The Secret of Joy [Paperback]

Melissa Senate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2009

IS THE HALF SISTER THAT REBECCA STRAND
HAS NEVER MET SHORT? TALL? RICH? POOR? PRETTY?
FUNNY? MARRIED? LONELY? HAPPY?...

Rebecca is about to find out. The New York City paralegal thought nothing could shake her life off its fast track -- which includes her handsome lawyer boyfriend and their extravagant condo. The shocking revelation that she even has a half sister comes from her dying father, in a hospital bed confession of a long-past summer affair...and now the dad she adores has one last wish: would Rebecca deliver a cache of letters he never sent to his other daughter, Joy Jayhawk, in a tiny coastal Maine town?

But when Rebecca arrives in Wiscasset, with the life-changing letters stashed in a leather box, nothing goes as she imagined -- and Joy Jayhawk is less than thrilled to meet her. Joy already has her own life, her own family, and her own business: she runs a bus tour for singles, a matchmaking excursion that's brought lovers together, healed broken hearts, and changed lives. Rebecca joins the singles tour in the hopes of unlocking a door into Joy's life and forming a relationship with the only family she has left. But as she spends more and more time with Joy and the women who dub themselves The Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset -- and starts a flirtation with a seriously hunky local carpenter -- Rebecca realizes it's her life and heart that are ready for healing and change...and that sometimes, you just have to go along for the ride.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

From the author of See Jane Date (2001) and The Solomon Sisters Wise Up (2003) comes the story of two women at a crossroads in their lives who discover they are half-sisters. The last thing Rebecca Strand expects to hear from her dying father is that he had an affair when she was two years old that resulted in the birth of a child—a daughter Daniel Strand never met. After Daniel dies, Rebecca heads from New York to Maine to find her sister, Joy—despite the protests of her practical boyfriend, Michael. Rebecca is crushed to find that Joy doesn’t really want anything to do with her, but she’s not ready to leave Maine yet and go back to her job, or Michael, whom she’s becoming increasingly disillusioned with. Joy reluctantly invites Rebecca on a singles bus tour she hosts, and Rebecca finds herself more at home with Joy and her friends than she is with her life in New York. Another warm, winning entry from popular chick-lit author Senate. --Kristine Huntley

Review

"A warm hug of a book. Insightful, wise, and romantic, it's as inviting as the small-town life it depicts." -- CLAIRE LAZEBNIK, author of The Smart One and the Pretty One

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Downtown Press; Original edition (November 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439107173
• ISBN-13: 978-1439107171
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the author of 10 novels, including my debut, SEE JANE DATE, which was made into a TV movie, and my latest, THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL. My other novels are: The Solomon Sisters Wise Up; Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?; The Breakup Club; Theodora Twist (for teens); Love You To Death; Questions To Ask Before Marrying; The Secret of Joy; and The Mosts (YA).

Short stories can be found in American Girls About Town and Flirting With Pride and Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives On The Original Chick Lit Masterpiece. Essays in: It's A Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life In Your Twenties and Everything I Needed To Know About Being A Girl I Learned from Judy Blume.

I'm a former book editor (romance and teen fiction) from New York City and now live on the beautiful coast of Maine, where I write full-time. Please come visit my website at MelissaSenate.com for more information.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Story of Family, Friendship, and Relationships, November 15, 2009

By 

A. Mason (Windermere, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret of Joy (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading this story. I really enjoyed the main theme of finding a sister you never knew you had. But I also liked the secondary theme which was all about relationships. It was all about knowing what was right for you in your relationship and when it was time to let go. It really made me think about my relationship with my boyfriend and where we are right now.

The setting of the book just seemed gorgeous. I have never really had any want to go to Maine--but the way that Melissa Senate paints the town of Wiscasset makes me want to visit. And it makes me want to move from my large city to a small, welcoming town.

And I really loved all of the characters. I loved Rebecca and how much she wanted a sister. I felt for Joy and how she suddenly had this half-sister from a non-existant father thrown at her. And the residents of Wiscasset were just so warm--The Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset were hilarious and I wanted them to find love. And Theo was just so understanding and cared so much for Rebecca.

This was my first book by Melissa Senate, but it will definitely not be my last. I can only hope that her other books make me think and feel as much as this one did!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elusive Joy, November 18, 2009

By 

Carla Ford - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret of Joy (Paperback)

First of all, I LOVE the title of this book! It is so appropriate. As Rebecca Strand's father is in the hospital dying of cancer, he tells her that he fathered another child, a girl, during a brief affair when Rebecca was three. After his death, Rebecca feels compelled to honor her father's wish and deliver letters from him to her half sister, Joy. Once she finds Joy, who lives in Maine and runs a bus tour for singles, Rebecca must figure out how to get Joy to accept her as her sister. Even though Joy remains elusive, she brings Rebecca into her life, and Rebecca becomes involved with men and women who are going through rough periods in their various relationships, some trying to work things out, and some divorced or divorcing. There are so many questions in this book, and so many types of relationships are explored. As Rebecca finds Joy, she also searches for the joy in her own life, and watches her new friends as they also search for the joy in their lives. This was a wonderful book, insightful and thoughtful, asking questions about how to make our relationships work, whether in our marriages, in our families, and even our relationships with ourselves.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A five star winner!, February 3, 2010

By 

Beth Hoffman (Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Secret of Joy (Paperback)

This is a wonderful story that encouraged me to take a deeper look at love, relationships, family, disappointment, and most importantly, forgiveness. With a smooth and enjoyable writing style, Melissa Senate whisked me into the lives of Rebecca and Joy, seemingly opposite half-sisters who didn't know the other existed until the death of their father.

Though Rebecca is delighted to discover she has a sister, Joy is anything but. It is while Rebecca tries to kindle a relationship with her reluctant half-sister that she begins the process of self-examination, reflection, and ultimately discovery. The author handled this brilliantly.

If you yearn for quality contemporary women's fiction that's loaded with wit, insight into the heart, and unusual charm, then this is your book!