This book was a fascinating look into family dynamics. Just when you think you understand someone you love and their motives, you find out everything you thought you knew was wrong. Love is complicated. Families are complicated. This book highlights these realities in a beautiful way. Part mystery. Part literary fiction. This book was a stunning look into a family in crisis and how they navigate it together. For better or for worse.

I enjoyed this very much, much more than Miracle Creek even. The author's writing style was very compelling as well as well-researched and detailed. I liked how the author tackled many different themes and wove them together so well.

Oh my gosh, this was such a surprise how much I loved this. I wasn’t expecting this story about a family enduring loss, acceptance, and protecting their seemingly nonverbal brother to pull me in so deeply. This was beautiful.

I read so many positive reviews for this novel that I was really excited to read it. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me, but I did really enjoy some parts of it! There is a lot going on here, but overall, I did not connect with the narrator, which made it difficult to connect in general. I did not find the "mystery" very compelling (and this novel is kind of marketed as a mystery), but I did enjoy the complicated family dynamics. I did enjoy learning about Angelman Syndrome, the Happiness Quotient, and the exploration of race and the impact on perception. To sum, there are some interesting bits here, but I found myself being "forced" to finish. However, I do still want to check out Miracle Creek by this same author! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

I will read anything Angie Kim writes as she creates incredible family drama and suspense. I can't wait to see what she writes next. Thank you for the opportunity to read this e-galley.

This was my first Angie Kim book and it definitely won't be my last! I really enjoyed it and it made me think. I thought the story itself was really interesting and exciting, and I was captivated the whole time. I also loved the characters, it was really interesting to learn about their history and see their family dynamic play out. I think I wanted a little more resolution, but I also understand why I didn't get it. I'm not mad about it, I was just a little surprised by the ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for this ARC!

I finished it but I didn't love it. I liked this author's debut. This second novel was full if digressions and footnotes that detracted from the story.

I loved Miracle Creek so I was excited to see a new novel from author Angie Kim. I had high expectations following Miracle Creek and she succeeded in satisfying those expectations. This book is a mystery centering around a missing father and his daughter’s search to find him. The books also centers around oral fluency and the setbacks that can be caused by speaking a second language that is not native. Overally I really enjoyed Happiness Falls

Angie Kim is an amazing writer. I was really impressed by this story and liked Mia as a narrator. It was difficult at times but very eye opening.

I listened to the audiobook and wanted to know what happened as the central mystery, but it felt like a letdown by the end. The mystery wasn't that much of a mystery and it ends with still as many questions as I had at the beginning of the book. it took me a while to listen to it, but it did make me want to keep coming back to get to the end of it. I wanted it all tied up more and with a good twist and I don't feel like I got it. I need to read her debut novel, MIRACLE CREEK which I know so many friends have read and loved that one.

What an interesting story. The family father goes missing after taking his disabled son to a nearby park. The entire book is about the actions of the family after they learn he cannot be found. I found this one to be wordy and dense. I grew tired of it and could hardly wait for the end. It could have been SO much better. It took me weeks to finish and I was exhausted by the end.

Mia’s father is missing and the police are investigating what happened. Her brother Eugene who has autism and Angelman syndrome, was the last to see their father but cannot tell what happened because he is nonverbal. Piece by piece, Mia tries to learn the truth, but discovers that some of the clues only add to the mystery. Eugene is central to the story and his disability is integral to the complexity of the case. Eugene is the most fascinating and the way the family embraces him is heartwarming.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC!

I don’t know why but I really struggled with this. I thought the writing was good but I couldn’t get into it and every time I tried I felt like it was an uphill battle. It shouldn’t haven taken this long.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I thought that the care and research put into this book was so great! Be sure you read the Author’s note at the end.
I loved the way the family questions everything they did and how you’re being told the story after it happens, so maybe everything works out or maybe not. The thought experiments on Happiness were excellent. So good

I tried to love this, I really did. While this book is intelligent and thought provoking, it’s also a slight bit too long and too slow moving. There are too many points of view and it sometimes became hard to follow.

I persevered to not feel like the odd man out. I feel like about halfway through my interest weaned and I wasn’t sure or wasn’t really interested in what was going to happen next. I did however enjoy the legal aspect of it all and the twisting plot.

I would still absolutely recommend this book and recommend Angie Kim as an author as well.

Kim's missing-person novel is a mystery and is structured around the discovery and exploration of what may have happened to cause Mia's father's disappearance. But Happiness Falls is primarily a story about a family finally understanding each other and going to extraordinary lengths to work together.

As the family works to find their missing member, various illuminating elements of the imperfect man become clear. The family digs into the traces of his recent activities and are shocked and amazed, angered and intrigued by the depth of his deception and search for knowledge.

I was totally hooked on the mystery aspect and the delving into Eugene's potential communication. But my favorite element of the novel was the messy, wonderful family members that forge deeper connections than ever before during the most confusing, painful period of their lives.

I thought this book was really interesting and I learned a lot about Eugene's life with Angelman syndrome. The mystery was decent. What I didn't like was the point of view being told through Mia's voice and the length of the book. It was a little wordy.

I really liked the start of this book. The characters felt real, and I was super intrigued by the mystery. My only gripe with this book is the ending. It's super unsatisfying. For a mystery book, this ending felt like a cop-out. The open ending somewhat ruined my enjoyment of the work overall.

After loving the authors last book I did have high hopes and expectations for this and I have to say I was a little disappointed. It was still a solid read for me I just expected another five star, I’m being picky. The character development was great and the mystery aspect worked well. The author is a very talented writer too.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Hogarth for this ARC.

I went into this story with very high expectations based around Angie Kim's Miracle Creek, which was a Barnes & Noble book club pick that I really enjoyed. I think where Happiness Falls fell short for me in comparison was in its pacing as well as its struggle to balance inclusion of too many details vs. a lack thereof. Certain strains of the story's plot really pulled me in such as the educational exploration of Angelman syndrome and autism, the initial moments of discovery surrounding Adam's disappearance, and the interwoven family dynamic. All of these moving parts are anchored to Mia's voice, our first person narrator. Although I was deeply immersed in her voice and persona at the start of the novel, there were certain points where her own internal dialogue felt like it was moving on and on without purpose or solid direction.

I think this story did a wonderful job of achieving a call to action or simply shedding light on disabilities, the experience of Asian American families, and the concept of the justice system. That being said, I think the overall strength of the plot was lost a bit in the overwhelming nature of Mia's voice which, at times, felt like it grasped control of the entire story in a way that made it read as imbalanced. Perhaps multiple points of view would allow the story to flow better and keep readers on their toes so that there could be a refresher period from the same narrative voice.

I look forward to what Angie Kim does next and although this didn't completely hit home for me, the concepts at its core are extremely important and I know this book worked really well for tons of people!