Author: Mikki Brammer
Year published: 2026
Category: Adult fiction
Pages: 304
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location: (my 2026 Google Reading map): USA (WI, NY)
Summary: For over eighty years, Joy Bridport has played by the rules: she's been a devoted wife and mother, contributing to the community in her small Hudson Valley town. But her quiet existence is jolted when she learns that her best friend, Hazel, only has months left to live. Hazel has always been the more adventurous one of their duo, and she seems at peace with all that she’s squeezed out of her long life. Yet Joy realizes she can’t say the same.
Determined to live boldly and make the most of the time that she and Hazel have left together, Joy steps outside of her comfort zone―and into a bit of trouble. But as her foray into rule-breaking escalates into committing petty crime, Joy must consider what kind of legacy she wants to leave behind, and whether there's a way for her to embrace the liberation that "Bad Joy" offers without losing all that she holds dear.
Review: This book was just the right one at the right time. I really liked Joy's positive attitude (Good Joy). She is older (89 years old) and appreciates being alive every day. Her lists of little things that make her happy were a pleasure to read:
- The soothing symmetry of a picket fence
- Paw prints etched in the cement
- The refreshing coolness of the kitchen tiles beneath her feet
I loved this quote: "What a sad existence it must be —so focused on the next thing you’re doing, the next place you’re going, that you forget to appreciate the very moment you’re in."
Joy also has wonderful insights into her world, how she is treated (as if she is invisible or someone to be pitied), and how she has lived her life (following first her father's, then her husband's "rules"). The reflections are poignant, and I liked that she begins doing things she wouldn't have before (Bad Joy), such as pulling a fire alarm, trying pot, and befriending "undesireables."
Parallel to Joy's life is her friendship with Hazel, her best friend since she was 8. What a lovely friendship; it made me think of my closest friends and how much I treasure them.
Challenges for which this counts:
- 20 of Summer
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