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    Get Happy
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    Get Happy
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    Get Happy
    Ebook187 pages2 hours

    Get Happy

    By Mary Amato

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Minerva has been raised by her single mother after her father left them. On her 17th birthday, she is shocked to discover that he has been trying to keep in touch, and that her mother has been sabotaging his attempts. Furious at her mom, Minerva begins to investigate her dad, a famous marine biologist, only to discover that he has a new family, including a beloved and perfect, stepdaughter—a girl Minerva already knows and despises.

    As Minerva tries to build her songwriting career, jealousy takes over and threatens to derail her life completely. It is only through the efforts of her best friend, Fin, and the introduction of Hayes, a new young man in her life, that she is able to see clearly who she is and who makes up her family.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLerner Publishing
    Release dateAug 1, 2014
    ISBN9781512403558
    Unavailable
    Get Happy
    Author

    Mary Amato

    Mary Amato is an award-winning children's and YA book author, songwriter, and poet who lives in Maryland. Her books have been translated into foreign languages, optioned for television, and produced onstage.

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    Reviews for Get Happy

    3.5/5

    18 ratings5 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Sixteen-year-old Min wants a ukulele for her birthday, but she gets a sweater instead. She also gets a mysterious package from the father she doesn't remember, who left when she was two. This sets in motion a chain of events that leads to her learning more about her father, and in the meantime, she also gets a job, meets an intriguing boy, writes some songs, and engages in a bit of cyberbullying. Eventually, she confronts her father and her mother about what really happened when she was a toddler.You know how, sometimes, you start out disliking a character, but grow to like them over the course of the story? The reverse happened to me with this book. I liked angsty song-writing Min with her wacky best friend and disastrous beauty product experiments, but I did not like deceptive cyberbullying Min spewing vitriol over everyone in her path. I guess my main problem here is that I don't think the resolution of the book was satisfactory. Yes, Min improves slightly after her meltdown at the book's climax, but the reader never gets to see her work through the issues with her parents -- nor does she seem remorseful for how she has treated other people in her life. Maybe I am too far from being a teenager to really appreciate this book, but it left a sour taste in my mouth.However, I did read it all in one evening, so it was compelling and well-written enough to keep me reading. I think that, if the author had given us a bit more resolution, a little bit more dialogue, I would have been a lot happier with it.
    • 2/5
      Main character was irritating.
    • 4/5
      Minerva Watson gets a big surprise when she intercepts a package on her seventeenth birthday. The father that she believed abandoned her and her mother when she was small has sent a birthday present and the note indicates that this isn't his first attempt to keep in touch with her. Minerva has always believed her mother when she said her father abandoned them. But she and her mother aren't the kind that share secrets, Minerva doesn't know how to bring up her father.Some quick research shows that her father has returned to work at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and has become an expert on starfish. Minerva hates him and hates him even more when she learns that he has remarried and has a stepdaughter - stepdaughter who happens to be a fellow employee at Get Happy.Minerva feels both curiosity and rage when she thinks about her father. She also feels great anger at her mother for keeping them apart. Her mother is actually a real piece of work. She's jealous, controlling, and doesn't really know her daughter. Giving her an ugly sweater for her birthday instead of the ukulele she wants in just the first clue. The final straw is when she cleans her daughter's room and throws away all of the things that Min treasures and then expects Min to thank her. Luckily, Min has a close friend in Finnegan and a new friend, and potential boyfriend, in Hayes who are there to support her. She is also a budding songwriter and her songs finish many of the chapters. You can really see what she is thinking and how she is feeling in her songs. I like that the ending is realistic. Min, her mother, and her father have lots to work on to build a healthy relationship for all of them. But I feel confident that Hayes will be there to help her through it all.
    • 5/5
      Reading Get Happy actually made me extremely happy. I have never laughed so much reading a book in my life. It was so lighthearted and hilarious. Mary Amato wrote a story that captures what it is like to be a teenager, without making the main character unlikeable. Actually, I loved Minerva. She is honest, funny, sarcastic and insecure. She reminded me so much of myself when I was a teenager.I was shocked at how good this book was. It wasn't exactly the storyline, but it was the writing that really made this book phenomenal. This book really cheered me up and I wish I could personally thank Mary Amato for that. I'm disappointed that it's over and I need to check out Guitar Notes by Mary Amato.I received a copy of this book to review courtesy of Egmont USA and Netgalley
    • 3/5
      Get Happy is a quick read, interspersed with song lyrics/poems that are written by Minerva during some of her down times, or times of great contentment. While not a stand out novel for me, it was a good exploration of removing oneself from the mire of complacency. Minerva realizes that the adults around her aren't perfect, and she must figure out who she will be when she strikes out on her own. The journey can be painful, but bright spots along the way can ease the hurt, on the way to maturity.