Secrets to Happiness: The SheKnows chick lit review

At the center of the novel is Holly Frick, 35-year-old divorcee who loses her faith after her husband unexpectedly leaves her. To make matters worse, her first novel -- a thinly-veiled attack on her ex-boyfriend -- fails miserably. In the aftermath, she finds herself teaming back up with her ex writing partner, Leonard, dating a much-younger boy toy and adopting a dog with cancer. And you thought you had problems!

The characters in Secrets to Happiness are all seriously flawed in one way or another. Whether targeted toward Holly's troubled writing partner, her self-destructive ex-boyfriend or her adulterous best friend, Dunn's sharp humor is both insightful and poignant.

What makes this novel so special is Dunn's ability to engage the reader in the lives of many different characters at the same time.

Rather than making them simple and cardboard, Dunn does an excellent job of providing depth and making you root for these people even as they make questionable decisions in the name of finding happiness.

Fans of Sex and the City will enjoy the pace and wit of this emotionally truthful novel. Deeper and more thought provoking than I had expected, I found Secrets to Happiness a delicious way to spend a rainy or lazy afternoon. Out of five stars, SheKnows chick lit gives Dunn's book:

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