Release Date: May 18, 2021
About The Book:
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.
Review
Natalie has some issues! Basically she blames herself for her mother’s death. Her mother died in an accident years ago and Natalie walked away. Survivors guilt, PTSD?? Probably a little of both! When her husband leaves her, Natalie decides to take a vacation to escape her troubles. But, this just leads to more trauma and more anxiety! There has been another accident and Natalie was there!
Natalie has suffered for years over her mother’s accident. It has left her as an overprotective mom and just an all around stressful human being. Her sister, Isabel, is just the opposite. She is the Happiness Guru. She helps people find their happiness. But something is just not right!
Talk about stressful and intense in so many ways! This story had me guessing and intrigued from the very beginning. Now, it did take a bit for me to get invested (most likely me and not the story!). But, once it hit me…the story did not quit!
Need a good psychological thriller that will have you captivated till the end…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the author for a honest review.
About The Author:
Nicole Bokat is the author of the novels Redeeming Eve and What Matters Most. Redeeming Eve was nominated for both the Hemingway Foundation/PEN award and the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction. She’s also published The Novels of Margaret Drabble: This Freudian Family Nexus. She received her PhD from New York University and has taught at NYU, Hunter College, and The New School. Her essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, Parents magazine, The Forward, and at More.com. She lives with her husband in New Jersey and has two grown sons.
Social Media:
Book/author website: http://thehappinessthief.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicole.bokat
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nicolebokat
Twitter: @NicoleBokat
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Book Blurbs:
“Bokat is an evocative wordsmith . . . she has crafted a sympathetic heroine as her main character. . . . A compulsively readable mystery and character study.”―Kirkus Reviews
“So, so smart, and as downright dangerous a read as the edge of a razor, Bokat’s book is a masterful study of memory, family, and the lies that derail us. Don’t even dare to think you’ll get any sleep once you start reading.”–Caroline Leavitt, New York Times best-selling author of Pictures of You and With or Without You
“Nicole Bokat has the rare and precious gift of being both a master storyteller and an elegant poet. Each and every sentence dazzles in this intelligent and fiery tale about family, loss, and what it means to be feel happy, whole.”–Judy Batalion, author of The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos and White Walls
“The Happiness Thief is a beautifully written, heart-thundering page-turner. I tore through it, desperate to discover answers. The novel’s characters are as rich and complex as you and I.”–Aspen Matis, #1 Amazon best-selling author of Your Blue Is Not My Blue and Girl in the Woods
“Sharp, quick-witted, with twists you can’t foresee, Bokat’s smart new thriller is like a cyanide pill wrapped in chocolate truffle–dangerous but irresistible. The Happiness Thief will swallow you whole.”–Tess Callahan, author of April and Oliver
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