This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future

While overall I enjoyed this, and liked a lot of the commentary on modern relationships, I intimately didn't come away feeling much of anything in finish it. The characters are all largely unlikeable, or deeply flawed, yet well developed and thought out and very diverse which I liked. I just, don't really have much to say regarding thr overall plot, or lack there of. It just doesn't really go anywhere, concentrating instead on discussing whether Luke and Celine are ever going to make it down the aisle with such a doomed relationship. And that's the crux really. The reader knows pretty much from the get go that this wedding is never going to happen, the couple are too disconnected and it's the journey to get to that point. I guess I prefer novels that concentrate on plot a bit more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was a good read but didn’t grip me as much as I expected. Good writing but characters I didn’t really care about.

The Happy Couple, Naoise Dolan's second novel, explores characters in crisis, and on the cusp of change.

through multiple perspectives, we watch these dysfunctional characters, the bride and groom plus their friends on the run up to a wedding. Not always likable but always intriguing, Naoise writes characters that are messy and realistic. Fans of Sally Rooney will enjoy this tangled web of lies, secrets and desires of this friendship group.

An original and well-written take on pre-wedding jitters with a difference. Brilliantly dysfunctional characters, though the only ones I really warmed to were Celine and Vivien.

This is Naoise Dolan's second novel and even though it is quite different to her first book, Exciting Times, I felt the exact same way when reading and when I finished it. Dolan can write, some of the prose is brilliant but the characters and the storyline failed to ignite any strong feelings in me.

Celine and Luke are getting married. The book takes place in the run up to their nuptials and is told from both their perspectives and that of Phoebe, Celine's sister and Luke's two friends Archie and Vivian. Luke sleeps around and both Archie and Vivian are his ex's as well as his old friends. Luke cheats on Celine. Celine is a pianist and the piano is her all consuming love. Phoebe wants to know why Luke does what he does, she is in fact more curious about his behaviour than Celine and Vivian provides a more detached perspective on this couple and their life. As the wedding day draws closer, it's impossible to see how things will go but also I found myself not really caring how the story would play out.

These are messy and unusual characters and while they are developed well especially as we view how those around them see them, there was no warmth to them. They are somewhat intriguing but I did not care for any of them or care about what happened to them. The book is nicely paced and I read this quickly but the ending felt flat and underwhelming.

Despite all this, I really enjoy how Dolan writes. I like her use of language, its starkness and and how sparse it is. I felt the same about Exciting Times. Loved how it was written but didn't enjoy the story which is intriguing in itself, to be able to do that. That interests me the most, why I like her writing but not her characters or plot. For that reason, I would recommend. I enjoyed reading it but didn't love the book and I am looking forward to more from Naoise Dolan.
Helpful?!

3.5 stars

Celine & Luke are, for some very stupid reason, getting married. We get the lead up to the wedding from five perspectives - Celine, Luke, Celine’s sister Phoebe, and Luke’s two best friends Archie and Vivian. Honestly I could’ve just done with Celine the entire time, I didn’t particularly care about any other POV. Except Vivian actually. Vivian felt like the reader proxy - just there to watch the mess unfold.

I think this just fell a bit flat because it didn’t feel like there was any real nuance. These two people clearly do not like one another so… why are we here? It was funny in parts and I do think the writing is very good I just didn’t think we stayed with any one character for long enough for it to be an effective character study.

I loved Naoise Dolan's Exciting Times so I had very high expectations for The Happy Couple. I agree with a previous reviewer that I enjoyed the parts from Celine's point of view especially the beginning more than the focus on all the other different characters.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC! I will start by saying I enjoyed this a lot more than Exciting Times, the characters were more lovable and the plot was well developed. However, I still felt like there was something lacking. It didn’t really pull me in at all and I was bored in parts.

This book was featured in '23 books to read in 2023' on National Book Tokens' website, Caboodle.

The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan
From the author of Exciting Times comes a ferociously clever and supremely enjoyable novel. As a wedding approaches and the lives of the soon-to-be-married couple, the best man, the bridesmaid and a guest intersect, each character will find themselves looking for a path to their happily ever after - but does it lie at the end of an aisle?

Naoise Dolan has such a distinctive voice and I have really enjoyed being able to read more of that through this book. I didn’t quite connect with this like I did with Exciiting Times but nevertheless it is smart, relatable and poignantly funny. Gorgeous!

The Happy Couple is Naoise Dolan’s second novel and is literary fiction. The story is told in third person from multiple POV’s. The novel tells the story of Celine and Luke in the build up to their wedding. Celine and Luke are seen as the happy couple but in reality Celine loves Piano more than domestic life and Luke is a serial cheater. Celine’s sister Phoebe wants to know why Luke keeps disappearing. Archie is Luke’s friend/ex and needs some direction in his life. Vivian is another one of Luke’s exes and doesn’t particularly care about anyone at the wedding. Will Celine and Luke marry or will the 3 friends come between them? This was very fast paced and short so I easily got through this. It was beautifully written and Naoise Dolan has a real talent with words. The characters felt realistic in many aspects and I loved the casual queer rep as Celine had previously been in a relationship with a woman called Maria and Luke was bisexual. This wasn’t a perfect novel for me though because I was left feeling a little empty after finishing this novel and I think that is because of the many POV’s. Personally I would have preferred the whole book to be from Celine’s POV but I understand why certain narrative choices were made. I am giving this a four star rating because the writing was beautiful, I liked the queer rep and I do appreciate the story Dolan told. If you like literary fiction novels I think this is a safe bet. However, I loved Exciting Times and was expecting to love this in the same way and unfortunately I just didn’t.