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The Happiness Thief
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.
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.
280 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2021
21 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
September 18, 2021
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 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!
Thank you so much to SuzyApproved Tours, Nicole Bokat and ShewritesPress for my gifted copy!
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 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!
Thank you so much to SuzyApproved Tours, Nicole Bokat and ShewritesPress for my gifted copy!
January 28, 2021
THE HAPPINESS THIEF is an elegantly written mystery that keeps you rapt from the get-go. Natalie has a deep well of PTSD from the loss of her mother two decades ago in a car crash. Now in her forties, she faces even more loss when her husband leaves her, plus more trauma when a crash occurs while she’s on retreat to the Caymans.
After returning home, Natalie receives a shocking email suggesting the Cayman collision was not what it seemed. The ensuing twists and turns will keep you up all night, heart-pumping, awareness narrowed to just the page until you reach the end. Whew!
4 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 18 May 2021
#TheHappinessThief #NetGalley
Thanks to the author, She Writes Press, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
After returning home, Natalie receives a shocking email suggesting the Cayman collision was not what it seemed. The ensuing twists and turns will keep you up all night, heart-pumping, awareness narrowed to just the page until you reach the end. Whew!
4 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 18 May 2021
#TheHappinessThief #NetGalley
Thanks to the author, She Writes Press, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
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September 8, 2021Natalie Greene hasn’t been the same since her mother was killed in a car accident when she was little. Not only does she miss her terribly & is forced to deal with the pain of growing up without her, but she also has PTSD & can’t remember exactly what happened that day to cause the crash. She was the passenger & recalls dribs & drabs of reading her book; a brief conversation about a flashlight. Could she have done something that caused both her mother’s demise & her family’s ruination? She walks around with survivor’s guilt to her core.
“Grief was an inflammation, a bodily sensation. The flare-ups never stopped.Time,that famous healer, was a quack.”
The problem with the unknown is that you remain uptight, self-conscious; frightened. You can never really live a normal life, you’re always looking over your shoulder. Now, 41 years old, Natalie is an overprotective helicopter-mom to Hadley, her teenage daughter. It doesn’t help that after 17 years her marriage has crumbled. Marc was the only man she had ever truly loved & now she’s even more depressed & lonely.
Her older sister Isabel is the exact opposite. She’s wildly successful, now owner & operator of an IPhone app called “Wired Happy” that she created along with her neurologist husband George’s help. It’s main goal is to help users change their brains to welcome happiness into their lives. Can Isabel help her sister let go of her need to control anything & everything since her mom passed?
But then Natalie starts remembering...& what she thought she wanted to know she will soon wish she could block out again.
With an ending you won’t see coming, Nicole Bokat kills it with a thriller you’ll stay up way past your bedtime finishing.
Simply said, it’s unputdownable.
“Grief was an inflammation, a bodily sensation. The flare-ups never stopped.Time,that famous healer, was a quack.”
The problem with the unknown is that you remain uptight, self-conscious; frightened. You can never really live a normal life, you’re always looking over your shoulder. Now, 41 years old, Natalie is an overprotective helicopter-mom to Hadley, her teenage daughter. It doesn’t help that after 17 years her marriage has crumbled. Marc was the only man she had ever truly loved & now she’s even more depressed & lonely.
Her older sister Isabel is the exact opposite. She’s wildly successful, now owner & operator of an IPhone app called “Wired Happy” that she created along with her neurologist husband George’s help. It’s main goal is to help users change their brains to welcome happiness into their lives. Can Isabel help her sister let go of her need to control anything & everything since her mom passed?
But then Natalie starts remembering...& what she thought she wanted to know she will soon wish she could block out again.
With an ending you won’t see coming, Nicole Bokat kills it with a thriller you’ll stay up way past your bedtime finishing.
Simply said, it’s unputdownable.
March 2, 2022
Two car accidents
One in the past
One in the present
Natalie’s guilt consumes her to a point of obsession .
The character development was exquisite and realistic . At times I was annoyed at both Natalie and Isabel but I think that was Nicole Bokat’s goal.
The vividness of each chapter pulled you further and further down a rabbit hole .
The narration was skillfully crafted and engaging . I was instantly drawn in . Typically I go for a more aggressive psychological thriller but this was just the right amount of suspense to put together an incredibly crafted book .
I would like to thank Nicole Bokat for the opportunity to read and review her book and here’s the best news ! You don’t have to wait to buy this book! It’s out now !
Teaser :
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.
One in the past
One in the present
Natalie’s guilt consumes her to a point of obsession .
The character development was exquisite and realistic . At times I was annoyed at both Natalie and Isabel but I think that was Nicole Bokat’s goal.
The vividness of each chapter pulled you further and further down a rabbit hole .
The narration was skillfully crafted and engaging . I was instantly drawn in . Typically I go for a more aggressive psychological thriller but this was just the right amount of suspense to put together an incredibly crafted book .
I would like to thank Nicole Bokat for the opportunity to read and review her book and here’s the best news ! You don’t have to wait to buy this book! It’s out now !
Teaser :
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.
August 3, 2021
Nicole Bokat's
The Happiness Thief
is both a twisty mystery and an exploration of how guilt and memory can drag us down.
When Natalie was 13 years old she was in a car crash that killed her mother. She has flashbacks to the last seconds before the crash, and she remembers being told it was somehow her fault.
Even in adulthood, the guilt is a constant companion, causing panic attacks and depression. Her stepsister Isabel is a therapist known as The Happiness Guru, and she offers to try and help Natalie move on, as these feelings have ruined her marriage and could jeopardize her relationship with her teenage daughter.
Tagging along with Isabel to a conference in the Cayman Islands, one night they’re involved in a small car accident. Natalie is convinced they hit something—an animal, a person—yet no traces can be found. She can’t help feeling like she’s responsible for tragedy yet again, and this starts triggering memories of the night her mother died all those years ago.
When she returns home, a series of incidents motivate her to start looking into what really happened the night her mother died, and whether anything really happened in the Cayman Islands. Will she find that her memories are true, that she is responsible for her mother’s death? And if not, who was?
There’s a lot that happens in this book so I’m trying to be vague. It’s both a layered mystery and an interesting, well-written story about trying to find a way past guilt and sadness you’ve carried with you for far too long. There are lots of twists—some surprising and some less so—but it’s a satisfying, emotional, and thought-provoking read.
My thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Nicole Bokat, and She Writes Press for inviting me on the tour for The Happiness Thief and providing a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
When Natalie was 13 years old she was in a car crash that killed her mother. She has flashbacks to the last seconds before the crash, and she remembers being told it was somehow her fault.
Even in adulthood, the guilt is a constant companion, causing panic attacks and depression. Her stepsister Isabel is a therapist known as The Happiness Guru, and she offers to try and help Natalie move on, as these feelings have ruined her marriage and could jeopardize her relationship with her teenage daughter.
Tagging along with Isabel to a conference in the Cayman Islands, one night they’re involved in a small car accident. Natalie is convinced they hit something—an animal, a person—yet no traces can be found. She can’t help feeling like she’s responsible for tragedy yet again, and this starts triggering memories of the night her mother died all those years ago.
When she returns home, a series of incidents motivate her to start looking into what really happened the night her mother died, and whether anything really happened in the Cayman Islands. Will she find that her memories are true, that she is responsible for her mother’s death? And if not, who was?
There’s a lot that happens in this book so I’m trying to be vague. It’s both a layered mystery and an interesting, well-written story about trying to find a way past guilt and sadness you’ve carried with you for far too long. There are lots of twists—some surprising and some less so—but it’s a satisfying, emotional, and thought-provoking read.
My thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Nicole Bokat, and She Writes Press for inviting me on the tour for The Happiness Thief and providing a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
March 14, 2022
Natalie is forty-one. When she was a teenager she lost her mother in a car accident. Natalie survived and has been holding on to guilt for all these years. She is sure it is some how her fault. Natalie has no memory of the accident. As if that trauma isn't bad enough, her husband leaves her for another woman and it makes it rough on her daughter. In need a some time away Natalie goes to the Cayman Islands to spend time with her sister. The famed happiness guru. When another accident happens Natalie cant shake that something is wrong. This was a suspenful mystery that kept me guessing and I had to know how this was going to end. I never saw the twist coming. Excellent read. I loved it.
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
March 19, 2022
The Happiness Thief by Nicole Bokat is a captivating mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.
We meet Natalie who is still haunted by her mother's car crash when she was only 13 years old. She experiences, guilt, panic attacks and PTSD.
Natalie experiences a minor car accident, and she is triggered from the events of the past and starts to look into what really happened to cause her mother's car accident.
The Happiness Thief is a thought-provoking book that was emotional, tense, and completely satisfying.
I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good mystery that is layered with depth of story lines and complex complicated flawed characters.
We meet Natalie who is still haunted by her mother's car crash when she was only 13 years old. She experiences, guilt, panic attacks and PTSD.
Natalie experiences a minor car accident, and she is triggered from the events of the past and starts to look into what really happened to cause her mother's car accident.
The Happiness Thief is a thought-provoking book that was emotional, tense, and completely satisfying.
I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good mystery that is layered with depth of story lines and complex complicated flawed characters.
June 3, 2021
I had a very hard time connecting with the characters in this book. With her low self esteem and anxiety, I found Natalie to be a downer, and a lot of her actions made me cringe. Her step-sister Isabel was completely fake and I kept waiting for her to reveal her true colors. The story had a very slow build to it (frustratingly so at times) and I didn't find my true interest in the story until I was 75% through it, at which point the truth of the accident started making itself known to Natalie. At that point I couldn't read fast enough and I was pleasantly surprised by how the book played out. I had the bad guy figured out, but I never could have imagined the why or the details behind their actions. Up until the ending of the book, my plan had been to rate this with two stars, however the ending redeemed the book and I have upgraded my review to three stars.
My favorite character in this book was Jeremy, the reporter. I didn't like Natalie until the end of the book, but I like how she was able to turn her pain and memories into healing art. I would pay to see that exhibit!
Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
My favorite character in this book was Jeremy, the reporter. I didn't like Natalie until the end of the book, but I like how she was able to turn her pain and memories into healing art. I would pay to see that exhibit!
Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
March 11, 2021
So, so smart and edgy--a page-turning mystery about memory, family and memoir with an ending you'll never see coming. Absolutely loved this book.
August 25, 2021
With the opening line 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 draws you in and takes you on an obsessive journey.
Natalie Greene carries around a world of guilt. At age thirteen, Natalie’s mother was killed in a car accident in which Nat suffered head trauma. She has only vague memories but is haunted by thoughts that she did something to cause the accident.
Now, at forty-one, Natalie’s husband has left her, and her step-father has passed away. Natalie attends The Happiness Conference on Grand Cayman Island, where her step-sister, Isabel, the famous ��Happiness Guru,” is speaking. But when the two are involved in a car accident on the island, it sets off a chain of events that will have the past slamming up against the present. Natalie is questioning herself at every turn - but is someone trying to tell her something?
I felt so tense reading this, especially hearing Natalie’s consuming thoughts! I wasn’t sure if this was a case of amnesia, mental illness, or even gaslighting. You’ll fly through this edgy mystery.
Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours @shewritespress and @nicolebokat for an invitation to the tour and a signed copy.
Natalie Greene carries around a world of guilt. At age thirteen, Natalie’s mother was killed in a car accident in which Nat suffered head trauma. She has only vague memories but is haunted by thoughts that she did something to cause the accident.
Now, at forty-one, Natalie’s husband has left her, and her step-father has passed away. Natalie attends The Happiness Conference on Grand Cayman Island, where her step-sister, Isabel, the famous ��Happiness Guru,” is speaking. But when the two are involved in a car accident on the island, it sets off a chain of events that will have the past slamming up against the present. Natalie is questioning herself at every turn - but is someone trying to tell her something?
I felt so tense reading this, especially hearing Natalie’s consuming thoughts! I wasn’t sure if this was a case of amnesia, mental illness, or even gaslighting. You’ll fly through this edgy mystery.
Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours @shewritespress and @nicolebokat for an invitation to the tour and a signed copy.
October 16, 2022
Natalie has had survivors guilt since her mother was killed in a car accident that she believes she caused. She has lost her husband and her teenage daughter is becoming more independent. Trying to get her life together she decides to take a vacation with her step-sister, The Happiness Guru. Isabel is bound and determined to help Natalie turn her life around and get her to come to terms that the accident was not her fault. Then a small fender-bender causes Natalie to have PTSD and the first accident continues to plague her and this time someone was a witness. Her nightmares return and now a stranger is emailing Natalie about that fender-bender and that it was not what Isabel may have made it out to seem. She has also somewhat befriended a man from one of Isabels' groups and he is not who he claims to be. Plus the first accident keeps playing over and over, and she feels like the truth of her mothers accident is right outside her grasp. What really happened all those years ago, and why won't this stranger just tell her what they saw and what they know? This was a good twisted thriller that keeps you guessing through the whole book.
August 13, 2021
Thank you to the author for this book which I won on A Novel Bee (FB).
At first I thought that Natalie "killed" her mother. It was in another sense that she thought she did. Natalie was her step-sister and held "Happiness" seminars. They were very close and then things start to happen in this book. In the Cayman Islands, where Natalie went to see her sister in her element, a car accident occurred which got her thinking about her mother (Isabel's step-mother) in which she was killed and Natalie thought it was her fault. They things start to happen and lies come out in all ways. She meets Jeremy via Cayman Island, a newspaper reporter, who's there to find out information on Isabel's seminars, and she becomes good friend with him and he helps her get information about the crash.
I really liked Natalie's 15 year old daughter Hadley (but it drove me crazy that she called her HADS), from her ex-husband Marc.
Overall, a good read.
At first I thought that Natalie "killed" her mother. It was in another sense that she thought she did. Natalie was her step-sister and held "Happiness" seminars. They were very close and then things start to happen in this book. In the Cayman Islands, where Natalie went to see her sister in her element, a car accident occurred which got her thinking about her mother (Isabel's step-mother) in which she was killed and Natalie thought it was her fault. They things start to happen and lies come out in all ways. She meets Jeremy via Cayman Island, a newspaper reporter, who's there to find out information on Isabel's seminars, and she becomes good friend with him and he helps her get information about the crash.
I really liked Natalie's 15 year old daughter Hadley (but it drove me crazy that she called her HADS), from her ex-husband Marc.
Overall, a good read.
March 30, 2021
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.
March 26, 2022
TITLE: THE HAPPINESS THIEF
AUTHOR: Nicole Bokat
PUB DATE: 05.18.2021 Now Available
SYNOPSIS: Swipe Above
THE HAPPINESS THIEF is an evocative read. This mystery is so wonderfully written, and touched upon themes about family, loss, grief, trauma, and about being happy. The story has incredible twists and surprises I did not see coming. I found myself tearing through this book, to find out what happened - it just kept me guessing! I loved this thrill ride of a book that I read in a sitting.
AUTHOR: Nicole Bokat
PUB DATE: 05.18.2021 Now Available
SYNOPSIS: Swipe Above
THE HAPPINESS THIEF is an evocative read. This mystery is so wonderfully written, and touched upon themes about family, loss, grief, trauma, and about being happy. The story has incredible twists and surprises I did not see coming. I found myself tearing through this book, to find out what happened - it just kept me guessing! I loved this thrill ride of a book that I read in a sitting.
April 9, 2021
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖?
Natalie Greene has buried the horrible car accident that cost her mother her very life. With her shattered, haunting recollection of that event, hazy at best, the one thing she feels to be true is that it was all her fault. She is the reason her mother is dead. Now in her forties, her marriage has just ended due to her husband’s infidelity, so she turns to her adored step-sister Isabel Walker, once a troubled teen and now a wildly successful, spiritual guru of sorts. Natalie joins her at the annual Happiness Conference at the Cayman Islands, despite having just lost her own father, Isabel (always a powerhouse) works through her grief, surrounded by fans and admirers who long to be self-actualized and happy. Isabel is everything Natalie isn’t, as if Natalie’s happiness and future has been trapped in the nightmare of her own loss, her guilt a heavy stone in her heart. She doesn’t begrudge her step-sister her glorious life and is proud of her accomplishments, including her solid marriage to George. She doesn’t fall apart in the face of loss, not like Natalie.
Behind the wheel with her sister beside her, glorifying in Isabel’s presence, there is a suddenly blare of headlights, causing her to hit something. Once again she is the helpless teen and Isabel takes charge, confronting the other driver. No harm done, the man assures them it was nothing, a four legged creature. She sees the other driver later, a handsome photographer named Simon, who gives her his email. A shared passion for photography, even if her job photographing food is less stimulating, is a happy coincidence. Life goes on, Natalie returns to Boston and wonders about the stranger while she tries to launch herself as a single, working mother to Hadley, her teenage daughter. Hadley pushes her mother to try, make an effort to feel better about herself. Her soon to be ex is moving on faster than either of them are prepared for, putting a fire in Natalie that leads her to seek Simon.
When she receives an eerie email that seems to imply the recent accident is far more sinister than she thought, making her doubt everything that happened on the road that night at the Happiness retreat, she begins to question everyone in her life, including Simon. Could it be he isn’t who he seems? Maybe the trauma of her past is making her insane. She feels like an inept, amateur sleuth trying to figure out who Godfrey (the emailer) is. Memories of her mother’s accident are erupting too, and it has always been Isabel she relies on to supply the facts. After all, it was her devotion to her that caused such a tangle, a rift between she and her own mother. She meets Jeremy, a journalist, and asks him for a favor-help her find out what happened recently the night of her accident but there is a second request involving the past and her family. In turn, she will let him interview her. Jeremy isn’t a fan of happiness gurus or new age healers of any sort, who better to talk to than the popular Isabel’s sister for his piece? She knows Isabel is on the up and up, her passion is helping people, including Natalie herself. She has gone above and beyond to support her when she was at her weakest.
When she informs Isabel about the email, her sister offers to get to the bottom of things. She’s always been there to pick up the pieces, to guide Natalie. She doesn’t understand why she is tormenting herself, assuring her the accident was nothing, this is just the past eroding the present again. She is leaping to impossible conclusions despite the evidence, hurting because of the past, mixing things up. Isabel is greatly concerned, worried about her well being.
As more information rises to the surface, things get more complicated, illuminating the past. There is more to the mystery of their family, so many doubts, holes in Natalie’s memory that maybe a letter could dispel. This is, in the end, a story about ‘the strong habit of love’, the things we see and how much we miss. The story is good, but there were times Natalie got on my nerves. She does act immature, but it could be the writer’s intent, to show how in a sense losing her mother, blaming herself, having relied on Isabel too much and being in such a long marriage infantilized her in some ways. When we first meet her, she doesn’t trust herself, hasn’t fully stood on her own two feet and divorce demands that of you. She suffers from trauma still and it’s hard to move past it when you don’t have the full story and your own memories play hide and seek. You can’t always look to others to save you.
The truth finds a way and it isn’t always pretty.
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
She Writes Press
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖?
Natalie Greene has buried the horrible car accident that cost her mother her very life. With her shattered, haunting recollection of that event, hazy at best, the one thing she feels to be true is that it was all her fault. She is the reason her mother is dead. Now in her forties, her marriage has just ended due to her husband’s infidelity, so she turns to her adored step-sister Isabel Walker, once a troubled teen and now a wildly successful, spiritual guru of sorts. Natalie joins her at the annual Happiness Conference at the Cayman Islands, despite having just lost her own father, Isabel (always a powerhouse) works through her grief, surrounded by fans and admirers who long to be self-actualized and happy. Isabel is everything Natalie isn’t, as if Natalie’s happiness and future has been trapped in the nightmare of her own loss, her guilt a heavy stone in her heart. She doesn’t begrudge her step-sister her glorious life and is proud of her accomplishments, including her solid marriage to George. She doesn’t fall apart in the face of loss, not like Natalie.
Behind the wheel with her sister beside her, glorifying in Isabel’s presence, there is a suddenly blare of headlights, causing her to hit something. Once again she is the helpless teen and Isabel takes charge, confronting the other driver. No harm done, the man assures them it was nothing, a four legged creature. She sees the other driver later, a handsome photographer named Simon, who gives her his email. A shared passion for photography, even if her job photographing food is less stimulating, is a happy coincidence. Life goes on, Natalie returns to Boston and wonders about the stranger while she tries to launch herself as a single, working mother to Hadley, her teenage daughter. Hadley pushes her mother to try, make an effort to feel better about herself. Her soon to be ex is moving on faster than either of them are prepared for, putting a fire in Natalie that leads her to seek Simon.
When she receives an eerie email that seems to imply the recent accident is far more sinister than she thought, making her doubt everything that happened on the road that night at the Happiness retreat, she begins to question everyone in her life, including Simon. Could it be he isn’t who he seems? Maybe the trauma of her past is making her insane. She feels like an inept, amateur sleuth trying to figure out who Godfrey (the emailer) is. Memories of her mother’s accident are erupting too, and it has always been Isabel she relies on to supply the facts. After all, it was her devotion to her that caused such a tangle, a rift between she and her own mother. She meets Jeremy, a journalist, and asks him for a favor-help her find out what happened recently the night of her accident but there is a second request involving the past and her family. In turn, she will let him interview her. Jeremy isn’t a fan of happiness gurus or new age healers of any sort, who better to talk to than the popular Isabel’s sister for his piece? She knows Isabel is on the up and up, her passion is helping people, including Natalie herself. She has gone above and beyond to support her when she was at her weakest.
When she informs Isabel about the email, her sister offers to get to the bottom of things. She’s always been there to pick up the pieces, to guide Natalie. She doesn’t understand why she is tormenting herself, assuring her the accident was nothing, this is just the past eroding the present again. She is leaping to impossible conclusions despite the evidence, hurting because of the past, mixing things up. Isabel is greatly concerned, worried about her well being.
As more information rises to the surface, things get more complicated, illuminating the past. There is more to the mystery of their family, so many doubts, holes in Natalie’s memory that maybe a letter could dispel. This is, in the end, a story about ‘the strong habit of love’, the things we see and how much we miss. The story is good, but there were times Natalie got on my nerves. She does act immature, but it could be the writer’s intent, to show how in a sense losing her mother, blaming herself, having relied on Isabel too much and being in such a long marriage infantilized her in some ways. When we first meet her, she doesn’t trust herself, hasn’t fully stood on her own two feet and divorce demands that of you. She suffers from trauma still and it’s hard to move past it when you don’t have the full story and your own memories play hide and seek. You can’t always look to others to save you.
The truth finds a way and it isn’t always pretty.
Publication Date: May 18, 2021
She Writes Press
March 2, 2021
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.
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.
October 1, 2021
"I think I killed my mother"
So begins this dive into the murky waters of memory loss, familial secrets, mental health, loss and redemption. Natalie was thirteen when she was a passenger in the car that crashed and took her mother's life. Although she has no memory of the crash she's certain she was the cause of the accident. Now, at the age of forty-one her life's somewhat of a mess. Her husband has left her for another woman and her fifteen year old daughter is caught in the middle. Thank god for her stepsister Isabelle, a successful 'happiness guru' who has been there for Natalie her whole life. The two are on a working retreat in the Caymans when while driving back to their hotel they're involved in another accident. An accident Natalie is certain someone or something was hit by her car but nothing was found at the scene. What follows is a domestic mystery that grabbed my attention with that opening line and didn't let go until after the last twist and satisfying conclusion.
I found this one to be very well written with a steady, comfortable pace. It's as much a character study as it is a mystery. The characters are well fleshed out and I enjoyed how the mystery was sustained throughout and how surprised I was by a twist I didn't see coming. If you enjoy mysteries centered around family, memory loss and PTSD, I highly recommend you add this to your TBR pile ASAP.
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Thank you to the author, She Writes Press and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy and including me on this tour.
So begins this dive into the murky waters of memory loss, familial secrets, mental health, loss and redemption. Natalie was thirteen when she was a passenger in the car that crashed and took her mother's life. Although she has no memory of the crash she's certain she was the cause of the accident. Now, at the age of forty-one her life's somewhat of a mess. Her husband has left her for another woman and her fifteen year old daughter is caught in the middle. Thank god for her stepsister Isabelle, a successful 'happiness guru' who has been there for Natalie her whole life. The two are on a working retreat in the Caymans when while driving back to their hotel they're involved in another accident. An accident Natalie is certain someone or something was hit by her car but nothing was found at the scene. What follows is a domestic mystery that grabbed my attention with that opening line and didn't let go until after the last twist and satisfying conclusion.
I found this one to be very well written with a steady, comfortable pace. It's as much a character study as it is a mystery. The characters are well fleshed out and I enjoyed how the mystery was sustained throughout and how surprised I was by a twist I didn't see coming. If you enjoy mysteries centered around family, memory loss and PTSD, I highly recommend you add this to your TBR pile ASAP.
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Thank you to the author, She Writes Press and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the gifted copy and including me on this tour.
August 6, 2021
Natalie Green lost her mom and her childhood memories in a car crash long ago. She’s lived with a sneaking suspicion that she caused her mom’s death since that day. Now she is a single mom and she goes on a retreat to the Cayman Islands with her stepsister. One night the two get into a car accident on a dark road and this accident becomes like a trigger from that day she lost her mom as a young girl. One day an anonymous email about the accident in the Cayman Islabds arrives and Natalie is forced to deal with memories and feelings both pst and present.
I loved this book. So many emotions! I truly did feel for Natalie. How do you let go of the loss of a parent, especially when you think you might have been responsible for her death? This was a quick read that kept me company while I was home recovering from pneumonia. I really enjoyed the story and uncovering the mystery at its center.
I loved this book. So many emotions! I truly did feel for Natalie. How do you let go of the loss of a parent, especially when you think you might have been responsible for her death? This was a quick read that kept me company while I was home recovering from pneumonia. I really enjoyed the story and uncovering the mystery at its center.
February 28, 2022
The Happiness Thief was one of those books that I wanted to keep reading even when I didn't have the time. This author has a beautiful way with words, and I could definitely feel the angst of Natalie, one of the protagonists. The dialogue was right on target, and while reading it, the title of the book kept coming to me as such a perfect expression of the themes of the novel. I loved the relationship between Natalie and Isabel and I'm usually good at figuring out the twist in a book, but this author weaved her story in a way, that I couldn't guess what was going to happen. I will remember this book for a long time.
March 15, 2022
This one started out slow but quickly built momentum and by the end, things got wild!
Natalie hasn’t been the same since the accident that killer her mother. But who would be!? Now as an adult she has been in another accident and that intensifies her already out of control PTSD.
Now she is getting anonymous, chilling messages and they make her question everything.
What’s the truth?
Who can she trust?
Will you be able to guess? ☠️
Natalie hasn’t been the same since the accident that killer her mother. But who would be!? Now as an adult she has been in another accident and that intensifies her already out of control PTSD.
Now she is getting anonymous, chilling messages and they make her question everything.
What’s the truth?
Who can she trust?
Will you be able to guess? ☠️
January 9, 2022
Natalie was in a car accident as a teenager that killed her mother and she has never gotten past it. But is what she remembers of the accident actually what happened? Her stepsister is a Happiness Guru who offers to help Natalie since the PTSD from the accident is effecting her life, her marriage, her ability to be a mother. After her husband leaves her and she goes on a trip and is another car accident and when she gets home, she gets an email that the car accident was not what it seemed.
May 29, 2021
Almost three stars.
December 19, 2021
“𝑰 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑲 𝑰 𝑲𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑫 𝑴𝒀 𝑴𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹.”
This book is told in 3rd person from Natalie’s POV. The entire book centers around Natalie, a recently divorced mother trying to piece together what happened when she was 13 and in the car with her mom when there was an accident and her mother died. The accident resulted in brain damage causing Natalie to lose her memory of the accident. The storyline also involves Natalie’s stepsister and “happiness guru” Isabel.
This book started off intense after reading the first line but ended up being more of a slow burn. I really enjoyed the twists and turns as well as learning about the relationship between stepsisters Natalie and Isabel. Throughout the book, you question whether the narrator Natalie is even reliable or not which is something I always love in books. Natalie slowly starts to question everything and everyone as she tries to find out if she was responsible for the her mother’s death that night years ago. My favorite character was definitely Jeremy. I really loved him! Definitely recommend giving this book a go.
This book is told in 3rd person from Natalie’s POV. The entire book centers around Natalie, a recently divorced mother trying to piece together what happened when she was 13 and in the car with her mom when there was an accident and her mother died. The accident resulted in brain damage causing Natalie to lose her memory of the accident. The storyline also involves Natalie’s stepsister and “happiness guru” Isabel.
This book started off intense after reading the first line but ended up being more of a slow burn. I really enjoyed the twists and turns as well as learning about the relationship between stepsisters Natalie and Isabel. Throughout the book, you question whether the narrator Natalie is even reliable or not which is something I always love in books. Natalie slowly starts to question everything and everyone as she tries to find out if she was responsible for the her mother’s death that night years ago. My favorite character was definitely Jeremy. I really loved him! Definitely recommend giving this book a go.
May 3, 2021
{Please join me in conversation with authors at www.leslielindsay.com|Always with a Book. Nicole Bokat to appear in late May 2021.}
Edgy, smart, and propulsive blend of literary thriller meets family dysfunction.
A masterful tale of family dysfunction , enmeshment, interconnected twists, the infallible affect of memory and emotion, lies, and so much more in Nicole Bokat's THE HAPPINESS THIEF (SWP, May 18 2021).
Natalie Greene is a 41-year old recently divorced woman raising a 15-year old daughter. Even now, she still believes she caused the car crash that led her mother's death when she was thirteen. But did she? Haunted by this, her dissolving marriage (and the fact that her ex has so easily moved on), Natalie is trying to make ends meet while being a freelance food photographer when strange emails, the death of her stepfather, and a large FedEx package appears and then disappears, catapulting her back to those earlier days.
But there's more: a recent trip to the Cayman Islands where her stepsister, Isabel's, happiness conference was held, an eerie similarity to the car crash that happened to Natalie's mother nearly 30 years prior. Could the two events somehow be linked? Was Natalie responsible for both?
Isabel insists that the events are not related; still, it doesn't settle well with Natalie. Armed with just enough suspicion, an ever-present haunting, Natalie takes matters into her own hands, along with a Boston Globe investigative reporter. THE HAPPINESS THIEF is about memory, PTSD, family, tragedy, mental health issues, and what one will do to cover up mistakes. There are several unsavory characters, many who had the means and motivation, but THE HAPPINESS THEIF is more of a mind-game, with plenty of twists and deceit.
You may find echoes of Caroline Leavitt's PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOU (both protagonists are photographers, there's a car accident), but also B.A. Paris meets Mary Kubica with touches of Gilly Macmillian . Also, in thinking about books with photography and a slight thriller aspect, consider THE VANISHING POINT (Elizabeth Brundage) meets T. Greenwood's THE GOLDEN HOUR . Keep in mind that while THE HAPPINESS THIEF has elements of who-dun-it and domestic suspense, it's more of a character study than a straight thriller.
Please join me in conversation with authors at www.leslielindsay.com|Always with a Book. Nicole Bokat to appear in late May 2021.
So grateful to the publisher for this review copy. All thoughts are my own
Edgy, smart, and propulsive blend of literary thriller meets family dysfunction.
A masterful tale of family dysfunction , enmeshment, interconnected twists, the infallible affect of memory and emotion, lies, and so much more in Nicole Bokat's THE HAPPINESS THIEF (SWP, May 18 2021).
Natalie Greene is a 41-year old recently divorced woman raising a 15-year old daughter. Even now, she still believes she caused the car crash that led her mother's death when she was thirteen. But did she? Haunted by this, her dissolving marriage (and the fact that her ex has so easily moved on), Natalie is trying to make ends meet while being a freelance food photographer when strange emails, the death of her stepfather, and a large FedEx package appears and then disappears, catapulting her back to those earlier days.
But there's more: a recent trip to the Cayman Islands where her stepsister, Isabel's, happiness conference was held, an eerie similarity to the car crash that happened to Natalie's mother nearly 30 years prior. Could the two events somehow be linked? Was Natalie responsible for both?
Isabel insists that the events are not related; still, it doesn't settle well with Natalie. Armed with just enough suspicion, an ever-present haunting, Natalie takes matters into her own hands, along with a Boston Globe investigative reporter. THE HAPPINESS THIEF is about memory, PTSD, family, tragedy, mental health issues, and what one will do to cover up mistakes. There are several unsavory characters, many who had the means and motivation, but THE HAPPINESS THEIF is more of a mind-game, with plenty of twists and deceit.
You may find echoes of Caroline Leavitt's PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOU (both protagonists are photographers, there's a car accident), but also B.A. Paris meets Mary Kubica with touches of Gilly Macmillian . Also, in thinking about books with photography and a slight thriller aspect, consider THE VANISHING POINT (Elizabeth Brundage) meets T. Greenwood's THE GOLDEN HOUR . Keep in mind that while THE HAPPINESS THIEF has elements of who-dun-it and domestic suspense, it's more of a character study than a straight thriller.
Please join me in conversation with authors at www.leslielindsay.com|Always with a Book. Nicole Bokat to appear in late May 2021.
So grateful to the publisher for this review copy. All thoughts are my own
June 13, 2021
How can you resist a book that opens with "I think I killed my mother."? Nicole Bokat's novel The Happiness Thief begins with that intriguing sentence that encourages the reader to discover why Natalie would think that.
When Natalie was thirteen, she was in a car accident that killed her mother. Natalie suffered a serious brain trauma, and she can't remember exactly what happened, except that she fears that she shined her flashlight in her mother's eyes and that is what caused the accident.
Natalie is with her stepsister Isabel on a Caribbean island where Isabel is speaking at a Happiness Conference. Isabel is a self-help guru (think Glennon Doyle or Brene Brown) who is trying to build her brand after writing a successful book, and working to finish a second book. People surround Isabel at the conference, wanting any piece of her and her advice that she can give them.
"Isabel was the powerhouse and the bulwark, while Natalie was the sensitive one" in the family. Natalie's husband recently left her and their teenage daughter Hadley for a younger colleague. The dissolution of her marriage has left Natalie depressed, and this trip is supposed to cheer her up.
While driving on the island at night, a car follows them and shines highbeams at them. Natalie is driving and hits something in the road, leaving blood on the bumper. She panics, and flashes back to the accident that killed her mother. Isabel and the man in the car behind them get out and look for what was probably an animal, but Natalie is convinced it was a person.
When they return home to Boston, Natalie receives an email from somone who says he knows that she hit someone on that road. Even though Isabel does her best to prove Natalie that she didn't hit a person, Natalie is not convinced.
There are two mysteries here- was Natalie responsible for her mother's death and did she hit someone on the island? I didn't find myself as invested in the mysteries as I did with Natalie's home life. The relationship between Natalie and her daughter Hadley was the strongest part of the book, that felt true and honest.
I found it difficult at first to keep track of the family situation- Isabel's mom (deceased), Natalie's mom, Natalie's dad who died when she was young, her stepfather who is Isabel's father. It took awhile to get it straight.
There are a lot of moving parts in this story, this is the kind of book you have to pay close attention to when you're reading. If psychological suspense and family drama is something you enjoy in a book, The Happiness Thief will quench your thirst.
When Natalie was thirteen, she was in a car accident that killed her mother. Natalie suffered a serious brain trauma, and she can't remember exactly what happened, except that she fears that she shined her flashlight in her mother's eyes and that is what caused the accident.
Natalie is with her stepsister Isabel on a Caribbean island where Isabel is speaking at a Happiness Conference. Isabel is a self-help guru (think Glennon Doyle or Brene Brown) who is trying to build her brand after writing a successful book, and working to finish a second book. People surround Isabel at the conference, wanting any piece of her and her advice that she can give them.
"Isabel was the powerhouse and the bulwark, while Natalie was the sensitive one" in the family. Natalie's husband recently left her and their teenage daughter Hadley for a younger colleague. The dissolution of her marriage has left Natalie depressed, and this trip is supposed to cheer her up.
While driving on the island at night, a car follows them and shines highbeams at them. Natalie is driving and hits something in the road, leaving blood on the bumper. She panics, and flashes back to the accident that killed her mother. Isabel and the man in the car behind them get out and look for what was probably an animal, but Natalie is convinced it was a person.
When they return home to Boston, Natalie receives an email from somone who says he knows that she hit someone on that road. Even though Isabel does her best to prove Natalie that she didn't hit a person, Natalie is not convinced.
There are two mysteries here- was Natalie responsible for her mother's death and did she hit someone on the island? I didn't find myself as invested in the mysteries as I did with Natalie's home life. The relationship between Natalie and her daughter Hadley was the strongest part of the book, that felt true and honest.
I found it difficult at first to keep track of the family situation- Isabel's mom (deceased), Natalie's mom, Natalie's dad who died when she was young, her stepfather who is Isabel's father. It took awhile to get it straight.
There are a lot of moving parts in this story, this is the kind of book you have to pay close attention to when you're reading. If psychological suspense and family drama is something you enjoy in a book, The Happiness Thief will quench your thirst.
July 22, 2021
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“The Happiness Thief” is a psychological mystery thriller about a woman who doesn’t remember if she committed the crime of killing her mother, and it was a fun read!
What an elegant twist in the book! Firstly, the storyline is pretty intense, where we have Natalie trying to figure out the reason for her mother’s death years back. As if that’s not enough, she also starts receiving creepy text messages about the incident. The author paces the story in a suspenseful yet classy manner where you have no idea who to trust. At a certain point, I felt like everyone in Natalie’s life was possibly suspect, including Natalie.
I loved Natalie in the lead and admire the way she handled the situation. She is not afraid to confront people and ask for the truth, even if it means jeopardizing their friendship. I also enjoyed her relationship with Hadley and thought the author wrote the family dynamic realistically. Even the supporting characters like Simon, Isabel Hadley, Marc, and the others blended as the supporting cast. The ending is also one that shocked me.
However, there were parts where I felt like the I was reading slow-burner suspense. The first half of the book is relatively gradual, where things progress slowly. For instance, while I enjoyed reading Hadley’s school problems with her friends, I felt it strayed from the book’s theme. But, I did enjoy some of the factors that Isabel invokes about Happiness in her sessions, and I found the whole concept of the Happiness Center to be very interesting! I felt the story picked up pace beautifully when Natalie goes to see Simon.
Overall, “The Happiness Thief” is a great book to pick out if you are in the mood for a psychological mystery thriller with twists and turns.
March 27, 2022
Release Date: May 18, 2021
This was a slow burn mystery that really paid off in the end. At first I was a little confused by some of the characters and how they were connected-the two step sisters, but by p.60 that was all straightened out. I really liked Natalie’s character, it was easy to sympathize with her and her decisions throughout the books seemed very plausible for what she was enduring.
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.
I also liked that this book questions America’s obsession with being happy. A few years back our district really focused on us always broadcasting happiness. We had a lot of PD about retraining our neuropaths to be happy instead of being in our survival mode as our ancestors were.. I did buy into most of it but at the same time I felt like it was never PC to vent any frustrations to a coworker.
Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was seeing a character midlife, and trying to pick up the pieces after separating from her husband. It’s refreshing to see books that don’t just focus on twenty somethings!
I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR!
This was a slow burn mystery that really paid off in the end. At first I was a little confused by some of the characters and how they were connected-the two step sisters, but by p.60 that was all straightened out. I really liked Natalie’s character, it was easy to sympathize with her and her decisions throughout the books seemed very plausible for what she was enduring.
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.
I also liked that this book questions America’s obsession with being happy. A few years back our district really focused on us always broadcasting happiness. We had a lot of PD about retraining our neuropaths to be happy instead of being in our survival mode as our ancestors were.. I did buy into most of it but at the same time I felt like it was never PC to vent any frustrations to a coworker.
Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was seeing a character midlife, and trying to pick up the pieces after separating from her husband. It’s refreshing to see books that don’t just focus on twenty somethings!
I highly recommend adding this book to your TBR!
June 9, 2021
A slow build to a great ending, The Happiness Thief turned out much better than I expected and was a very enjoyable read.
Natalie Greene has lived for years with uncertainty after the car crash that killed her mom and left her with unclear memories from the trauma. Her husband has left her for another woman and she reluctantly agrees to accompany her stepsister to a retreat in the Cayman Islands. Her stepsister is a Happiness Guru and Natalie is hoping to find some happiness on the trip. Instead she ends up in an accident that triggers memories and long held onto guilt of what happened to her mother.
Back home in Boston Natalie gets back to life as a food photographer and mother to her teenage daughter until an email arrives saying there is more to the accident in the Caymans than she was led to believe. As more clues come to light, Natalie realizes she has been lied to for a very long time and as the truth comes to light nothing is as it seems.
The Happiness Thief was a fun, quick read once I got past about the first third. There was a slow build, but once I got a little way in, the story picked up and had twists and turns in abundance. I loved the way each new clue unfolded a piece of the puzzle and it all came together in such a great way. Natalie was pretty easy for me to sympathize with and want to follow; however, I wasn’t fond of Isabel. Something about her just didn’t sit well with me but played out well in the end with how she was written in her story arc. Some of the secondary characters really brought a lot of what I needed to make the story mesh properly. At several different points throughout the story I enjoyed how Bokot showed we must do to find happiness for ourselves, we can’t rely on others to bring us happiness. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers that want a real page turner after a bit of a slow start.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
Natalie Greene has lived for years with uncertainty after the car crash that killed her mom and left her with unclear memories from the trauma. Her husband has left her for another woman and she reluctantly agrees to accompany her stepsister to a retreat in the Cayman Islands. Her stepsister is a Happiness Guru and Natalie is hoping to find some happiness on the trip. Instead she ends up in an accident that triggers memories and long held onto guilt of what happened to her mother.
Back home in Boston Natalie gets back to life as a food photographer and mother to her teenage daughter until an email arrives saying there is more to the accident in the Caymans than she was led to believe. As more clues come to light, Natalie realizes she has been lied to for a very long time and as the truth comes to light nothing is as it seems.
The Happiness Thief was a fun, quick read once I got past about the first third. There was a slow build, but once I got a little way in, the story picked up and had twists and turns in abundance. I loved the way each new clue unfolded a piece of the puzzle and it all came together in such a great way. Natalie was pretty easy for me to sympathize with and want to follow; however, I wasn’t fond of Isabel. Something about her just didn’t sit well with me but played out well in the end with how she was written in her story arc. Some of the secondary characters really brought a lot of what I needed to make the story mesh properly. At several different points throughout the story I enjoyed how Bokot showed we must do to find happiness for ourselves, we can’t rely on others to bring us happiness. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers that want a real page turner after a bit of a slow start.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
May 29, 2021
The Happiness Thief by Nicole Bokat is an interesting domestic mystery.
When she was a teenager, Natalie Greene lost her beloved mom in a car crash. Natalie received a head injury in the crash, so she has lost quite a few memories including the day of the accident. Decades later, she still blames herself for what happened and she hopes to one day learn the truth. Due to her inability to let go of her guilt, Natalie is not always the most reliable person. Now going through a divorce, she lives with her teenage daughter Hadley.
Natalie is very close to her stepsister Isabel Walker and a recent trip together to the Cayman Islands leaves her uneasy. She begins to have doubts about what happened their last evening in the Caymans. And Natalie grows obsessed with finding answers after she begins receiving vaguely threatening emails. Will she discover the truth about what happened to her mom? And the events in the Cayman Islands?
Natalie is a successful food photographer and she has a very small circle of people she trusts. She is still friends with her childhood friend Cate and she also has Isabel. Natalie is still trying to get used to single life as she grows increasingly consumed with finding out exactly what happened that last night in the Caymans. Natalie tries to surreptitiously investigate on her own but she soon regrets her foray into detective work. She is also preoccupied and a little frustrated with Isabel’s carefree assurances. And Natalie is a little confused about a new man in her life as she tries to navigate being single.
Isabel is a wildly popular happiness guru who is spending quite a bit of time on the road. Due to her fortuitous marriage, she is quite wealthy. She is also very concerned about her image. Isabel is sometimes impatient with Natalie’s tendency to catastrophize but she attempts to reassure her that she has nothing to worry her. Natalie is a little concerned about some of the recent changes that Isabel is making but she mostly tries to support her career.
The Happiness Thief is an intriguing domestic mystery but it is occasionally slow-paced. The storyline is engaging but sometimes repetitious and predictable. Natalie is a little irritating at her inability to let go of her continued guilt over her mother’s accident. Her anxiety is palpable as she attempts to unearth what happened both in the past and present. Isabel can be self-absorbed and a bit impatient. Nicole Bokat brings the story to a bit of a surprising conclusion.
When she was a teenager, Natalie Greene lost her beloved mom in a car crash. Natalie received a head injury in the crash, so she has lost quite a few memories including the day of the accident. Decades later, she still blames herself for what happened and she hopes to one day learn the truth. Due to her inability to let go of her guilt, Natalie is not always the most reliable person. Now going through a divorce, she lives with her teenage daughter Hadley.
Natalie is very close to her stepsister Isabel Walker and a recent trip together to the Cayman Islands leaves her uneasy. She begins to have doubts about what happened their last evening in the Caymans. And Natalie grows obsessed with finding answers after she begins receiving vaguely threatening emails. Will she discover the truth about what happened to her mom? And the events in the Cayman Islands?
Natalie is a successful food photographer and she has a very small circle of people she trusts. She is still friends with her childhood friend Cate and she also has Isabel. Natalie is still trying to get used to single life as she grows increasingly consumed with finding out exactly what happened that last night in the Caymans. Natalie tries to surreptitiously investigate on her own but she soon regrets her foray into detective work. She is also preoccupied and a little frustrated with Isabel’s carefree assurances. And Natalie is a little confused about a new man in her life as she tries to navigate being single.
Isabel is a wildly popular happiness guru who is spending quite a bit of time on the road. Due to her fortuitous marriage, she is quite wealthy. She is also very concerned about her image. Isabel is sometimes impatient with Natalie’s tendency to catastrophize but she attempts to reassure her that she has nothing to worry her. Natalie is a little concerned about some of the recent changes that Isabel is making but she mostly tries to support her career.
The Happiness Thief is an intriguing domestic mystery but it is occasionally slow-paced. The storyline is engaging but sometimes repetitious and predictable. Natalie is a little irritating at her inability to let go of her continued guilt over her mother’s accident. Her anxiety is palpable as she attempts to unearth what happened both in the past and present. Isabel can be self-absorbed and a bit impatient. Nicole Bokat brings the story to a bit of a surprising conclusion.
August 27, 2021
This is a slow burn domestic suspense novel that I really enjoyed.
I don’t want to give any part of the plot or nuances away but I will say I loved this atmospheric multilayered read that incorporates the intricacies of family, the importance of public personas, and the uncertainty of the mind.
This book was rich in vivid descriptions which also had me hooked.
The book begins with Natalie and her step-sister, Isabel in the Grand Cayman Islands. Isabel is a trendy happiness guru. Natalie, a food photographer, is accompanying Isabel to the conference in the hope that Natalie can reset since her husband recently declared his love for another woman and moved out.
On the way back to the hotel, a light from behind the car Natalie is driving temporarily blinds her and she feel a bump. There is blood on the bumper but the person in the car behind her has stopped to help. Isabel and the stranger assure her they can’t find anyone or anything hurt.
This incident doesn’t sit well with Natalie because when Natalie was 13 years old she was a passenger in the car her mom was driving. That car gets in an accident and Natalie’s mom doesn’t survive. Natalie has lost her memory of that time period and fears that somehow she was responsible for that accident.
Once she returns home to Boston two separate events happen. Natalie receives an email from a stranger that claims to know about more information about the accident and Natalie’s step-father’s long time assistant has left a message telling Natalie she is sending a letter to Natalie that her step-father wanted her to read after his death.
Both these events, take Natalie on a course to find long ago and recently buried secrets and deceptions.
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