So Happy It Hurts by Anneliese Mackintosh is about Ottila McGregor, a young woman who tries to improve her chaotic life. She struggles with alcohol, relationships, and self-destructive behavior while attempting to become “better” and happier.
The story follows her failed and messy attempts at self-control, especially in her relationships with her sister, her best friend, and a man she meets in a hospital. As she tries to fix herself, she realizes that change is not simple and that happiness is not something easy to achieve.
The novel is told in an unusual, fragmented style and mixes humor with serious themes like addiction, mental health, and emotional instability.