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The True Happiness Company: How a Girl Like Me Falls for a Cult Like That
In this wrenching, darkly funny memoir, a young Indian American woman’s quest for mental health is derailed by a charismatic alternative therapist who pulls her into his Mormon self-help cult.
It is hard for Veena Dinavahi to live while her classmates keep dying. The high-achieving daughter of loving Indian immigrants, she lives in a white American suburb like any other—except for its unusually high suicide rate. Veena tries everything to cure her own depression, but nothing works. Then, on one late-night Google search, her mom finds Bob Lyon—a sixty-year-old man in the backwoods of Georgia who says he can make Veena want to live again. He calls himself “The True Happiness Company” and, as their relationship progresses . . . “Daddy.”
As Veena is sucked into his strangely close-knit community, Bob’s “suggestions” start to feel less and less optional. Before she knows it, she’s a college dropout, a married mother of three, and a Mormon convert who has gotten way too good at dismissing her gut feeling that something is wrong. But when Bob finally pushes her too far, Veena knows she has to cut ties with him. Driven to understand her journey, she re-enrolls in college, studies psychology, and begins to understand that true happiness cannot be one-size-fits-all.
Told with unflinching clarity and shot through with incisive wit, The True Happiness Company is a singular tale of learning to trust your intuition in a world determined to annihilate it.
It is hard for Veena Dinavahi to live while her classmates keep dying. The high-achieving daughter of loving Indian immigrants, she lives in a white American suburb like any other—except for its unusually high suicide rate. Veena tries everything to cure her own depression, but nothing works. Then, on one late-night Google search, her mom finds Bob Lyon—a sixty-year-old man in the backwoods of Georgia who says he can make Veena want to live again. He calls himself “The True Happiness Company” and, as their relationship progresses . . . “Daddy.”
As Veena is sucked into his strangely close-knit community, Bob’s “suggestions” start to feel less and less optional. Before she knows it, she’s a college dropout, a married mother of three, and a Mormon convert who has gotten way too good at dismissing her gut feeling that something is wrong. But when Bob finally pushes her too far, Veena knows she has to cut ties with him. Driven to understand her journey, she re-enrolls in college, studies psychology, and begins to understand that true happiness cannot be one-size-fits-all.
Told with unflinching clarity and shot through with incisive wit, The True Happiness Company is a singular tale of learning to trust your intuition in a world determined to annihilate it.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 20, 2025
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February 24, 2025
After multiple attempts on her own young life and her parents cycling through every possible avenue to help, Veena finds herself in the presence of Bob Lyon, leader of the True Happiness Company, who makes one sweeping declaration to her: “I know something you don’t. I know how to be happy... You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.”
The high-achieving daughter of Indian immigrants, eager to please and impress, depressed and direction-less in her life, Dinavahi finds herself sucked in to Lyon’s world and the community that he has created. What starts as a comfort grows in to a manipulative, gaslighting hell that Veena knows she must escape. In The True Happiness Company, Dinavahi takes readers through her tumultuous journey from an amiable but confused young girl—attending “Suicide High” and the children’s psych ward—to her reclamation of life, post cult presence.
When my partner or I are feeling sad, we will often joke to each other, “Have you tried just not feeling sad?” It usually gets a laugh by the one who is afflicted, followed by a much more serious attempt at understanding by the other. In the case of Dinavahi, the sad reality of many of her experiences with attempting to open up about her depression to others was faced with that same question (minus the joking aspect); her concerns often times being dismissed—intentionally or not—by those around her.
Reading through Dinavahi’s experiences were touching, heartbreaking, infuriating—the doctor saying they needed to “open up the bed for someone who actually needs it”, I SCREAM—eye-opening, often times relatable, and agonizing to face; her life dotted with so much suicide its hard to fathom.
The True Happiness Company is a memoir filled with unflinching honesty, tenderness, and remarkable wit—“Never underestimate the power of good eating and sleeping habits, he said, as if a brisk jog and a plate of steamed broccoli would settle my questions about life and death”—that explores themes of mental health, self-assurance, identity, and, of course, what it means to be “happy”, ultimately teaching readers that happiness is never a one-size-fits-all solution.
A striking debut that needs to be on your list for 2025.
Thank you Random House for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available May 20 2025. *Quotes are pulled from an advanced reader copy and are subject to change prior to publication*
The high-achieving daughter of Indian immigrants, eager to please and impress, depressed and direction-less in her life, Dinavahi finds herself sucked in to Lyon’s world and the community that he has created. What starts as a comfort grows in to a manipulative, gaslighting hell that Veena knows she must escape. In The True Happiness Company, Dinavahi takes readers through her tumultuous journey from an amiable but confused young girl—attending “Suicide High” and the children’s psych ward—to her reclamation of life, post cult presence.
When my partner or I are feeling sad, we will often joke to each other, “Have you tried just not feeling sad?” It usually gets a laugh by the one who is afflicted, followed by a much more serious attempt at understanding by the other. In the case of Dinavahi, the sad reality of many of her experiences with attempting to open up about her depression to others was faced with that same question (minus the joking aspect); her concerns often times being dismissed—intentionally or not—by those around her.
Reading through Dinavahi’s experiences were touching, heartbreaking, infuriating—the doctor saying they needed to “open up the bed for someone who actually needs it”, I SCREAM—eye-opening, often times relatable, and agonizing to face; her life dotted with so much suicide its hard to fathom.
The True Happiness Company is a memoir filled with unflinching honesty, tenderness, and remarkable wit—“Never underestimate the power of good eating and sleeping habits, he said, as if a brisk jog and a plate of steamed broccoli would settle my questions about life and death”—that explores themes of mental health, self-assurance, identity, and, of course, what it means to be “happy”, ultimately teaching readers that happiness is never a one-size-fits-all solution.
A striking debut that needs to be on your list for 2025.
Thank you Random House for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available May 20 2025. *Quotes are pulled from an advanced reader copy and are subject to change prior to publication*
April 28, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Plenty of jaw-dropping moments, whispers of WTF on repeat and a sore neck from all the shaking back and forth while reading this contemporary memoir. Veena Dinavhai was her parents' only daughter, struggling with depression and adjusting to life in college, when her parents sought the help of Bob Lyon, a white man from Georgia. Slowly, Veena will see her life go in so many different directions that she could never imagine.
I had never heard of True Happiness or Bob Lyon, so I went into this memoir with no prior knowledge and plenty of curiosity. I still have questions, but in my reading, I felt much empathy for Veena and her entire family. Well, I am sort of on the fence about her ex-husband(lol). Hopefully, this memoir will help people who have also felt vulnerable and manipulated like Veena.
Trigger Warnings: Suicide and Sexual Abuse
#TheTrueHappinessCompany #NetGalley.
Expected Publication 20/05/25
Goodreads Review Date 28/04/25
Plenty of jaw-dropping moments, whispers of WTF on repeat and a sore neck from all the shaking back and forth while reading this contemporary memoir. Veena Dinavhai was her parents' only daughter, struggling with depression and adjusting to life in college, when her parents sought the help of Bob Lyon, a white man from Georgia. Slowly, Veena will see her life go in so many different directions that she could never imagine.
I had never heard of True Happiness or Bob Lyon, so I went into this memoir with no prior knowledge and plenty of curiosity. I still have questions, but in my reading, I felt much empathy for Veena and her entire family. Well, I am sort of on the fence about her ex-husband(lol). Hopefully, this memoir will help people who have also felt vulnerable and manipulated like Veena.
Trigger Warnings: Suicide and Sexual Abuse
#TheTrueHappinessCompany #NetGalley.
Expected Publication 20/05/25
Goodreads Review Date 28/04/25
April 4, 2025
This is certainly a memoir where plenty of stuff happens, where people who like stories of unusual lives will be satisfied. And by the end I had a fuller understanding of Dinavahi's life and choices. But for so much of the book, this subtitle that says it's going to explain how such a normal person ended up in such an unlikely situation, doesn't deliver. She walks us through the events, but all along the way I kept wanting to say, "But why?"
It's a tricky narrative, because the why of it has more to do with Dinavahi's parents--the ones who get them involved in the cult in the first place--and that's not a story our protagonist can fully understand or tell. It's also tricky because Dinavahi's depression, which is the trigger for most of what happens in the book, is not an easy thing to explain. Why is Veena so depressed? There is no good reason, there usually isn't one. And then later on why does Veena find such a strange man to be a useful confidant and mentor? Hard to say, how can you ever explain why you find a person interesting or safe?
This is a very complex story with a lot of big forces coming together from Dinavahi's family's culture, the intensely competitive suburb she lived in, her difficult mental health, and the workings of this cult figure who takes over her life. And I don't think Dinavahi is up to the task of turning it into an effective memoir. The story is interesting, but the book often falls flat.
It's a tricky narrative, because the why of it has more to do with Dinavahi's parents--the ones who get them involved in the cult in the first place--and that's not a story our protagonist can fully understand or tell. It's also tricky because Dinavahi's depression, which is the trigger for most of what happens in the book, is not an easy thing to explain. Why is Veena so depressed? There is no good reason, there usually isn't one. And then later on why does Veena find such a strange man to be a useful confidant and mentor? Hard to say, how can you ever explain why you find a person interesting or safe?
This is a very complex story with a lot of big forces coming together from Dinavahi's family's culture, the intensely competitive suburb she lived in, her difficult mental health, and the workings of this cult figure who takes over her life. And I don't think Dinavahi is up to the task of turning it into an effective memoir. The story is interesting, but the book often falls flat.
July 23, 2025
There are A LOT of deep thoughts and ideology in these pages. I highlighted the bejeebers out of these pages and made them all visible so have at it, readers.
This book helped me redefine CULT in my mind. I think I will refer to it as Cult 2.0. It is not your mother’s cult. I’m more of the generation of David Koresh or Bob Jones. This is more like that Duggar cult stuff.
With this definition of cult, it feels like many churches of my past are cultish. I’ve always thought more that they were a subset of people that were ultimately not my people.
Normally a memoir written by a 27 year old would get my stamp of disapproval and not ready for publication. This one though served as a think tank of ideas about how I can define my life and cleared one path of growth mindset for me.
I think the structure of the book was difficult because she saved her analysis to the end and by then I was a little overwhelmed and couldn’t take it in properly.
I’m also a little cross because the story felt like it went on and on and finally upended my Wednesday morning when I’m still in bed at 6:39 but must start work at 7:00. I just wanted to be done with this book today and now I will pay the price of running 3 steps behind all darn morning. Rant over.
This book helped me redefine CULT in my mind. I think I will refer to it as Cult 2.0. It is not your mother’s cult. I’m more of the generation of David Koresh or Bob Jones. This is more like that Duggar cult stuff.
With this definition of cult, it feels like many churches of my past are cultish. I’ve always thought more that they were a subset of people that were ultimately not my people.
Normally a memoir written by a 27 year old would get my stamp of disapproval and not ready for publication. This one though served as a think tank of ideas about how I can define my life and cleared one path of growth mindset for me.
I think the structure of the book was difficult because she saved her analysis to the end and by then I was a little overwhelmed and couldn’t take it in properly.
I’m also a little cross because the story felt like it went on and on and finally upended my Wednesday morning when I’m still in bed at 6:39 but must start work at 7:00. I just wanted to be done with this book today and now I will pay the price of running 3 steps behind all darn morning. Rant over.
January 20, 2025
Veena Dinavahi recounts her slow descent into the True Happiness cult with heartbreaking clarity. After multiple suicide attempts, her desperate family turns to Bob, the founder of The True Happiness Company. As a last-ditch effort, they pay for a two-day visit with him in his home. What follows is a years-long nightmare of mental, emotional, and sexual abuse, along with relentless brainwashing and intimidation.
While Veena’s husband, Charlie, is also a victim of this manipulation, I struggled to feel sympathy for him. His treatment of Veena was infuriating and deeply upsetting.
Veena’s story is a reminder of how our mental health system fails people. Throughout her life, she just wanted to be heard, but time and time again, she was ignored and dismissed by nurses, doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Her pain was minimized, and her cries for help went unanswered.
“Everyone wants to live. Some of us just don’t know how.” – Veena Dinavahi
When Veena began to find her voice and speak her truth, I felt such joy. Knowing she is now thriving and using her story to help others is inspiring.
One moment that stayed with me was when she recalled attending her cousin’s Hindu wedding in India. The celebration spanned a week, filled with daily ceremonies, and during one she asked, “Are they married now? Is it official yet?” She was told there wasn’t one specific moment like in American weddings. I found that so beautiful and meaningful.
Thank you, Veena, for sharing your story. And thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
While Veena’s husband, Charlie, is also a victim of this manipulation, I struggled to feel sympathy for him. His treatment of Veena was infuriating and deeply upsetting.
Veena’s story is a reminder of how our mental health system fails people. Throughout her life, she just wanted to be heard, but time and time again, she was ignored and dismissed by nurses, doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Her pain was minimized, and her cries for help went unanswered.
“Everyone wants to live. Some of us just don’t know how.” – Veena Dinavahi
When Veena began to find her voice and speak her truth, I felt such joy. Knowing she is now thriving and using her story to help others is inspiring.
One moment that stayed with me was when she recalled attending her cousin’s Hindu wedding in India. The celebration spanned a week, filled with daily ceremonies, and during one she asked, “Are they married now? Is it official yet?” She was told there wasn’t one specific moment like in American weddings. I found that so beautiful and meaningful.
Thank you, Veena, for sharing your story. And thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 27, 2025
This might be my new favorite memoir? I've been speechless for a while now after finishing it.
The hook here will inevitably (IMO, unfortunately) be The True Happiness Company's cult status. There is no question the cult plays a huge roll here, but the underlying story was even more beautiful. But anyone here because they only want "the cult stuff", you'll be fine. It doesn't feel like you're invested until you're in too deep to put this down. How odd, as finding yourself a member of The True Happiness Company seems to happen the same way.
I'm torn between going more in depth in this review... or leaving it fairly vague until everyone has a chance to read it themselves, so the amazement is firsthand. For now, I'm sticking with vague... But I have a strong feeling I'll be back and adding more to this soon...
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Veena Dinavahi and Random House for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}
The hook here will inevitably (IMO, unfortunately) be The True Happiness Company's cult status. There is no question the cult plays a huge roll here, but the underlying story was even more beautiful. But anyone here because they only want "the cult stuff", you'll be fine. It doesn't feel like you're invested until you're in too deep to put this down. How odd, as finding yourself a member of The True Happiness Company seems to happen the same way.
I'm torn between going more in depth in this review... or leaving it fairly vague until everyone has a chance to read it themselves, so the amazement is firsthand. For now, I'm sticking with vague... But I have a strong feeling I'll be back and adding more to this soon...
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Veena Dinavahi and Random House for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}
July 3, 2025
I always give memoirs 5 stars because I think they are brave. Thank you for sharing your story, Veena!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.
June 25, 2025
In her 2025 memoir The True Happiness Company, first generation Indian-American Veena Dinavahi (b. ~1993) writes about how she became enmeshed in a pseudonymed, pseudo-religious happiness cult, similar to NXIVM (see Sarah Berman's Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM) and the cult actress Bethany Joy Lenz was in (see Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show). Dinavahi went from being a high-achieving teen with ambitions of pursuing a PhD in physics to a married, Mormon early 20-something with three kids and a lackluster husband the cult coerced her into marrying. Underlying the cult conversion, Dinavahi was in a vulnerable place with her mental health, losing many high school classmates to suicide (often endemic in high-achieving, high-income neighborhoods in certain pockets of American suburbia), attempting suicide herself and earning herself a stay in an inpatient psychiatric ward (often this is the inevitable consequence of an unsuccessful suicide attempt in the US healthcare system), and growing increasingly isolated after being separated from her family support system at college. Interestingly, Dinavahi's parents unwittingly introduced their daughter to the cult leader (and paid him an exorbitant but unnamed amount of money to "help" her), a cunning schemer who found in the 19-year-old a fragile, vulnerable target for a years-long manipulation scheme.
This was a fast listen; as Dinavahi states multiple times, her goal was to present the story as she perceived it at the time, rather than reflect back on how she ended up in such a state as a now 30-something. She does devote the last part of the book to reflection, now that she's out of the cult and completed an undergraduate psychology degree, and it sounds like she's done a lot of psychoanalysis and maturing since.
Further reading: cults
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
Cults: Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them by Max Cutler
Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America by Jane Borden
My statistics:
Book 190 for 2025
Book 2116 cumulatively
This was a fast listen; as Dinavahi states multiple times, her goal was to present the story as she perceived it at the time, rather than reflect back on how she ended up in such a state as a now 30-something. She does devote the last part of the book to reflection, now that she's out of the cult and completed an undergraduate psychology degree, and it sounds like she's done a lot of psychoanalysis and maturing since.
Further reading: cults
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
Cults: Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them by Max Cutler
Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America by Jane Borden
My statistics:
Book 190 for 2025
Book 2116 cumulatively
July 26, 2025
This was so good. I've read a lot of memoirs, and a lot of cult memoirs at that, but The True Happiness Company is now easily one of my favorites. Dinavahi is a talented author with not just a great sense of humor, but a captivating and emotional way of retelling the dark parts of her past. I feel like this is an example of a person who is truly ready to write a memoir; all too often lately, I feel like I've been reading premature autobiographies from people who don't quite have the necessary introspective abilities yet, or who aren't fully comfortable letting the world in. Dinavahi's understanding of herself, her younger self, and the psychology of what she went through is refreshing.
This book was an emotional rollercoaster, and it deals with so many varieties of trauma that I think pretty much everyone will have to put this down a few times and take a few laps like I did--even if only to be angry on the author's behalf. This is at times a tough read, but very worth it.
This one just really worked for me. The only real criticism I have is that I wanted more and I think the book could get away with being longer. There were simply so many different cultural, religious, and internal factors the author dealt with through this process, and so many huge life events, that I sometimes wanted to spend more time with her thoughts on certain moments. In particular, I wanted to hear more about her first two pregnancies and the births of her daughters. I think the narrative could have really benefitted from including a bit more about how she was being dismissed by doctors earlier so it's not being explained at the same time as she's talking about how she begins to advocate for herself.
I will say that even though there is very little online, it is possible to tell which group Dinavahi is referring to if you are very familiar with cults in the US, especially Mormon offshoots. I respect the author's judgment on the amount of information she chooses to share and I am trying not to be specific in this review; this is her story, and there are many reasons, personal and legal, why someone might not divulge this stuff. I only bring it up because I think it's important that when you are genuinely trying to anonymize something, especially that which includes very intimate details of others' lives, you are very careful. The revealing passages are brief, but they're there, and without them, I think the group is niche enough that it would be nigh impossible to tell.
A sincere thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book was an emotional rollercoaster, and it deals with so many varieties of trauma that I think pretty much everyone will have to put this down a few times and take a few laps like I did--even if only to be angry on the author's behalf. This is at times a tough read, but very worth it.
This one just really worked for me. The only real criticism I have is that I wanted more and I think the book could get away with being longer. There were simply so many different cultural, religious, and internal factors the author dealt with through this process, and so many huge life events, that I sometimes wanted to spend more time with her thoughts on certain moments. In particular, I wanted to hear more about her first two pregnancies and the births of her daughters. I think the narrative could have really benefitted from including a bit more about how she was being dismissed by doctors earlier so it's not being explained at the same time as she's talking about how she begins to advocate for herself.
I will say that even though there is very little online, it is possible to tell which group Dinavahi is referring to if you are very familiar with cults in the US, especially Mormon offshoots. I respect the author's judgment on the amount of information she chooses to share and I am trying not to be specific in this review; this is her story, and there are many reasons, personal and legal, why someone might not divulge this stuff. I only bring it up because I think it's important that when you are genuinely trying to anonymize something, especially that which includes very intimate details of others' lives, you are very careful. The revealing passages are brief, but they're there, and without them, I think the group is niche enough that it would be nigh impossible to tell.
A sincere thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 1, 2025
Veena write a very engaging book about how her teenage depression and suicide attempts lead to her involvement with The True Happiness Project, which turns out to be a cult. Her personal story is interesting because she's brought up in the suburbs with all the trappings of an upper middle class income, but she suffers from depression. After a suicide at her high school (apparently one of many), she too becomes suicidal. Her parents grasp at straws trying to save her from herself.
Unfortunately, there does seem to be a missing piece to the puzzle even after Veena recovers, extricates herself from the cult and from a bad marriage. I never really grasped the why behind the story. Why regular therapy failed and allowed this one man to gain such a foothold in Veena's life. Why Veena is so forgiving of her parents, who clearly did love her, but in some ways really failed her.
What is clear, is she is a very very intelligent woman. She attended Columbia, and interestingly has absorbed all the messages about how the patriarchy has subjugated women, and how minority women are especially vulnerable. While this may all be true, and especially in her situation, it also strikes me as merely substituting one flawed narrative for another.
Regardless, this is a well written (if not super insightful) memoir that illustrates the unique powers of persuasion that cult leaders possess and the horrifying repercussions.
Unfortunately, there does seem to be a missing piece to the puzzle even after Veena recovers, extricates herself from the cult and from a bad marriage. I never really grasped the why behind the story. Why regular therapy failed and allowed this one man to gain such a foothold in Veena's life. Why Veena is so forgiving of her parents, who clearly did love her, but in some ways really failed her.
What is clear, is she is a very very intelligent woman. She attended Columbia, and interestingly has absorbed all the messages about how the patriarchy has subjugated women, and how minority women are especially vulnerable. While this may all be true, and especially in her situation, it also strikes me as merely substituting one flawed narrative for another.
Regardless, this is a well written (if not super insightful) memoir that illustrates the unique powers of persuasion that cult leaders possess and the horrifying repercussions.
May 22, 2025
I think this is the first time I've truly understood how someone has fallen into a cult. Veena Dinavahi's strength and resilience is astounding given her tumultuous child and young adulthood.
The last quarter of the book, where Dinavahi unpacks and unlearns the brainwashing of "Bob's" teachings in "The True Happiness Company" (actually Greg Baer in Real Love in real life), along with her separation from the Mormon church, is heartwrenching and inspiring.
The last quarter of the book, where Dinavahi unpacks and unlearns the brainwashing of "Bob's" teachings in "The True Happiness Company" (actually Greg Baer in Real Love in real life), along with her separation from the Mormon church, is heartwrenching and inspiring.
July 22, 2025
(4.25/5 ⭐️ - audiobook)
I’ve never made a cringy face while alone in my car so many times, but yea YIKES. Veena outlines these patterns of manipulation and brainwashing in a way that is both so clear to the reader while also articulating the nuance of it all as someone experiencing it in real time.
As a mental health professional (specifically working inpatient) this was also hugely insightful into the impact of inpatient treatment and the weight of a diagnosis. Veena’s end notes really dive into the ethical questioning and impact of diagnoses - specifically personality disorders - into already marginalized persons or people of color. Though I will never be diagnosing people in my line of work, that specific note really caused me to pause and consider my impact, and if anything, at least be able to better navigate conversation with someone struggling to grasp a diagnosis, whether wanted or unwanted.
I’m really glad this one made it to my read list!
I’ve never made a cringy face while alone in my car so many times, but yea YIKES. Veena outlines these patterns of manipulation and brainwashing in a way that is both so clear to the reader while also articulating the nuance of it all as someone experiencing it in real time.
As a mental health professional (specifically working inpatient) this was also hugely insightful into the impact of inpatient treatment and the weight of a diagnosis. Veena’s end notes really dive into the ethical questioning and impact of diagnoses - specifically personality disorders - into already marginalized persons or people of color. Though I will never be diagnosing people in my line of work, that specific note really caused me to pause and consider my impact, and if anything, at least be able to better navigate conversation with someone struggling to grasp a diagnosis, whether wanted or unwanted.
I’m really glad this one made it to my read list!
July 29, 2025
Veena, after reading this book, all I want to do is give you a hug. It made me think of my 19-year-old self just beginning to discover the world, filled with insecurities. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like to go through life feeling like you’re crazy, like you’re the source of all your problems, a burden to everyone around you. To believe that without that man, you’re nothing. That you’re not a good daughter, not a good wife, not a good friend, not even a good mother.
What breaks my heart even more is that there are people who grow up in loving homes, with parents who genuinely care and even have a deeper understanding of mental and emotional well-being. And still, they struggle with self-worth and end up working through these deep wounds in therapy. Because let’s be honest your parents did the best they could with what they knew at the time. Parents who drive 18 hours just to help their daughter are far from neglectful.
So how do you even begin to unlearn those deeply rooted beliefs?
Veena, I look forward to reading more of your work. I hope you're at peace. I hope you’re healing. Thank you for sharing your story.
What breaks my heart even more is that there are people who grow up in loving homes, with parents who genuinely care and even have a deeper understanding of mental and emotional well-being. And still, they struggle with self-worth and end up working through these deep wounds in therapy. Because let’s be honest your parents did the best they could with what they knew at the time. Parents who drive 18 hours just to help their daughter are far from neglectful.
So how do you even begin to unlearn those deeply rooted beliefs?
Veena, I look forward to reading more of your work. I hope you're at peace. I hope you’re healing. Thank you for sharing your story.
September 6, 2025
One of my favorite books I've read this year, cannot recommend it enough!! I really loved the author's writing style throughout- there was perfect amount of introspection and attention to a realistic descent of thoughts when getting sucked into a cult.
It might be a little fucked up but I think this was also some of the most representation I've felt through a book? It's kind of crazy that I've read so many books but this was probably one of the first ones written by a telugu author? And I didn't think that would be a significant experience but it was kind of an experience to see telugu pet names described and translated. The complex yet simple love described in her relationship with her parents was also really well translated.
The book as a whole kind of spoke to the value of community, specifically how the lack of it can be so destabilizing and the things people will do to be part of one at times.
It might be a little fucked up but I think this was also some of the most representation I've felt through a book? It's kind of crazy that I've read so many books but this was probably one of the first ones written by a telugu author? And I didn't think that would be a significant experience but it was kind of an experience to see telugu pet names described and translated. The complex yet simple love described in her relationship with her parents was also really well translated.
The book as a whole kind of spoke to the value of community, specifically how the lack of it can be so destabilizing and the things people will do to be part of one at times.
August 18, 2025
| 4/5 Stars | ★★★★☆
Trigger Warnings for The True Happiness Company:
The True Happiness Company is Veena Dinavahi's memoir about her time with, you guessed it, "The True Happiness Company." One night in Dinavahi's teenage years, her parents try to help her out of her depression. After a Google search, Dinavahi's mother finds Bob Lyon, who calls himself "The True Happiness Company." Queue many years of tragedy and a life controlled by a selfish man running a cult.
This memoir feels like an outlandish novel, but has all the emotion of a real-life experience. Dinavahi has gone through so much in her young life and does not shy away from the details in this memoir. Something I always appreciate when reading books like these is when you can feel the experience through the written words - Dinavahi delivers this in spades.
I think the most compelling thing in The True Happiness Company is that it doesn't wrap up with a little bow. Life is messy and Dinavahi shows that in this memoir. Her life is still ongoing, though much better now. I look forward to a memoir in like 20 years about how her time with Bob Lyon affects her overall lived experience.
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Trigger Warnings for The True Happiness Company:
The True Happiness Company is Veena Dinavahi's memoir about her time with, you guessed it, "The True Happiness Company." One night in Dinavahi's teenage years, her parents try to help her out of her depression. After a Google search, Dinavahi's mother finds Bob Lyon, who calls himself "The True Happiness Company." Queue many years of tragedy and a life controlled by a selfish man running a cult.
This memoir feels like an outlandish novel, but has all the emotion of a real-life experience. Dinavahi has gone through so much in her young life and does not shy away from the details in this memoir. Something I always appreciate when reading books like these is when you can feel the experience through the written words - Dinavahi delivers this in spades.
I think the most compelling thing in The True Happiness Company is that it doesn't wrap up with a little bow. Life is messy and Dinavahi shows that in this memoir. Her life is still ongoing, though much better now. I look forward to a memoir in like 20 years about how her time with Bob Lyon affects her overall lived experience.
Follow all of my reviews and content with LinkTree
June 18, 2025
I found this a really fascinating memoir and some lines really stuck with me they were so poignant and beautifully written. Other times I had a harder time staying engaged with her story because it might meander off a little bit, but overall a very fascinating look at how she came to be in a cult and her realization she was in one, especially considering the relatively normal and stable life she had growing up.
June 3, 2025
I admired and appreciated the author’s thoughtful, reflective effort to capture the in-the-moment experience of being gradually swept up into the clutches of the leader of a cultlike group to whom she was initially introduced as an emotionally vulnerable, depressed, and traumatized teen. The author’s dedication and intentionality are clear in this effort to relate a type of story that can be so difficult to tell.
August 16, 2025
To the author: Veena, thank you for sharing your story. It's so easy to ask how anyone could get in that situation, "fall" for that manipulation. Thank you for sharing your story so that anyone out there that may be in your same situation can learn from your experience.
I did not read the book cover before I read this book on my To Read list, so did not know what to expect going into this book. But through this book I was able to understand how this very smart woman, (girl at 19,) was able to be manipulated into keeping her baby, not continuing her education, and limiting her life choices with the threat of being institutionalized. Depression is real, and being a person of color in a community without many others to assist and guide and talk to...This book shows very well how even educated people can be manipulated and coerced by con artists "just trying to help". This was a complicated situation, and one of the greatest at fault may even be the wife who enabled him, as well as the church that didn't look into the complaints against him. I always hate to "blame" the parents, because even they were manipulated by the system to persuade their daughter into this situation and helped enable the cult leader with his ability to control her. And the husband; what a selfish, clueless idiot. No, I shouldn't judge. I'm sure it's easy to "trust the expert", especially if you don't care that he's not medically licenced and it helps you manipulate your wife that is probably smarter than you...
I did not read the book cover before I read this book on my To Read list, so did not know what to expect going into this book. But through this book I was able to understand how this very smart woman, (girl at 19,) was able to be manipulated into keeping her baby, not continuing her education, and limiting her life choices with the threat of being institutionalized. Depression is real, and being a person of color in a community without many others to assist and guide and talk to...This book shows very well how even educated people can be manipulated and coerced by con artists "just trying to help". This was a complicated situation, and one of the greatest at fault may even be the wife who enabled him, as well as the church that didn't look into the complaints against him. I always hate to "blame" the parents, because even they were manipulated by the system to persuade their daughter into this situation and helped enable the cult leader with his ability to control her. And the husband; what a selfish, clueless idiot. No, I shouldn't judge. I'm sure it's easy to "trust the expert", especially if you don't care that he's not medically licenced and it helps you manipulate your wife that is probably smarter than you...
July 30, 2025
uh holy hell that was wild. felt myself getting so frustrated for this poor girl and her family - except the husband he can choke. this mr lion man is a SICK TWISTED FREAK
this was our book club book and loved hearing everyone else’s thoughts. lots of interesting points about mental health, relationships, and cultish behaviors etc etc. super great read would love to read more from her!!!!
this was our book club book and loved hearing everyone else’s thoughts. lots of interesting points about mental health, relationships, and cultish behaviors etc etc. super great read would love to read more from her!!!!
June 15, 2025
This is SUCH a good memoir. The story is compelling, relatable, and completely insane of course but the writing is fantastic. Sometimes I find a memoir’s story so interesting but the writing sucks which is always a let down but there’s no danger of that with this book.
August 27, 2025
This was a very well-written and affecting memoir. I felt so much for Veena every step of the way. And could not put it down! There were a few times my jaw dropped at both the actual things that happened and the speed at which they happened. I hope she writes more at some point with more personal reflection on her experiences, but I especially loved—and related to—the end of this book where she was learning to trust herself again.
August 11, 2025
This was a pretty wild ride. A really good listen (narrated by the author), makes you really skeptical of religion and men but what else is new. Loved the ending.
September 6, 2025
4.5- harrowing.
June 1, 2025
I truly enjoyed Veena’s story. Sometimes as outsiders we forget that cults are more than an “entertaining documentary.” This was a reminder of the importance of trusting yourself and gut. Loved it!
July 18, 2025
3.5 rounded up. The author is telegu-American and was raised in a town where teen suicide was relatively commonplace. She has a really interesting perspective, especially when thinking about who gets to decide what “normal” behavior is.
August 7, 2025
A thoroughly captivating tale, as well as incredibly vulnerable and courageous. Having said that, I wouldn’t describe it as an easy read. I often stopped reading to digest what at the time she felt were the “choices” that led her deeper and deeper into the cult. I caught myself yelling at the pages “no, that’s not normal,” or “run!” Truly harrowing to witness how insidiously she was left without boundaries, deeply questioning her instincts.
Dinavahi does not include much introspection as she recounts her story from the very beginning, often leaving you disoriented, as you follow through each layer of disarmament. It’s terrifying to think, that when the right set of circumstances and events line up, anyone can fall prey to a cult’s instruments of influence and control.
Dinavahi does not include much introspection as she recounts her story from the very beginning, often leaving you disoriented, as you follow through each layer of disarmament. It’s terrifying to think, that when the right set of circumstances and events line up, anyone can fall prey to a cult’s instruments of influence and control.
August 28, 2025
Some parts dragged while others felt a bit rushed, but the heart of the story was powerful. I really appreciate the author’s vulnerability in sharing their experience.
June 26, 2025
Experience in real time a young woman's stumble into situational depression, a cult, a relationship, motherhood and the Latter Day Saints. Then watch her fight her way out. Lesson: Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2025
Second book this year about a young lady ending up in a cult - another excellent read. Does get dark spooky and twisted but worth it to hear about the reclamation of self in the end
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