About the book:Is the half sister that Rebecca Strand has never met short? Tall? Rich? Poor? Pretty? Funny? Married? Lonely? Happy? . . .
Rebecca is about to find out. The New York City paralegal thought nothing could shake her life off its fast track--which includes her handsome lawyer boyfriend and their extravagant condo. The shocking revelation that she even has a half sister comes from her dying father, in a hospital bed confession of a long-past summer affair... and now the dad she adores has one last wish: would Rebecca deliver a cache of letters he never sent to his other daughter, Joy Jayhawk, in a tiny coastal Maine town?
But when Rebecca arrives in Wiscasset, with the life-changing letters stashed in a leather box, nothing goes as she imagined--and Joy Jayhawk is less than thrilled to meet her. Joy already has her own life, her own family, and her own business: she runs a bus tour for singles, a matchmaking excursion that's brought lovers together, healed broken hearts, and changed lives. Rebecca joins the singles tour in the hopes of unlocking a door into Joy's life and forming a relationship with the only family she has left. But as she spends more and more time with Joy and the women who dub themselves The Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset--and starts a flirtation with a seriously hunky local carpenter--Rebecca realizes it's her life and heart that are ready for healing and change... and that sometimes, you just have to go along for the ride.
About the author:
Melissa Senate is the author of eight novels, including the bestselling See Jane Date, which was made into an ABC Family TV movie and has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. She's published short pieces in Everything I've Always Wanted to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, It's a Wonderful Lie, Flirting with Pride and Prejudice, and American Girls About Town. A former romance and young adult editor from New York, she now lives on the southern coast of Maine with her son. Find her online at her website, www.melissasenate.com.
drey's thoughts:
Oh, what a lovely book this is. Rebecca pulls you along with her on her journey of discovery--of her sister, her wants, her life... Warm, funny, and intimate, The Secret of Joy is a touching story about a young woman's quest to find the more in her life. Because there's gotta be more than just this.
Never mind that the journey is kick-started by a deathbed confession. Never mind that the person she's searching for may not want her around. And never mind that her live-in boyfriend swings between ambivalence and antagonism towards her quest.
A thoroughly enjoyable read by Melissa Senate. So enjoyable, in fact, that I went and sat down at the computer as soon as I finished reading the last page. Get it if you like warm fuzzies from your books.
Giveaway!
Thanks to Pocket Books, I have two copies of The Secret of Joy for you...
Rules:
-- Contest is open to US residents only, no PO Boxes please!
-- To enter, comment and share--what would you have done, if you were Rebecca? I'd probably have freaked. But in Rebecca's shoes, I probably would've been too numb to act anytime soon...
-- Follow for 1 extra entry.
-- Share for 2 extra entries (let me know what & where, please).
-- Do it all before 6:00 pm CST November 30th. Good luck!
Title: The Secret of Joy
Author: Melissa Senate
ISBN-10: 1439107173
ISBN-13: 9781439107171
Paperback: 330 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2009
Challenges: 100+, Pub
Disclosure: My copy of The Secret of Joy was provided by the publisher for this blog tour.
Tour stops:
Books, Movies & Chinese Food
Booking Mama
Frugal Plus
All About {n}
Rundpinne
Brizmus Blogs Books
Psychotic State
Books Reviews by Buuklvr81
Starting Fresh
A Sea of Books
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Book Junkie
My Book Views
drey’s library
Me, My Book & the Couch
Just Another New Blog
One Person’s Journey Through A World of Books
Booksie’s Blog
Book N Around
Keep on Booking
My Life In Not So Many Words
Beth’s Book Review Blog
Readaholic
My Reading Room
My Book Addiction and More
Crazy For Books
Bella’s Novella
Blog Business World
Reading at the Beach
My Friend Amy
Book Magic
The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object
So Many Books, So Little Time
Jeanne's Ramblings
Red Headed Book Child
Reading with Tequila
Books, Gardens, and Dogs
Jens Book Talk
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