I Want You to Be Happy

When Chuck and Joey's paths cross in a bar, their connection feels like the beginning of something new. Chuck, a thirty-something advertising copywriter, has quietly set aside his dream of becoming a novelist, settling instead for a successful career that doesn't quite fulfill him. Joey, more than a decade younger, scrapes by as a barista while nurturing hopes of one day finding her voice as a poet.

Drawn together despite their different lives, they begin a relationship shaped by hope, uncertainty, and the stories they tell themselves about the future. Joey imagines the possibility of lasting love, while Chuck hopes the relationship will help him leave old regrets behind. But as their bond deepens, both must confront the distance between who they are and who they long to become.

Wry, emotionally incisive, and deeply relatable, I Want You to Be Happy is Jem Calder's thoughtful exploration of ambition, intimacy, and the complicated search for connection in contemporary life.