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.

Like Happiness was such an intriguing read. This relationship felt very familiar yet so far away! A relationship that has spanned over a decade blurred the lines of muse and lover. I felt this book and the main character on a vulnerable level! This book felt like zipping open a women’s soup and getting a first row seat to her feelings. Very very interesting. I don’t know how much I loved the way it was written in terms of back and forth. How ever the email correspondance and the details were beautiful. Although, the ending did not fulfill the long journey I felt I went on.

Ursula Villarreal-Moura has written a great book. I had the opportunity to read it in one sitting, and it was thoroughly entertaining.

Highly relatable and so well-crafted with great wit, we are introduced into the story by our main character Tatum Vega. Tatum is a woman from Texas who is studying at a prestigious east coast college. She is highly aware of her working-class Latina background as a minority student who is very interested in art and literature. Both subjects are deeply important to her. She hopes that her reading will teach her some greater meaning about life, and she idolizes many authors. At school she took refuge in her books as she didn’t have many friends. Then she reads a book that speaks to her soul. On a whim she reaches out to the author and he responds.

I refuse to spoil the story for potential readers, but from their first email her life begins to change. What starts off as a simple fan email takes on a life of its own with great consequences. Raging within in this upside-down relationship is a young woman in search of herself who doesn’t have a great deal of experience navigating life. She falls under the spell of the great writer, and he just takes this for granted as he is a star that is used to the attention. Did I mention that the author is an older successful man who doesn’t stop for one minute to see the consequences of his actions?

Tatum learns a lot about herself along the way, even about her sexuality and ultimately gets what she wants.

All in all I so enjoyed reading this book. It has good characters, fine sarcastic writing and brings a fresh voice into the world. Hope everyone reads this.

Told through two different narratives. One from Tatum’s present life with her partner Vera and one from a letter from her to M. Dominguez, the man in which this novel circles around.

Tatum is blissfully living her life in Chile and putting her degree to use by working in an art museum. Far from New York and the gravitational pull that M. Dominguez had, Tatum was able to leave her past in the city she had called home and create a new one abroad.

But a phone call from a journalist looking for corroboration in a story he was working on brings back her past so quickly it knocks the wind out of her, forcing her to reexamine what she thought of as a normal relationship, and makes her question her fond memories of M. Dominguez.

This novel would have been just as perfect without the dual narrative, but it gave the story more of an edge and made it more personal. I really fell in love with Tatum’s character and her naivety. This made the character story more believable and endearing, even through the tough subject matter.

Having to face some possible repressed memories of a man she had held in such high regard growing up made Tatum question why she would block some memories while others were still strong in her mind.

Impeccably written and difficult to put down. I highly recommend this novel for anyone needing a weekend off to hibernate.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an emotional ride about a young woman who reaches out to the author of her favorite book. They begin a relationship of sorts where she becomes infatuated with him. The writing was so well done. The author has such a way with words. If you’re looking for a coming of age story with diverse characters, add this one to your list.

I thought this was a very intriguing read. The main character seems to touch on many important topics. I was in awe of the way she flowed so easily and made me mesmerized how this story would turn for her. As we've seen on news articles and in our personal lives, men have abused their powers and women stood up against them to take their power back. This novel I felt the entire time the main character was in that same position then the ending finally taking her power back. It was beautiful and eye opening. Such a great read!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

both heartbreaking and hopeful, this story about the toxic relationship between a young woman and a famous author is incredible in the way that it explores power imbalance, racism, classism, manipulation, emotional abuse, latinx culture, and bisexuality. i couldn't put this down, the ending made me super emotional and mad for the protagonist and it was also an ending i wasn't expecting. i 100% recommend this one!

It’s 2015 and Tatum finally feels that after years of her life crumbling, it’s coming together. She’s living in Chile with her partner and working for a museum. She loves her life and she’s free from the famous author she spent so much time with before.

When she gets a call from a US reporter asking for an interview in the face of the meto movement, Tatum’s carefully built walls of past and present begin to crumble. The author has been accused of assault, and the reporter is looking for corroboration. Tatum must determine what she’s going to reveal.

This was an interesting and beautifully written coming of age story. The author writes a very compelling story that kept me captivated and engaged with what was going on. This is a quick read, but not necessarily an easy read as it does deal with some heavy topics such as how those in positions of power can take advantage of those less fortunate. I was glad that Tatum was able to grow up and finally realize what had happened to her and get herself in a better position. That can’t be said for everyone who’s been in her position. The part of this story that fell a little flat for me was the sapphic romance. It felt a little forced and that it was only present to check a box, it was just felt that didn’t belong in this story or it could have been handled differently. I did, however, particularly enjoy how this book was written overall and laid out, the timeline was well done and really built up to the climax of the story.

If you are looking for a wonderful piece of literary fiction with a past and present timeline, then check this one out.

Thank you so much to Celadon Books @celadonbooks and Netgalley @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange honest review.

This book was really good! The cover did not draw me in so i was putting off reading it, but i was sucked in by page ten. Watching the journey of the narrator was really compelling, thinking about memory and how we understand ourselves through it. Obviously i couldn't stop wondering whether this was a fictionalized response to a certain author who had a similar set of abuse of power claims. Totally recommend this book.

Thank you Net=Galley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read an Advance Reader Copy of Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal0 Moura. This is a beautiful read. The writing is lyrical. The format of the novel is the main character writing a letter to the male author who she began a relationship with in college that continued for many years. Written years after their tumultuous break up, she is able to reflect on their relationship. It was complex, as he was older and started as a mentor. Their relationship developed, and included a couple of sexual connections, but more importantly, showed the control he exercised over her. This is an example of a subtle "Me Too" relationship. She only achieves her dream job after their break up, and is then able to have a healthy relationship with her partner. I also appreciate that both characters are Latino, yet with different origins that the author is able portray through their world views. The novel is mainly set in NYC and Chile, and has a worldliness about it. I'm definitely looking forward to more novels from Villarreal Moura.

This was somewhat depressing — in concept, I mean — since there are so many men in positions of power who use that power to manipulate vulnerable women. It's not always about sex; this certainly wasn't. Sometimes it's about assuaging their ego and having someone who looks up to them and makes them feel more valid or important. Mateo was quite obviously a loser, but I also understand how easily a young girl could become entranced with his apparent talent, intellect, and money/access. He took full advantage of that, and it took many years for Tatum to see clearly.

This was a very quick, easy read — accessible but it didn't skimp on the depth. I found Tatum to be very easy to understand, sympathize with, and care about, and Villarreal-Moura really succeeded with creating a young female character rather than a caricature to further the storyline. Tatum was the heart and soul of "Like Happiness," and while the book left a lot of questions unanswered, I felt pretty happy with how the story was told.

Oddly enough, I do feel like categorizing this as LGBTQIAP+ (as NetGalley did) was a bit misleading. It all felt a bit "token bisexualism" to me and not at all genuine or even important. Tatum is supposedly living with a woman in Chile but we get to know pretty much zero about her partner, how Tatum made that transition into the relationship, etc. It felt like a detail thrown in to be like, "Look how modern! She's QUEER!" and while I get the story wasn't about that and certainly didn't need to be, I nearly wish it wasn't included at all since it added nothing other than a very nagging feeling of disingenuousness. Thankfully, it wasn't harped on too much or it would've taken a few stars off for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and or the author for giving me the chance to read and review Like Happiness.

Love everything from the characters to the plot.