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I Want You to Be Happy
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26A tender, witty, and sharp debut novel about the passions and peculiarities of modern love, by “an extraordinarily gifted writer” (Sally Rooney).
Chuck and Joey meet in a bar. He’s in his mid-thirties; she’s twelve years younger. He long ago abandoned his ambition of being a novelist and works as a copywriter at a big ad agency. "Lead copywriter," he corrects himself. Joey is living paycheck to paycheck on her barista wages and privately dreams of making it as a poet. They go back to Chuck’s luxury flat—a world away from Joey’s cramped house-share, the crumbs in her bed. Soon, Joey is imagining a future between them and Chuck is moving on from a mistake in his recent past. Amazing, how meeting a new person can make you feel so new.
Funny, excruciating, and true, Jem Calder's I Want You to Be Happy is a sharp-eyed tale of two people searching for meaning and connection in modern times, missing the mark maybe, but still trying.
Chuck and Joey meet in a bar. He’s in his mid-thirties; she’s twelve years younger. He long ago abandoned his ambition of being a novelist and works as a copywriter at a big ad agency. "Lead copywriter," he corrects himself. Joey is living paycheck to paycheck on her barista wages and privately dreams of making it as a poet. They go back to Chuck’s luxury flat—a world away from Joey’s cramped house-share, the crumbs in her bed. Soon, Joey is imagining a future between them and Chuck is moving on from a mistake in his recent past. Amazing, how meeting a new person can make you feel so new.
Funny, excruciating, and true, Jem Calder's I Want You to Be Happy is a sharp-eyed tale of two people searching for meaning and connection in modern times, missing the mark maybe, but still trying.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
February 18, 2026
really really good stuff. chuck you insufferable piece of shit
December 22, 2025
a love story for the digital age or a cautionary tale - maybe both?
really enjoyed this! such a sharp, poignant examination of modern relationships and loneliness. will write a full review soon.
really enjoyed this! such a sharp, poignant examination of modern relationships and loneliness. will write a full review soon.
December 17, 2025
I don’t feel like I was reading the same book as the reviews as I found this depiction incredibly sad of 2 people living mediocre unhappy lives where they felt trapped. I enjoyed their coming together and the mismatch of their feelings but the unlikeable character of Chuck did jar my enjoyment of the book overall.
June 18, 2026
Not as amazing and outstanding as everyone is saying it is, but it's good. I can see why it's getting compared to Sally Rooney but also I think Rooney often has more to say than this does. It's about a woman in her early-twenties who gets into a situationship with an emotionally immature manchild in his late-thirties. You will spend the whole novel telling her to dump him and that's it, but it is a captivating and entertaining read and the characters grow on you.
June 3, 2026
This is the ultimate depresso London situationship from spiralling hell story, and it’s a delight.
Terminally online, emotionally bankrupt, everyone optimising their lives while actively deteriorating, you should avoid if you think you’re above this for even a second.
Chuck, 35, a “lead” copywriter (he will absolutely tell you this many times) functioning alcoholic, recently dumped, is operating at a sustained level of twat that feels almost athletic.
Joey, 23, sweet, skint, stuck in a flatshare, quietly writing poetry and mistaking Chuck’s hollow little lifestyle for stability and adulthood, and I shudder as I say “something aspirational”.
This is vibes and red flags.
And the age gap, it's not even about age, it's about digital operating systems. Chuck texts like corporate email. Capital letters and punctuation. Joey texts like a human being. Fundamentally, they’re an incompatible species. The texting in this book is VIOLENT. The drafting. The deleting. The timestamp analysis. The if I reply now will I look desperate, disinterested, the absolute cringe spiral. I felt personally attacked. Calder has clearly watched and decided to ruin all of us. Also, this book gets that addiction isn’t just substances anymore. It’s loops. Notifications. Micro-validations. The constant hum of needing to feel something, anything, even if it’s it just a blue tick.
Oh, and the romance? Be serious. This is not love. This is two people almost trying cosplay intimacy. The sex scenes are forensically embarrassing. You will want to evacuate your own body. I feel like they're both obsessed with appearing cultured, interesting, and intellectual while rotting in real time with screens and bad decisions. It's self-awareness as an aesthetic. Depth as performance. Everyone is curating, no one is connecting.
The dual POV is savage. You watch them misunderstand each other and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Bleak, sometimes funny, emotionally eviscerating in a “oh god is this how I come across” sometimes way. Read this if you want to feel slightly exposed and ashamed of your own texting habits but if you are not a fan of Normal People you need to stay away from this.
I loved this almost spiritually humiliating read. Honestly, I just want them to be happy (but mostly, Joey).
Thank you to NetGalley and Faber for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Terminally online, emotionally bankrupt, everyone optimising their lives while actively deteriorating, you should avoid if you think you’re above this for even a second.
Chuck, 35, a “lead” copywriter (he will absolutely tell you this many times) functioning alcoholic, recently dumped, is operating at a sustained level of twat that feels almost athletic.
Joey, 23, sweet, skint, stuck in a flatshare, quietly writing poetry and mistaking Chuck’s hollow little lifestyle for stability and adulthood, and I shudder as I say “something aspirational”.
This is vibes and red flags.
And the age gap, it's not even about age, it's about digital operating systems. Chuck texts like corporate email. Capital letters and punctuation. Joey texts like a human being. Fundamentally, they’re an incompatible species. The texting in this book is VIOLENT. The drafting. The deleting. The timestamp analysis. The if I reply now will I look desperate, disinterested, the absolute cringe spiral. I felt personally attacked. Calder has clearly watched and decided to ruin all of us. Also, this book gets that addiction isn’t just substances anymore. It’s loops. Notifications. Micro-validations. The constant hum of needing to feel something, anything, even if it’s it just a blue tick.
Oh, and the romance? Be serious. This is not love. This is two people almost trying cosplay intimacy. The sex scenes are forensically embarrassing. You will want to evacuate your own body. I feel like they're both obsessed with appearing cultured, interesting, and intellectual while rotting in real time with screens and bad decisions. It's self-awareness as an aesthetic. Depth as performance. Everyone is curating, no one is connecting.
The dual POV is savage. You watch them misunderstand each other and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Bleak, sometimes funny, emotionally eviscerating in a “oh god is this how I come across” sometimes way. Read this if you want to feel slightly exposed and ashamed of your own texting habits but if you are not a fan of Normal People you need to stay away from this.
I loved this almost spiritually humiliating read. Honestly, I just want them to be happy (but mostly, Joey).
Thank you to NetGalley and Faber for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
June 12, 2026
I saw this novel everywhere in London when I was there three days ago, so I just had to buy it. I’m glad I did.
Jem Calder, what a writer. I rarely come across a contemporary romance that feels this well observed and sharply written. Calder captures relationships with remarkable precision, but what impressed me most was the attention to the tiny details that shape the modern millenial’s life - the calculations, the compromises, the quiet anxieties that often go unspoken.
It’s the kind of book that feels deeply specific to a generation, in ways that might be difficult to fully grasp if you’re much older or younger. Intelligent, funny, and painfully accurate, this was a standout read for me. I will definitely read whatever Calder has got cooking next.
ps: This book reminded me of Good material by Dolly Alderton, who is also very good at writing about modern romance. Interesting thing is that in Dolly's book I sided with the male character, while in Calder's book I sided with the female. So yes, Chuck was an asshole
Jem Calder, what a writer. I rarely come across a contemporary romance that feels this well observed and sharply written. Calder captures relationships with remarkable precision, but what impressed me most was the attention to the tiny details that shape the modern millenial’s life - the calculations, the compromises, the quiet anxieties that often go unspoken.
It’s the kind of book that feels deeply specific to a generation, in ways that might be difficult to fully grasp if you’re much older or younger. Intelligent, funny, and painfully accurate, this was a standout read for me. I will definitely read whatever Calder has got cooking next.
ps: This book reminded me of Good material by Dolly Alderton, who is also very good at writing about modern romance. Interesting thing is that in Dolly's book I sided with the male character, while in Calder's book I sided with the female. So yes, Chuck was an asshole
June 5, 2026
Loved loved loved
Gave me war flash backs with my ex tho hence the 4*s
Gave me war flash backs with my ex tho hence the 4*s
June 22, 2026
3*** met pijn en moeite. Nu wil ik een boek waarin geen druppel alcohol wordt gedronken.
June 9, 2026
really enjoyed this, thank you for the lend al! this was veryyyy hyped up and the kind of book it is definitely aligns to the how & the who of how it has been promoted. it’s is a real rooney-esque / modern life is rubbish sort of vibe.
i thought it was very honest / compassionate / vulnerable & appreciated how astutely observant it was. did a good job of incorporating the teams and slack of it all in a way that is admittedly slit-your-wrists bleak, but not forced or cringe. & there’s some fantastically constructed sentences. justice for smiley.
i thought it was very honest / compassionate / vulnerable & appreciated how astutely observant it was. did a good job of incorporating the teams and slack of it all in a way that is admittedly slit-your-wrists bleak, but not forced or cringe. & there’s some fantastically constructed sentences. justice for smiley.
May 31, 2026
Loved. A perfect modern not-so-romance.
May 5, 2026
the horrors of being 23 years old
thank you netgalley and fsg for the digital arc!
thank you netgalley and fsg for the digital arc!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I delved right into this hoping it might fill a Sally Rooney-shaped hole (she is after all an admirer of Calder's writing). Whilst I wouldn't put this up there with Rooney's novels just yet, there is no doubt that Jem Calder is a writer to watch and this is a really promising debut novel.
We follow Chuck, mid 30's, who works as a lead copy writer, and has just recently split from his fiance. He soon meets Joey, a 20-something aspiring poet who works in a coffee shop. Despite the prominent age gap and both of them being at very different stages in their lives, the two are drawn to each other.
First off, Chuck is a highly unlikeable character. And I don't mean the kind we love to hate. Whilst you can sympathise with the fact that he is clearly mentally going through a lot right now and has a drinking problem, he's also just a bit of a dick who doesn't treat Joey particularly well. Joey is disappointingly not as fleshed out as Chuck's character, but you can't help but root for her. Unusually for this kind of novel - a microscopic look at an all too real modern day relationship - I never once wanted them to be together. They felt like a mismatch from the outset and I couldn't see what either of them was getting from the other. And although it leaves you feeling a bit odd and unsettled to not be rooting for your two main characters to make it, I have to applaud Calder for doing just that.
It's uncomfortably honest, extremely awkward, and so rooted in our modern world that it's enough to make you feel a little bit sick.
If you like novels about messy feelings and relationships, about writers, those with dreams and those who fail, then this is for you.
We follow Chuck, mid 30's, who works as a lead copy writer, and has just recently split from his fiance. He soon meets Joey, a 20-something aspiring poet who works in a coffee shop. Despite the prominent age gap and both of them being at very different stages in their lives, the two are drawn to each other.
First off, Chuck is a highly unlikeable character. And I don't mean the kind we love to hate. Whilst you can sympathise with the fact that he is clearly mentally going through a lot right now and has a drinking problem, he's also just a bit of a dick who doesn't treat Joey particularly well. Joey is disappointingly not as fleshed out as Chuck's character, but you can't help but root for her. Unusually for this kind of novel - a microscopic look at an all too real modern day relationship - I never once wanted them to be together. They felt like a mismatch from the outset and I couldn't see what either of them was getting from the other. And although it leaves you feeling a bit odd and unsettled to not be rooting for your two main characters to make it, I have to applaud Calder for doing just that.
It's uncomfortably honest, extremely awkward, and so rooted in our modern world that it's enough to make you feel a little bit sick.
If you like novels about messy feelings and relationships, about writers, those with dreams and those who fail, then this is for you.
June 9, 2026
Absolutely brilliant. Exceeded my already sky-high expectations. Was like Calder siphoned the thoughts out of my head and meticulously placed them within a story. How can a novel be so spare and incisive and yet manage to remain so utterly human? The restraint he possesses in his writing really allows for Chuck & Joey to shine through as characters while also forming a vivid scene of the world they inhabit. What a balance he’s struck though. Both in plot and technique, Calder never strays too far into self-indulgence or nonlinearity, a really impressive accomplishment. You can tell he’s a copywriter because technically, the writing was pristine, not a single part of this needed further editing. Honestly quite hard to find that in fiction lately.
His style touches a space in me that previously the one and only Sally Rooney was able to reach. When I’m reading, I tend to want stories to appear as close to how I perceive real life to feel. Here Calder succeeded in capturing contemporary life and relationships in a way that almost felt realer than real life, it really swallowed me up entirely.
As a writer he’s personally quite refreshing in that he didn’t get his MFA and still works a 9-5 and is unashamed of it and still writes. Me as fuck lowkey. There’s a line somewhere where the character Chuck says she wants to write about the types of experiences he rarely sees reflected in contemporary fiction, which I feel like this book does incredibly well. Just as he writes near the end of the book about Joey: “she wanted her writing to feel light and heavy at the same time,” and that’s exactly how his style feels to me. Phenomenal and worth the wait. Someday I want to write something like this.
His style touches a space in me that previously the one and only Sally Rooney was able to reach. When I’m reading, I tend to want stories to appear as close to how I perceive real life to feel. Here Calder succeeded in capturing contemporary life and relationships in a way that almost felt realer than real life, it really swallowed me up entirely.
As a writer he’s personally quite refreshing in that he didn’t get his MFA and still works a 9-5 and is unashamed of it and still writes. Me as fuck lowkey. There’s a line somewhere where the character Chuck says she wants to write about the types of experiences he rarely sees reflected in contemporary fiction, which I feel like this book does incredibly well. Just as he writes near the end of the book about Joey: “she wanted her writing to feel light and heavy at the same time,” and that’s exactly how his style feels to me. Phenomenal and worth the wait. Someday I want to write something like this.
Read
June 16, 2026idk why Goodreads has this as unpublished bcos it’s very unfortunately published.
1. Joey should have bludgeoned Chuck to death
2. What stupid name is chuck
3. I hate chuck
4. If you’re going to have a bit about how chuck writes flat female characters, you can’t also be writing the main girls as devoid of really any growth or inner life
5. I think this is a cynical and boring take on relationships
6. I think is a cynical, boring, tired and incorrect take on London
7. Joey should have stabbed chuck repeatedly
1. Joey should have bludgeoned Chuck to death
2. What stupid name is chuck
3. I hate chuck
4. If you’re going to have a bit about how chuck writes flat female characters, you can’t also be writing the main girls as devoid of really any growth or inner life
5. I think this is a cynical and boring take on relationships
6. I think is a cynical, boring, tired and incorrect take on London
7. Joey should have stabbed chuck repeatedly
June 23, 2026
didn’t get the hype! just gave me anxiety and lose faith in men watching him self destruct and double back, even though that was the moral of the story
the east london trendiness is a bit overdone although it was funny to recognise the non descript settings as broadway market and ldn fields. find men going through a break up a difficult trope to get through, no sympathy from me sorry x
the east london trendiness is a bit overdone although it was funny to recognise the non descript settings as broadway market and ldn fields. find men going through a break up a difficult trope to get through, no sympathy from me sorry x
June 14, 2026
tenderly depicts the loneliness and tedium of life, and the messes that flawed people can get themselves into. loved the writing style and its fluctuations between more stunted, "staccato" prose, and more flowy narration, depending on what the story called for. also disarmingly funny! a stunning debut ♥️
May 16, 2026
This book was so real ! If you ever need a book to painfully describe the woes of being a young 20 something and the delusion and optimism around first loves with (usually) emotionally unavailable men then this is the book for you !!!
This so much in this and it’s written with a brevity that is enviable. Could be any one’s life and it’s not corny or overwrought.
My only criticism is towards the end it felt unbalanced content wise in favour of Chuck. I would have liked to have been with Joey a bit longer than the last pages that almost rushes her inner thoughts?
I’m even tempted to say I want to know how things end with these people but I reckon the beauty of this book is dealing with life and it’s unknowns head on so I will carry that forward 💙
BRAVA miss Calder!!! Can’t wait to push this book at work
This so much in this and it’s written with a brevity that is enviable. Could be any one’s life and it’s not corny or overwrought.
My only criticism is towards the end it felt unbalanced content wise in favour of Chuck. I would have liked to have been with Joey a bit longer than the last pages that almost rushes her inner thoughts?
I’m even tempted to say I want to know how things end with these people but I reckon the beauty of this book is dealing with life and it’s unknowns head on so I will carry that forward 💙
BRAVA miss Calder!!! Can’t wait to push this book at work
June 2, 2026
4.5
Devoured it
Devoured it
June 4, 2026
This book doesn’t treat its male character harshly enough!! And also doesn’t do him justice!! I know the ending is ambiguous but that man is an alcoholic and doesn’t deserve to reconcile with his ex until he sorts out his own internal problems!! This isn’t fair!! I know fiction shouldn’t tie up all its ideas into neat bows but this feels both like a neat bow and an unravelled ball of string!! Pick!!
I also couldn’t help but think of a certain comedian and podcaster I’m currently deeply parasocial about as I was reading this and I’m sure that hasn’t helped with the above!!
I also couldn’t help but think of a certain comedian and podcaster I’m currently deeply parasocial about as I was reading this and I’m sure that hasn’t helped with the above!!
Did Not Finish
June 6, 2026EXCRUCIATING
May 25, 2026
extremely excellent. reading v60 used as a verb as i simultaneously v60’d myself a coffee felt like a personal attack. wonderful stuff !!!!!
June 5, 2026
I would love to be happy after this novel
April 6, 2026
Chuck is insufferable,
Joey isn’t thrashed out as a character, naive and young.
It’s unlikeable character, stupid decisions and no plot at all. If that’s your kinda story you may well love this.
I liken it to conversations with friends by Sally Rooney (I know most people love that book, I did not). So perhaps this style of writing just isn’t for me.
I can generally get behind unlikeable characters if there’s something more to the story or other characters but this just fell flat for me.
This is a book about two miserable people who hate their lives having a very awkward relationship… I’m yet to see the real point of the book to be honest.
ARC copy supplied by Net Galley.
Joey isn’t thrashed out as a character, naive and young.
It’s unlikeable character, stupid decisions and no plot at all. If that’s your kinda story you may well love this.
I liken it to conversations with friends by Sally Rooney (I know most people love that book, I did not). So perhaps this style of writing just isn’t for me.
I can generally get behind unlikeable characters if there’s something more to the story or other characters but this just fell flat for me.
This is a book about two miserable people who hate their lives having a very awkward relationship… I’m yet to see the real point of the book to be honest.
ARC copy supplied by Net Galley.
December 24, 2025
3.5 rounded up
June 2, 2026
i inhaled this…. omg i really enjoyed this it’s probably more of a 4.5 but the fact that i read it in under 24 hours and couldn’t put it down brings it up to a 5. just super great
June 13, 2026
Uncomfortably real depiction of modern loneliness & relationships.
June 26, 2026
I want to hit this book around the head of every man I’ve ever dated where I have been the collateral in their stupid behaviour
Read
June 8, 2026thoroughly enjoyed. very sally rooney-esque. i don’t say that lightly
May 26, 2026
Reasonably charming in parts, especially the descriptions of the minutiae of modern life.
A split POV narration style only really works if you spend time developing both characters properly…
A split POV narration style only really works if you spend time developing both characters properly…
Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews