SECRETS TO HAPPINESS

By all appearances, Holly Frick is living the good life of a mid-30s divorcée in New York City. Her glamorous TV writing job (admittedly, it's a dreadful after-school sitcom) leaves time for her gorgeous boyfriend (OK, so he's embarrassingly young and dense, but he's cute) and her newly adopted dog (surely he will survive the cancer). Julie Dretzin's narration provides glimpses of Holly's anxiety peeping out from the cloak of her determined charm. Dretzin's natural style adds realism to Holly's conversations with her best friend, Amanda. Thanks to Dretzin's subtle variations in male characters, Holly's overtly gay co-writer is delightful, and her cheeseburger-chomping Buddhist love interest is intriguing. It seems that Holly surprises herself by discovering that compromises sometimes lead to happiness. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2009]