Happily Never After Book Review
Check out my review of Happily Never After, a spicy romance between two love cynics turned professional wedding crashers.
Coming off a recent thriller, I needed a palette cleansing romance to jump into quickly.
Happily Never After has been on my TBR for over a year and this lighthearted wedding-themed rom com seemed to fit the bill.
I taste-tested the first chapter on my Kindle and immediately jumped into the audiobook so I could finish the story more quickly. I was hooked on Sophie and Max from Page 1. They're story is one of my favorites from this year and I'm excited to share it with you.
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Summary of Happily Never After
Their name? The objectors.
Their job? To break off weddings as hired.
Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”
During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.
What I Liked
Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- Attention Grabbing Intro: I was hooked on the plot from the very first page. I didn't need to warm up to the story, it was fun right from the opener.
- Reality TV Drama Vibe: Two people hired to call off weddings professionally? The scenes where they did their job were highly entertaining.
- Dual Perspectives: Each chapter switches back and forth between Sophie and Max as narrator. My favorite romances feature this literary device. It's always fun to get insight into what each one is thinking. The audiobook narrators did an amazing job.
- The Banter: The witty back and forth had me literally laughing out loud in my car.
- Quick and Easy Chapters: With lots of phone texting conversations sprinkled in, the chapters are short easy reads that keep you hooked for "just one more."
- Heart Swooning Romance: The connection between Max and Sophie is undeniable. I found myself sucked into feeling angry they denied it for so long and cheering at their happy ending.
- Senior Characters: The supporting cast features Sophie's senior citizen roommates that offer hysterical comedic relief and a surprisingly heartwarming lesson on love.
What I Didn't Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
For understandable reasons, our two lovebirds are actually love cynics. Sophie is adamant that she doesn't believe in love. This leads her to approach her physical chemistry with Max from a very self-gratifying vs. intimacy-forward perspective that I didn't really love.
The way she described "getting hers" over and over bordered into cringe-worthy for me and I really appreciated when Max pushed back on this concept.
Favorite Quotes
"I'd fallen so hard that I wasn't even trying to get up."
"Her smile was like a power switch that controlled the brightness of my universe all of a sudden, and it was exhilarating and terrifying, all at the same time."
"Max wasn't a dirty talker, but he was a foulmouthed cheerleader."
"I thought you said you have a life."
"I do, but I suddenly feel like saving someone else's."
"I guess I just want to remember the night I reconnected with happy for a few hours."
"What kind of psychopath wasn't on social media?"
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️: Happily Never After rates a Level 4 on my spicy books rating scale. The romance is very much open door and detailed. There are several scenes throughout the book and intimacy is a strong motivator for these characters.
Romantic Tropes
Happily Never After could be considered a workplace romance since the two main characters do "work" together. You could also categorize it as a pretend relationship romance since they are putting on a show of their budding friendship on social media for ulterior motives.
You can read more about romance subgenres here and romantic tropes here.
There are a few microtropes included as well: Nicknames, Good Girl, and Forehead Kisses.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give Happily Never After five stars on my star rating scale. This was a perfect book for a distracted attention span. I listened to it on audio in my car and I was able to jump right back into the story with no problem after breaks.
I loved the clever plot point about two love cynics hiring themselves out to break up weddings but I loved watching them overcome that cynicism even more.
Similar Books You'd Enjoy
If you enjoyed Happily Never After, you might also like reading:
Comments
No Comments