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Sometimes, life hands us a restart button that clears everything out of our lives and allows us to start fresh. And in Happily Whatever After by Stewart Lewis, one woman loses the life she thought she loved and is forced to try again in a new city.
The story starts over with thirty-something Page, who just lost both her boyfriend and her art gallery job in New York City. With nothing keeping her in the Big Apple, she moves in with her older brother, Brady, in Washington, DC. But instead of starting a fabulous new life, she finds herself single and jobless, spending her days reading a trashy novel on a bench in a dog park—even though she doesn’t own a dog. And that’s where she meets an eccentric group of dog owners and their pets who inspire her to go after her dreams.
The characters that Page meets at the dog park are as delightfully quirky as their pets. Some have names and personalities and stories of their own; others just have a brief description and the nicknames that Page has given them. But all of them together bring the dog park to life. You’ll anticipate Page’s next visit, wondering who will be there and what kind of strange conversations they’ll have. And the rich and fabulous dog owners—and their equally rich and fabulous connections—inspire Page to go after a dream that she never even knew she had: to open her own art gallery.
The dog park also adds a touch of romance to the story after Page eyes the handsome dog owner that she nicknames Banana Republic (or BR for short). The mysterious winery owner with a talented teen daughter inspires Page to work toward one of her other goals: to start a new relationship.
The story has some surprisingly heartfelt moments, too. Page may flounder through her new life in DC, and the highlight of her days is the time she spends hanging out at a dog park—despite the fact that she doesn’t have a dog. But her life is shaken in a number of ways during her transition. And while her exploits are often wildly entertaining, you might just shed a tear or two along the way, too.
Happily Whatever After is hilarious and sometimes heartwarming—a story about hitting rock bottom and finding your future in the most unlikely places. It’s an entertaining read—but, if you find yourself not quite living your best life, it’ll give you a little bit of hope and inspiration, too.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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