It’s such a pleasure today to share my review of Cressida McLaughlin’s new book The Happy Hour as I love her writing. My huge thanks to Susanna Peden at Harper Collins for sending me a copy of The Happy Hour in return for an honest review.

You can also find my review of Cressida’s The Staycation here and of The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop, which was one of my books of the year in 2022, here.

Published by Harper Collins on 9th May 2024, The Happy Hour is available for purchase through the links here.

The Happy Hour

Jess is happy working in Greenwich market selling trinkets to well-heeled locals and excitable tourists.

Then one Sunday, Jess is thrown together with handsome, funny Ash, as they chase a pickpocket through the market, and before long they are making a habit of running into each other at the same time each week.

Jess starts to realize that their hour together is the brightest part of her life. But Ash isn’t telling her everything – can she discover the truth before it’s too late?

My Review of The Happy Hour

Jess and Ash have just met.

Oh my word. The Happy Hour is absolutely lovely. With an initial touch of mystery about where Ash has to be each Sunday, Cressida McLaughlin draws in the reader to this wonderfully romantic story from the very first page in a story that I found totally captivating. 

I loved the market setting with its cast of quirky people who feel like a microcosm of society. There’s a real sense of community and Cressida McLaughlin’s descriptions of the stalls, the aromas, the items for sale, all make for a very vivid picture. My only complaint is that the descriptions of the muffins made me ravenous the whole time I was reading! 

Those market characters are so warmly created. Even the ones like Roger who play relatively minor roles feel true to life and realistic. I adored Felicity as, through her own vulnerabilities and strengths, she illuminates the other characters, bringing them into sharp focus. She also exemplifies how appearances can be deceptive and that we never quite know what is happening in another person’s life or behind their front door. I’d love there to be future books following on from The Happy Hour, developing the stories of the people at the market. 

It is, of course, Jess and Ash who steal the show, partly because they are both equally stubborn and misguided as well as equally vivacious, friendly, caring and attractive so that they are well rounded and convincing. I cared so much about them, feeling their emotions with them and I admit to shedding a tear or two over them as well as laughing with them. In Jess and Ash, Cressida McLaughlin has created something very special indeed because, as they work through their own demons, they are hugely relatable. They show how we are affected by our past and our upbringing, but that we cannot allow it to dominate our future. They also show how, whilst we might not be able to control what happens in our present life, we can decide how to respond. The Happy Hour is a wise and uplifting book as well as being entertaining and absorbing to read.

Indeed, whilst Cressida McLaughlin creates a gorgeous romance, The Happy Hour is steeped in psychological understanding. Grief and loneliness, self-preservation, identity and independence, are threads of the story that make it so wonderful as well as gloriously escapist. 

I truly adored The Happy Hour. Not only is it emotional and beguiling, it’s warm and encouraging too. Reading The Happy Hour took me away from the cares of the real world and left me feeling uplifted and content – feelings we could all do with from time to time…

About Cressida McLaughlin

Cressida McLaughlin is a bestselling author of contemporary romance who has sold over a million copies of her books. Her feel-good, escapist fiction, featuring unforgettable characters who find their happy place, has established her as a firm favourite among readers and fellow authors alike. She is most well known for her eight book Cornish Cream Tea series, and The Happy Hour is her fifteenth novel. Cressida lives in Norwich with her husband David and when not writing her bestsellers, spends her spare time reading, returning to London or exploring the beautiful Norfolk coastline.

You can find out more information on Cressy’s website or you can follow her on Twitter/X @cressmclaughlin, Instagram and Facebook.