This is a book I really struggled with. The first few chapters had me hooked but I went downhill from there.
On her wedding day Pippa decides she is not going to get married, she goes to the registry office to tell the groom and then goes on honeymoon alone.
It is there she meets Jim Cardle - another Brit on holiday alone and a few other couples who were on their honeymoon.
When a body is found the holiday comes to an abrupt end.
The story is told from a few different perspectives over a few parts.
I found it really hard to keep engaged in the story after that.
It got a bit silly in parts and the ending felt rushed.
Definitely wasn’t one of Alison James’s best
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

‘It’s a nice day for a white wedding’ or maybe it’s ‘Since you’ve been gone all that’s left is a band of gold’ or even ‘there maybe be trouble [in paradise] ahead’. Two honeymoon couples are in a luxury resort in Mauritius. There’s Insta influencer Tansy and husband Daniel who doesn’t look like he’s enjoying wedded bliss and Arne and Nikki Lindgren who are definitely loved up. Looking on are singles Pippa who should have been enjoying her honeymoon at the resort but she called the nuptials to Alistair off less than an hour before the ceremony and James Cardle. Why is he there??? Tragedy strikes for one couple but is the answer what the local police force assume?

First of all can I thank the author for the vicarious jet setting as we board planes from Mauritius to Australia to London and onto Thailand! The settings for the novel are great and are well described. At the start of the book my thoughts run along the lines of here we go again, another predictable one! How wrong can you be? Once this gets ‘warmed up’ the plotting becomes complex, clever and very compelling. There’s a rich tapestry of elements from finance on two fronts, blackmail, suicide, murder and grief to name but a few. There are some really good twists and turns that are unexpected and a lot of zipping about the planet for Pippa and James who join forces to try to uncover where the truth lies. The characters are good, some are very likeable and one who is most definitely not, being a duplicitous manipulative fake in more ways than one. The ending is good though I’m not entirely sure what to make of it as it’s a bit enigmatic but I’m optimistically hoping it means we’ll read more about Pippa and Jim!!!!

Overall, this mystery thriller quickly becomes a gripping read, it’s well written and the pace is good. I’m going to try to catch up on other books by Alison James as I’m now intrigued by what else she’s written!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bookouture for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Pippa finds herself on honeymoon alone when one of the guests is murdered. Another guest, Jim Cardl is a private investigator who Peppard befriends and subsequently works with to solve the murder.

If I'm honest. I found this book confusing and difficult to follow at times. It swapped between character focus. A couple of chapters were flash back to a year prior to the murder. I found I couldn't relate to any of the characters as I didn't find the storyline believable.

However, I still found myself wanting to finish the book to find out who did it.

'Happily Ever After' keeps you on edge.
Terror, mystery, twists and turns are all on board with this thrilling thrill ride of a thriller. Grab a beverage, put on something comfy and prepare for intrigue.

One of my favourite authors, a slightly different read to her previous books but oh my goodness what a fantastic thriller read this is. The beginning reminded me of an Agatha Christie thriller and it just got better and better and I really enjoyed how the story related to the different people and their past.

The book was a brilliantly addictive thriller, I just loved every page from the beginning to the end, it was hard to put down and I can most definitely recommend this book, you are in for a treat.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this fantastic 5 star book.

Throughout our childhood, fairy tales taught us one thing: that once you get married, you ride off into the sunset with your prince charming and live happily ever after. James examines two couples on their honeymoon and explores the idea that keeping secrets and bringing baggage to a marriage shatters the happily ever after. In fact, before the honeymoon is over for these couples, their happiness is shattered.

Tansy and Daniel. Nikki and Arne. Their lives seem perfect. They have it all; beauty, money and love….and an enviable honeymoon at a luxurious resort in Mauritius. James shows us that behind the filtered photos and fake smiles, the truth isn’t so glamourous.

James’ characterization is amazing. She’s included a sampling of personalities and fully developed them on the far end of the spectrum. The protagonist is a strong female who takes charge of her life by walking away from her wedding 20 minutes before taking her vows. She heads off on her honeymoon alone and has no reservations about standing up for herself in the workplace, even if it comes at a costly price. If an opportunity doesn’t open up for her, she makes it happen. The social media influencer will drive you nuts and you’ll want to remind her that she’s on her honeymoon. The wannabe follows the social media influencer everywhere, just waiting for crumbs. It’s so annoying. James has captured the very essence of these stereotypes…it’s laughable. And soooo good.

The plot is well paced with flashbacks. The multiple settings helps keep things fresh. The mystery will keep you reading and you’ll be cheering for the protagonist as she works for and claims what she wants.

I think Sir Walter Scott said it best when he claimed, “Oh, what a wicked web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”

Publishes June 22, 2021
I was gifted this advance copy by Alison James, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Thankyou to Netgalley for the advanced copy of Happily Ever After. I loved this book, I found it instantly engaging!
Each of the characters have a secret and I had certain suspicions but these plot twists killed me!
One honeymoon resort. Two couples. Everyone has something to hide.

On the surface their lives seem perfect. Beauty, money, love. They have it all.

Tansy and Daniel. Nikki and Arne. Two newlywed couples enjoying their enviable honeymoons at the same luxurious resort.

But behind the filtered photos and fake smiles is the truth.

Tansy isn’t really in love.

Daniel is trying to escape the biggest mistake of his life.

Nikki’s past is catching up with her.

And Arne’s heart is about to be broken.

They all have secrets. And before the honeymoon is over, their happiness will be shattered. Because one of them is going to die…

One honeymoon resort. Two couples. Everyone has something to hide. On the surface their lives seem perfect. Beauty, money, love. They have it all. Tansy and Daniel. Nikki and Arne. Two newlywed couples enjoying their enviable honeymoons at the same luxurious resort. But behind the filtered photos and fake smiles is the truth. They all have secrets. And before the honeymoon is over, their happiness will be shattered. Because one of them is going to die…

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book. While it was entertaining I thought it was going to be more of a mystery murder than a back and forth type of thing. I did really like Pippa's character and how resourceful she was, especially with her total lack of experience. Most of the other characters fell a bit flat to me. I wanted more out of them.

This was a really good read for me , and i pretty much read it in one go . Very fast paced
Pippa is on her honeymoon alone after deciding to call of her wedding , there are some other loved up couples at the 5 star resort and she is drawn to another lone traveller James Cardle . When a guest is discovered dead suspicion falls on the couple that have been spending time with the deceased . Tansy a social media influencer and her husband Daniel who flee back to Australia in a hurry . I really liked Pippa as a character and enjoyed reading her story . Excellent , would recommend

I found this to be an enjoyable read with many unexpected twists to keep you guessing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I have read all Alison James previous books & enjoyed this. This book wasn't for me I found the plot to be very much out there & the characters unlikeable. To me the twist at the end didn't make any sense.

Once I saw this was available, i requested it immediately, I have only read one other book by Alison James and this one kept my attention right to the end and I loved the relationship that Pippa and Cardle had. The story ends on a semi cliffhanger so perhaps it’s not the last time we meet them. I would like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for letting me have the Arc to read and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased.

This was a great read.

Pippa finds herself in Mauritius on what should've been her honeymoon by herself, but amongst other loved up honeymoon couples, although behind the honeymoon suite doors all may not be as it seems...

All is not well in paradise and there's been a murder which Pippa ends up trying to solve with a PI, it sees her travelling across the world as the PI's assistant trying to uncover what happened that night on the island.

There are some really dislikeable characters in this book, Tansy taking the crown on that one with Alistair a close second. This is balanced out by a fabulous lead character in Pippa and a slightly rough round the edges Jim. As for Daniel, I did end up feeling a bit sorry for him towards the end of the book, he'd been through a lot.

Here's the thing about this book, it started off with a real 'Death in Paradise,' vibe especially with Pippa and Jim trying to uncover the truth, it was quite humorous in places. Then there was Tansy which felt a bit 'Real Housewives of Sydney,' but then when the truth is revealed and the flashback, which is written beautifully just took this book into a whole other angle.

Great read, thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

Whatever your expectations may be for this new release - raise them. This book went above and beyond! Alison James does an excellent job of building characters, and I became invested in all of them. The tricky thing with thrillers is too often the character's purpose in the story is for the plot to simply HAPPEN to them, and that is all. Alison James gives these characters a voice, and you cannot help but care about each of them. The plot does not disappoint either! I had my first gasp within the first fifteen percent of this thrilling tale, and they just kept on coming! It was a whirlwind that I was unable to put down.

Happily Ever After is a web of relationships. Fate brings these couples together to the same resort on their honeymoons, and then tragedy strikes! The excitement is just beginning, so when Happily Ever After releases on June 22nd, you will want to be among the first to see what happens next!

This was my first Alison James book! And I promise it won't be more last. Happily Ever After was a very good quick thriller! This book was right down my alley with twist I never saw coming!
I devoured and loved every minute of this one!
I'm so looking forward to more books from this author!
Thanks NetGalley and My Favorite Pub Bookouture for this amazing ebook!

a love this authors books this one was a little bit different but very much enjoyed never disappoint s / its the day of Pippa s wedding day to Alastair but she does not want to marry him so she goes to the register office to tell him and sees him with Amy deep in conversation she calls it of and decides to go on the honeymoon resort Mauritius , where Daniel and Tansey and another couple Arne and Nikki who also on honeymoon Pippa meets private investigator James cardle someone dies and how this story unfolds is just so good and Pippa starts working for James will say no more but it is so good

A big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Well this was an unexpected interesting read. For me, this was a very different read. It was a rather dark mystery. It kept you guessing through the entire book. What a wild ride. 3.5 stars. I can't say I loved it but it was riveting.

This book was calling to me for many reasons - the thriller aspect and the fact that it takes place at a luxury resort. It’s pretty much a guarantee that any book set in a luxury resort is one I’ll read. This book however, surprised me in many ways. First off, I expected this book to take place all in one place - the resort. But that was not the case. Told with flashbacks and in multiple settings in various locations, this book had a wider setting that I was thinking. Also, the characters were definitely some that you just love to hate and hate to love! That being said, I definitely didn’t see the ending coming, and I thought I already had it worked out in my head. I was hooked and didn’t want to put down the book until I was finished.

#HappilyEverAfter #NetGalley
A good read.
There's no such thing like happily ever after or is there? Read it to know more.
Tansy and Daniel. Nikki and Arne. Two newlywed couples enjoying their enviable honeymoons at the same luxurious resort.
But behind the filtered photos and fake smiles is the truth.Tansy isn’t really in love.Daniel is trying to escape the biggest mistake of his life.Nikki’s past is catching up with her.And Arne’s heart is about to be broken.
I loved Tansy's character more than Daniel's.
Narration of the story is interesting. I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller

Book is an incredible thriller that everyone will want to read. At times tense and other times thrilling, it hurdles to an impeccable conclusion.