Good Joy, Bad Joy
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
May 5, 2026
Hardcover/Audio
304
Purchased/Libby
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.
Is it ever too late to become who we're meant to be? With laugh-out-loud hijnks and emotional heft, Good Joy, Bad Joy is a heartwarming and wise celebration of the choices we make, the friendships we cherish, and the lengths we go for love.
My review:
4.5 stars
This was a delight, while also being sad. I say that, but Hazel would most certainly not want us to be sad! I'm definitely in my elderly woman character era (now rivaling my obsession with little old men in books), see my previous review of Mad Mabel. Joy and Hazel need to make the most of the time they have left, and Joy decides that maybe she has not lived a life enough like Hazel's, she may just need to find that adventurous spirit before it's too late. These ladies friendship was like a breath of fresh air in book form. I just loved them both. While the underlying theme is grief over losing your best friend, the author handles it in such a way that ultimately you feel joy (no pun intended) over the bond they have that has lasted eight decades. There are even some flashbacks that help us to understand their deep connection. The only reason I did not give this the full five stars is that I thought Joy's little acts of trouble to be a bit over the top (as in the illegal ones). Most of them were laugh out loud funny, but i felt it crossed the line just a bit. Otherwise this was a perfect read, with lovely characters and such a testament to the power of a best friend.
A book about elderly women taking stock of their lives, and deciding if they have had a life well lived. Are there things they would like to do to fulfill that, and taking charge of doing them. Mostly though, a book about friendship through the years. Just a lovely read!