Customer Reviews

Secrets to Happiness

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I would not jump to classify this book as "chick lit." The author, Sarah Dunn, tells a more realistic and gritty anti-love story through different characters throughout the novel. There are girlfriends, ex-husbands, boyfriends, boy-toys, work partners, pets, siblings - a variety of relationships are explored as the characters intertwine. All types of relationships can lead to or lead from one's personal quest for the secrets to happiness.

It takes a few chapters to get into this book, the main characters, Holly and Amanda, are not immediately like-able possessing a somewhat chilly city charm. By the end, though, I felt refreshed for choosing to read an interesting take on adult relationships and not another girl finds self, gets man, story.

Based on the title, Secrets to Happiness, and the cute puppy on the cover, I was expecting a light summer read with a happy ending. Now, don't misunderstand me - I don't need a happy ending to enjoy a book - and this book did have a happy ending of sorts - it was just not what I was expecting. (I guess that is why they say don't judge a book by it's cover!)



Holly is the main character - she is middle-aged, divorced from a man she was still in love with, and her career is in a downward spiral. She had been a successful sitcom writer with Leonard - but had taken a break to write a book. (Leonard's career also took a nose dive after this when he decided to make a very very gay movie). The book was not the success she had hoped for and was pretty much about her ex-husband Alex, and her ex-boyfriend before the husband, Spencer.



Holly does some crazy things in the following months - I would say she was searching for that 'elusive' happiness. She has an affair with Lucas who is only 22 and the younger brother of her friend Betsy. Then she moves on to Jack who she met while he was having an affair with her married friend, Amanda. Somewhere in the midst of all this she adopts a dog, Chester, who has brain cancer.



I did not feel a connection to anyone in this book - and there were a lot of characters. I will admit that I had to go back occasionally to figure out who they were talking about - the characters just did not seem very distinctive for me. The book overall didn't hold any excitement or anticipation - it didn't seem to 'build' to a climax, but just sort of ended. I suppose that mirrors real life in some ways though - situations resolve, relationships evolve or end, but life continues on. Please take a look at some other reviews (below) - just because it wasn't for me, doesn't mean it won't be for you!

I loved this book. I've been waiting for it since I read The Big Love two years ago, and it didn't disappoint. The story subtly weaves together the lives of several New Yorkers wrestling with real questions about friendships, love, and how to live...I was captivated. It's been awhile since I started a book and didn't want to put it down, but this was one of those stories. Grab Secrets To Happiness for your next free afternoon--It will make you a little bit happier.

I loved Sarah Dunn's novel. The characters are drawn so beautifully. They're utterly real and charming. I wish I had friends like that! The novel has many twists that keep you riveted. Try not to read it in one sitting, though. The writing's too good!

I read Sarah Dunn's previous novel "The Big Love" and wasn't too impressed but I decided to give her another go and I'm impressed. "Secrets to Happiness" was a pretty good read.

The main character in the book is Holly, a writer who is on a complicated to find happiness in life. But the book isn't focused on just Holly but also is about the lives of people in Holly's life. There's Amanda, Holly's best friend who is flirting with cheating on her husbad; there's Spence, Holly's ex-boyfriend from the 90's who cheats on his long-distance girlfriend and his journey to happiness; Leonard-Holly's writing partner and his journey to find success in his career; and Betsy Silverstein-the sister of Holly's 22 year old sort of boyfriend.

The novel is all about these characters finding happiness in whatever way they can while living in New York City. Like Ms. Dunn's previous novel, religion and God play a big part in the book but it's not preachy. At first reading the novel, I had a hard time keeping who was who straight because there are more characters in the novel than usual. No character in the book is perfect, even the main character. I would go back and forth about being annoyed at Holly and feeling for her.

I was really pleased overall with this book, definitely Sarah Dunn's best work so far. The cover is really cute too and at first it didn't make total sense to me but it clicked in the last chapter. I would definitely recommend this book to chick-lit readers and anyone who has struggled with finding happiness.

Though I thought this book would be a fairly typical example of the chick-lit genre, I was pleased to discover it was much edgier and funnier than expected. Holly is not your typical heroine, and can in fact be quite annoying at times. Her interactions with the dog Chester unexpectedly make her much more a character than a characterization, and make this novel stronger. Best friend Amanda is easy to dislike, and though I thought her actions could have been more fully fleshed out while the story developed, at the end I was more satisfied with the outcome than I had anticipated.

This was a good book, well-written, funny, emotionally truthful, and if I had written this review the moment I finished the book, it probably would have received 4 stars. I'm giving it 3.5 now because although I finished the book just a few days ago, I have a hard time calling to mind any specifics about the plot without referring to the text. Since I generally have no problem remembering specifics of books I read months (or even years) ago, I was disappointed that this novel left so little impression despite its positive qualities.

I plead guilty to judging a book by its cover! When I saw that this book was available, it did not include a capsule review to tell me what it was about. I just happened to love the cover photo and selected it.

Yes, there's a dog that plays a peripheral role in the book, but this is your typical chick lit book about a single woman looking for love and the frustrations she goes through in dating and meeting men. What makes the story rather unique is that the main character, a Holly Frick, is - an author of chick lit herself.

The book is a light read with a decent sense of humor, great pacing and distinct characters (most on the likable side). My only complaint is that it could have been a little steamier, but that might have impacted the appeal of the main character.

In short if you like this kind of genre (Bridget Jones, Sex in the City, etc.) you'll like this book. If you are looking for something more, you might want to pass, but summer is coming. It's perfect for reading poolside or on a cross-country flight.

Okay, I have to admit it - I really chose this book based on the great cover. How can you not love that dog? I'm pleased to say this time picking a book by its cover did work. I enjoyed it a lot. I guess you could call this chick lit, but that seems to sort of sell it short. I think the book would make a good movie or TV show because I've seen similar stuff in movies and on TV. But that's not a bad thing. It's exactly what I like. The book is similar to Sex In The City in the way that there are multiple characters and several story lines going on at the same time. This book has everything - break-ups, cheating, a gay character, a woman who goes on multiple dates and finally finds happiness with a man she dismissed as not good-looking enough - all the staples.
This is just a good, fun read. It's not trying to be anything too deep and that's just fine with me. I really enjoyed it.

I was really looking forward to this book, but when I got a few pages into it, I got really disgusted. A lot of the characters are stereotypical New Yorkers, and one is stereotypically from L.A. Maybe the stereotypes are accurate and people from those places are really all neurotic and self-absorbed and spend money in absolutely insane ways, but those of us from the rest of the country are getting pretty sick of hearing about this self-indulgent baloney.

However, I found I was absorbed by the story, and more so as the book went along. Protagonist Holly Frick is far from complacent about all the unhealthy, immoral nonsense. She thinks about it, and isn't happy about it. She even lectures people on their inappropriate behavior. So that was good. And it was just a good story.

Also, the cover is adorable.

I heard about this book on the today show, it was touted as one of the must reads of the summer. So I was looking forward to reading it and was lucky enough to get a copy of it from Hachette Book group. And the cover is just really cute. Unfortunately that is where the pleasantness ends on Secrets to happiness. The book was hard for me to get through if I am completely honest. I almost stopped reading but by that point I was half way through and so decided not to give up.


I am not sure how the book can be put into the chic lit genre as over all it is rather depressing. I can understand that it is a gritty look at Manhattan love. But when I read chic lit I expect it to be well more like a romantic comedy. Perhaps that's just me. The plot itself is boring; the characters are just flat on the page and not that likeable.

The most likeable thing about the book? The dogs. They are the saving grace over all. I could leave the rest of the book and not feel like I have missed anything. There truly are no secrets to be revealed in the Secrets to Happiness. This hit's the skip it shelf on my list of books. And if you do feel like plugging through I wish you luck.