“Evocatively written and ferociously paced…a puzzle-box wrapped in a paranoia tale that rivets while exploring the complexities of grief, the anxieties of modem life, and the lasting harm of childhood trauma…an anxious read that domestic suspense fans will be tempted to devour in a single sitting.” ―Mystery Scene Magazine Forty-one-year-old Natalie Greene lost her mom and her childhood … memories in a car crash two decades ago. What remains is a haunting feeling that she was responsible for her mother’s death. After her husband leaves for another woman, Natalie accompanies her famous stepsister, Isabel Walker (aka “The Happiness Guru”) on a retreat to the Cayman Islands. There, a late-night collision triggers Natalie’s long-buried trauma and a heightened sense of guilt. Upon returning home to Boston, Natalie tries to settle back into her life as a food photographer and single mother to a teenage daughter—but then, one day, an anonymous email arrives about the Cayman accident that suggests foul play. In her search for the truth, Natalie must deal with a mix of fear, confusion, and suspects. With the help of Isabel and an attractive journalist, she uncovers a trail of deceit that begins on that deserted Caribbean road, circles back home, and ends in the most unexpected of places.
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The Happiness Thief is a well written suspense novel about two sisters that will keep you turning pages until the end. I was pretty sure that I knew how it would end but the ending was so much better than I anticipated that it still had an element of surprise for me.
Natalie and Isabelle are step sisters and have been close since Natalie’s mother married Isabel’s father when they were young. Natalie is 41 years old and her life is a total mess. Her husband has left her and she has to balance their daughter’s life between her house and his house with his new girlfriend. Natalie has had ptsd since her mother died in a car accident decades earlier. She was with her mother when the accident happened and even though she has no memory of the accident, she is sure that she caused it somehow. She travels to a retreat with her sister where a late night accident causes her ptsd to get worse. When she starts to get anonymous email about the accident, her life becomes even more unsettled and she relies on her sister even more. Isabelle is very popular and known as The Happiness Guru. She’s written books about happiness and held frequent retreats on achieving a happy life. She’s happily married and has always been the rock that Natalie could lean on. As Natalie and a newspaper reporter start digging into the emails, she finds out secrets that her family and sister have kept from her that can change her entire focus in her life.
This is a fantastic psychological suspense novel. I’m always drawn to novels about sisters and this is a perfect example of the love/hate relationship that exists between some sisters. Nicole Bokat is a new author for me and I intend to read some of her earlier books.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Wow! Mysterious and shocking…this left me guessing until the very end.
Natalie has been at the wrong place at the wrong time way too many times in her life…or is it more than that? She blames herself for her mother’s car accident many decades ago…because she walked away and her mother didn’t. Perhaps there is more to that story…maybe the rebellious teenager caused her mom to crash…OMG Natalie…what have you done?
Flash forward…Natalie ahs a beautiful daughter and husband…until she doesn’t. Recently separated and still reeling from her past demons…she escapes on a vacation to cleanse her soul…instead things get worse…much, much worse…There’s an accident and once again, Natalie is there – but this time someone knows……
Based on the title I thought this would be a bit depressing. It was not at all!! The focus is more on the mystery surrounding the two “incidents” as I will refer to them. I seriously could not put this book down!
When it became clear that her blackmailer…stalker…hookup…whatever this person was…knew…well things got a little crazy!
Obviously there are some topics of grief, addiction, PTSD…but the main focus is on the mysterious factors surrounding these two times in Natalie’s life. I seriously was hooked from the very first page!
The Happiness Thief is a really good domestic thriller, although I found it slow going at times. I loved Nicole’s writing style and found that I had to keep turning the pages to find out how the mystery ended. Natalie’s journey from being broken to healing was pulled together with skill. The story had a nice, surprising ending. I recommend this book.