Holly Frick is a confused New Yorker. She is in her late 30’s, divorced from the man she still
loves, and at a low point in her career. Holly wrote a novel the year before, but it didn’t
bring her fame or fortune. In fact, it was a thinly disguised story about an ex-boyfriend, and
that is just bound to cause trouble. Especially when the ex-boyfriend’s current girlfriend tracks
Holly down and calls her repeatedly for advice.
Holly’s best friend, Amanda, has a wonderful husband and toddler. While her life seems to be
everything Holly wants, Amanda is really seeking the company of another man—and it’s not
the first time.
Secrets to Happiness touches on the lives of several other 30-somethings in NY, most of
whom know Holly one way or another. Holly notices that people seem to be just living their lives
to make themselves happy, doing what they want, when they want. This is an outrage to the
moralistic Holly. Yet as good as she tries to be, living her life in a good-girl manner, Holly is
the unhappy one. But what if she changed? Would she too, find happiness?
From Holly’s adoption of a shelter dog with a brain tumor, to her affair with the lover Amanda
broke up with (at Amanda’s suggestion that they’d be perfect for each other), events still seem to
work against Holly’s happiness.
Sarah Dunn does a great job at bringing the reader along for the ride so that you care a great
deal about what happens to Holly, her friends, and of course the dog. I’d recommend this book to
anyone at a crossroads in life who wants some insight as to how others cope with change, betrayal
and unexpected growth. A really good read!