Happy People Read and Drink Coffee by Agnès Martin-Lugand

Title: Happy People Read and Drink Coffee

Author: Agnès Martin-Lugand

Publication Date: 2016

Publisher: Hachette Books

Format: Kindle Edition|256pages

Autumn was slowly arriving and a fine rain had been falling the day I finally decided to read Happy People Read and Drink Coffee. Naturally, what I am looking for during these months is a cosy read and, although I rarely read romance books, I was craving some cheesy love story this time. Little did I know about the emotional roller coaster I signed up for when picking it up.

Diane is a happy wife, a mum and the owner of a literary café in Paris whose life changes forever when her husband and daughter die in a horrendous car accident. The world she knew instantly vanishes and is replaced by grief, pain and misery. Diane, unable and unwilling to let go of the past, retreats from family and most of her friends until one day when she decides that the only way to rediscover herself and move on is to move to Ireland. Thus, she rents a cottage from a lovely couple in a small town on the Irish coast.

Agnès Martin-Lugand carries the reader into a story of love, rediscovery and letting go. The novel has a clean and easy writing style which makes it a quick but lovely read. For me it packs a very emotional punch as I found it easy to believe and even identify with the protagonists, especially with Edward, Diane’s neighbour, who is a passionate yet quiet, cantankerous, but understanding photographer. There are a few clichés, but I felt those only added up to the cosy feeling the books has given me. I found the characters wholesome and loveable which had me fully invested in their journey and development across the chapters.

Happy People Read and Drink Coffee is one of those books I spent days thinking about. It left me emotionally exhausted. There is no clean cut ending, it ends right at the point where the reader is desperate to know what happens next. However, compared to the people who read it before the sequel was published and had to wait, I was lucky enough to find and buy the sequel few days later. I recommend the book to anyone looking for a cosy read, especially those who enjoy a good romance story. I read the book in Romanian, in case you notice the translated version in the pictures. If you would like to read it in Romanian as well you can find the book here. The second book purchased, whether it’s the sequel or another book from the same publishing house, is 50% off!