forget. The only place where her life is working is on the pages of the novel she is writing – there she can create a feistier, bolder, more successful version of herself – as the ­fictional Sabrina Anderson.

But what if it was possible to start over again? To leave everything behind, forget all that went before, and live the life you’d always dreamed of?

After a set of unforeseen circumstances, Polly ends up believing she really IS Sabrina, living at the heart of a noisy Italian family restaurant by the sea. Run by Teddy, the son of her new landlady Marielle, it’s a much-loved place, facing threat of closure as a rival restaurant moves in next door. Sabrina can’t remember her life as Polly, but she knows she is living a different life from the one she used to have.

But what if this new life could belong to her after all?

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Somewhere along the line, Polly Potter's life has taken a wrong turn. She used to love her job helping failing business on the way to success, until her beloved boss died and was replaced by one who constantly side-lines and belittles her. She used to love her partner Chris too, but there is no denying she is now desperately unhappy in her relationship, especially since she discovered he was having an affair. Polly's respite comes from the characters she writes in the stories she works on with her creative writing group - especially the fictional Sabrina Anderson, who has developed into a bolder and braver version of herself.

Polly has come to realise that she needs to make some changes, and the first one is to leave Chris and make a fresh start. However, after a massive shock at the venue where Polly's unpleasant sister-in-law was supposed to be renewing her vows, her exit plan goes awry. Polly ends up making an unplanned, hasty escape for the seaside town of Shoresend, where she meets with an accident... and when she awakens, her confused state leads her to believe that she really is the feisty Sabrina.

Taken in by the warm hearted Marielle Bonelli, 'Sabrina' finds herself working at the much-loved Italian restaurant owned by Marielle's son, Teddy - a family business facing closure after suffering from a dirty tricks campaign by the chain of soulless Italian restaurants that plan to open up next door. Sabrina has arrived just in time... she may not remember who she really is, but she does know a thing or two about saving businesses from her life as Polly. This could be the perfect way to pay back the people who have shown her such kindness - particularly Teddy - and work through her own issues too. Maybe Sabrina and Polly can be one and the same after all?

The story begins with a tense countdown to the renewal of vows ceremony for Polly's horrendous sister-in-law, the hilariously named Camay (which constantly reminded my of the pink soap from my childhood), in which Johnson gives you a maddening eyeful of Polly's personal and professional lives. It then unfurls through the very best kind of 'memory loss' caper from 'Sabrina's' arrival among the Bonetti family, where she proves to be the catalyst to the resolution of family dramas, and the fight to save the family restaurant business - after the required number of bumps in the road to the 'happiest ever after', of course. Hurray!

As expected, it is Johnson's female characters that steal the show, beginning with Polly's journey to be her best self as Sabrina, and taking in a choice cast of women of all ages, including Marielle's delightful friends, the Mad Cows. Through them, Johnson explores a wealth of themes around marriage, motherhood, expectation, and the joys and heartache of different kinds of families, which evoke so many emotional highs and lows - before building up to the kind of ending that makes your eyes brim over with happy tears. Johnson's sparkling wit is threaded throughout, and her fans will be delighted to see the Daily Trumpet making an appearance once more - particularly the lovely way Johnson involves them in the Polly-Sabrina story to wonderfully comic effect.

I adored this novel. Milly Johnson's stories are always full of great characters to love and loathe; the warmth of true friendship; gentle romances to swell your heart; and a delicious sense of community; while also exploring many a knotty issues around love, loss, and difficult relationships - and The Happiest Ever After, Johnson's twenty-first book, does all of this to perfection. It is the ideal, escapist antidote to a grey Winter's day. 

The Happiest Ever After is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Books and the City for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and has sold millions of copies of her books sold across the world. The Happiest Ever After is her twenty-first novel.

 Milly's writing highlights the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. Her books inspire and uplift but she packs a punch and never shies away from the hard realities of life and the complexities of relationships in her stories. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility and joy of second chances and renaissances.