The Underside of Joy    by Sere Prince Halverson Order:  USA  Can Plume, 2012 (2012) Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Wanda Plourde Ella Beene lived a very happy life in Northern California with her husband and two step children. Everything was perfect until the day Joe drowned. Now she is by herself, raising two step children, finding out that the business is failing, and doing everything in her power to cope. The day of the funereal, Joe's ex wife Paige (the children's biological mother, who abandoned them three years before) shows up to pay her respects. It turns out that Paige wants to reclaim her children. Ella decides to fight her for custody. At the same time, a lot of secrets are coming to the surface and Ella is starting to believe that she really never knew her husband at all. At first I did not want to read this book because the cover claimed it as a book club favourite, which tends to put me off. But I picked it up and went on a very emotional roller coaster ride. This very moving novel will keep you glued to its pages for an entire evening. The characters and writing make you feel strongly and the story is very thought provoking. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews