The Secret Of Joy by Melissa Senate

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)

Melissa Senate’s book goes on sale today!  A win for chick lit!  ~ Sheila

Rebecca Strand, a 28-year-old New York City paralegal in a divorce mediation firm, is shocked when her dying father confesses his long-ago affair–and the baby he’d turned his back on. This fragile connection to 26-year-old half-sister Joy Joyhawk is all Rebecca has left of family. And so with her lawyer boyfriend’s protests ringing in her ears (“She’s just going to want her share of his million-dollar estate!”), Rebecca drives to Wiscasset, Maine, with the 26 letters her father wrote to Joy (but never sent) every year on herbirthday. Having no idea what to expect, Rebecca knocks on Joy Jayhawk’s door.
Turns out Joy, the separated mother of a little boy (Rebecca has a nephew too!), isn’t very interested in the “father” who turned his back on her existence from day one–or her “sister.” But Rebecca is so determined to establish family bonds with Joy that she doesn’t go home . . . and finds herself being welcomed into small life by some very loveable, quirky characters, including the Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset and a sexy carpenter named Theo . . .


In My Opinion:

Two thumbs up!  I have read a lot of heavier books lately and this one came in my hands at just the right time.  The Secret of Joy made me smile.  I wanted to go hang out in Maine with these characters, I really did!

Rebecca comes in as the main character and when Joy comes in to her life as the sister she never knew existed until after her dads passing, I am pleasantly surprised on what Joy adds to the book.  It is as if the entrance of Joy, was a gift from Rebecca’s father to let her know that there are other options than getting married just so you dont feel alone.  Not settling I think is a wonderful lesson in the book and author Melissa Senate weaves that well into the story.

Good strong likable characters are always a plus for me and I found then here between the pages of a book called The Secret Of Joy.

About Author Melissa Senate

Melissa Senate is the author of eight novels, including the bestselling See Jane Date, which was made into an ABC Family TV movie and has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. She’s published short pieces in Everything I’ve Always Wanted to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, It’s a Wonderful Lie, Flirting with Pride and Prejudice, and American Girls About Town. A former romance and young adult editor from New York, she now lives on the southern coast of Maine with her son.

Extras!

Looking up the Whoopee Pies that Marianne is famous for, I found Labadie’s Bakery in Maine for Whoopie Pies.


My review copy was sent to me by Pocket Books

20 thoughts on “The Secret Of Joy by Melissa Senate”

  7. This sounds really good. You’ve made me want to read it!

    D’oh! Just went to add it to my wishlist and it’s not released in Canada yet.

    Reply

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