A tense thriller that shows the perils of young love, especially when conspiracies are involved. I couldn't stop reading when I started! Totally recommend for anyone who needs a broken heart mended.

I loved the description of the book.
The story was a bit flat and I could not really like or relate to the characters.

Others may very well like the book more than I did.

I am thanking Netgalley for the complimentary book in exchange for an honest review

I wasn’t able to get into this book. I tried multiple times but couldn’t connect. This is why I originally did not give any feedback.

I DNF <u>Happily and Madly</u> but I read enough to form an opinion to review, even a small review.

This book was so slow. I’m not even sure I could say it was a slow burn. Maybe because I didn’t finish it, but it was <b>s l o w</b>. Flash from <i>Zootopia</i> slow.

I felt like absolutely nothing was going on. I get the comparison to <u>We Were Liars</u> in that we’ve got a bunch of rich kids and there’s something going on . . . but no idea <b>what</b>.

There was a small little interesting twist around the 25-30% mark, but it was so lackluster that I just couldn’t keep reading. I skimmed a bit and my interest was completely lost.

Character development was mediocre. I liked Chelsea because she wasn’t the jealous step sister type. She really did try to include Maris in everything. Maris was a different story. I tried feeling sorry for her but she just didn’t have a personality that I could get behind.

The cover was really misleading and so was the blurb. However, not taking those into account — I can see people enjoying this book. I wish I could finish it, because there’s always tidbits I’d love to see how it turns out. It just wasn’t the case for me.

Twisty and surprising read! It takes place in the summer which I love but it's not as light and romantic as I thought but I enjoyed the suspense!

I rated this book about a 3.75 or maybe a 4. When I started it, I didn't really like the writing style. I thought it was stuffy, and sort of... stilted, in a way. However, I enjoyed Maris as a character and narrator, even though she was, I think, meant to be somewhat unlikeable. Soon enough I got swept up in the fantastical plot and all the drama as well as all the other characters. I didn't have strong feelings for Edison either way, but I enjoyed Chelsea, and I loved Sepp, and I came to love Maris, too. I had a bit of difficulty following the plot towards the end, but it all wrapped up in a way that I could understand after all. Overall, a good book, and I'd like to read more by this author.

WHAT. A. BOOK.

I wasn't sure what to expect out of this book. The synopsis didn't give much away for me and I was surprised to find that the book is a lot darker.

I have to say that the book moved very slowly, but Alexis Bass' writings willl keep you guessing and intrigued. I found myself keep on reading because the suspense was so good.

As the character goes, I really loved the characters. They are all such grey characters that make you wonder and think if you want to root for them.

Overall, if you are looking for a slow-burn book, go for this one. You won't be disappointed.

I won't lie, I mostly requested this book because of the cover. But it was such a brilliantly done book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!

Maris, while on vacation with her estranged father’s family, wanders out into the island where she encounters Finn. And saves him, of course. Right from that moment, I had my doubts on Finn and his truth. I did not trust him at all and my guts were right.

For the first part, the story progresses very slowly while planting down the seeds of mystery and suspense. I was truly engrossed and wanted to know, to find out the truth. And that was a very good point about the book – the author knew how to keep the readers hooked.

I loved Chelsea and Sepp's characters the most, although Chelsea did get a little annoying at times. Sepp was one of those morally gray characters that you cannot help but love. Made into what he is by his family's secrets, Sepp does everything to save his brother and Maris. Ah!

Maris, I found her a little too nosy at times. She was just at the wrong place in at the wrong time. Edison, well, if only I could slap him. He was a good character though, I enjoyed reading his story and how he had to endure so much. That really made me feel sympathetic towards him at the end.

Story wise, it was a slow burn mystery with some secretive romance. The end got a little hazy and rushed but it was thrilling nonetheless. Everything falls into place, and secrets are brought out to the surface. The author leaves no stones untouched and gives us a bittersweet ending.

With gray characters and good ones, Happily and Madly is a story unlike the usual romances that will make you turning the pages. But remember this – the blurb is very misleading. This is more of a mystery/thriller than a romance.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed are fully mine.

This was hard to get into as I found Maris to be very frustrating. I couldn't finish the book, though I read several chapters. I think the premise was great, it was just hard for me to get into.

This book was a great summer read! The premise of this novel drew me in and I liked how the characters met and interacted. Furthermore, the storyline was well done and Maris's stepfamily were something else as compared to her. Overall a good book with relatable characters!

I admit, it took me a while to read this book, but it wasn’t the book, it was life interfering and I really wanted to finish the book! Maris is a very likable character, The New Browns seemed to be on the periphery for most of the book, and the Duvals were an enigma for the majority of the story, people who allowed the others to exist on the fringe. I would, recommend this to students who enjoy intrigue and a little romance on the side.

I mostly enjoyed this book, although I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending. I am not a fan at all of instalove and this book was totally soaked through in this.
Although it was far fetched, it kept my interest.

While this plot of this book is extremely farfetched, I really liked the relationship between Maris and Edison. I read the book in one day and got really caught up in them.

I do think it might be smart to make the story or the ending, at least, a little less over the top. The boat scene is straight out of a C movie. And the New Brown family are too gullible to be believed. But Maris and Edison sort of transcend the storyand deserve a better plotline.

Happily and Madly started off with a very promising note. I loved how the author potrayed the equations between the family members and the protagonist. 25% in and the plot goes downhill. I am not a very big fan of instalove and this book was literally overflowing with it. Also, the plot became predictable after a certain point and it kind of let me down.

However, the author's lyrical prose comes to the rescue and we get to see a smooth pace towards the end of the book.

The start of this novel is a little slow; theres the meeting of the teens, some courageous activities and a little running around behind her parents back. And then theres nothing for a while...

Once the first big twist happens however, I started to get a bit of a We Were Liars feel. There is intrigue, a lovely twist relating to the love interest and a guy who eventually came through in the end.

I found the story was very indepth although some of the characters involved, especially the new step-sister and the parents of the love interest were extremely superficial.

When thinking about the books as a whole it was a moderately enjoyable narrative despite it feeling very disjointed in parts.

Happily & Madly is my first Alexis Bass book, in spite of having known of the author. Her other books sitting in my TBR for forever. Sorry, Alexis Bass, I now regret that because your writing is so good! There's something about it that makes you keep turning the page even if the book's pace is actually quite slow.

Maris is sent vacationing to Hampton-ish style Cross Cove to be with her father, George, and his new family. Maris has a tendency to treat trouble as a friend and follow it whether she goes, perhaps a result of the divorce his parents had years ago.

Maris meets his father's new family, including her new step-sister, Chelsea, who is almost the same age as her. Chelsea, is very kind, trusting and naïve to a fault, and is also very in love with her boyfriend, Edison. Maris would also be having a close encounter with a boy, Finn, when she saves him on the island her first day there.

The story revolves around Maris' trouble seeking tendencies, a whole lot of mysterious things, her impulsiveness and basically being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Whatever you have read in the blurb, ignore that. This book actually needs a new blurb because their description seems to promise something that the book is not actually about. So, if you will be put off by that, I guess this book is not actually for you.

If you are also easily troubled by morally grey characters, because there is infidelity here. You might want to rethink reading this. Having said that, I always have a weakness in reading about morally grey things and characters doing the wrong things, so this book was great for me.

If you can look past that, Happily & Madly is a great character/mood based thriller that will have you emotionally invested all throughout. There is a balance of romance, mystery and family drama that kept me on my toes. Even the support characters will grab on your heartstrings, watch out for Chelsea and Sepp.

Overall, it was a very interesting read and I glad I picked it up.

☁ THE CRITERIA ☁

🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐
🌻 Hero:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Romance:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Suspense/Thrill Factor:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Mystery:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

☁FINAL VERDICT: 3.69/5 ☁

Maris has to go stay the summer with her a$$hole dad who cheated on her mom and now acts like he's super dad to his new family. She is reluctant about her new step sister, Chelsea but she actually enjoys spending time with her. Chelsea keeps bragging about her rich boyfriend who is coming to the beach also. When Maris meets this perfect boyfriend she has to pretend she hasn't met him already. From there, the deception starts . Maris is sneaking out to visit Edison. She is also keeping a secret from Chelsea. Is she doing it because she is jealous Chelsea has a good relationship with Maris' dad or because she is trying to protect Chelsea?

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't a huge twist or anything but still kept me interested. Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this in exchange for my honest review.

Happily and Madly stuck out to me because it sounded like a nice summer read with some excitement mixed in with the thriller and suspense angles. I had never heard of Alexis Bass before, but I was intrigued after reading the synopsis for her book.

I will start by saying I really wanted to like this book. It sounded interesting. Even a bit unique compared to the stories that seem to have a little bit in common the more and more you read. Unfortunately I struggled with this book from the beginning. Right out the gate the reason for Maris being with her dad and his “new family” is confusing and she jumps between why she is there and their family orientation and her as a child. It moves very quickly so even though she is explaining it, it was confusing and rushed. Then right after that we are thrown in to a higher intensity moment when she meets Edison. It was again very rushed and didn’t really make much sense. As I continued to read, I couldn’t quite bring myself to like any of the characters.

The writing is pretty good, and the idea behind the entire plot of the story would be great, but I feel like it was a bit all over the place. It’s rare, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish the book in full. Leaving a little mystery for the reader is always a draw, but the way the story moved left me confused and having to go back and reread to see if I had missed something.

I wanted to like it more and I always like to give an author the benefit of the doubt. I won’t like every book, but I may like her next or a previous one, so I plan to pick out another Alexis Bass book and give it another try. Unfortunately, this one fell short for me. I recommend you try it out and see if you enjoy it more than I did.

I loved it. I thought this was going to be a normal story about a girl finding her way with a strange boy on a beautiful beach. And then, it got me on some shady adventures, without knowing who I could trust and if it was going where I was wondering it would. And THEN, it surprises me with such a beautiful and real ending!
Maris was a great narrator and main character. I've found her to be real: with flaws but never condecending. She knew what she was doing something bad but she owned it. All of it. Amazing.
I didn't give this book 5 starts because it was really slow in the beginning and there are a few typos that should really be corrected before it comes out. For everything else? 5 stars.

2.75-3 Stars

Happily and Madly by Alexis Bass didn’t make me madly in love with the story or happily satisfied with everything. I’m actually quite conflicted with this book. I was intrigued in the beginning and there are things I liked, but in the end it just wasn’t the book for me.

Maris Brown is not a character I would say I loved and could relate to, but she’s also not someone I dislike. In many ways, my heart broke for her and everything she’s been through and is still going through. On the other hand, I sometimes didn’t care about the consequences of her actions. I felt that she doesn’t try to avoid putting herself in situations that inevitable hurts her. I don’t want to go into her character development too much, but I was really frustrated with Maris that sometimes it took precedence over me feeling bad for her. I mean, I understood why she acted the way she did and I could feel her pain… I just wanted her to make different choices… better choices.

The other characters didn’t really impress me either. Although I thought Edison (Finn) was intriguing, I just didn’t like him that much. He’s mysterious and had this charm about him, but it just didn’t personally work for me. I liked Chelsea more than I thought I would, but I still felt uneasy about her. I liked that she tried to include Maris and it seemed like Chelsea really wanted to be close/friends with her step-sister. I just couldn’t quite understand her fascination with Edison, his family, and this picture perfect version of her happily ever after.

I didn't like the romance aspect at all. It was flat, infuriating, and I felt no emotions. That’s most likely because I couldn’t connect with Maris or Edison and at the end, I just didn’t care about their relationship. If anything, I was quite annoyed.

Having said all that, I did enjoy the mystery, suspense and twists which kept me intrigued until the end. I thought the writing style was easy to read, the pacing was okay, and the plotline was engaging enough. And, even though it seemed a bit rushed, I did like the ending.

Overall, Happily and Madly was an interesting read. While some parts felt slow, the mystery part had me thinking and wanting to know what would happen next. It’s just a bit disappointing that I personally couldn’t connect with the story or characters. It may not have been a book for me, but I’m sure this would appeal to plenty of readers.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.