The searing debut novel about a young woman's destructive relationship with a legendary writer for readers of My Dark Vanessa and Green Dot

I made up my mind to meet you. Your book had cast a spell over me the previous night. What better way to stay spellbound than to orbit the magician?

When a reporter's call disrupts Tatum Vega's life with her partner in sun-drenched Chile, she is suddenly pulled back into the years she spent in New York, captivated by the famous writer M. Domínguez.

As long-buried questions resurface, Tatum must reckon with the all-consuming relationship that dominated her early adulthood and prise the story of her life from the hands of her once-hero.

'I couldn't put it down' ANNIE LORD

'Villarreal-Moura writes with stunning emotional clarity' BUSTLE

'A beautiful work of fiction that dwells in the gray areas between celebrity and fan' NPR

'An epic unravelling of every love story trope' T KIRA MADDEN

'A deft and touching coming of age story' RUMAAN ALAM

'Expertly written with striking intimacy and heartbreaking clarity' XOCHITL GONZALEZ

"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