The Happy Family: The gripping new psychological crime thriller from the No.1 Kindle bestselling author of The Perfect Couple

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I have read countless stories centered around adoption, and Happy Family is my new favorite. Sol and Cici Matzner, the adoptive parents of an infant girl, make an unusual and often hilarious couple. The marriage of a Jewish doctor to a beautiful Italian, Catholic child bride, almost unheard of in the 1950s, wreaks havoc on the newlyweds' families. Sol converts to Catholicism in a futile attempt to assuage Cici's family, but he is disowned by the Matzner clan. How ironic that Cici becomes the stereotypical Jewish mother! They name their daughter Cheri, dropping the 'e' from their favorite term of endearment. were clipped into my SPD's. ( SPD's are designed for clipless bicycle pedals)....Its kinda an oxymoron.... POINT IS..... I was strapped in ( seat belt fastened..haha), taking a ride into this complex world that author, Tracy Barone created. Great workout!!!! Cheri's husband is even more obnoxious than she is. In fact, there are no likable characters, except maybe Cheri's adoptive mother, who Cheri treats like utter shit for no reason whatsoever. This really upset me. I cannot stand privileged white girls who are verbally abusive to their devoted mothers, I guess because all I ever wanted was a mom who didn't harm me. I used to daydream about being adopted, or even being a foster kid. They say no kids want to leave their parents, no matter how bad the situation is, but that's not true for me. I would've done anything to get out. Funny thing is, I'm kind to my mother now. I've forgiven her. But every time I ever meet someone who acts like their mom is the devil, it's just a case of them being a spoiled brat who was maybe loved too much. I have known people like Cheri. I avoid them like the plague. I want to thank the publisher "Harper 360/ One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

Happy Family: the instant Sunday Times bestseller, from Not a Happy Family: the instant Sunday Times bestseller, from

Forty years and many secrets and lies later, Cheri Matzner is all grown up and falling apart. Ironic and unapologetic, she's a former cop-turned-disgruntled academic, a frustrated wife trying to get pregnant, an iconoclastic daughter bearing war-wounds from her overbearing mother and the deeply flawed but well-meaning father who has been dead for several years. Thrust into an odyssey of acceptance, Cheri discovers that sometimes it takes half a lifetime to come of age. The main character is Beth who’s mother walked out on her and her dad at 10. What unfolds is a story of a heinous childhood act, and an unraveling present. You know when Beths mother suddenly appears that something is amok, but how long will it go on before Beth figures it out. I really enjoyed this messy Indian American multigenerational family story featuring the Joshis of Atlanta. Told in alternating perspectives among the three grown Joshi siblings and their parents, we get to know their secrets, fears and struggles as they try to live up to entrenched cultural expectations. I absoloutly loved this novel. I literally never wanted it to end. The way it is written transports you in, making you feel such empathy for the main protagonist, Cheri Matzner. This novel mirrors the complexity and beauty of life itself. Suhani and Roshan have a super interesting dynamic that I wish was explored further. Suhani is (in my opinion), the most interesting character

My first cousin was adopted. She is the oldest child of 4 kids. She grew up in Piedmont, Calif. - A Jewish family. Shelley and I are the same age and have been close since little kids with many crazy adventure stories. I know about some of the suffering she went through being the only child - adopted -in my aunt and uncles family ---

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The theme of gaslighting is handled well and we see how seemingly insignificant remarks and incidents snowball so that the victim ends up questioning their own judgment and grasp on reality. Even though I didn’t care that much for Beth as a character it was still sad to see how much her life spins out of control, particularly when intimate film footage of her is posted on social media. Es könnte so schön und einfach sein, ist es aber nicht. Selbst die kleine Cheri merkt bald, dass ihre Familie nicht so ist wie andere. Cici kommt aus Italien und hat ihren Akzent nie abgelegt. Sols Familie hat sich von ihm abgewandt als er seinen Willen durchsetzte und Cici heiratete. Und Cici vereinnahmt ihre Tochter etwas arg. Sie will es besonders gut machen und vergisst, dass eine Mutter auch mal loslassen muss. Auch Cheris Verhältnis zu Sol ist eher angespannt. Von ihm möchte sie unabhängig sein. Nach einigen Versuchen in verschiedenen Jobs, ist Cheri nun verheiratet.Cheri Matzner's life is in a bit of turmoil. She and her filmmaker husband are barely speaking yet she's trying to have a baby, her job as a professor of comparative religions is in jeopardy (but all she really wants is a spot on a crew slated to head to Iraq to catalog and translate antiquities), and she's trying to keep her overbearing, functionally alcoholic mother from throwing her a 40th birthday party.