What profound story about toxic relationships and power imbalance! What I loved most is that Tatum and Mateo are both Latinx, but there’s still extreme power imbalance within other aspects of their lives—age, money, power, gender.

It’s also a thought-provoking story of what constitutes “grooming” and what is “too much power” in a relationship? can we form true friendships when the lines between mentoring and love are blurred?

I especially loved Taryn’s character development and how throughout the course of her flashbacks/interviews, she gained a deeper understanding of what her relationship with Mateo was really like—even after so many years.

The writing is incisive and powerful. And I’d be recommending this book to everyone!

For fans of My Dark Vanessa and The Other Black Girl, Like Happiness is written in an epistolary style. Tatum has always loved books and writing and finds herself enamoured by an author who goes by the initial M after reading his book Happiness and feeling seen. She sends him a fan letter and he replies striking up a conversation and soon a relationship that will see them for the most part in a platonic relationship for the next ten years. M is writing his second novel and it is a slow go. The story is interspersed with chapters when Tatum is living in Chile with her partner and speaking to a reporter from New York who is investigating sexual abuse allegations against the writer. The book in letter format is her way of parsing her own feelings and in holding M accountable.

Like Happiness tackles questions about toxic relationships and power imbalances in a very nuanced and creative way. The reader can see the layers of toxicity forming over time and the final reveal to both the protagonist and the antagonist. Running parallel to the relationship is Tatum’s questions about her own gender identity.

Thank you to @celadonbooks for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Another great selection from a favourite publisher. Like Happiness publishes March 26, 2024.

It started with a letter to her favorite author…now it ends with a letter sent to the same author, detailing their relationship and taking back her reclaiming herself. We go back and forth between current day where Tatum is looking back on the past and telling her story, and the past where she has fallen into Domguez’s arms. He has recently been accused of assault by another woman, and a reporter wants to hear Tatum’s story as well…

This was a really well done debut novel. It’s an age old idea, man in power, younger woman that falls into his traps, well…you know the rest. It did move a bit slowly, but I enjoyed being along for the ride as Tatum learned to take her power back from Dominguez. I certainly had moments of UGH don’t let him do this, but of course it would be a very short book if she didn’t fall for his manipulations. I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed the narration and taking in the story that way.

The writing style in this book is really beautiful, and I enjoyed the narrative that was going on. However, the two timelines of the book felt really unbalanced, which would make me occasionally forget that the two switched back and forth. Also, the way that Tatum’s bisexuality was handled felt a bit like an afterthought at a lot of points, which I was not the biggest fan of. I did like how it was not seen as a major conflict, especially because I have enough experience with the hispanic Catholic families of bisexuals, but it didn’t always feel like it fit within the narrative.

Thank you, NetGalley and Celadon Books for the copy of Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura. I was worried at first because the book was so slow; nothing was happening. I’m not sure when I realized I was so immersed in the story I was racing through the pages. Tatum’s story was compelling, but it went on so long my interest started to wane. I wondered for a minute if Mateo was abusive or oblivious or if Tatum was an unreliable narrator. If you’re looking for a book with hypnotic writing, complicated characters, and a mesmerizing story, read this one! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

DNF @ 15%

Liked the LGBT+ and Latinx representation. Also fascinated about the imbalanced power dynamic relationship depicted similar in the way of My Dark Vanessa. However, the writing style left much to be desired. Felt like it was too casual for the emotions and dynamics being conveyed. And just felt like we were going around and around without a real point or plot to keep the book moving outside of the one main plot point. Also just didn't connect with Tatum as much as i wanted to.

This is an emotional book about a relationship between an acclaimed author and a young woman that is obsessive and toxic.
This was an intriguing story/relationship of gender, fame, power, art, vulnerability and diversity told in two timelines.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this book.

At first I was expecting this book to be another version of My Dark Vanessa, but I'm glad that it wasn't. It was a good reminder of all the different ways you can be used and abused in relationships, even ones that aren't always romantic. In 2015, Tatum feels like she has found her way, knows who she is, but her past comes back to meet her and makes her re-think her 20s and the tumultuous relationship she was in with a famous author. She has to face who she was, the decisions she made, and the reality of that relationship,

This was absolutely beautifully written!

Ursula Villarreal-Moura’s writing style had me feeling like I was in the room with Tatum Vega as she reflected on her past and combed through her memories of M. Domínguez, dissecting there decade long correspondence and coming to terms with the reality of the present.

Absolutely fantastic debut by Ursula Villarreal-Moura!!

Method Read: 📖 & 🎧

Thank you Celadon Books & Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies!

It all started with a letter so might as well end with another. Tatum wrote that letter to M. Dominguez because his book spoke to her. She felt seen and understood. She wanted to thank him for writing it; she wanted to show her appreciation. When she got a response, she was over the moon. After all, an author took time to respond to her (maybe childish, maybe little too hopeful) letter. Years later when she sat down to write another one, she finally came to terms with what had happened.

Grooming comes in many forms. At a young age, certain things sound and feel like winning that championship ring. They make you feel special than others because you have the attention and you are under the spotlight. Most of the times, there is nothing wrong with these feelings, or compliments or attention you receive. But in those rare moments, words and actions have ulterior motives. A letter back from an author you liked can be first step of his grooming plan.

I appreciated those moments in the second when Tatum realized what had happened yet still held onto the memory. That was a great way to show how years of this treatment cannot be wiped out by changing countries. I enjoyed the storytelling and themes used in this book a lot.

Tatum is now in her 30s living in Chile with her partner Vera. A reporter calls Tatum to investigate a man she spent nearly a decade with, famous author Mateo, who is being accused of assault. Tatum recounts to the investigator about her decades long friendship and more with Mateo, and everything she has learned and felt regarding this time in her life.

At first, I wasn’t sold on Tatum as a character. However, I soon realized I was already halfway through and didn’t want to stop listening/reading. Tatum’s story was intriguing, and the character development between Tatum and Mateo kept me interested. I loved the audio narration, and I think the audio made this bingeable for me. I also enjoyed the past/present timeline, and how Tatum is “talking” to Mateo in her recounting of their relationship. I enjoyed this one overall!

Like Happiness explores the imbalanced relationship between a writer and a young fan in duel timelines. I liked that this book had LGBTQ+ and Latino representation. It is well written but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. I kept wondering where the story was going and it felt like an abrupt ending to me because of that.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC for my honest review.

I found this book to be compelling, especially its second half, as I really wanted to find out what happened between Tatum and Mateo. I think the biggest thing that didn't work for me was the structure -- I didn't love the alternating chapters and felt like it forced the narrative into a certain pattern that left storylines unanswered (I would have loved to know more about how Tatum ended up in Chile!).

Tatum is a college student that loves literature. She reads a book called Happiness and loves it. She writes a fan letter to the author and he responds. They communicate and meet in person. She is swept up in a friendship with this older man. After of decade of a strange relationship she comes to the realization that she has misread his intentions. ]

This is a twisted and sad commentary of fame, power and manipulation of an experienced man over a young and inexperienced girl.

I'm once again in the minority in how I feel about a book compared to other early reviewers. The heart of Like Happiness for me was the toxic relationship between Tatum and Mateo. Tatum reads Mateo's book, Happiness, while she's in college and reaches out to him in a fangirl moment to tell him how much she loves his book and how much it speaks to her. To her surprise, she actually receives a response from him, and it kicks off a relationship that lasts years. The book alternates back and forth between after the relationship has ended and Tatum has found happiness (the state of being, not the book) with a career and a significant other in Chile, and writing to Mateo looking back on their relationship. The relationship between the two definitely has its problems, Tatum is over the moon at having a real relationship with a person she idolizes, and Mateo uses her desire to have the relationship as an outlet for his emotional state and as a source of creativity.

It's really hard for me to go with the argument that Mateo grooms Tatum. At what point is a person old enough and have enough personal authority to walk away from a situation and chooses not to? This is a woman who's legally an adult, who has moved away from her family to go to school, and the only thing she loses by walking away from the relationship is her connection to a famous person, one who isn't all that much older than her. Is it wrong for Mateo to string her along knowing that she doesn't want to lose her connection to him? Sure. But he never really holds anything over her. He does do something pretty awful to her that explains to the reader why Tatum finally broke off the relationship, but that goes back to the relationship being toxic and not serving both partners in it equally.

The other animal in the room is Tatum herself. She considers herself an intellectual, which is fair, but then holds her expectations of everyone else to that standard. If she doesn't perceive people as being interesting enough to approach she doesn't even bother, missing out on potential relationships that are a lot healthier by making snap judgments of people. And yet she also spends the entire time she has a relationship with Mateo having no aspirations and no motivation. She's essentially forced into looking for a job after moving to New York despite getting degrees that reflect her intellectual pursuits, but she ends up getting a job as an assistant teacher. Once there she gets complacent in a job that requires limited brain power and doesn't pursue grander ambitions unless she thinks she'll get rejected. It's like she wants to play "poor little me".

Do I respect her frustrations in being the only brown person in the room, and not have society reflect back anything that speaks to her identity? Yes. But it takes until after her relationship with Mateo before she decides to blaze her own path, instead of noticing it and silently seething about it while doing little to change the narrative moving forward. This book is about a toxic relationship, but a big reason why the relationship exists for as long as it does is because the person that's getting less out of the relationship isn't willing to pursue anything great for herself or make tough decisions to move her life forward. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wonderful story. Very powerful and kept my interest.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read it.

Thank you to Celadon Books for my arc!

This seemed up my alley at first but i just couldn't connect with the characters and the plot was too slow for me.

I loved this novel. It's one of those perfectly paced, pleasure to read, yet also smart and probing. It asks questions about muse vs. manipulation, power and art, gender, fame, and vulnerability. I couldn't put it down. So good.

This book spoke volumes! This authors writing style is magical in a sense that it is so well put together, you are automatically drawn to the characters and their story.

This novel focused on so many topics like diversity, gender, power, and fame. It makes you take a step back and think about whether people are sincere or have you been only seeing the good in people and didn’t realize the abuse of power raining down on you.

I enjoyed how everything was set up and going between timelines and retelling the past. I also liked the characters educational background because I was able to read about Art History and recognize things that I’m learning about now in school. The feelings that were expressed can be relatable to so many and I really enjoyed reading it.

The reason it wasn’t a 5 star for me was because the chapters were a bit long for my liking and I needed more at the end. An epilogue would have sufficed, but overall such a great read and thank you NetGalley and CeladonBooks for this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

TW/CW: Sexual assault, grooming, racism, language, sex

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and Celadon books and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Like Happiness is the story of Tatum, a young Mexican-American woman. In college, she writes a fan letter to the author of her favorite book, which leads to an increasingly unhealthy relationship between the two.

This is a powerful book that touches on very many powerful issues – fan culture, grooming, racism, the danger of powerful men, and many others that have to do with Tatum’s heritage. It’s not an easy book to read but I think it’s one that should be read.

My biggest problem with this book wasn’t anything to do with the story, but the format in which the book was written. This book changes back and forth between the past, where the narrator is telling her story, to the present (2015). The past is basically a letter to the man, while the present is addressed to the reader. It’s a little jarring the first few times you switch back and forth, until you get into it a little more.