Review of I want you to be happy by Jem Calder

A tale as old as time. Man meets girl at a bar. They go home together. The complicated, awkward, early stages of a new (casual) relationship ensues. 

Joey and Chuck meet when Chuck is near his lowest. Recently split from his fiancee, weighed down with the financial burden of now paying for their flat, and struggling to find his feet in his career, Chuck seems to be flailing, and dating a girl twelve years younger propbably won’t help. Joey is fresh into her twenties, working as a barista at a coffee shop, she writes poetry, and is trying to make the most of living in the big city. They both know this is just a short-term, pass the time, playing at intimacy sort of arrangement, but as the months go on, it’s difficult to define the space they’ve drifted into.

An interesting look into the mechanics of new connections and the dynamics of an age gap relationship where respect and communication is often forgotten. 

Published on 21.05.2026 by Faber

Reviewed by Victoria

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