Jem Calder’s I Want You to Be Happy turns the situationship into a frustrating, deeply relatable debut novel

What does a 21st century relationship mean? More precisely, what is a 2026 situationship? This, simply put, is the premise of British author Jem Calder’s debut novel, I Want You to Be Happy, in which two unlikeable, frustrating, and deeply flawed people try to find love with each other in an effort to find greater meaning. The result is a deliberately frustrating read that’s also brilliant, sharp, and witty.

The plot: Chuck, a 35-year-old copywriter, meets Joey, a 23-year-old barista, at a crowded London bar. He has just ended a 12-year relationship and is walking in baggage first. She’s still working out life as a young woman. They have different expectations, contrasting personalities, and plenty of issues of their own to go around. They hit it off, awkwardly at first, and so begins a tumultuous, sexual relationship with unsure romantic feelings: a situationship, if you will. The chapters alternate between their perspectives.

Our thoughts: I Want You to Be Happy isn’t the greatest work of literature you’ll ever read, not even close, but that’s where its charm lies. Calder’s prose is simple, direct, blunt, and does more telling than showing. We believe that was a deliberate choice, since the writing echoes the surface-level realities of the relationship it describes. At EnterprisePM, we love a story with flawed characters and narrators, and we loved this one, Goodreads’ 3.4 stars notwithstanding. If it’s five-star material for the internet’s resident librarian, Jack Edwards, it certainly is for us.

As much as we’d rather not admit it, the two deeply flawed leads were often relatable. Joey’s relationship anxiety, the uncertainty of youth, and the dangers of comparison, alongside Chuck’s mid-life crisis, his inability to move on from a relationship that shaped most of his life, and his self-destructive habits, offer plenty to reflect on at any stage of life.

The verdict: At 272 pages of simple but not shallow prose, it’s a quick read: three hours and two cups of tea for us — which is to say, we devoured it. It will frustrate you and make you introspective, but it also delivers exactly the kind of entertainment a breezy Cairene weekend calls for.

WHERE TO GET IT- You can find a physical copy at Diwan, or get the e-book through Amazon.