A 'deeply felt and achingly intimate' (Annie Lord) debut novel about the complexities of gender, power, race and fame for readers of Sheena Patel's I'm A Fan and Madeleine Grey's Green Dot I made up my mind to meet you. Your book had cast a spell on me the previous night. What better way to stay spellbound than to orbit the magician? You write your favourite author a fan letter and he writes back. An intoxicating, undefinable, all consuming relationship ensues. Ten years later, a slew of allegations emerge that will shatter the story you have told yourself, leaving behind a blank page for something new... Like Happiness is a headfirst dive into a young woman's destructive obsession with a legendary writer. Razor-sharp, delectably witty, and told with blistering emotional honesty, this electric debut novel reckons with the stories we choose to believe, about the past, our relationships and above all about ourselves. 'An epic unravelling of every love story, reclaimed as something sharp, seething, unsettling, and true' T KIRA MADDEN 'A stunning swirl of a coming-of-age novel about power, manipulation, and complicity' MEGAN GIDDINGS >'Accomplishes a profound emotional electrocution that will leave you floating lighter for days' XOCHITL GONZALEZ >'A moving portrait of the vulnerabilities of young womanhood' TODAY.COM __________ NetGalley reviewers love Like Happiness: 'Beautifully written and unputdownable... I would read this over and over again' 'I simply love this book' 'My jaw was on the floor... I'd recommend it for fans of My Dark Vanessa'

"Seamlessly alternating between these two timelines, Villarreal-Moura writes with stunning emotional clarity about sexual identity, art and marginalization, and the ways control can masquerade as love" - Bustle, Best New Books 2024

"A beautiful work of fiction that dwells in the gray areas between celebrity and fan, victim and victimizer, absolution and blame" - NPR

"What I'd like to know is, how is it possible that this book - with the perfect portrayal of a self-aware yet lost protagonist and a storyline that generates every emotion while making you want to throw the book across the room - is a debut?" - nb. Magazine

"A quick but consuming read, Like Happiness is elegant, complex, and altogether familiar" - ELLE

"Expertly written with striking intimacy and heartbreaking clarity, Like Happiness accomplishes a profound emotional electrocution that will leave you floating lighter for days" - Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming

"Her emotionally astute novel offers a moving perspective on the different kinds of victims abusers leave in their wake. Memorable and incisive, this debut grapples elegantly with the complexity of betrayal" - Kirkus Reviews

"A moving portrait of the vulnerabilities of young womanhood" - Today.com

"Imagine writing a letter to your favourite author and not only does he write back, but you also begin a complicated relationship with him? Well that's the premise of Like Happiness. 10 years after the relationship begins however, the novel's protagonist is shocked to discover a slew of allegations that will upturn everything she thought she knew about this intoxicating relationship." - Cosmopolitan, Best New Books Out In April

"This compelling read delves into the idealism of youth, the harsh lesson of learning whom to trust, and the complexities of self-actualization" - Booklist

"[A] subtle and satisfying narrative. This leaves readers with much to chew on" - Publishers Weekly

"In this debut novel, Tatum Vega, living a fulfilling life in Chile with her partner Vera, finds her past resurfacing when a reporter contacts her about allegations of abuse against the renowned author M. Domínguez, with whom she had an incredibly complicated relationship." - Electric Lit, 42 Queer Books You Need To Read In 2024