This post may contain affiliate links for products and services I recommend. This means that I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links. At no additional cost to you, of course!
Looking for a light-hearted, sexy New Adult book with a hot male MC who struggles with his mental health? I recommend Some Sort of Happy! 😉 Scroll for the details.
Title: Some Sort of Happy
Author: Melanie Harlow
Pages: 329 (eBook)
Narration: 1st person, dual point of view (Skylar & Sebastian)
Genres: New Adult Romance
Installment: standalone
Tropes: class reunion, popular girl & freak
Skylar and Sebastian were polar opposites in high school. Skylar was popular and everybody saw Sebastian as the freak loner. Now, ten years later, the two meet again when both return to their home town. Skylar wanted to be an actress, but after years of failure and a reality tv show that painted her as the villain, there was nothing left for her to do but return to her family home. Savvy Sebastian was convinced he would spend the rest of his life alone after what happened in New York. But what happens when Skylar takes an interest in him?
OCD Killer Thoughts
This was the first New Adult book I’ve read where a character has a mental illness and I’m delightfully impressed. Sebastian’s OCD is centered around his thoughts of hurting or killing somebody, which is very interesting because I haven’t heard of “OCD killer thoughts” before. When I researched it, however, I learned that it appears to be more common than I initially thought. I’m very grateful the author brought this aspect of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to light and gave it some room to breathe in her novel. Otherwise, I might have never known about it.
I have to learn to accept it as part of me without being its victim, without sacrificing my entire life to it.
Relatable, Real, Some sort of Happy
The portrayal of his illness feels very normal. It shows Sebastian’s everyday struggle with OCD, but also the struggles he has that have nothing to do with the affliction. It feels very normal, very real, but not in a darkly intense way compared to other books. I was also pleasantly surprised to read that Sebastian is very open and honest about his mental health, which is sadly not always the case among people with a mental illness, but especially among men with mental health struggles.
Now, let’s talk about Skylar, shall we? Skylar is, at least for me, a very relatable character and I believe many would agree with me here. Unless you’re a person who has always known what they wanted to be and went a straight line from high school to college to work. I’m not that person and I believe many will identify themselves with Skylar in that regard.
Where we would love each other and explore each other and hurt each other and forgive each other and find grace in one another’s bodies and souls
Realistically flawed
In my eyes, Some Sort of Happy is a very realistic portrayal of a healthy relationship where one partner has a mental illness. It’s an up and down, sometimes there are bad days and sometimes there are better days. But they both aren’t perfect and they both mess up. Sebastian isn’t the only one who makes mistakes and his mistakes aren’t always because of his OCD.
Equal parts funny, hot and sweet, this is a New Adult book you don’t want to miss.
Did I succeed in making you want to read Some Sort of Happy by Melanie Harlow? If so, you can buy a copy here: Amazon USA
