Blog Tour and Review - The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate (& a Giveaway!)

The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate
352p, Downtown Press, Isbn-1439107173

In Melissa Senate’s sweet and sentimental eighth novel, twenty-eight year-old Rebecca Strand is about to lose her father and be left alone in the world without a family. But her father makes a confession on his deathbed—that he had a secret affair twenty-six years ago and Rebecca has a half sister named Joy that neither she nor anyone else has ever known about.

Shocked by her father’s infidelity and secrecy, Rebecca is determined to find her sister and make up for Daniel Strand’s abandonment of his second daughter. She leaves New York City, her job, and her boyfriend behind and heads to Maine to track down the only family she has left. But when Joy doesn’t exactly welcome her with open arms, Rebecca must look within herself to discover the meaning of the word sister, and to figure out what she wants out of life and where her future lies.

Tender, touching and bittersweet, this is a story that tugs at the heartstrings. The novel explores a key question - does sharing DNA make a family, give one a sister, or is it something deeper? There were times when I just couldn't relate to Rebecca at all - the way she ups and quits everything in search of somebody so unknown. That's at once courageous and foolish! But her motivation, the drastic reason for it were all mitigating factors, which taken into account help explain her behaviour. At the same time, Joy is more transparent in her hostility and more understandable. Supporting characters are engagingly developed and help make this story a pleasure to read. Over all, this is a story about people, about family and that sometimes feels like the biggest mystery there ever is.

GIVEAWAY

The Prize

A copy of this book will go to one lucky reader.

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• Recommend any other book about Sisters that is your favorite.
  
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Deadline   Midnight CST of December 15, 2009.

Eligibility  US only.

Please read the Disclaimer. Good luck!
Note - This book was received for review.
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