Written by Elissa Bass '85.

KK Rhinehart finds an unfamiliar iPhone in her husband’s car, and what she discovers on it ends her 25-year marriage. At the age of 55, and already feeling wrecked physically and mentally by menopause, she’s ready to give up. Desperate to hide, she retreats to her family’s Cape Cod summer beach house in the off-season.

But KK’s two siblings and her two closest friends refuse to let her waste away on the couch. Their over-the-top support ranges from makeovers to hot yoga. Then, she meets bartender Jay. With beautiful eyes and big hands, KK calls the much younger man “Surfer Guy” and can barely string a sentence together around him, but what she thinks is a one-sided, silly crush turns into intense interest from Jay.

KK might be able to find her joy again, but before that happens, she must navigate viral TikTok videos, a national debate on reverse age-gap dating, heartbreaking loss, and a whole lot of kitchen dancing. In this hilarious, inspirational take on love with a younger man, mid-life changes have never been this much fun.

“Sat down to read ‘Happy Hour’ and stayed with it until I was finished. The characters are beautifully drawn, and you will hear their voices in your head even after you've closed the book.”
                - Susan Campbell, author of Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl