Some Kind of Happiness

By: Claire Legrand

Narrated by: Tina Wolstencroft

Things Finley Hart doesn't want to talk about:

- Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they're not.)

- Being sent to her grandparents' house for the summer.

- Never having met said grandparents.

- Her blue days—when life feels overwhelming, and it's hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.)

Finley's only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her grandparents' house and realizes the Everwood is real—and holds more mysteries than she'd ever imagined, including a family of pirates that she isn't allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a strange old wizard living in a house made of bones. With the help of her cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the frightening sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants to save the Everwood, she'll first have to save herself.

Contains mature themes.

©2016 Claire Legrand (P)2023 Tantor

long time fan

I've loved this book for years. The descriptions of Finley's struggles resonated with me so much when I first read it, and I feel like I've read(heard) it completely different now. Like an old friend you haven't hugged for a while- you recognize them, but you've both grown up, so you feel it in a new way. This reader was lovely, and I couldn't praise her performance enough. Her voices for characters aren't technically different, of course, but she puts different emotion into each one. She just completely expands the experience for me- 10/10

Not what I expected

1.5 stats actually. If you're looking for a summer read with feel good vibes, this is not the one!! It is sad all throughout, the story is dragging on and on.. could have been a lot shorter! The main character is a very depressed / anxious child and it never gets better.. the story thus is infused with this depression and it is not a fun read at all! It gets heavy and tiresome mainly because 90% of it focuses on describing her feelings. It's also not a good representation of mental health issues. It is dark and heavy and doesn't really go anywhere... The adults in this book are insufferable! They lie, where masks of perfection, gaslight their children and grandchildren, are self absorbed and give of this feeling of superiority. I hated the grandmother.. that's a person I could never be around! The only thing I liked was the friendship between the kids. It was pure and beautiful, they were friends no matter what the adults said.