Over 100 people attended the first official book signing of HAPPYSAD: Getting Over The One That Got Away by Brendan Donovan, who was born and raised in West Roxbury. The event, hosted at The Corrib Pub in WR, also included a Q&A session and raffle.

The 2026 memoir, HAPPYSAD, chronicles falling in love, spiraling into depression and addiction, pushing away the love of his life, trying to numb the pain, and finding the courage to become vulnerable and honest with himself. Donovan’s journey includes opioid addiction, cheeseburgers, competing on the TV show The Biggest Loser, and therapy.

The book opens with a comedic anecdote about how Donovan consulted a lawyer before publishing his book.

“Please read this before you try to sue me,” he stated.

Donovan, who works as a special educator in Boston, takes accountability for his actions early on in his memoir. He quotes Taylor Swift, writing, “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem. It’s me.” The book is described as hilarious, heartbreaking, raw, and uncomfortably honest.

Donovan began writing his memoir in 2023. He joined a program called Tell Your Story, which was founded by author and memoirist Tucker Max. “It helped me through rough drafts, drafting, and publishing. I was with the program for three years,” he explained. “I created a vomit draft, where you write everything out without editing. I wrote down twenty different stories that I wanted to put in my memoir. Then I went through the drafting process where I edited each chapter, listened to the book, and had other people read my writing to me.”

Donovan self-published his book. He talked to book agents and explored other publishing routes, but ultimately decided that self-publishing was the best fit for HAPPYSAD.

“I didn’t think of anything that’s happening right now [the popularity and support of the memoir]. I thought one hundred people would buy the book and I would move on with my life,” he said.

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Donovan marketed his book through social media – he had built a modest Instagram following through his time on reality TV. His friends also shared the memoir on their social media pages. “A few influencers also read the book and posted about it,” he remarked.

Writing the memoir was therapy for Donovan. “The story is about the one that got away. The person has been living inside my head for twenty years and the goal was to accept that she’s gone,” he explained. “As a man, you are expected to not cry and just shut up and deal with things. So in my book, I wanted to be vulnerable and show that it’s okay for a man to cry.”

He was recently interviewed by Nicole Gabe with Boston 25 News about HAPPYSAD.

Donovan describes himself as a “lifelong Boston guy with an accent to prove it.” He graduated from Boston Latin Academy and has a master’s degree in Special Education from UMass Boston. He “believes in second chances, inappropriate humor at inappropriate times, and the possibility that telling the truth about the worst parts of your life might make someone else feel less alone.”

The cover of Donovan’s memoir features a review by New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand: “The platonic ideal of an unflinching memoir … profoundly honest.” The book currently has over 150 reviews on Amazon and is rated 4.8 stars on Goodreads.

HAPPYSAD: Getting Over the One That Got Away by Brendan Donovan is available for purchase on Amazon.