Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer [Book Review]

Joy Bridport has spent 89 years following the rules. Then her best friend gets a terminal diagnosis, and Joy discovers petty crime. Good Joy, Bad Joy is funny, warm, and sadder than it looks.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Joy Bridport has spent nearly ninety years being good, which frankly sounds exhausting. So when she finally decides to break a few rules, I was happy to support her petty-crime lifestyle. We all need a hobby.

Good Joy, Bad Joy by Mikki Brammer is comforting and a little heartbreaking. It’s about a lifelong friendship, aging, and what happens when you do everything right and still wonder what you missed.

A Very Overdue Rebellious Phase

Joy is a widow in Beacon, New York, and has always been the dependable one. Her best friend Hazel, whom she’s known since they were eight, has always been the adventurous one, with the globetrotting stories to prove it. When Hazel gets a terminal diagnosis, Joy starts wondering how much of her own life she spent playing it safe.

Then she tries to help Hazel and ends up committing a little crime. It turns out she has a taste for it.

The Friendship Is the Heart of It

My favorite part was Joy and Hazel. They’ve known each other for 81 years, and they don’t have to agree or pretend to be anyone else. Brammer writes that kind of comfort really well.

I also appreciated that Hazel’s diagnosis isn’t just a launch pad for some weird and wacky adventure. Joy’s reaction to losing her best friend feels authentic.

Regrets Add Up

Joy’s regrets seem small: choosing the safe option, keeping an opinion to herself, or putting everyone else first. But they add up. Brammer doesn’t pretend a lifetime of habits disappears after a few impulsive decisions. Joy is still Joy, anxieties and all. She’s just starting to wonder whether being a good person and being an obedient person are the same thing.

Spoiler alert: they’re not.

It’s also refreshing to read about an identity crisis at 89. Apparently younger characters don’t get to have all the fun. You just get better stories and less patience for everyone else’s opinions.

Where It Slowed Down

I knew this was a character-driven story, and I wasn’t expecting an octogenarian crime spree, but some scenes lingered a little too long.

I also wanted more time with the people around Joy. Her relationships and responsibilities are a big reason she’s followed the rules for so long, and digging into them would have made her change more satisfying.

Final Thoughts

By the end, I was attached to Joy and Hazel. I definitely recommend Good Joy, Bad Joy, especially if you like friendship stories and/or women who’ve decided they’re done behaving themselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader’s copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.