Romance Novel Happy Endings by Thien-Kim Lam has a not-so-happy ending

 

Spoilers in this review.  

Happy Endings by Thien-Kim Lam is a lovely romance novel in which heroine Trixie Nguyen gets over her horrible ex-boyfriend, narcissistic man-child Andre Walker, by going to therapy to work out issues she carries from her emotionally abusive family, and moves on to a fulfilling relationship with a man worthy of her.

Just kidding.  Happy Endings is a psychological thriller in which Trixie is tortured by Andre throughout the book until she finally has to murder him to escape his clutches.

Just kidding again.  Trixie gets back together with Andre and we're apparently supposed to be happy for her.

Prior to the action in the book, Trixie and Andre had dated for two years.  We don't learn much about this past relationship except that they lived together and had amazing sex until Andre dumped Trixie via post-it note and disappeared, leaving Trixie heartbroken.  

They meet again by chance.  Rather than kicking him in the balls and screaming "fuck you!" at Andre, for some unexplained reason Trixie suggests a friends-with-benefits relationship.  Andre pretends to go along with that, all the while secretly plotting to worm his way back in to Trixie's life.  He treats her horribly.  He tells her that she has to choose between him and her burgeoning sex toy business.  He tries to sabotage a fantastic opportunity she finds to rent a storefront.  He makes it seem like a huge concession when he allows her to take any sexual initiative.  He drops the bombshell on her that in their prior relationship he had gone to her disapproving father behind her back, which was what led to her family essentially disowning her.  He drunkenly interrupts an important sales meeting.  He age-shames her customers (but then so do all the other characters. Pro-tip:  Don't call a 70 year old woman an "old lady" to her face.)  He stalks her at the hospital where her father is dying and refuses to leave. In short, this guy is BAD NEWS. 

Andre has a knack for failing up.  He, along with his sister -- who he treats as badly as he treats Trixie -- inherit a restaurant from their mother.  (Another pro-tip:  If you own a restaurant, incorporate it.  That way, if you die with a lot of unpaid medical bills, those bills will be paid from the assets of your estate.  If the estate does not have enough assets to cover the bills, they do not need to be paid from future profits of the restaurant and bankrupt it.)  Andre refuses any innovations to the restaurant.  He refuses to allow his sister, who is taking business classes, in on the actual business of the restaurant.  He refuses to inform his sister (again, the co-owner of the restaurant) that the landlord has sold  the building where it is located.  He makes faltering and utterly unsuccessful efforts to buy the building.  He may or may not be responsible for the restaurant burning down.  He is rescued by a knight in shining armor, a childhood friend who has struck it rich in Silicon Valley, who buys the building and essentially gifts it to Andre.

In a better romance book, Trixie would date the childhood friend.  As it is, she seems destined for life of misery with Andre the monster.