Like Happiness is the dual timeline narrative of the relationship sparked between Tatum Vega and a famous male author when he responds to her letter. They strike up a long and complicated friendship. When a reporter contacts Tatum after allegations of sexual assault against the author surface, she begins rethinking their shared history, what it meant, and the power that lay between them.

I rate this book 3.5 stars. I found it a slow burn, but I did complete it. It was an interesting deconstruction of the power differential between these two individuals.

I recommend this book to someone looking for nuanced character studies and a slow build.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for making this novel available for my honest review.

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A beautifully-written story about being seen - a feeling so addictive and rapturous, once encountered, nothing can stand in its way.

And so we meet Tatum Vega, the first person POV narrator of this story, a young Latina woman, living in San Antonio, Texas. A Literature and Fine Arts college student, twenty-one year old Tatum, intelligent and erudite, in her short life thus far, has come to experience both Caucasian exclusion and complete disregard, leaving her an angry, belittled, friendless and alienated member of her larger community.

All of this changes when Tatum reads the work of author M. Dominguez (Mateo), an older Latino writer whose fictional renderings of Latin Americans living in the US and Puerto Rico seem to speak to Tatum’s embittered soul.

As Tatum and Mateo strike up what is to become a complex and extraordinary relationship, the author peels back the layers between them gradually, exposing (on both sides), what can only be seen as the waxing and waning, over time, of raw and naked urgency, need, ego and vulnerability, and the extremes a soul will go to in service of the same.

With a story eventually spanning their decade's long entanglement, converging across two timelines, we will come to understand Tatum as she was "then" (and, through her eyes, Mateo as he emerges), and how both, through choices and actions, evolve into their "now" timeline selves, ten years later. Where motivations, and their consequences, for each, are no longer obscured.

I loved this book, - a compelling and sharply-edged commentary on ambition, passion, belonging, and power. Heartbreaking and pristine, this gorgeously-told story cannot help but engage, drawing us in with the self-important authenticity(naïveté) of young Tatum's voice, and carrying us with her through all of what is to follow. Including the author’s (and Tatum’s) gradual unwrapping of the enigma that we understand to be Mateo.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

This is a fascinating novel, with a somewhat difficult main character. If you enjoyed books like The Bell Jar, The Girl's Guide To Fishing and Hunting, or any of Curtis Sittenfeld's novels, you'll probably like this one (I love all of those books). It tells the story of a young woman, who is an avid reader, who develops a friendship of sorts with an older male novelist - told from the perspective of her as a grown woman, being questioned about this man as he has had sexual harassment allegations made against him.

I will admit that when another character calls Tatum "passive," I cheered a little. She is a challenging narrator - at times snobby and critical, at others deeply insecure and letting life just happen to her. At the same time, I recognized a version of my own college self in her. It is remarkable how long her "relationship" with Mateo lasts, and despite this, I still found myself very surprised by how it ended.

This book has a lot of layers to it - #MeToo, age gap relationships and friendships, what a writer owes to a muse, and racial identity in America. I strongly recommend this one. I suspect it will stick with you after you finish it.

I loved the premise of this, and it started out strong, but it didn't do as much as what I thought the author could. Power dynamics between men and women have been a topic of cultural conversation for years now, and I was expecting a deeper dive into those issues. However, it only brushed the surface and I was left unsure of what the author was trying to do or what they wanted to say. I still enjoyed it and am glad I read it, I just wish it had taken the story farther than it did.

I really wanted to love this book, especially after I loved the ending so much, but overall, it just didn't quite do it for me.

The premise intrigued me - a young, impressionable woman infatuated with a successful author that has had a marked impact on her life. The relationship between Tatum and Domínguez was at times really tough to read. There were times when I empathized with Tatum because really, what young girl hasn't found herself in an inappropriate crush situation? But as time went on and Tatum allowed herself to be marginalized and disrespected over and over again, I just felt exhausted by the whole thing.

Like Happiness is really well written and conveys a lot of powerful messages. The ending was spectacular and the storyline was great. I ended up really enjoying this book, but some parts were too drawn out and my connection with Tatum was too tenuous for me to ultimately root for her.

Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

Tatum's story was so intense and heartbreaking. So many important topics were talked about in this novel. The first half of this story was so immersive and I felt like I was right next to her, feeling everything she was. However the 2nd half fell a little flat compared to the beginning. There are different moments where I wish there was details and it went a little deeper. But overall I enjoyed this book and Tatum's story is a powerful one that many can sadly relate to.

This was a thought provoking narrative. It was a little hard to get into at the start, but the message of the story was the strongest. It addresses issues of race, sexuality, and privilege.

A hard hitting and thought provoking read. Deals with difficult topics related to race, privilege, and power imbalance. Written in alternating time lines, slow pacing to build the overall emotional impact of the story. Overall well written

Like Happiness was an interesting read. I found it to be a fairly accurate depiction of the manipulation so many young women unfortunately experience from older men. Getting to see Tatum realize the mistreatment she endured at a young age, a time when she wasn't fully aware of how poorly Matteo was treating her, was interesting. As a reader, I was able to witness her present self take back the power her younger self had unconsciously given up.

My only qualm was this one was a bit slow to read for me, perhaps a matter of the pacing between present and past, but otherwise I was very impressed with this debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a poignant and engaging narrative. I loved the way the timeline dipped in and out at times, taking us backwards for context and pulling us forward to the present as the narrative unfolds. There were times where it moved a bit slowly, but the overall length was not so great that it disturbed my pace as a whole. Overall, it was right in line with the type of book I like to read and I would certainly recommend it to those in my circle.

I love books about books, so this one was hard to resist.

“Toxic relationships are like ticking bombs. Once I pulled the pin and acknowledged your disregard, your disingenuousness, your betrayal, we could never rewind and begin again.”

This unique coming-of-age story covers themes of identity, self-actualization, isolation, toxic relationships, and power dynamics, which often go hand in hand. It follows Tatum’s life over ten years, from her college years to her early thirties, and her relationship with older renowned writer, M. Domínguez, whom she idolizes (or more precisely – whose writing she’s obsessed with). I loved that it was written in the form of a letter. It felt very personal, and it made it easy to understand Tatum’s perspective and emotions. Even though I couldn’t connect to her character personality-wise, some of her experiences felt relatable.

Overall, this was a solid debut! The writing style was beautiful, and the story was engaging. The outcome of their relationship was predictable, but there was also a twist I didn’t see coming.

Thank you, NetGalley, the publisher Celadon Books, and author Ursula Villarreal-Moura for the ARC copy! My review is based on an uncorrected text. I received a free copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The legal and ethical ramifications of a romantic relationship between a teacher and student are fairly well understood, but there may exist a grey area when that relationship occurs between a celebrity and a fan. Tatum Vega is a young woman who has devoted the entire third decade of her life to limerence with renowned author M. Dominguez. Feeling adrift as a rare Latina woman amid the White-centered worlds of art and literature in her Massachusetts college, M.'s (Mateo's) work is a lifeline. Ten years after her first email to the author, a reporter contacts Tatum after another woman accuses Mateo of sexual assault. Like Happiness is a reflection of those years, told from the perspective of a woman who is coming to terms with the manipulative nature of the man she put above everyone and everything else.

Difficult to put down, Like Happiness was able to weave together an interesting narrative with a descriptive experience that many Hispanic and other minority groups face. The writing was beautiful, and Tatum was an empathetic character despite being so unmoored. I would have liked to see more evolution of how Tatum is able to maintain a healthy relationship with Vera after being manipulated by Mateo for so long. I came away knowing more about Tatum's cats than her current partner, but maybe its because Mateo will always be number one and Vera is just another detour. I'm glad this is left open to interpretation, as I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

Note: I received a free ebook copy of Like Happiness from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like Happiness follows Tatum Vega, a A mesmerizing, gripping and powerful debutyoung woman from Texas, one of the only Latina students at a predominantly white Massachusetts college. As a result of her isolation, Tatum contacts the author of her favorite book. When the author, M., emails her back, she is excited, and they bond over their Latinx identity and love of literature.
Tatum recounts her story in dual timelines - one focuses on her life in NYC and her 10-year relationship with M., and one describes her present life in Chile, living with her partner Vera and working at a museum.
Like Happiness explores a toxic relationship in which a man wields his fame, power and money to manipulate and control a woman. Tatum puts her professional and personal life on hold for M., until a revelation occurs which allows her to extricate herself from the abuse. As a reader much older than Tatum, it was emotionally difficult to read, at times, as the red flags, grooming and trauma were transparent to me but not obvious to young Tatum. Tatum's character growth is skillfully portrayed as she gains strength, confidence, embraces her sexual identity and comes to recognize M. for what he is.
This well written, mesmerizing, powerful and gripping debut will resonate with many.
Thank you to Celadon Books for the gifted ARC.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. the story was engaging, and the plot was interesting the entire time throughout the whole story i would highly recommend this book to everyone interested.

I love me a story like this! It kept me captivated from the first chapter. I just think a wide variety/range of people will really enjoy this! I recommend.

Like a ghost of relationship past, LIKE HAPPINESS, draws on a complicated relationship between a young woman and the writer she idolizes. Time allows her to look at what they had anew and gives her new perspective on what may have been something unhealthy for her all along.

📖 This is a tough review to write. While there was so much about this book that I appreciated— it also just wasn’t super entertaining.

📖 This started off super strong for me and I thought I was going to devour it. But it started dragging and never really picked up. I even considered DNF’ing at one point, and honestly, I probably should have.

📖 THAT SAID- I did value the themes about minorities, grooming, and the grey area that can surround inappropriate relationships. A partnership can SEEM innocent when we are in it, only to look back as an older, wiser, individual— and begins to see all the things wrong with it.

📖 I’ve seen rave reviews for this, I’ve seen people who didn’t care for it. So the best advice for this one is to give it a try for yourself! But if you’re considering not finishing— my advice would be to put it down and move on.

📖 Have you read this one? What were your thoughts? Thanks to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for the early look at this in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now if you’re curious!

I was wowed by this debut! Like Happiness was so easy to read. I was hooked into the story from the beginning. The format of the storytelling was unique, both with the bouncing timelines and the letters to M. I was impressed by how clear the author's voice was. I loved how Spanish was woven throughout the story. And of course, I loved how it was a book about books! What a treat. Excited to see what Villarreal-Moura comes up with next!

I thought there was a lot of promise with the author's writing capability and clarity. In the end, I wasn't feeling compelled by the story, characters, or ending to get a 'so what' from it. The character accused of sexual assault didn't seem to make sense. He was definitely focused on himself and not genuine, but I never saw a hint of violence. There were a lot of interesting points and I know you can become infatuated more with the idea of someone, or their talent, rather than it being a real connected relationship.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

I feel like I read a rough draft of someone’s book. Tatum was so whiny every time she walked into a room that had “too many” white people. And it was a little creepy that M wanted to call this young girl fan. Not a big fan of this one.