The Ever After is a domestic drama high on the drama that examines a marriage in crisis after our main character Josie finds out her husband is having an affair. We are drawn into Josie’s frantic search for answers as she examines her marriage and past. It all became so overwhelming to me and I just wanted to get to the end and close the pages to this story.

When Josie discovers that Frank is cheating on her, her life is shattered. As she works to put together the pieces, she ruminates on their long-term marriage. The Ever After reminded me of an early Liane Moriarty book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It dragged on at times for me but overall a solid story. Great character development and you could really feel the different perspectives. It is a heavy topic of a marriage crumbling and a family splitting but also very relatable. It wrapped up nearly at the end and it was an enjoyable read.

Definitely an interesting read, but one that i had high expectations for after seeing so many glowing reviews. I definitely enjoyed it, though not as much as some other reviewers.

Well, what an interesting look inside marriage. An affair is revealed when Josie reads her husband's email. I found Josie's reaction confusing. She seemed more determined to find out details than react emotionally. I can understand wanting to know the truth, but her reaction felt disconnected to me. I honestly was waiting for a twist that never came. Overall this fell a little flat for me.

3.5*
That “dream sequence” walk down the aisle. The sacred vows to live, love and cherish for a lifetime. Isn’t that what we all dream of? The happily ever after.

Well that’s certainly what Josie thought she had. The perfect marriage to her loving, handsome husband Frank.

Then one simple question opens a deep, dark fracture that would ultimately turn her entire life upside down. 💔

Josie is on a one-woman crusade to dig into the past to determine the true extent of the damage done.
Did she really live in a bubble where life’s infidelities couldn’t touch her? Don’t we all want to live in that bubble and believe in the one person we open our hearts and soul to would never betray us.

This was a difficult book to give a rating, never mind review. I’m left with conflicted feelings.

On one side, I had sympathy for Josie and her plight to figure out the future for her and her family. On the other hand, another part of me remained unsettled throughout this book. Why, you may ask? I wish I had an easy answer for that. Was it the indiscretion itself? Or Josie’s reaction to it? Just can’t put my finger on it.

I did enjoy the therapy sessions (perhaps the highlight of the book for me). What left me a little disappointed was the ending...but you’ll have to read it to find out why.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Sarah Pekkanen for an arc to read in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Wife Between Us. The book got me very excited to read more from the authors. Thus, when I saw this book from co-author, Sarah Pekkanen I had to check it out. While, I liked this book, I did not love it like The Wife Between Us. However, the author did a good job of bringing the characters and the story down to Earth. What I mean by this is that the story is very relatable. Sadly, there are a lot of people who have affairs. Until you are faced with this situation, you can't truly judge someone. Thus, the reason I could relate.

The different degrees of emotions that Josie experienced were understandable. Yet, what I really liked was the fact that she did not pity herself the victim but instead took control of the situation. She did her own investigating while calling out her husband. Speaking of Frank. I had mixed feelings about him. As I got to know him, from when he was kind to Josie when they were dating and newly dating to the present; I did not despise him.

Now, when it comes to the ending; I am sure readers will again have mixed emotions. Some will like it and others will not agree with it. For me, I am on the side of "like". Again, while I did not feel so strongly about this book; I can't wait to check out the next one by this author.

I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. I hate reading about infidelity and this book was an explanation of the aftermath. Frank meets with and kisses another woman and his wife finds an email between them. We see the trust issues this creates and the characters attend therapy to try to figure out how to move forward. Josie realizes their relationship was crumbling around them before this happened so they are trying to rebuild it. This is a story about examining a relationship and discovering how to rebuild it.

A heartfelt look at a marriage careening off the tracks, with the investigation and reparations that follow. How would you react to a spouse’s betrayal? How could you ever trust again? These are only a few questions raised in this thought provoking and love-finding novel.

A realistic look at marriage and its complexities. Anyone who is in a long-term relationship, or who has been in one, will identify with one or more of the characters and situations in he novel. The portrayals of the characters are believable and fair: no psychotic stalker spouses, just valid insecurities. While at times, you may *want* to hate a character in the book, it's unlikely that you will because the characters are developed into believable human beings with strengths and faults that all of us will recognize as being similar to our own.

The Ever After is a story of a wife that discovers her husband was fooling around with another woman. I enjoy Sarah Pekkanen's writing style, and I think she is good with character development. However, this story itself was a little flat for me. It was almost as if it was slowed down to real time. Actions and events that should have taken a couple chapters actually made up the whole book. The husband only makes out with the other woman, so there's no sex, or anything else to be discovered. The main character, Josie, spends the entire novel deciding if she can get over it or not. It's not a bad read, but it is a little anticlimactic.
Free copy of The Ever After was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the book was well told from Josie's point of view, but I came away from it wondering as to Frank's motivations. I didn't quite get WHY he had the affair and I thought he was quite regretful and eager to make the marriage work after Josie found out, and this made me a little confused - if he was THAT sorry about it, why do it in the first place? Why did he stray and what was going to change in the relationship to ensure the situation didn't repeat itself? That being said, I didn't like Josie as a character, so maybe Frank didn't either and THAT'S what pushed him into an affair. At times I just wanted Frank to stand up to Josie a bit. It seemed like HE was the one doing all the work and, while I get it was HIM who had the affair, it seemed the relationship was very unbalanced and unequal and that made me suspect Josie was never going to get past the affair and the relationship was never going to work out in the end.

I loved all of Pekkanen's early books, but as she's moved into the thriller category, haven't been quite as impressed. This was still a really good read, about a wife who catches her husband cheating and then has to figure out whether to stay or go, and I cried several times throughout - Pekkanen did a great job letting the reader feel the indecision Josie was faced with.

I absolutely tore through this book in less than a day. Everything about the characters and story rings true and realistic. Sarah Pekkanen has done a remarkable job of nailing the trials and tribulations of a marriage that has passed the decade mark. What makes this book unique is that the exploration of the marriage is due to a cheating spouse. While the usual questions are asked and answered (Why? Was it serious? How long was it going on?), the deeper questions take longer to answer. While the definition of cheating is apparently different to various characters, trust is the issue that ultimately looms large. Ms. Pekkanen deftly explores the concept of fault, blame, and reconciliation of feelings and does so without ever sounding preachy, dramatic or overwrought (which would be easy to do with this particular subject matter). Another excellent outing from this author and I eagerly look forward to more. Thank you to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of a seemingly good marriage going to the brink of possibly collapsing. Josie and Frank lead busy lives with their two small children. Sure Josie wishes Frank would help out around the house more but for the most part she forgives him since he is an amazing father and a loving husband. They have both reached a point in their marriage where they take each other for granted and their communication skills maybe aren’t the best but Josie’s world is rocked when she discovers Frank has had an affair. After this discovery and catching Frank in a few lies Josie is shattered. Her pain and anguish depicted seems raw and real for someone in her situation. Josie has to then decide what to do moving forward. Is the marriage salvageable and should it be? Josie wrestles with this decision which is more complicated by the fact they have two small children that love and adore their father. Frank makes some discoveries about himself too. He questions how and why he had the affair and what is says about him. With such staggering statistics about the amount of people that have affairs outside their marriage this book will resonate with a lot of readers.

I would like to thank the Publisher, author and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the ARC Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was not a fan of this book at all. I felt no sympathy or empathy for the characters. I kind of wanted to smack Josie and say wake up and do something.

I mean I understand the idiosyncratic character here and there ~ but all of the characters were one dimensional.

I'm really really sorry, I just really was not a fan

I binge read this over the course of an evening.  I was obsessed!  I must not that this was absolutely not a thriller; instead, it was more of a psychological analysis.  Following the betrayal of her husband, the novel follows Josie as she tries to pick up the pieces and figure out what is next. I really liked how this novel portrayed the marriage between Josie and Frank; it was real and raw.  I appreciated that there was no romanticism.  Was it a little bit predictable?  Sure.  Did I mind?  Absolutely not.  

I'd read it again!

I loved reading The Ever After. I found the journey Josie went through once she discovered emails from another woman on her husband's phone to be realistic and captivating. I really liked Josie (and, at times, her husband) and found her authentic story of grief and healing to resonate with me long after the book was over. I can't wait to read more by this author.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Josie and Frank have two daughters and a comfortable marriage. But when Josie finds some emails on Frank's phone and confronts him, she finds that he had an affair. The rest of the book deals with Frank's sincere remorse and regret as he works to regain Josie's trust. All the while, Josie must work through her feelings to decide if she can remain with the wonderful father of her children, who is also the man who stepped out of their marriage. Can she learn to trust him again? Can she stop seeing this other woman with Frank in her mind all the time? Will some time apart help the situation? Or should they get a divorce?
The premise is very true to life and you find yourself invested in this family of four; hoping for the best for all of them. A good read.

I read the Wife Between Us co-authored by Sarah Pekkanen and really enjoyed it. That was a good thriller. The Ever After, which is written solo by Pekkanen, is a domestic drama. It's well written but it's not a page-turner. I kept reading, expecting something to happen, but I must say that I was disappointed.