My enormous thanks to Emma and/or Katie at EDPR for sending me a copy of What Really Happened To Me? by Ellie Barker. It’s my pleasure to share my review of What Really Happened To Me? today.
Published by Vinci and available here in e-book, What Really Happened To Me? is out in paperback on 23rd April 2026, and available for pre-order here.
What Really Happened To Me?
Sometimes losing everything is the only way to find yourself.
Grace Leven seems to have it all―CEO of a national TV channel, a picture-perfect family and a life others envy. But behind the glossy façade, cracks are forming. Her career is on the line, her marriage has crumbled and her best friend has disappeared.
Lost and alone, Grace stumbles upon the Strawberry House Hotel, a haven in the idyllic Strawberry Village. Here, surrounded by a community that values truth and connection over social media perfection, Grace begins to ask the one question she’s been avoiding: What really happened to me?
Heartwarming, empowering and beautifully reflective, What Really Happened to Me is a story for every woman who’s ever wondered if there’s more to life.
My Review of What Really Happened To Me?
Grace Leven is at the top of her game. Until suddenly – she isn’t.
Oh my word. I could not have enjoyed What Really Happened To Me? more. I thought it was wonderful.
The plot of What Really Happened To Me? is relatively simple. A wealthy, successful woman finds herself ousted from her job, with her marriage failing and her best friend ignoring her. She’s estranged from her daughter and Grace finds that having been interviewed as a total success, instead she is a total failure. Or is she? As events progress Grace comes to learn what success really means and what is important in her life. It’s quite possible to read What Really Happened To Me? as a light and thoroughly entertaining romantic story.
That description of the story may seem mundane, but don’t be fooled. Ellie Barker grasps her readers and shakes them up. The experience of reading What Really Happened To Me? and what each reader gets out of the narrative will depend on their own experiences. The author leads both Grace and reader on a journey of self discovery that is utterly inspiring, empathetic and completely uplifting. There’s a fascinating (and infuriating) insight into the world of television. There’s a realistic expiration of sexism in the workplace. Equally entertaining and compelling is the understanding of how marriage and family, self-awareness, grief and guilt affect us all so that What Really Happened To Me? feels like a beacon of light as well as a brilliantly entertaining story.
I adored the settings of Strawberry Village and Strawberry House. Reading What Really Happened To Me? gave me every bit as much of a break from life as Grace experiences. There’s a further setting later that is simply beautiful but I won’t spoil that discover for others!
The people are glorious. I thought naming the protagonist Grace when her life suddenly has a total fall from grace was inspired. Equally, Grace learns what it means to behave gracefully, to be kind to others and to accept and deal with the vagaries of life. At 53, Grace has a coming-of-age experience that is presented with understanding and emotion. Obviously it is Grace who develops the most during the story, but there’s a fabulous gradual revealing of so many others too. Penelope Fanshaw in particular felt quite perfect. She’s spiky, rude and abrupt, but she’s also vulnerable, self-aware and redemptive so that I was utterly convinced by her. Of course, I was every bit as much in love with Harvey as everyone else!
Indeed, other than Eric who brought out the worst in me by making me want to cause him physical and financial damage, I found a kernel of joy, hope and understanding in all the characters which made me reassess those I know in real life too. What Really Happened To Me? gave me permission to be myself, to understand not only Grace et al, but to find compassion for my own frailties and the strength to do something about them.
Warm, wise and wonderful, What Really Happened To Me? is a glorious book. It deserves to be returned to time and again in those darker moments where we feel all hope is lost and we to be uplifted. I’m putting this one straight on my list of books of the year!
About Ellie Barker
Ellie Barker is a television journalist, author, and host of The Next Chapter podcast. Ellie started as a runner in TV, just like Rosie in The Pink Coffee Shop. Does the camera really lie? With more than 25 years in the industry, Ellie knows.
When she’s not being dazzled by those TV lights, Ellie writes contemporary romance novels, or “Fiction Therapy,” as she calls it. The Pink Coffee Shop, The Juggle, and The Secrets of the Coffee Club are all set in the fictitious Cherry Blossom Park in Bristol—the city where Ellie lives with her journalist husband, sons, and dog, Cookie.
When Ellie’s not holding a microphone or collecting socks, she loves to write warm, uplifting fiction with lots of love and hope. All her books feature a therapist (hence the Fiction Therapy), based on her lifelong fascination with mental health. And be warned: after years of reporting on some of the not-so-fair parts of life, only happy endings are allowed.
For further information, visit Ellie’s website, follow her on X find Ellie on Instagram and Facebook.
English (US) · 