This is a book I read in one day. Could not put it down. I had never read a story about a person with bulimia and this story helped me to understand what it is and how it can happen.

I've always loved stories about Africa and this one did not disappoint. The colors, sounds and sights of Africa were vivid and real.

Making a list of reasons to be happy is an excellent practice, one we could all do every day instead of focusing on the negative. To have this list juxtaposed with the bulimia which takes over her life made her character seem very real.

I loved the messages coming from Africa about what is beautiful, accepting our bodies and learning to love them and the messages about appreciating what we have and looking for ways to help others.

This book made me laugh, made me cry and left me smiling.
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This was a quick, compelling read about a girl battling with bulimia. I loved Hannah's narration. He life wasn't perfect, she lost her way, struggling with her body image and forgot who she was. However, thankfully, with love and support she was able to overcome her demons. "Reasons to be Happy" gives a very realistic insight into the mind of a bulimic, the downward spiral to addiction and the fight to overcome it. A great read. ( )

Looking at the cover of this book, I was expecting a light, fluffy chick-lit story. I had no idea it would have such an impact on me!

Hannah was a happy girl. So much so that she kept a list of all of the things that made her happy. She was even excited to start her 8th grade year in a new school. How quickly things change!

Hannah was always okay with being the plain-jane, ordinary daughter of two of Hollywood’s most glamourous stars. But on the first day at her new school, she unintentionally became part of the mean-girls clique. This led her to doubt everything about herself, including the things that made her the most happy, like her artwork and running. Suddenly she felt ugly. She was afraid that she’d never be able to live up to her parents expectations. Worst of all, her mom got sick.

Hannah had to find a way to deal with it all. She thought she had found a secret remedy, but was it really helping or only making things worse? What happened to the girl she used to be and how could she get her back?

Reasons To Be Happy was touching and inspiring. It made me smile and it made me cry. It took me back to when I was in middle school. I wish this book had been around for me then. If you’ve ever worried about fitting in, follow Hannah on her journey and she just may inspire you too.

My reasons to be happy:
-Learning something about myself when I least expect it
-Knowing that our library has the perfect book for just the right person waiting to read Hannah's story ( )

I was disappointed in this book. Hannah, the main character develops an eating disorder as a method of control in her uncontrollable life. OK, I can agree with that. The build up of how she slides into the disorder was decent, the thoughts of control all that. That part I had no problem with, and though was decently written. What annoyed me was that she was cured in a month. Not. Possible. And it disrespect everyone who deals with this struggle every day. She makes a couple of visits to a therapist and then takes a four week trip to Africa and she's fine! With only one slip backwards. I'm sorry, but this trivializes the whole eating disorder schema. Eating disorders aren't something you can just turn off and be cured. They're a struggle every day. You aren't cured in a month. I won't continue to rant about it, but that's what drove my rating down. For a better portrayal of eating disorders read Wintergirls by Anderson. It is a million times better.
Aside from that glaring annoyance, the story was moderately cute.
I will also say that the description, cover, and excerpts are very misleading though. It appears to be chick lit, but is very much not. ( )

A contemporary story about a girl grieving for her mother's death and her father's indifference. She turns to food as a way to coping. She finds friends in unlikely places and after a lot of struggles, she also finds herself. A good read, but not as heartwarming as I had hoped.

Hannah's mother and father are movie stars. Their faces are all over billboards and on the sides of buses. But her mom has cancer and dies a few chapters into the book. Her father looses it and becomes a Hollywood statistic - he drinks and he looses movies deals and he winds up in jail and then rehab. At the same time, Hannah develops an eating disorder. She steals food from her elite, perfect private school - complete with kids way to rich for their own good, security to fend off the paparazzi and of course, the poor charity, scholarship kid. She eventually goes to Africa to help her aunt film another award winning documentary about starving orphans. And in the end everything falls into place.

My main issue with Reasons to be Happy was its extremely unrealistic setting. Eating disorders are very serious and Hannah's experiences are no exception. What was exceptional was her life in general. Her parents are famous, she's rich, she's never had to really worry about anything in life, she goes to Africa which helps heal her, making life long friends along the way and reconnecting with her father who also gets his life back on track and gets nominated for an Emmy. Not a whole lot there to relate to.

I did really enjoy Hannah's reasons to be happy list. She finds joy in the simplest of things. So although, I really couldn't relate to her outward life, I did fell a connection to her secret inner most thoughts, wishes, hopes and dreams.

An ok read for me. Readers who are more in tune with and bigger fans of contemporary YA would probably enjoy this one better then I did. I wouldn't hesitate to read another book by Katrina as I did really enjoy the writing and style of Reasons to be Happy. It's actually inspired me to stat my own reasons to be happy list. ( )