synopsis:
As 28 year old New York paralegal Rebecca Strand's widowed father lays dying, he confesses a secret: he had an affair 26 years earlier when Rebecca was just a toddler. Now he wants Rebecca to deliver the secret stash of letters he wrote, but never mailed, to the daughter he fathered. Rebecca's lawyer boyfriend, Michael, is adamant that she forget the woman exists. He's sure the woman will be an opportunist who will demand half of Rebecca's father's million-dollar estate. But Rebecca, now without any family in the world, can't help but wonder about her one living relative. With her relationship with Michael in tatters, Rebecca drives from New York City to Maine to find Joy Jayhawk, who operates a Weekend Singles Tour service out of an orange mini-van that her regulars dub "The Love Bus." Enter a cast of lovable, colorful characters, from Joy's eccentric mother to the singles on The Love Bus, and a sexy carpenter for whom Rebecca finds herself unexpectedly falling in love...

my review:
I am a sucker for any book that takes place in Maine and this is no exception. With barely a second thought, Rebecca is off to Maine to find the sister she just discovered she had, to a small coastal town. She doesn't care that she may have to split her inheritance from her father, over one million dollars, or that her boyfriend is advising against this. Rebecca is drawn by the idea of the having a sister. Of course, it doesn't work out the way she planned, Joy is not thrilled to have her pop up. But Rebecca is persistent and in the process learns a lot about herself.
I really enjoyed the characters, they were fun and all are looking for happiness. Parts dragged on when Rebecca is trying to figure out relationships and why men cheat and it got to ne a bit much for me at times.
But mainly it is funny and charming.

my rating 3.5/5 ( )

Thoughts: This is such a sweet heart-warming story about life and love, and takes the drama of ex-wives and love-sick ladies to a whole new level, giving it life and plausibility at the same time. How did Melissa do it? No idea. But she won me over.

This book asks a lot of questions about marriage, relationships, and love. Does the author answer all the questions? Not really—but she answers the ones that she needs to, and as for others, she lets her readers decide the answers for themselves. THE SECRET OF JOY makes the reader think about what forgiveness really is, what it means to love someone, and the responsibility of loving them.

Characters: Joy was my favorite character. She was a rough-tough-don’t-mess-with-me-you-cant-make-me-cry kinda girl. She held her facade well (most of the time) but when she showed her true colors, she was a gem. Michael, Rebecca’s boyfriend, was a bit of a confusing character. At first I really liked him but as the story went on, I got fed up with him and kept thinking “Rebecca, dump him, please.” I almost cried when Rebecca’s dad died. These characters in this story will beckon you.

Writing: Melissa held me captive with her unique writing style. It was relaxed and smooth, and flowed well, something that could be read aloud without too much problem.

Content: There was only an occasional swear word, and some mention of sex, but no details.

Recommendation: Ages 14+ to anyone craving a light-hearted sit-by-the-fire-with-tea kind of book.

**Thank you to Sarah from Pocketbooks for supplying my review copy!** ( )

The Secret Of Joy was a joy to read. It's a story about facing things you don't want to face, compromise, love and letting go. The characters are so well written and you find yourself either cheering for them or wanting to smack them. I love the way the author described the town and people of Wiscasset, Maine. It sound so beautiful and peaceful and friendly. The only downside to the book was that it ended. I think this would be a great book for anyone who loves a light read and would be good for book clubs. There is a Reading Group Guide at the end. This was my first Melissa Senate book but it won't be my last. ( )

As a reader, it's a rare and wonderful thing when a book just comes together perfectly - - the story works, you're invested in the characters and you simply don't want to put the book down.

The Secret of Joy did this for me. It could have been Melissa Senate's writing style, which I found as pleasing and likable as could be. It could have been the subject matter, which has a strong personal connection to me as well - - I also found out I had a sister as an adult. The subject matter could have been as syrupy sweet as Log Cabin, or as depressing as watching the evening news but Ms. Senate handled it like a pro (and from her own personal experience). She took the good, she took the bad and gave me, as a reader, a book that was emotionally charged, witty and heartwrenching.

The Secret of Joy thoroughly excelled with its characters. I loved Rebecca immediately, flaws and all. Her relationships (with her father, with Michael, with Joy, and with Theo) weren't stereotypical, they emanated realism. Reading the book, you understand why she's with Michael and why she's wavering on staying with Michael. You understand how much she loves Michael's mother and how great it would be to have her as a mother-in-law. You feel Rebecca's pain over the loss of her father and her confusion, shock and eventual strong desire for a bond upon learning she has a younger sister.

The character of Joy, too, was extremely well fleshed out; so much that Joy's hesitation to form any kind of relationship with Rebecca is real and comes across as part of an actual character trait rather than simply advancing the story or creating conflict. I understood Joy's hurt and resentment and her unwillingness to immediately embrace Rebecca into her life.

The "supporting" characters I found a riot. I loved the perfectly named Victor and Victoria, outspoken Maggie, soft and sensitive Ellie and bed-and-breakfast proprietor Marianne. And Theo . . . who could forget Theo, who could quite possibly be coined a perfect man?

And let's not leave out the town of Wiscasset, Maine, which was just as important and vital a character as anyone else short of Rebecca. I could visualize this sweet little northern town in my mind while I read - - so much so that I could see autumn leaves falling and Maggie dashing through the town on her way to show a property, Ellie picking up some of those fabulous whoopie pies to cry into and Theo sitting on his steps, throwing a stick for Spock to catch. Reading The Secret of Joy made me want to visit this vibrant-sounding little town, in hopes that I would see Joy's tiny little house with the Love Bus out front, Marianne's bed and breakfast and Rebecca's yellow house.

I loved every minute that I spent in this book, with these characters. I felt both satiated with joy/Joy and saddened when the book ended because I didn't wish for my time in Wiscasset to come to a close.

In short, I cannot recommend this book enough. To call it simply chick lit would be an understatement for this sleeper of a book. This is the first book I've read by author Melissa Senate but it won't be the last. She is most certainly on my "authors to read" short list. ( )

Rebecca's father couldn't have picked a more inappropriate time to tell his daughter about an affair that happened between him and another woman when Rebecca was really young. He wrote several letters to the daughter he had with the other woman and now he wants Rebecca to deliver them to a sister that she never knew existed.

This is a very touching novel. I can't imagine finding out that my father had a whole other life that I knew absolutely nothing about. I found this book to be extremely intriguing. ( )