Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Book Blog Tour of The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate

Welcome to the Book Blog Tour of The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate!

The Secret of Joy


The blurb:
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.

Review:
It's hard to describe The Secret of Joy without emphasizing that Rebecca Strand is absolutely winsome. Even as she screws up at work and is about to do something crazy, like give away half of her inheritance to a stranger, you find yourself rooting for her and hoping that things work out.

I loved Rebecca's closeness to her father, Daniel Strand. The letters that Daniel left for Joy seem to be written for Rebecca as well. As Rebecca reaches out to her sister Joy and works through her own needs and wants, she discovers her own strengths as a mediator. The discussions of love and monogamy, marriage, separation and divorce are interesting and make The Secret of Joy a little different from the usual women's fiction. The book's strength comes from the closeness and friendship that surrounds Rebecca throughout the book. The Secret of Joy is fun, touching, and a great read!

Publisher: Downtown Press (November 17, 2009), 352 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author:
Melissa Senate is the author of eight novels, including the worldwide bestseller See Jane Date, which became an ABC Family television movie. Her essays and stories appear in Everything I've Always Wanted to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume and other anthologies. She lives on the coast of Maine with her son and their menagerie of pets.

Participating Sites Include:
Books, Movies & Chinese Food: http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/
Booking Mama: http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/
Frugal Plus: http://frugalplus.com/
All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Rundpinne: http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com/
Brizmus Blogs Books: http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com
Psychotic State: http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/
Books Reviews by Buuklvr81: http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com
Starting Fresh: http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
A Sea of Books: http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/
That’s A Novel Idea: http://thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com
Book Junkie: http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com/
My Book Views: my-book-views.blogspot.com
Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
Me, My Book & the Couch: http://memybookandthecouch.blogspot.com/
Just Another New Blog: http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/
One Person’s Journey Through A World of Books: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/
Booksie’s Blog: http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com
Book N Around: http://booknaround.blogspot.com
Keep on Booking: http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com
My Life In Not So Many Words: http://www.ziarias.blogspot.com/
Beth’s Book Review Blog: http://bethsbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
My Reading Room: http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com
My Book Addiction and More: www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com
Crazy For Books: http://www.crazy-for-books.com
Bella’s Novella: http://www.bellasnovella.com/
Blog Business World: http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com
Reading at the Beach: http://ilratb.blogspot.com/
My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com
Book Magic: http://bookmagic418.blogspot.com/
The Life (and Lies) of an Inanimate Flying Object: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/
So Many Books, So Little Time: http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/
Jeanne's Ramblings: http://www.jeannesramblings.com
Red Headed Book Child: http://redheadedbookchild.blogspot.com
Reading with Tequila: http://readingwithtequila.blogspot.com
Books, Gardens, and Dogs: http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/
Jens Book Talk: http://jensbooktalk.blogspot.com/
My Own Little Corner of the World: http://molcotw.blogspot.com/
Lit and Life: http://litandlife.blogspot.com
Entertainment Realm: http://entertainmentrealm.com/

Thanks so much, Sarah and Pocket Books for this review opportunity!

2 comments:

  1. Wow! great job. Thanks for share useful information.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Somebody else linked up their review of this book at the Party. It's fun to read different reviews for the same book. Keeping it interesting :)

    Thanks for participating. I always look forward to what you have to say.

    -CYM

    ReplyDelete