The Happiest Ever After by Milly Johnson

 

Polly Potter is sick of being taken for granted both at home and at work. If only she could be as brave as her fictional creation, Sabrina Anderson. Following a knock to the head Polly wakes in a strange town with no memories at all apart from her name, Sabrina.

Fans of Milly Johnson know that the one thing you are guaranteed when you begin one of her novels is a heart-warming story of self-discovery and The Happiest Ever After offers just that. 

Polly Potter has lived with partner Chris for almost ten years and is fed up. When she caught Chris having an affair a year ago she walked out on him but he begged her to return, promising things would be different. They were, for a few weeks, but now she's back to being taken for granted. The more you learn about the relationship between the couple the more you wonder what Polly saw in Chris in the first place.

Work is just as bad. Her boss, Jeremy, is a misogynist who frequently undermines Polly and doesn't give her credit for her brilliant ideas. The only positive thing at work is her colleague, Sheridan, but she's about to go on maternity leave.

The one light in Polly's life is the creative writing class she attends in secret. Her fledgling novel features Sabrina Anderson, a woman who is the complete opposite of Polly.

From the very beginning of the novel you are giggling, Milly Johnson manages to fit so many hilarious situations into such a short space of time. There's a wedding dress that makes the wearer resemble a flying squirrel if they put their arms out, Polly's eventual showdown with her boss and an incident with dog poo that will have you cheering. Alongside this are the regular hilarious snippets from the Daily Trumpet.

When Polly loses her memory she is befriended by Marielle and her family. Marielle hopes that space and time will allow Polly's memory to slowly recover. Not all of Marielle's friends and family are in agreement however, they believe she's too naive, having been conned before.

Friendship is a strong theme in many of Milly Johnson's novels. It is lovely to read about women supporting women, being non-judgmental. It is also reassuring to see inter-generational friendships play a strong part in the storyline. Family, on the other hand, is a little different. You don't get a choice about the family you are born into but, you do get a choice about which families you join and this is the moral of the story. 

I found the insight into how writers work interesting. The notion that they harvest ideas and conversations from what goes on around them and this got me wondering. Do any of Milly Johnson's family and friends recognise themselves in her novels?

The Happiest Ever After by Milly Johnson will be published on 15th February 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for a review copy.