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.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

WOW! Just wow!!! This book had a hold on me from the first page! This was a first read for me by this author and it will not be my last. Such a gripping story!

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.

I wanted something totally out of my comfort zone, and I received it. This was a shot in the dark for me. I read mainly horror/thrillers. This to me was a literary fiction type of piece. We follow Tatum in 2015 as she feels everything is coming together. She reflects on her relationship with a famous author throughout growing up, and how it has effected her. I enjoyed this story more than I thought. I don't know if I will gravitate more or less towards this type of story, but I enjoyed this one. It has all the feels.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Like Happiness, by Ursula Villarreal-Moura. Tatum is in college, and meets Mateo who is older and already a famous author. She is a LatinX person from Texas, at an elite college in Massachusetts, and is having trouble fitting in. Tatum sees herself in Mateo’s writing, and they begin a long term, mostly platonic, relationship. The dual timeline takes us from present day, when Tatum is living in Chile and is contacted by a New York Times reporter about #metoo accusations about Mateo, and she lives her life and we learn about how he betrayed her, and influenced so many of her life choices. Not sure where I heard about this one, but it was a good debut novel. There was racism, gender discrimination, power, and love. #likehappiness #ursulavillarrealmoura #debutnovel #bookstagram #advancedreadercopy #netgalley #lovetoread #readallday #takeapagefrommybook #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram

I haven’t read a story this gripping and powerful in quite a while. her character didn't proceed her reputation. first read by the author and was blown away.

Tatum Vega is living in Chile with her partner Vera when she receives a phone call from a US reporter asking for commentary on the relationship she once had with best-selling writer M. Dominguez, who has been accused of sexual assault. Unhappy memories come flooding back for Tatum, of the decade she spent living in NYC struggling in her career, her identity, and her complex relationship with Dominguez. In the process of recounting the story, she begins to come to terms with his treatment of her and the impact he made on her life.


I have mixed feelings about this novel. It is a slow read, very character driven and introspective. Many aspects of Tatum’s character made sense to me – particularly her lack of confidence and struggle to define herself in her twenties, and naivete and youthful innocence in allowing Dominguez to manipulate and exploit her. I felt that the author skillfully conveyed her fascination with Dominguez and willingness to ignore any warning signs about him. However, it did not make sense to me that he was somehow able to coast along for years on the fame of one published book and continue to generate interest in his readings and tours. Unless this was a masterpiece unlike anything ever written I cannot see how this would be possible in the modern publishing world.


At the conclusion, it is satisfying to see Tatum living her best life in Chile, having come through this turmoil and devastating betrayal at the hands of Dominguez. It is a credit to the author that the reader feels a thrill of schadenfreude at the imminent downfall and humbling coming to Dominguez.

Great read that unfortunately many people can relate to. There are many ways of grooming and abusing victims. The author did a great job in presenting this scenario. There are many reasons why victims may not always feel like they're actual victims, and I felt like the author did a wonderful job describing why this victim may not have originally felt like they were one of the victims.

First of all, thank you celadon books for the physical and e-arc of this book! I’m looking forwRd to new titles to come

Oh this book had me laughing T some points and crying at others. The relationship between a woman and a famous writer become messy after some time apart and memories come to the surplace and the two reconnect. This is not a book you should miss!!

Thanks for the review copy. This is a stunning debut novel. It’s emotionally wrought and beautiful. I was impressed with this stunning masterpiece.

✨Themes: emotional abuse, power imbalance, manipulation, literature, racism, classism, bisexuality, and Latinx culture

If you’ve read the book Adelaide, this book felt like the Latinx version of that. But instead of a controlling and aloof ex boyfriend, the protagonist Tatum has a controlling and aloof ex best friend - with a power dynamic at play. He’s a famous celebrity Puerto Rican writer, 8 years her senior. What I loved about this book was how it brought emotional abuse front and center, which can happen in any relationship, including friendships. Mateo also kept her guessing in blurring the lines between friend and lover. It was all highly manipulative. I didn’t see the ending coming.

The POV alternates between “present day” in Chile (2015) and a letter Tatum is writing to Manuel recalling the details of their relationship from the early 2000’s until 2012. This book has bisexual representation and Latinx representation. Tatum is a lower class Mexican American whereas Mateo is a more wealthy Puerto Rican immigrant. The classism and racism Tatum experiences is highlighted throughout the book.

I recommend this debut novel to anyone looking to read more diverse books and learn about the many flavors of abusive men. Adelaide was very helpful and healing for me to read and so was this book. If you are a literature book nerd you’ll especially love this book, as there are countless references to literature classics and bookish fan girling. The main character Tatum was obsessed with reading and it shines through her personality.

P.S. I really appreciated the Spanglish in the book 💁🏻‍♀️ Knowing Spanish is not required but it makes the book have even more depth.