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Reasons to Be Happy

by Katrina Kittle (Goodreads Author)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 330 ratings · 82 reviews

REASONS TO BE HAPPY

21. Cat purr vibrating through your skin
22. Jumping on a trampoline in the rain
23. Raw cookie dough
24. Getting yourself all freaked out after a scary movie
25. Dancing like an idiot when no one is watching

What happened to the girl who wrote those things? I miss that girl. She used to be bold and fun. Now she's a big chicken loser.

How could so much cha...more

Paperback, 281 pages

Published October 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

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Mar 19, 2012 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reasons to Be Happy tricked me. I thought I was in for a light hearted read. Heavens was I wrong.

I won't give a summary of the book, because you can read that in other reviews. I'll just get right to the critique.

I didn't really know much about eating disorders, so I was in for an educational experience. I also knew nothing about Africa. Those were two things that I semi enjoyed reading. (Really, the binging and purging just ruined my mood. Definitely not a place you want to be in.)

There is litt...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Bobbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng-356-to-be-graded

I was pulled in by the cover of this book. It looked so fun and happy. As I entered the life of Hannah Carlisle, I hurt for her and longed with her to be able to find the bravery she had once possessed. This book is a great read and deals with real issues head on. Alcoholism, bulemia (and anorexia), cancer, death, sexual pressures, body image issues, bullying, poverty - it's all in there.

This book will suck you in as you journey with Hannah, and ultimately, you will have discovered a little more...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: eating-disorders, friendship, realistic-fiction, loss, favorites

I found this poignant story about Hannah, an 8th grade girl with movie star parents who is trying to fit in at a Beverly Hills school, to be very readable and realistic. Hannah struggles with bulimia as a way to deal with her body image issues and losses, and--to its credit-- this book doesn't shy away from the physical and psychological misery the disease ultimately creates -- it will definitely help adolescent girls understand better the reality of eating disorders and how they progress from a...more

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Dec 25, 2011 drey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, fiction-contemporary, ya

drey’s thoughts:
Hannah Carlisle should be on top of the world. Her parents are movie stars. She herself is an artist and an athlete. Her life is good…

Then she starts at a new school, and all at once everything changes. Why? Because she can’t seem to get herself—her real self—unstuck from the person she becomes with the group she hangs out with at school… Seems like an easy solution: stop hanging out with that group! But Hannah’s bravery has deserted her, and she can’t. So she finds another way...more drey’s thoughts:
Hannah Carlisle should be on top of the world. Her parents are movie stars. She herself is an artist and an athlete. Her life is good…

Then she starts at a new school, and all at once everything changes. Why? Because she can’t seem to get herself—her real self—unstuck from the person she becomes with the group she hangs out with at school… Seems like an easy solution: stop hanging out with that group! But Hannah’s bravery has deserted her, and she can’t. So she finds another way to deal with that stress.

I couldn’t believe that such a lovely and talented girl would fall prey to the clutches of the mean girls at school, right from the get-go. Then again, I was never in that situation, so I’m not in any position to say what could be real or not… I wanted to read this book to see how an author addresses one of the many problems that our young girls and women face as they battle their own body image. And see how a young girl’s own self-image could become so skewed.

What happened to Hannah can happen to any other eighth-grader, or any other young girl or woman you know. We are too often bombarded with negativity–we’re too fat, too tall, to short, too flat, etc. Even when we do well at school or other pursuits, even to those who love us best, it seems our looks are still our most-used measuring stick–and we never seem to measure up. Why is that?

Who defines beautiful? Is it the media? The entertainment industry? Our families? Friends? Acquaintances we barely know? Whose opinion carries the most weight? Why? And most importantly (to me at least): Why do we give control of our own selves over to those who certainly (usually?) don’t give a rat’s behind what happens to us? And what can we do about it? Ok, so maybe I’m being a little harsh–after all, we expect that our parents and loved ones do give a rat’s patootie. And we’re all just a bit (hah!) too sensitive…

Hannah’s being “outed” by her aunt is one step towards recognition, and possible recovery. And when she has to go to Ghana for four weeks, that’s four weeks dedicated to something other–other than thinking and stressing about her self, her weight, her insecurities… Can she keep up the progress once she’s back in the USA though? You’ll have to read Reasons to be Happy to find out.

drey’s rating: Pick it up! We need more books like this to reinforce a healthier self-image for our young girls and women! And not just books and messages; we also need to follow through with action. What we say and do is definitely worth more than what we say to do!(less)

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Nov 23, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I was honestly surprised at how honest and genuine this book was. Hannah Carlisle is the plain daughter of gorgeous actors Caleb and Annabeth. She's always felt inadequate compared to them, but hasn't let it get to her until she starts at a new school and falls into the mean, popular crowd. The girls she begins hanging around with prevent her from being herself, and she starts feeling trapped and desperate, having lost her true identity. Even though she feels insignificant in this group of popul...more

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Oct 16, 2011 A Canadian Girl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, 4-stars, sourcebooks

Katrina Kittle’s Reasons to Be Happy is a book that explores the overarching theme of beauty. Juxtaposing Hannah’s North American life with the time she spends in Ghana, Kittle allows Hannah to realize that inner beauty and learning to accept oneself are much more important than outer beauty; and in the process, enables Hannah to see the little joys in life once again.

Hannah is a girl that anyone can relate to, especially tweens – the intended target of Reasons to Be Happy. Feeling like you don’...more

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Aug 15, 2011 Melanie Goodman added it

Middle school is hard enough without being the daughter of two celebrities. Eighth grader Hannah’s parents are actors, and her aunt creates award-winning documentaries. The expectations seem pretty high in a family of “perfect” people. Hannah feels constant pressure to be “perfect,” too. Though her mom says, “pretty is as pretty does,” she still feels an underlying push to be physically beautiful. When her mom dies, though, Hannah turns to bulimia–her secret remedy–for support. Her eating disord...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

There were many reasons I loved Reasons to Be Happy:

1. I sometimes make lists of things that make me happy, and rereading them always makes me happy. It was fun to see that some of the things that made Hannah's list were also things that made mine. Like the smell when the first raindrops hit the cement...

2. I could certainly relate to the willingness to lose oneself in order to gain acceptance by others rather than be authentic at the risk of being alone. I was so proud that Hannah came back aro...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bullying, high-school-books, middle-school-books, multicultural, realistic-fiction

Hannah's pretty-good life starts to slip away when she moves to LA (from Ohio) to accommodate her parents' acting careers, her mother's cancer is advancing, and she loses track of how to be herself when she starts a new school where she is immediately recruited into the oh-so-cool, but not-so-nice B-girls' gang, and a very good looking boy who is in her father's movie shows an interest. Bulimia becomes Hannah's secret remedy. Bullying is not the central conflict in this story, but it is signific...more

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May 22, 2012 Danielle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I was disappointed in this book. Hannah, the main character develops an eating disorder as a method of control in her uncontrollable life. OK, I can agree with that. The build up of how she slides into the disorder was decent, the thoughts of control all that. That part I had no problem with, and though was decently written. What annoyed me was that she was cured in a month. Not. Possible. And it disrespect everyone who deals with this struggle every day. She makes a couple of visits to a therap...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Emily rated it 1 of 5 stars

To be perfectly honest, I didn't like this book at all. I went to Barnes and Noble one day and I picked it out because of the pretty cover. I read it over the summer, thinking it was a wonderful book about a girl that gets through life's challenges. Boy, was I wrong. Hannah Carlisle's mother has died from cancer. Her father then starts drinking, and her world turns upside down. Hannah takes on an eating disorder which she called her "Secret Remedy" or "SR". After that, there is a lot more very d...more

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Nov 13, 2011 Mary (BookHounds) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, from-publisher-author, arc, young-adult

Hannah the daughter of two famous celebrities in Hollywood where looks rule over substance. Normal teenage body issues are magnified because of who her parents are -- beautiful, talented, rich and very well known. She falls subject to peer pressure trying to be what she is not and while her body is still developing, she turns to bulimia to control the fears and insecurities all teens face. While the story is heartbreaking, Hannah shows the readers that there is hope for recovery when she travels...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Aubree rated it 4 of 5 stars

Summary and Review by Aubree Bartlett

Reasons to Be Happy
By Katrina Kittle
Realistic Fiction
281 Pages

Over the summer I read Reasons to Be Happy. The story was told in the first person. The sixth grade girl Hannah, who told the story talked about how she is not pretty like her mom. She did not have many friends nor was she confident about the way she looked. Her mom was a famous actress that was very beautiful which caused Hannah to feel even more insecure about her body. As the story progresses Ha...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Moonlight Gleam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reasons To Be Happy centers in on the life of Hannah Carlisle, a young girl with lists of many favorite things that make her happy. Although these lists serve as a reminder of the positive things in her life, behind the words and joyful memories, Hannah slowly begins to lose her happiness.

Hannah’s parents are successful and glamorous actors, yet Hannah feels as though she doesn’t belong, as though she isn’t as beautiful as they are. Hannah faces a very difficult time in her life where everythin...more Reasons To Be Happy centers in on the life of Hannah Carlisle, a young girl with lists of many favorite things that make her happy. Although these lists serve as a reminder of the positive things in her life, behind the words and joyful memories, Hannah slowly begins to lose her happiness.

Hannah’s parents are successful and glamorous actors, yet Hannah feels as though she doesn’t belong, as though she isn’t as beautiful as they are. Hannah faces a very difficult time in her life where everything seems to go wrong, her mother is very ill, Hannah is struggling to be accepted by others at school, and what she wants most is to make her parents proud her and of the way she looks. There is only one thing that Hannah finds to make all her problems go away, her new found friendship with bulimia. Will Hannah use her lists of reasons to be happy to bring her old self back?

There are many elements of Reasons To Be Happy that made this novel such a wonderful read. I would first like to say that I highly recommend this novel to be read, especially by young teens. Katrina Kittle’s novel discusses a very important issue that more people should be aware of, without sugarcoating any of the detailed descriptions of this eating disorder.

Hannah is easy to relate to, especially to those who are struggling with eating disorders or those who feel all alone in the world, as though they don’t belong. Her father is also going through his own issues to overcome his loss. Once realizing that they need to come together during this difficult time, things seem to get better for the two of them, but not without great effort and determination to want to get better.

Hannah’s aunt Izzy was my favorite character along with Jasper as they were portrayed just as real as Hannah was. Izzy was straightforward with her, related with Hannah with her own battle with an eating disorder in the past. Izzy did all she could to help Hannah overcome her eating disorder, and find another way to mend her problems. Jasper never judged Hannah even after the discovery of her disorder. He saw the beauty she had within, and loved her for who she really was behind the wall she put up.

I was really sad when Hannah stopped writing lists of reasons to be happy and it was really heartbreaking reading how Hannah struggled through this really hard time in her life. Hannah loses her mother to cancer, and feels as though she needs to be pretty just like her mother was; this all made my feel as though I had this huge weight on my chest that belonged to Hannah. Readers will definitely feel the emotions Hannah goes through, they will laugh and cry with her and take her by the hand every step of the way.

Katrina Kittle is a fantastic author wonderfully portrayed a realistic story about a girl struggling with an eating disorder. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Katrina Kittle’s work. If you have not yet read this novel, don’t wait any longer!

I recommend Reasons to be Happy to Young Adult and Middle Grade readers.

5/5 - Must Read! Highly Recommended!(less)

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Feb 06, 2013 Jes Singer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sweet short young adult novel. I LOVED the author's other novels (Kindness of Strangers, Travelling Light, Blessings of the Animals), which were regular adult contemporary fiction. This was not as good as those (perhaps by virtue of the genre) but still a very enjoyable read with some interesting twists and great characters. Daughter of rising movie stars transplanted to L.A., trying to fit in, struggles with bulimia ... nothing super original there but the heroine Hannah (a fantastic character!...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

OK, here's MY "reason to be happy" today - I just finished reading this young adult novel, and I loved it because it actually moved me enough to bring tears to my eyes. I think girls everywhere can identify with Hannah's insecurities, even if the details about her "Secret Remedy" are a bit frightening to read about. I especially love how, despite it all, Hannah is ultimately full of hope and happiness, and not because of any huge new change that occurs to her, but because she is finally able to...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Midnight Bloom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Katrina Kittle's Reasons to Be Happy is directed to the perfect audience of young teenage girls who are just beginning to discover their changing bodies as they grow up. In our world today, there are so many ideals of what constitutes beauty and the perfect body type... but are we ever truly comfortable with our body images? I don't think so, and it's novels like this one which can educate its audiences for the better.

Reasons to Be Happy focuses on Hannah, the only daughter of two famous Hollywo...more Katrina Kittle's Reasons to Be Happy is directed to the perfect audience of young teenage girls who are just beginning to discover their changing bodies as they grow up. In our world today, there are so many ideals of what constitutes beauty and the perfect body type... but are we ever truly comfortable with our body images? I don't think so, and it's novels like this one which can educate its audiences for the better.

Reasons to Be Happy focuses on Hannah, the only daughter of two famous Hollywood celebrities, and her struggles with bulimia to deal with a life that quickly seems to be spiraling out of control. Compared to her beautiful parents, she feels fat, awkward and not pretty... and bulimia becomes a poor solution to her problems, especially when she falls under the negative influence of a group of girls at her school who practically encourage her to do so. Perhaps because the novel moved at such a fast pace, it wasn't always easy for me to relate with Hannah. The book would swiftly move onto the next event before I could emotionally invest myself more in the story...

There are a lot of sudden changes in Hannah's life and she certainly has a lot on her plate, but at the same time, my own personality is so completely different from hers that it was difficult for me to understand her actions. If a group of girls were treating me that badly, I wouldn't have wasted my time with them, preferring solitude if need be. I guess, I wanted her to stick up for herself more! The novel later takes a surprising turn by transporting readers to Africa where Hannah's aunt is working on a documentary... and I was glad Hannah was finally able to gain more perspective and grasp how truly privileged she was. But most of all, I was glad that Hannah was able to finally accept that she was beautiful just the way she was.

Katrina Kittle's middle grade debut novel Reasons to Be Happy should be commended for showing readers the importance of accepting ourselves for the people we are and how we're all beautiful in our own ways. It's not as hard-hitting for a novel that deals with a social issue, but then again, I wouldn't expect it be considering the age group it is geared more towards. (Not that older audiences wouldn't also enjoy reading the novel too!) And as you continue to read along, you'll be supporting Hanna in rediscovering her reasons to be happy!(less)

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Jun 13, 2012 Sydney L rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I have to get this out first: To anyone who is reading this, please, please, do not convince yourself that you need to change because people don't like you. Each and everyone of you are special.

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (kind of my definition, because in the summary it didn't say anything about this)*

Anyway, this was a really good book. It was well-written. It was so descriptive about bulimia, that when it described her eating, it actually made me almost want to throw up myself, from all that...more

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May 05, 2012 Pooja Jeevagan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked it up because of the real good average rating it has on GoodReads...and I am giving it a 3 n not 2 for an honest reason....I guess it's really tough for me to connect to an early teenager's story...sadly, I have grown up from that stage...

But all said and done...the book was good...it portrays an eight standard's life as realistically as it could (and yeah, she being from an affluent family and all helped all the jazz become believable)....the way things weren't changed overnight...the...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Dana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Don't judge this book by it's cover...I did and was expecting a cute story about a plucky young girl who was dealing with your average middle school life drama. Nope, this was not a "cute" story at all but rather an intense and sad tale of a young girl going through the loss of her mother to cancer while battling with bulimia. At first I found it hard to like Hannah and felt that the author didn't give enough of her before story to make me feel anything but pity for her, but by the end I found m...more

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May 16, 2012 hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Like many others, I thought this was going to be a light read. Like everybody else, I was wrong.
With the title Reasons to Be Happy, you'd think it would be a "happy" story. Instead you got eating a book about eating disorders. To me the supporting characters were more interesting than the lead(A.K.A Modesta and Jasper), and the binging/purging episodes were more than a little disgusting. Also I found the ending to be a little rushed. All in all though, it wasn't too bad of a book, just not what...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Brei M added it Recommends it for: Nope, Not a soul

Recommended to Brei by: A very mean person who wished to see me suffer

Shelves: hotmess, made-me-want-to-cry, why-oh-why-oh-why, missleading-titles

Reasons to be happy was a book that made me feel..................... well, CHEATED. In the title it says "Reasons to be happy." So why did I feel so sad and depressed after finishing this book!!!!! The book was interesting, don't get me wrong, it taught me about bulimia(more than I bargained for), and the life of a teen with super star parents(great way to make me wish my parents were beautiful and on T.V all the time), but i felt like the story was just pushing it's FML in my face. I get okay,...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seeing Katrina Kittle's name, I automatically reserved Reasons to Be Happy at my library, not realizing that it is a "young adult" book. Regardless, I read and enjoyed the book, falling in love with the narrator, 13-year old Hannah, from the first page. She seemed like I girl I would have wanted to be friends with, with everything going for her. Of course, as in most cases, everything is not as it seems. Hannah has many serious issues to deal with, and the book deals with her struggles.

There ar...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Skyla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, cancer, need-lots-of-tissues

I honestly don't have much to say about this book as it was a hard read for me. I really need to move away from reading books about cancer that make me all triggery.

So instead of a review I decided to list some of my reasons to be happy.

1) The feel of love that radiates from cats when they are happy and feel safe.

2) Darrel Lee's Green Apple Liquorice

3) The smell of the sea.

4) Jumping on a trampoline and doing back flips.

5) The rush of air passed your face as you do the highest cliff jump and the...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-my-shelf, 2012-reading-challenge, coming-of-age, travel, young-adult, review

See more of my reviews on my blog Thoughts At One In The Morning.

My Thoughts:

I picked this one up at the store as an impulse buy. The colorful cover caught my attention. Then the premise of a girl who wrote a list of reasons to be happy and wondered what happened to herself felt like it fit the moment I’m in right now. Caught between the person I used to be when I was younger (full of dreams and hopes and inspiration and imagination) to the person I am now (still have all the above, but it got p...more See more of my reviews on my blog Thoughts At One In The Morning.

My Thoughts:

I picked this one up at the store as an impulse buy. The colorful cover caught my attention. Then the premise of a girl who wrote a list of reasons to be happy and wondered what happened to herself felt like it fit the moment I’m in right now. Caught between the person I used to be when I was younger (full of dreams and hopes and inspiration and imagination) to the person I am now (still have all the above, but it got put to the side because of adult obligations). Plus, I love lists.

This book goes much deeper than some list. It deals with HUGE issues: cancer, death, alcoholism, bulimia, peer pressure, being bullied… and Hannah had to face it all at once. She was trying to keep a sense of self and not let others dictate to her how to live. She wanted to be popular and not lose herself in the process. She keeps referring back to the list she used to write before everything changed. Where did that go? What makes you, you?

The girls at the new school were definitely mean girls (like on the movie by that name), and the guy she had a crush on, Kevin... total. complete. douche. If I ever wanted to hurt a guy, it’d be him. Her Aunt Izzy was wonderful. She knew and understood what Hannah was going through.

The list was definitely something grand. It makes you want to write a list yourself. I want to start one! The story takes a twist on you at one point, including a trip away from her home, but that’s when everything is eye-opening. Hannah learns about herself in ways she never imagined possible. Since this whole part is too important for those who haven’t read it, I won’t detail it too much. I’ll just say it was a great way to bring out who Hannah really is and it makes you love her despite all the dumb things she had done.

Reasons To Be Happy was a very good book. Katrina Kittle takes us through the eyes of one person and opens up the world of the little choices. Hannah’s little choices make you think about your own little choices. Her list makes you want to get up and do something to be happy. Everyone deserves a reason to be happy, and I think everyone needs to find it. Maybe something in Hannah’s list can trigger a positive change in your own life, or remind you of something you used to be and want to be again. In any case, it’s just a good book, check it out!

My Rating:

Very Good: Stay up late(less)

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Dec 13, 2011 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, contemporary, middle-grade

Katrina Kittle’s portrayal of Hannah struggling with an eating disorder was really realistic especially given that this is a middle grade read. She shows us some of the horrible effects that bulimia has and how it changes the person. It was honest and truthful yet the more I read the more I felt for Hannah and what she was going through…wishing somehow that she can come out of it in the end.

In the beginning when Hannah first started using her “secret remedy” as she called it, I saw her as being...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Angelc rated it 4 of 5 stars

I usually consider it a spoiler to reveal too much more than what the back cover of a book delivers, but this book is about bulimia. I thought I knew what bulimia was before I read this book, but I realize now I barely knew anything. The author paints a gruesome look at all of the dirty, embarrassing details of the eating disorder, without sugar coating anything. She creates an honest, and still very compassionate, view of a young girl with bulimia.

I think this book could be really helpful if yo...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 out of 5 rating

Okay, a little random side note. I read this whole book thinking about how this was a new-to-me author. And when I was done, I was thinking what an amazing book this was. Then I was reading the author part of the book and realized that Katrina Kittle also wrote The Kindness of Strangers. I was thinking that I remembered enjoying the book and so I tried to find my review on the blog, but I read it before I started this blog, so I went to goodreads and realized that I gave that...more 4.5 out of 5 rating

Okay, a little random side note. I read this whole book thinking about how this was a new-to-me author. And when I was done, I was thinking what an amazing book this was. Then I was reading the author part of the book and realized that Katrina Kittle also wrote The Kindness of Strangers. I was thinking that I remembered enjoying the book and so I tried to find my review on the blog, but I read it before I started this blog, so I went to goodreads and realized that I gave that book 5 stars! That is a high, high compliment from me. I almost never give 5 stars! So just realize how amazing Katrina Kittle is!

Okay, on to the review. First off, this book should mandatory for every single junior high student (or girl at least) to read in some health class. Bulimia is such an important topic and this book covers it in a way that is so very detailed yet not preachy at all. I feel like on one hand, it shows the pros (no, not pros, there are no pros, but I can't think of another word) of an eating disorder...it doesn't just gloss over it like teens will never have a problem and bulimia is so gross..yadda yadda. I think that if a teen already has an eating disorder, he/she would be able to identify with Hannah and this book would help a teen overcome the disorder. Yet at the same time, I think that it shows how horrific bulimia is and that hopefully teens who don't already have an eating disorder would realize that beauty is deeper than the outside of a person and that there are other ways to overcome stressful/upsetting times.

That being said, I loved Hannah. She was just such a real teenager. You could feel her pain and her want to be happy. And the journey she took was such an important one. Both in the literal sense, of going to Ghana, and of the metaphorical sense, of trying to overcome her eating disorder. And Aunt Izzy. Everyone needs an adult in their life like her. Someone who's not critical, is there for you and wants to help.

And I loved reading the lists on things to be happy about. I found myself saying "yup" or "that makes me happy too" too most of them! So here's a brief look at my happy list:

1) Cuddling up on the couch with my hubby and puppy
2) Looking at my wedding photos
3)Going out with the girls
4)Cheering on the Gators at the Swamp
5) Getting a compliment from a stranger

I just can't express how much I enjoyed this book. It was such a tough topic but the author did such a great job with it!(less)

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Dec 13, 2011 WilowRaven rated it 3 of 5 stars

A contemporary story about a girl grieving for her mother's death and her father's indifference. She turns to food as a way to coping. She finds friends in unlikely places and after a lot of struggles, she also finds herself. A good read, but not as heartwarming as I had hoped.

Hannah's mother and father are movie stars. Their faces are all over billboards and on the sides of buses. But her mom has cancer and dies a few chapters into the book. Her father looses it and becomes a Hollywood statist...more A contemporary story about a girl grieving for her mother's death and her father's indifference. She turns to food as a way to coping. She finds friends in unlikely places and after a lot of struggles, she also finds herself. A good read, but not as heartwarming as I had hoped.

Hannah's mother and father are movie stars. Their faces are all over billboards and on the sides of buses. But her mom has cancer and dies a few chapters into the book. Her father looses it and becomes a Hollywood statistic - he drinks and he looses movies deals and he winds up in jail and then rehab. At the same time, Hannah develops an eating disorder. She steals food from her elite, perfect private school - complete with kids way to rich for their own good, security to fend off the paparazzi and of course, the poor charity, scholarship kid. She eventually goes to Africa to help her aunt film another award winning documentary about starving orphans. And in the end everything falls into place.

My main issue with Reasons to be Happy was its extremely unrealistic setting. Eating disorders are very serious and Hannah's experiences are no exception. What was exceptional was her life in general. Her parents are famous, she's rich, she's never had to really worry about anything in life, she goes to Africa which helps heal her, making life long friends along the way and reconnecting with her father who also gets his life back on track and gets nominated for an Emmy. Not a whole lot there to relate to.

I did really enjoy Hannah's reasons to be happy list. She finds joy in the simplest of things. So although, I really couldn't relate to her outward life, I did fell a connection to her secret inner most thoughts, wishes, hopes and dreams.

An ok read for me. Readers who are more in tune with and bigger fans of contemporary YA would probably enjoy this one better then I did. I wouldn't hesitate to read another book by Katrina as I did really enjoy the writing and style of Reasons to be Happy. It's actually inspired me to stat my own reasons to be happy list. (less)

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Oct 22, 2011 Danya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychtember, psychology

This review was for my blog event Psychtember, so it's formatted a little differently than usual, to reflect the mental health theme. I've structured things as though the book is the patient and I'm giving them an assessment. Each axis is an aspect of the book that I'll give my thoughts on (characters, plot, etc.), and the validity score refers to how psychologically accurate I think the book is, with the final diagnosis being my shooting star rating. The rating still reflects my overall view of...more

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Realistic Fiction

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Contemporary

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Childrens > Middle Grade

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Academic > School

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Childrens

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Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

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About Katrina Kittle

Hello! Welcome to my GoodReads profile, fellow book lover. People have teased me that my reviews are all so high that I don't seem very critical (like a teacher who gives out all A's). Let me explain: First of all, life is too short to finish a book I don't love, and I'd never, ever review a book I hadn't finished. Secondly, I feel much more comfortable recommending works I admire than I do critic...more

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“Authenticity and happiness are the best beauty products out there” — 7 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: Reasons to Be Happy Goodreads rating: 3.89 (330 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11095832-reasons-to-be-happy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349516527l/11095832.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11095832-reasons-to-be-happy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Reasons to Be Happy by Katrina Kittle[/url]

Reasons to Be Happy

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