Waiting on Wednesday: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW selection is...



Title:  This Is What Happy Looks Like

Author:  Jennifer E. Smith

Series:  n/a

Publisher:  Poppy

Publication Date:  April 2, 2013

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith's new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O'Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's first names.

Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don't tell each other everything; Graham doesn't know the major secret hidden in Ellie's family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.

When the location for the shoot of Graham's new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie's mom want her to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.

Why I'm waiting:  That cover is adorable!  Okay, that's not the reason, but I had to get that off my chest first.  I'll admit it, I have both The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and The Storm Makers sitting on my shelf...unread.  But I WANT to read them.  And I have faith that once I finally make time for them in my reading schedule, I will adore them as much as the cover of This Is What Happy Looks Like.  I mean, everyone -- and I do mean everyone -- I know who has read TSPoLaFS has loved it.  That many people can't be wrong.

And this book sounds full of win.  Sounds like Mom is keeping a big secret, possibly about Ellie's paternity?  Plus, the main characters bond over a pet pig?  That's got cute written all over it!  Also, I love when two people from completely different worlds fall for each other and hijinks ensue because they are SO different. 

Yeah, April can't come soon enough.  I'm pretty sure I can at least have TSPoLaFS read by then, though.  =)

Labels: beautiful covers, contemporary, hachette, jennifer e. smith, waiting on wednesday (wow)