The Happiness Thief by Nicole Bokat

Release: May 18, 2021
Format: Paperback
Publisher: She Writes Press
Source: Suzyapproved Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, Kobo

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.

About the Author:

Nicole Bokat is the author of the novels Redeeming Eve and What Matters Most. Moreover, there was nomination for Redeeming Eve from 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. Besides, 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..

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The Happiness Thief Review:

“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.