Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
----------
For over eighty years, Joy Bridport has played by the rules: she's been a devoted wife and mother, contributing to the community in her small Hudson Valley town. But her quiet existence is jolted when she learns that her best friend, Hazel, only has months left to live. Hazel has always been the more adventurous one of their duo, and she seems at peace with all that she’s squeezed out of her long life. Yet Joy realizes she can’t say the same.

Determined to live boldly and make the most of the time that she and Hazel have left together, Joy steps outside of her comfort zone—and into a bit of trouble. But as her foray into rule-breaking escalates into committing petty crime, Joy must consider what kind of legacy she wants to leave behind, and whether there's a way for her to embrace the liberation that "Bad Joy" offers without losing all that she holds dear.

Is it ever too late to become who we're meant to be? With laugh-out-loud hijnks and emotional heft, Good Joy, Bad Joy is a heartwarming and wise celebration of the choices we make, the friendships we cherish, and the lengths we go for love.
----------
I have come to really enjoy reading stories that pay tribute to the enduring power of women's friendships, and Brammer's latest offering fit right into that category for me. Her lifelong friendship with Hazel served as a central theme in this book, and the way she grew as a person as their friendship experienced a kind of role reversal was explored very well. I think it will resonate with many women as it often becomes a reality for as we age and enter later stages of our lives. However, I don't think this book is only for the mature reader, as these themes of friendship are universal and can be enjoyed by all ages.

I also enjoyed Joy's transformation from "Good Joy" to "Bad Joy," as she realized that she had led a bit of a buttoned-up life and perhaps had done herself a disservice in doing so. Some of her Bad Joy moments, I have to admit, made me uncomfortable (It appears I may be a good girl at heart.), but they were key to her growth. Much like Brammer's debut novel, The Collected Regrets of Clover, this book left me with some things to think about regarding my own life and how I am living it, and in my opinion, that is a hallmark of a great read.

View all my reviews