DNF- didn't really like the writing style too much. The plot was super interesting I just couldn't stick it through,


Thank you Netgalley and for the opportunity Kensington Books for the opportunity to review.

This was an awesome read. It drew me in with book cover, brief description and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. The characters are great, easy reading, entertaining, whimsical and romantic. I loved how there is a bit of the paranormal aspect intertwined into this romance. It added spice to the characters and drew me in. I so enjoyed the idea that Gaia dreams set her on a road to writing her romance books. I think that’s a good idea because when you’re sleep you dream and things come to mind.

Gaia the heroine is a product of the foster care system and she is a romance author and Jacob the hero is a workaholic businessman. He is the younger brother of Gaia’s best friend and has had a crush on Gaia for a long time but has never acted upon his crush. Gaia is leaving a party when she runs into Jacob and the two share a kiss. Gaia is writing one of her romance books and Jacob is front and center and just so happens to show up in her dream and oh what a dream it is.

Pick up your copy today you will not want to miss out on Gaia and Jacob’s journey to romance and an HEA.

Thank you, NetGalley via Kensington Books, for this ARC, I am leaving my review voluntarily.

So magical. I cannot get enough of Therese Beharrie. And I think she may be the first South African romance writer Ive ever read. I am a fan for sure now,

In And They Lived Happily Ever After Gaia is a romance author who avoids social situations like the plague. They make her really nervous in ways that she has never been able to explain. She clings to her best friend, Seth, and feels like he is the only person she can trust due to her history in the foster care system. Except she doesn't fully trust him and is annoyed that he keeps trying to push her into social situations. This us why she finds herself upstairs while at his house party and encountering a towel clad definitely grown up version of Seth's younger brother Jacob. It is a scene out of a romance novel and Gaia uses it for her next story. Only this time there unexpected complications.

Once Gaia writes a scene in her stories, she dreams about it while ahe sleeps. This has happened to her for years without explanation. Yet this time when she dreams, she is in the role of the main female character while Jacob is in the role of the romantic interest. And she is sharing the dream with her! As this has never happened before, it scares the hell out of her, and causes her to completely shut down. And They Lived Happily Ever After has excellent representation recognizes this change in Gaia, who continually tries to push him away that he will hurt her and leave. Yet, he stays and tries to keep her navigate her experience.

Jacob is also working through his own mental health concerns. He had dedicated most of his recent life to the family business trying to repair it and keep the peace between his brother and his father. It isn't until he starts focusing on Gaia that he realizes exactly what he has been missing out on. He's tired of never feeling good enough and this forces him to analyze exactly what is going on with him. As a reader I really enjoyed the mental health aspect of this story. I thought it was well thought out and a captivating way to tell this story.

There is some magic that serves as a backdrop for Gaia's writing. Honestly, I was a little confused by it. I understand this was how Gaia worked through her emotions as well as put her ideas to the paper. For me, I didn't fully hit the way I think it was supposed to. Whenever these moments came up in chapters, I just wanted to get though it and move on to the rest of the story. Especially when she used it as a way to get back at Jacob or understand what was actually happening between them. I couldn't help but feel like that was a tad overdone.

Even with this detail, I did enjoy the dynamic between Gaia and Jacob. They were sweet together and really brought the best out in each other even when they were fighting. Jacob refused to give up on Gaia even when she is at her lowest. He also forced the others around her to face reality as to what was actually going on. This is a very in your face story regarding mental health and one that I think it needed within the book world. Anxiety is a very real mental health concern which is often avoided when it should be addressed.

Overall, I enjoyed And They Lived Happily Ever After because it was a sweet read and relatively easy to follow. I rooted for Gaia and Jacob and wanted them a figure their. stuff out and be happy together. Of course sometimes, people are their own worst enemy. There was also a secondary story (besides the magic) that I also felt was not needed or at least could have been presented better. Apparently there is another book that will follow this one but at this time I think I may pass. Who knows when it gets closer though! I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys sweet contemporary romance with a touch of magic.

Gaia is a romance author who has gotten used to her dreams being the scenes that she writes. Which may not seem so bad since the scenes are on her mind when she goes to bed.

Now Gaia grew up in the foster care system and now doesn't like to be around other people. So when she leaves a party and runs into Jacob Scott, who is the younger brother of her best friend. When they kiss IRL they are both surprised. Afterwards Gaia writes a story like she normally does but this time Jacob shows up in her dreams but this time is much different that ever before. Jacob knows that he is in Gaia's dreams and it blows his mind.

I enjoyed that the author shows you how dreams and real life compare to each other. As much as I liked the book, it was a bit of challenge to get through. But I am very glad that I read it, and I think others will also enjoy reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Zebra publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review..

This was a nice read. It was fast paced and I enjoyed pieces of the story separately. When put all together I was less in love.

Initially I thought I would be a big fan of Gia. She loves books, I love books. However, as the story goes on it’s so busy that I kinda lose sense of who the character was. The story touches on some important topics which I usually enjoy. I would however limit how many issues one character has to endure. I like that Gia had anxiety but then we added this special gift with books, a stalker and bestfriend drama. I just wanted the main character to have a break.

Fantasy element in contemporary romance is cool. Not sure it’s my favorite genre but I was intrigued by it.

I think with more development this could be a great book. I think if the elements were weaved in correctly and illustrated further then the story could work together. For example, you can’t have bestfriend trope without a bestfriend for majority of the book. I struggled jumping from real life to dream/book life.

Overall I enjoyed Gia and Jacob’s relationship. I enjoyed Seth returning as a friend for Gia but was very upset for a long period of time. I expected an “I love my bestfriend” and I didn’t know it moment from his reactions. I’m happy everyone got happily ever afters so far. I would read the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me a ARC in exchange for a positive review.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. The concept of the story kept me turning the page, it felt like no time had passed as I read this book. I liked the tension between Jacob and Gaia, although I ddin't like how long the tension went on for or that it was a fade to black when the tension really resolved. I didn't think the character of Gemma made entire sense until the end of the book. It is a nice way to tie into the next book about Gemma's story. The rest of the story did deliver.
I received this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

I love Therese Beharrie, but I just haven’t found time to dive into this one yet. Still, it’s good to see light magical elements coming back into contemporary romcoms, I miss that!

A very quick and cute romance by a new author for me! I love reading a new book and getting hooked on it! Can;t wait for more from Therese Beharrie!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

I tried really hard to get into this book and it's completely possible it was just my mindset at the time. I can see myself enjoying And They Lived Happily Ever After at a later date but right now, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: anxiety, on page panic attacks, family tensions, discussions of adoption and feelings of abandonment, mentions of foster care, death of a parent (past not on page), grief

Nick recommended this book and as always she was entirely on point

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f insta attraction
-best friend's sibling
-magical realism
-so much sexual tension
-slooow burn
-found family

I adored this book. The writing was luscious, soft and wonderful. This is a love letter to romance, being an author, and escaping your world when you need to. To understanding someone, the trust and fears that go into letting someone love you friend or lover. Ands much consent and sexual tension.

I loved the magical realism element that Gaia was living in a fantasy world of her novels and slowly realized that living in the real world was better. I cannot wait for the second book in this series, I am so very intrigued.

Steam: 2.5/3 (I struggle to call this open door, you know that they are hooking up but no specific terms and ultimately it's off page, maybe peak around the door?)

I’m truly mad at myself for waiting so long to start on this book. Jacob is true Boyfriend Goals, and I truly appreciated his patience with Gaia. Ironically, I related a lot to Gaia’s journey as I too had a lot of romantic dreams I thought about penning into stories.

I could definitely see the setup for book two featuring Gemma, and I can’t wait to read her story. There was a bit of give and go for tension sake, but I also appreciate the slow burn for Gaia as it fits her character.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A beautiful romance story that focuses on strong topics ranging from anxiety to family challenges. JACOB PLEASE MARRY ME RIGHT NOW. This book reminded me of Kissing Booth, with the whole Jacob crushing on his sibling's best friend, but of course this novel was more adult contemporary. But both characters have a lot of secrets and a lot of baggage, and even though feelings are growing stronger day by day, those secrets can really cause some strong effects on the both of them. A wonderful romance story that will make your heart swoon :)

Gaia is a romance author who has written multiple successful novels. Her inspiration comes from dreams she has of her characters playing out scenes. When her dreams start to feature herself with her best friend's brother Jacob, she quickly gets to work writing the novel but it seems Jacob is having the same dreams as her....⁣
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With a cute synopsis, this book was sadly, just okay for me. I wanted to love it more but found it so unbelievable that a romance author was so averse to getting into a relationship herself. The relationship between Gaia and Seth, her best friend, was bizarre too. What best friend goes a full month without talking to the other? The author has talent though and I would definitely read what she writes next.

I included And They Lived Happily Ever After in my monthly and weekly roundup of new releases and spotlighted it as Book of the Day on all of my Black Fiction Addiction platforms. I also interviewed the author.

The premise of this one really pulled me in, but ultimately, it didn't work for me. I wasn't a big fan of the main characters individually, so I wasn't invested in their relationship and its success. I'm sure this is to someone else's taste but not mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This should have been listed as a YA romance. The characters were young, immature, and inexperienced. It also felt very much like insta-love, which I found annoying and not believable. This was a DNF and I'm not sure if I'll read more by the author.

2.25 stars

The concept for this book - sheltered romance author with a hint of magic falling for her best friend's brother - initially drew me in. I thought that the magic angle was intriguing and would spice up a tried and true trope.

However, I had a really hard time connecting with this story for a variety of reasons. First off, we barely get any exposition before the author launches us into the love story. I never really got a sense of how these people were as individuals other than a few cursory characteristics. On top of that, I found the pacing to be really choppy in terms of jumping from the end of one chapter to another. The massive gaps in time led to a lot of telling rather than showing as we moved through the story, especially with the magic involved. There was such an opportunity to create something exciting and the literary dreams are certainly interesting on a surface level. However, the way that the characters talked about it made it seem like the author didn't know how to fully develop it and figured that it would be easier if the characters just accepted it without really thinking about it too much.

Finally, I had a really hard time buying into the romance. Again, I think this goes back to not getting enough information about the characters as individuals before having them start to build a relationship. Both Gaia and Jason become really one-dimensional as a result, which made me a lot less interested in them as a couple. The fact that this is also one of the most insular books I have ever read also didn't help this matter. There are a few side characters that could have given the story and main couple a bit more to play off of, but they appear in about five or six chapters of the total book. Having a main couple that felt lackluster be the only characters on page for most of the book just really did not do it for me.

I think this book definitely has value in terms of both offering and discussing representation, particularly in how the heroine Gaia discusses the state of romance today. However, I just could not get past what I personally found to be big holes in the book. Hopefully, this book finds the readers out there who will enjoy it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zebra for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I want to start this review by disclosing my close friendship with Therese Beharrie. That being said, my thoughts on this book are my own and were not influenced by our friendship - I was a fan of hers first and then forced her to become my friend. :) But I still think it's important to let you all know about our relationship so you can make the informed decision as to whether you choose to read this review or not.

As I said, I'm a big fan of Therese Beharrie, so it was obvious that I was going to want to read And They Lived Happily Ever After, even more so after reading the premise. The author has a writing style that is poignant and one that I click with. I think this book is her most ambitious and creative yet, with how she weaved the paranormal elements to explore this story of grief and love.

Gaia is a successful romance author with a secret of her own: every scene she writes, she ends up magically dreaming up. After one steamy kiss with her best friend's brother, he begins to play a starring role in her dreams, and neither Gaia nor Jacob know how to deal with this. Friendship turns into love. Secrets are revealed. But will Gaia and Jacob find their HEA?

As you can imagine, And They Lived Happily Ever After is a very meta novel what with Gaia being a romance novelist herself. She's led a lonely life growing up in the foster system and in a sense, these dreams of hers are her escape from the loneliness of her real life. Essentially, these dreams are her safe space. Therese Beharrie truly puts her feelings and emotions with a deft hand into Gaia's story. Some of the more introspective scenes pertaining to publishing and being an author were so raw that I had put down my Kindle to take a breath.
Having led the life that she has, Gaia is obviously guarded with her feelings. She has a hard time opening up to people and this becomes a hurdle in her relationship with Jacob. I think Gaia might be one of my favorite characters from this author. She's not perfect by any means, and despite her success, she has a lot of growing up to do in order to move forward in life. We all know know how much I love a flawed and emotionally-reserved heroine. I just wanted happiness for her so much, which is a sure sign that I loved the character.

I think I was happier than everyone in this book when she forms a connection with Jacob. What a patient and loving sweetheart. He is her best friend's younger brother and he has had a crush on her since forever. His dreams come true when they share a passionate kiss, but getting Gaia to open up isn't the easiest task. I think Therese did a lovely job with Jacob's character too. There's a gentleness and pushiness (not in a weird stalkery way) to him that Gaia needs in her life. He constantly shows her that she is deserving of love and he goes out of the way to make her happy and feel protected.

I loved the romance here just as much as I loved Jacob and Gaia. It's a slow-burn romance that feels like an uphill battle at times, but it's ultimately emotionally rewarding. There's lightness here to this story in the form of the back-and-forth banter between the two and their chemistry simmers all throughout the book. If tender romances are your thing, you're going to love this one.

You're also probably wondering what I thought of the dreams. At first, I wasn't entirely sure of their role in the book but as they progressed I realized that they spoke to Gaia's mental state at the time. I appreciated so much that these dreams, which at first glance seem like a cutesy magical ability that we'd all love to possess, actually felt invasive at times to Jacob. And he is not shy about speaking out about how uncomfortable they sometimes made him. All in all, I thought they were a clever way to build up Gaia's character.

If you've read Therese Beharrie before, then you know that her books tend to be heavy on the emotions and And They Lived Happily Ever After brought all the damn feels. I'm really eager to read the next book which will feature Gaia's sister, who was introduced in this book, and her ghostly romance. If you're looking for a unique romance read with the friends-to-lovers trope, this one is for you.

I really enjoyed this story! The storyline about the main character’s magical powers actually ended up being less important than her emotional trauma and the relationships between the characters, which I actually found more interesting.

The banter between the characters made me laugh out loud at times, and I appreciated the way the main character used her “power” to work out the issues she and her love interest were both facing. The ending of the book left me curious, so I will definitely be checking out the follow up book!