I have always been fascinated by cults so I am always interested in reading about them. The True Happiness Company by Verna Dinavahi was a very interesting read. Her time spent in a cult and how she ended up there was really interesting to read. Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.

incredibly well-written memoir. Veena recounts her story and her slow descent into becoming part of the True Happiness Company cult. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

:') oof
I have read many a cult memoir and, though I'd like to think that I always approach the subject matter and authors with empathy, I'd be lying if I said I didn't usually leave with an irrepressible, smug satisfaction that "I would never fall for that"
I totally would've fallen for this
Veena's writing style so deftly places you in her young headspace—one that I already deeply related to—and walks you through the years of manipulation and doubt and harm she faced. The things she went through were unbelievable, but you also totally see how they happened.
I found myself wanting to highlight things Mr. Lyon was saying, even knowing where the story was headed!!
above all though, this feels like a story of family and what love really looks like. and as parasocial as it is, I love reading memoirs in the era where you can follow authors on Instagram and see them thrive. veena's a wonderful writer and I hope in her reclaimed life she gets to tell all the stories she wants!!

After multiple attempts on her own young life and her parents cycling through every avenue possible to help, Veena finds herself in the presence of Bob Lyon, leader of the True Happiness Company, who makes one sweeping declaration to her: “I know something you don’t. I know how to be happy... You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.”

The high-achieving daughter of Indian immigrants, eager to please and impress, depressed and direction-less in her life, Dinavahi finds herself sucked in to Lyon’s world and the community that he has created. What starts as a comfort grows in to a manipulative, gaslighting hell that Veena knows she must escape. In The True Happiness Company, Dinavahi takes readers through her tumultuous journey from an amiable but confused young girl—attending “Suicide High” and the children’s psych ward—to her reclamation of life, post cult presence.


When my partner or I are feeling sad, we will often joke to each other, “Have you tried just not feeling sad?” It usually gets a laugh by the one who is afflicted, followed by a much more serious attempt at understanding by the other. In the case of Dinavahi, the sad reality of many of her experiences with attempting to open up about her depression to others was faced with that same question (minus the joking aspect); her concerns often times being dismissed—intentionally or not—by those around her.

Reading through Dinavahi’s experiences were touching, heartbreaking, infuriating—the doctor saying they needed to “open up the bed for someone who actually needs it”, I SCREAM—eye-opening, often times relatable, and agonizing to face; her life dotted with so much suicide its hard to fathom.

The True Happiness Company is a memoir filled with unflinching honesty, tenderness, and remarkable wit—“Never underestimate the power of good eating and sleeping habits, he said, as if a brisk jog and a plate of steamed broccoli would settle my questions about life and death”—that explores themes of mental health, self-assurance, identity, and, of course, what it means to be “happy”, ultimately teaching readers that happiness is never a one-size-fits-all solution.

A striking debut that needs to be on your list for 2025.

Thank you Random House for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available May 20 2025. *Quotes are pulled from an advanced reader copy and are subject to change prior to publication*

Whoa, what an interesting read. I’m a big fan of books like this, along the lines of “Dinner for Vampires” or “Glass Castle”. Veena told the story in such an unflinching and honest way. I felt like it made sense how she slowly became part of something treacherous, one tiny choice (and manipulation) at a time. Highly recommend for anyone interested in memoirs, cults, and culture.

A compelling, complicated memoir about an Indian American woman that a cult leader pounces on--I couldn't put it down.

Veena is a high achieving woman in her late teens who struggles with her mental health. What makes things worse is her affluent, educated, high school community where suicide is rampant. Veena attempts suicide several times. After medical and mental health professionals fail to make things better, Veena's desperate parents turn to The True Happiness Company, led by Bob Lyon, a former eye doctor turned self-taught life coach and spiritual adviser who sees client out of his basement. True Happiness Company turns out to be an MLM-style cult, connected with the Mormon church.

If it sounds bizarre, that's because it is.

Bob gradually entangles the family, insisting on frequent calls and sessions with college-aged Veena and influencing her parents. With the specter of her poor mental health hanging over her, Veena and her parents look to Bob as their last hope. He gradually begins to control aspects of Veena's life, at times turning the mental health system on her. Under his spell, Veena marries a college boyfriend, drops out of college, and has three children back-to-back. Bob also becomes intertwined with Veena's husband. In this memoir, Veena skillfully explains how this unbelievable series of events came to be and how she clawed her way out of it.

At times, Veena gets aspects of Hinduism and Indian culture wrong, which rankled me--I did not like the flat stereotypes of east versus west. But often, she got the complex push-pull right and showed the empowering aspects of her Hindu upbringing. She also got honest and ugly about her own mistakes and flaws--something that is critical in a good memoir.

Overall, I loved the writing style and how Veena was able to explain the unique combination of events that affected her life, and how she got out. This memoir made me think deeply about flaws in the American mental health system and why people turn to cults and restrictive religious environments in times of trouble. An especially timely memoir, I highly recommend this one.

The True Happiness Company is Dinavahi's eye-opening memoir that delves into her history of depression and subsequent suicide attempts as a teenager, which left her and her family vulnerable to a cult. People often mistake such vulnerability as a lack of intelligence or awareness and I found this memoir elucidates how an intelligent family could be taken in by a huckster who acted as a therapist of sorts without a license. (To be clear, they sought help from many licensed therapists first). The beginning of the book has a lot of dark humor which eases the tension of reading about her suicide attempts, but it also serves as a barometer of sorts - I realized she had not yet reached rock bottom, a point she wouldn't reach until enmeshed into the culture and demands of the cult, which she calls The True Happiness Company (the actual name isn't shared).

I found Dinavahi's switching of tenses a little jarring - I think she was seeking to portray the immediacy of being in a cult, but she switches tenses multiple times as the memoir proceeds. A couple of times she also jumps forward to share something that wouldn't happen for several years. Otherwise, the memoir is clear and well-written. I especially enjoyed her Endnote in which she delves into psychology a bit more - tools that are used by cult leaders to manipulate people, the problematic nature of mental health labels, and other reflections she had in retrospect. This is a thoughtful and brave memoir worth a read.

The True Happiness Company had me riveted from start to finish. It's wound so tightly, and the story unwinds with such precision – you really do learn how a girl like Veena fell for a cult like The True Happiness Company, just like it says on the cover. At each step of the way, Veena gives us insight into exactly how she was thinking and feeling; it's easy to understand how even a very bright young woman could be groomed and pulled into the trap of a cult, especially one that has convinced her it's saved her life. The book is fascinating, moving, and at times very funny. As an account of how someone could be persuaded to become someone she's not, it's very compelling – but perhaps the most gratifying part of the book is when we finally start to see Veena become who she really is. I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I read this one in a day. One thing that always gets me is “how do people end up in this cult?” When true mental health services aren’t used, Dinavahi fell into The True Happiness Company. Early on, her voice is nervous, she is uncertain, and is searching for purpose and better days. However, she ends up in a cult. The story of her time in the cult to escape and growth is so raw and vulnerable, especially explaining the traumas she went through, the brainwashing… I’m grateful she shared this with us.

Veena Dinavahi recounts her slow descent into the True Happiness cult with heartbreaking clarity. After multiple suicide attempts, her desperate family turns to Bob, the founder of The True Happiness Company. As a last-ditch effort, they pay for a two-day visit with him in his home. What follows is a years-long nightmare of mental, emotional, and sexual abuse, along with relentless brainwashing and intimidation.

While Veena’s husband, Charlie, is also a victim of this manipulation, I struggled to feel sympathy for him. His treatment of Veena was infuriating and deeply upsetting.

Veena’s story is a reminder of how our mental health system fails people. Throughout her life, she just wanted to be heard, but time and time again, she was ignored and dismissed by nurses, doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Her pain was minimized, and her cries for help went unanswered.

“Everyone wants to live. Some of us just don’t know how.” – Veena Dinavahi

When Veena began to find her voice and speak her truth, I felt such joy. Knowing she is now thriving and using her story to help others is inspiring.

One moment that stayed with me was when she recalled attending her cousin’s Hindu wedding in India. The celebration spanned a week, filled with daily ceremonies, and during one she asked, “Are they married now? Is it official yet?” She was told there wasn’t one specific moment like in American weddings. I found that so beautiful and meaningful.

Thank you, Veena, for sharing your story. And thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

How could you not be tempted by a book whose subtitle is “How a girl like me falls for a cult like that”?

This is Veena Dinavahi’s memoir. We meet her as a deeply depressed teenager in a well-off town that hasa long history of teen suicide. Her parents in a desperate attempt to save her life take Veena to a counselor in Georgia who becomes deeply entertwined in her life, influencing her education, her relationships, her decision to have children, and her religion. There are times you want to reach through the pages and shake her a little bit to help her see how harmful this man is, but it isn’t until many years in that Veena is able to recognize that she needs to free herself. She shares how difficult extricating herself from this is, and how challenging it is to trust yourself again after being taught that you couldn’t.

The conclusion is very conclusion-y- lots of life lessons wrapped up in the author’s well earned psychology degree, and I understand the desire to tie things up neatly, but I think this is where the book loses me a little- it feels a little more text booky and a little less like a memoir.

If you’re expecting a fundamental LDS cult with long dressses and poofy braids, you won’t find it in this book, but it is a reminder that cults can and do exist among us.

Many thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

Wowwww.. this is a book that is going to stick with me for quite sometime. Veena's story of not only her experience in the cult is also such an important examination of the intersectionality of mental health and the flaws in our systems that care for people.

This was an incredible read. Memoirs are one of my favorite genres, and this book reminded me why.

Dinavahi does a great job guiding the reader through her mental state over a nearly decade-long period of her life. She makes readers truly understand her hopelessness and desperation, and how that made her vulnerable to external manipulation. It was also fascinating to read about this cult, and terrifying to see it through her eyes and understand how it is possible for such a dangerous, abhorrent organization to present itself as a one that cares about the people it is actually destroying.

This book is not only offers a great portrait into depression how it can change someone, but is also just a joy to read. Dinavahi is a brilliant writer — she is witty and reflective, but also speaks about some of her most difficult moments with grace and care.

This is a harrowing story of how a person tries to help someone and that "help" ends up taking over that person's life.

I thought that cult was a bit too strong of a word in the beginning, because it didn't seem like it there was that many people involved. I did wonder how Bob got to be so influential....there was no follow up at the end of the book about what happened to the cult.

When the author gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby...I was screaming inside my head...NO! STOP! DON"T DO IT!

When the author had to call bob every day, I again shook my head, NO! DON"T DO IT!

I really loved the self reflection the author did at the end of the book, it helped to explain what was happening and why it happened.

Overall, I thought this was an eye opening book. Being in a cult, usually doesn't happen overnight. Its gradual, its subtle, you don't realize that its happening till its too late.

This book should be read by ANYONE interested in cults and people who are worried that they may be in a cult.

This is one of the darkest memoirs I have ever read, if not the darkest. I definitely plan to read this, but need to pick it back up at a later time because this one is truly that dark.

With that being said, I can tell this will likely end up being one of my favorite books of all time. It's written really well, is captivating and there is a bit of dark humor thrown in. Even though I know I shouldn't read it right now, I really want to. I think having conversations around cults is also important. There are a lot of really important messages and bits of information to be told from this book, and it truly deserves to shine, it just definitely needs to be read when a reader is prepared for what's ahead.

I feel odd rating a memoir, so it gets 5 stars.

Content warnings: very detailed attempts of $ewuicide

Thank you for allowing me to read this in advance of its publication! This is my honest opinion I am leaving voluntarily.

This memoir is truly exceptional and an impressive debut.

I have nothing but positive praise. It is such an emotional, raw, and vulnerable opening to Veena's life and all that she has dealt with in regards to her mental health. I've seen tv shows about cults, I've read books about how people fall into cults, but never have I read such an emotional piece like this. Yes, it's about cults but it is so much more than that and really goes into detail what lead Veena to this cult starting at age 19. I was finding myself so happy when Veena experienced joys, and I was shaking my head and had my eyes filled with tears during some of the most gut wrenching moments of this book. It is extremely heavy at times. What a life this woman has lived and I feel so special for having the honor to read it (and so early too!)

The writing is very conversational and approachable and the pacing is fantastic. Also we need a special shoutout to the cover designer because it's gorgeous.

I can't wait for this book to be officially released because I can't wait to read what others think of it!

Thank you NetGalley, Veena Dinavahi, and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy!

What a fascinating book. I loved the way it was written - drawing us in the way Veena was drawn into the cult starting at age nineteen. What an eye opening book and a great conversation starter. It was easy to read, drawing me in with a conversational tone. I was invested in Veena's life, struggling with her when she was struggling, finding joy when she found joy. I loved how she opened her heart to the reader so we could walk the journey (and her healing) with her.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book through netgalley. I did not have to write a review; all opinions are my own.

If you’re a fan of books like “Cultish” by Amanda Montell, you’re going to devour this one.
This is single-handedly the best description of what it’s like and what forces are at play when being sucked into a cult and how insidious cult leaders are when playing psychological tricks.
This book honestly had be thinking, “yup that would have been me too” as I was reading it. I appreciated that Dinavahi purposefully allowed for confusion and emotion and intellect all to battle on the same plane - because this is truly what would be happening.

Definitely read this book - so well written

This might be my new favorite memoir? I've been speechless for a while now after finishing it.

The hook here will inevitably (IMO, unfortunately) be The True Happiness Company's cult status. There is no question the cult plays a huge roll here, but the underlying story was even more beautiful. But anyone here because they <i>only</i> want "the cult stuff", you'll be fine. It doesn't <i>feel</i> like you're invested until you're in too deep to put this down. How odd, as finding yourself a member of The True Happiness Company seems to happen the same way.

I'm torn between going more in depth in this review... or leaving it fairly vague until everyone has a chance to read it themselves so the amazement is firsthand. For now, I'm sticking with vague... But I have a strong feeling I'll be back and adding more to this soon...

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Veena Dinavahi and Random House for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}