A really lovely read, about a woman being taken advantage of at home and work, who decides enough is enough and it's time to make a change.

Polly Potter has a partner who just assumes she'll always be there to pick up after him and cook and clean, and a job where the (obnoxious) boss takes credit for all her great ideas and passes them off as someone elses, never giving her the credit. She decides that she is going to leave her partner and packs her bags ready to tell him, after his sister's wedding renewal vows ceremony, but then something happens that makes her run, without telling anyone where she's going. And then something even worse happens to her (although ultimately the best thing that's ever happened to her!), and she loses her memory.

She's eventually taken in by a good samaritan and finds work at the good samaritan's son's Italian restaurant, where very slowly parts of her memory come back to her.

Ultimately a really lovely feeling story about someone who deserved so much more than she was getting in life and, due to a set of not great circumstances, comes out the other side so much happier with a completely different life by the seaside. Highly recommended!

Pure, perfect Milly at her finest. I’m yet to read a book by Milly Johnson that I don’t fall in love with. Yes some make you cry but they also make you laugh and this is what Milly does beautifully

what a heartwarming fun book! i fell in love with Polly and her journey to find herself.
i adored this book and at times it made me laugh out loud.
one i would recommend

Polly Potter is very unhappy in her relationship with Chris. He takes for for granted and the love has gone. She is on the point of leaving him. At work she had been sidelined since the death of the boss she admired and who treated her as his protegé.
The day she leaves Chris, something happens and she has the chance to be someone else thanks for the kindness of others.
A lovely tale and nothing less than I expect from Milly Johnson. I love the Daily Trumpet snippets.

This is the best book I’ve read for a while! Such a heart warming tale with great characters (good and bad). The Yorkshire coastal setting was the icing on the cake for me. And the excerpts from the Daily Trumpet are comedy gold! Absolutely hilarious! This is Milly Johnson at her best!

A bit of a confusing start as I couldn’t work out who was who between Polly and Sabrina, however, it soon became obvious and from then on I thought the story was clever and interesting.
Poor Polly hasn’t got the happiest of lives, but after losing her memory, things start to improve for her.
I enjoyed her having 2 lives and felt uplifted. The fact that she was loved certainly came across in this story. The Daily Trumpet made me laugh out loud!

A wonderful read, the pages just flew by.

Polly Potter is not happy in her home life and she certainly is no longer happy at work. As a business consultant she still has great ideas that work, but all the credit is taken from her, and the new boss loves to ask Polly to put the kettle on too!

With a great plot device of Polly becoming her alter ego Sabrina from a book she is writing, she gets a second chance at life. Although even in her new life things go against her. I was willing everyone to see through what was happening to Sabrina. Bringing her business acumen to her new life was a great touch and so interesting to read. But will Sabrina win out or will Polly's old life come calling for her?

I loved the characters in this book, getting to know them was wonderful. I should say I loved all the nice characters, certainly not Jeremy and some of the other unsavoury people Sabrina meets. With Milly's humorous touch to the proceedings and interspersed with snippets from the Daily Trumpet this was a joy to read.

Taken for granted at home and at work, Polly decides to make some changes.
Unexpected changes result in memory loss and meeting new friends.
Happier than she has been in years, with a new name, friends and job the only thing missing is her memory.
Putting things together over a period time results in stepping back to her old reality.
After experiencing another reality can Polly stay in her old life or breakaway and make the new circumstances permanent?
Follow Polly on her journey and cheer her on.

The story of Poppy Potter lives up to the very high standard set by previous Milly Johnson books. I loved this one from start to finish and really didn't want to put it down. A thoroughly good read.

You know you are in for a treat of a Milly Johnson book, when everyone's favourite newspaper The Daily Trumpet makes its return. And almost every single time it was featured I was audibly laughing or snorting out loud. It's comedy gold.

And that's before you even come to the actual story which is easily one of my favourite Milly Johnson novels.

There is so much going on in it, that the best way to discover the story is to read it yourself, as I would hate to give out even a hint of spoiler.

But what a totally lovely story this is. I was rooting for Polly at all times, and there are multiple view points and sub plots going on that totally engaged me.

I was loving every word of this fabulous novel, and I loved the ideas that the character who identifies as Sabrina had for Teddy's Italian restaurant. And there is the most amazing culmination of some of the plots towards the end that had me open mouthed and laughing at the same time.

It's just a joyous book to read, and if you have never read a Milly Johnson novel before, this is almost certainly a great place to start to give you an idea of all the facets of this multi talented author's writing abilities and her wonderful sense of humour too.

Just fabulous.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Sadly this wasn’t for me, as it didn’t hold my interest enough to make it to the end; possibly I’m the wrong demographic for this book, though it was hard to work out the main characters age from the blurb

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I do love a Milly Johnson book and this is no expception. Full of likeable (and some not so likeable) characters and the odd snippet from the Daily Trumpet thrown in.

Great book.

With Milly Johnson’s books I always know I’m in for a good heartwarming feel good story.
She always creates such amazing characters & always such a treat to read.
She has a knack of drawing you in to her books where you can just escape & enjoy the wonderful stories.
Polly Potter was a really good business consultant & up till now enjoyed her job.
Things start to change when her mentor dies & her new boss is hell on earth.
On top of that Chris her partner cheated on her & there is no way she can forgive him.
Would it be possible to put all behind her & start again.
After suffering a severe bang on the head she ends up in a hospital not knowing who she is or where she has ended up.
A great mixture of funny heartwarming moments with brilliant characters.
Well written as always & a definite page turner for me.
I love the humour & wit the author brings out in her stories along with the happiness & touching moments.
Absolutely loved it .

I now completely understand why so many of my fellow readers rave about Milly’s books. The Happiest Ever After cracked me up! From the start, I simply knew that I had found a new favourite author. This was the second book in a short time that reminded me of Tom Sharpe and Carl Hiaasen. The juxtaposition of serious situations with slapstick-style comedy absolutely stole my imagination.

Polly’s character is wonderful and even more so when she emerges as Sabrina. Each day was a fresh set of opportunities to evolve into the life she always dreamed of. As either persona, I could feel myself rooting for her happily ever after.

Teddy, Marielle, and the rest of the family at the Italian restaurant were a joy to learn about and I could almost taste the wonderful dishes and hear the delighted sighs from the customers. Like Polly, I felt a strong sense of indignation as the plans of the local councillor became clear.

In contrast to the many gorgeous characters, there is a band of dark-hearted villains who each come off poorly when viewed through Milly’s critical lens. My favourite, without a doubt, was the perfectly named, Orrible. His determination to access Polly’s handbag was simply hilarious. Add in the love-rat partner, Chris and the reprehensible Councillor Stirling and there’s a full contrast of good and not so good.

The pace of the story is wonderful, and I loved the contrasting characters as they headed for their ultimate showdown. Each of Milly’s characters is perfectly drawn, and I thoroughly enjoyed following their story arcs. Of course, Milly Johnson is highly talented so it’s impossible to second guess where the story is heading; you just need to hang on and hope for the very best.

Funny, heartwarming, fast-paced, and entirely believable, this is a very special book, and I’m glad that I added it to my burgeoning pile of books to read.

Polly Potter is sick of being taken for granted both at home and at work. If only she could be as brave as her fictional creation, Sabrina Anderson. Following a knock to the head Polly wakes in a strange town with no memories at all apart from her name, Sabrina.

Fans of Milly Johnson know that the one thing you are guaranteed when you begin one of her novels is a heart-warming story of self-discovery and The Happiest Ever After offers just that.

Polly Potter has lived with partner Chris for almost ten years and is fed up. When she caught Chris having an affair a year ago she walked out on him but he begged her to return, promising things would be different. They were, for a few weeks, but now she's back to being taken for granted. The more you learn about the relationship between the couple the more you wonder what Polly saw in Chris in the first place.

Work is just as bad. Her boss, Jeremy, is a misogynist who frequently undermines Polly and doesn't give her credit for her brilliant ideas. The only positive thing at work is her colleague, Sheridan, but she's about to go on maternity leave.

The one light in Polly's life is the creative writing class she attends in secret. Her fledgling novel features Sabrina Anderson, a woman who is the complete opposite of Polly.

From the very beginning of the novel you are giggling, Milly Johnson manages to fit so many hilarious situations into such a short space of time. There's a wedding dress that makes the wearer resemble a flying squirrel if they put their arms out, Polly's eventual showdown with her boss and an incident with dog poo that will have you cheering. Alongside this are the regular hilarious snippets from the Daily Trumpet.

When Polly loses her memory she is befriended by Marielle and her family. Marielle hopes that space and time will allow Polly's memory to slowly recover. Not all of Marielle's friends and family are in agreement however, they believe she's too naive, having been conned before.

Friendship is a strong theme in many of Milly Johnson's novels. It is lovely to read about women supporting women, being non-judgmental. It is also reassuring to see inter-generational friendships play a strong part in the storyline. Family, on the other hand, is a little different. You don't get a choice about the family you are born into but, you do get a choice about which families you join and this is the moral of the story.

I found the insight into how writers work interesting. The notion that they harvest ideas and conversations from what goes on around them and this got me wondering. Do any of Milly Johnson's family and friends recognise themselves in her novels?

I was absolutely captivated by this book. It stands out with sharp characters and a well-crafted plot. Thanks to Milly Johnson's unparalleled talent, it is impossible to put this book down - a real page-turner!

I warmed to the main character Polly Potter straight away when I picked this book up. Like many Milly Johnson characters, she is hard done by (especially by men) but very very easy to relate to. However I did not expect the twists and turns of this story. It started out as a classic Milly novel with Polly trying her best to overcome the shit men who surround her and make her life as happy as it can possibly be. This involves a little deception and a lot of self-control, as well as a couple of awesome females in her office, then the books veers suddenly off in another direction and oh boy are you in for a treat?! This became part comeback tale and part mystery and I could not put it down.

Polly really was delightful to spend the course of the novel with. As well as the fact that you find yourself rooting for her, she just feels like a classic Milly Johnson character that we all know and love and so there’s such a sense of familiarity with her. I really wanted her to live the life that she created for Sabrina and she genuinely does not have a bad bone in her body so you just can’t help but get behind her. Thankfully she does have a couple of other women looking out for her. Her new landlady is wonderful and we get to see a glimpse of her story as the book progresses as well and then Polly’s deskmate and head of HR also really do have her back and as a reader you are glad that they are there.

Milly Johnson always does such a great job of writing a villain you love to hate so that when they get their comeuppance you can rejoice and cheer on those moments along the reading journey. The villains in this book are truly, truly horrible. They are so well-written you almost want to jump into the pages and warn Polly about them before she even comes face to face with them. There are quite a few baddies to boo along the way but they don’t take away from the happiness you feel as you unravel Polly’s tale. I know I’ve mentioned quite a few times that this feels like a classic Milly Johnson novel and that’s one of the things I liked best about it but that’s just the genius of it. If you love a Milly book then you know you’re in for a treat right from the word go, but if you’re reading this review trying to decide whether to read it or not then you can be reassured that this is indicative of this author’s work and you know you’re going to have a good time and you’ve made the right choice!

Polly Potter is leading an unhappy existence, and is forced to make a life-changing decision when faced with marrying her long-term, dislikeable boyfriend.
Circumstances follow which show Polly the happy, fulfilling life she could be living. To say anymore would spoil the book for others.
A fabulous, feel-good, inspirational book from Milly Johnson.

Really enjoyed this book- love how Milly Johnson writes and I always fall in love with her characters!

Polly Potter is not living her best life. Her partner has cheated on her and takes her for granted; she's not valued at work either, constantly belittled and never given credit for her successes. One of the few crumbs of joy in Polly's life is her creative writing group, where she's currently working on her first novel. The novel is about Sabrina Anderson, a strong confident woman who is just about to make major changes to all the things in her life - the woman Polly wishes she could be. After a shocking series of events lands Polly in hospital with amnesia, she wakes up believing she is Sabrina Anderson...
This book is fabulous, I would give it 10 stars if I could! As always, Milly Johnson's characters leap off the page as they draw you in to their story. This book is the sort that stays with you and makes you re-evaluate your own life. I don't doubt many people who read it will be inspired by Polly to make some changes of their own! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the review copy.