I like rom-com books with strong female characters. This heroine just smacked of desperation and I found it off-putting. I liked the fairy tale references but that was the only bit I enjoyed.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC

I did not expect to end up loving this book because I was mildly annoyed with Bella through the first half of the book, but Marty and his one liners saved the story for me. I adore Marty and the moment when Bella realized she did too was a game changer. They are so funny together and the witty banter between them made my heart smile. They are one of my favorite couples and I was sorry to see their story end. The audiobook is a fabulous way to enjoy this novel and I highly recommend it.

This book started strong for me, and then fizzled. I did appreciate the humor, but the main character was way too much in my opinion. She judges everyone and always focuses on looks over actually getting to know people. And then she whines about circumstance rather than taking the initiative to fix it. I just didn't connect with her.

I loved Ellie and Marty but I found Bella deeply irritating and immature. About 70% through she realized she’s being selfish and things improve but she really got on my nerves. If the synopsis sounds good to you, I would recommend if you like comedies, British lit/books set in London, the best friends brother/friends to lovers tropes. The book is funny! Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the copy via NetGalley.

I had high hopes for Luci Adam's debut novel, Not that Kind of Ever After. I admire the woman take charge attitude and agree that females do not need to wait on a man to get their love life started. However; this was a slow moving book and I did not feel the amount of enthusiasm towards it as I had at the beginning.

I received an E-Arc from the publisher for an honest review!

The way the book was written was different. Not in a bad way but different than what I thought it was going to be. The style it was written was like a diary of life and love for Bella.

To me I felt like Bella was trying to figure out her life and where she fits in along the way of losing herself. She has her ups and downs of coping with many things like her friendship with Ellie, her new roommates who are strange (I would be weirded out by them too!), the pressure of writing and dealing with her parents along with wishing to find her own love. All of this is crammed into this book. It’s not a bad thing, it’s life and lots of things going on.

It took me a while to get into the story but once I got the rhythm of the book and plot it was very fun to read. Although there were some parts that were blunt like sex that took me off guard because I wasn’t expecting Bella to be that wild. There were some funny parts like the strange roommates. There were some other parts in the book showing how Bella handles to change which leads to her in learning how to cope. I think this shows human beings copes differently. I felt bad for Bella having to learn how to go through these feelings of change, sadness and frustration.

I also kept waiting for Bella to wake up to see what she has around her instead of going out on such strange dates. I had to chuckle at a few of the dates that she went on. I was like “why would you do that?” Then I thought maybe she isn’t there yet in realizing things.

It was interesting to see growth come into play. Like I said it takes time to get to the rhythm of the story.

I will point out that Marty comes into view many times which made me wonder why Bella didn’t see him more than Ellie’s brother? I guess sometimes it takes a person to hit rock bottom before they realize all the good things right? I did like Marty quite a bit. He seemed a well rounded guy.

Does Bella get her happy ever after? Who does she end up with? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

If you aren’t used to British type of writing then this book may not be for you. I liked it! It was a fun and quick read.

This was a fun quick read! A very nice first book for a debut author. I unfortunately didn't vibe that well with the main character, but that's okay!! Still enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC of Not That Kind of Ever After in exchange for my honest review.

One of the most whiny and unlikable MCs, which unfortunately, seems to be a trend with the romance books I’ve been reading lately. Every once in a while I’ll get lucky with a better MC, but this was not the case. Bella was kind of awful to most of the people she interacted with, particularly Marty and Mark. This book also took until about 50% of the way through before I feel like it genuinely picked up and there was an established plot line.

Way too long for a romance (which wasn’t even really a romance IMO) :(

1.5 stars rounded up to 2 stars.

Amazing cover, stunning artwork and beautiful story. All wrapped up in a pretty package!
I’ve loved luci’s writing style and can’t wait to read more of it!

DNF at 27%. I thought this book looked like a fun romance/rom-com but it was so hard to get into! The main character is so filled with self-pity and so many confidence issues but somehow looks down at everyone around her. Because of this she is incredibly unlikable and the other characters basically don’t exist outside of her. It was very annoying to read and I couldn’t finish the book.

Let's just take a moment to appreciate how stunning the cover artwork is. I'm in love.

And now let's talk about how amazing the inside is too. I completely adored this book. It's hilarious and sweet, and our heroine, Bella, does a lot of growing up throughout the book while having some pretty wild adventures (of the bedroom variety).

Bella is searching for 'the one', but frankly, all that phone swiping is just giving her a cramp in her pointer finger. It seems like there are nothing but duds out there. Plus, instead of being the well-known author she thought she'd be by now, she's still working at the reception desk of a publishing house...watching other authors come and go all day. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, her best friend and roommate is moving out to live with her thoroughly not-good-enough boyfriend, and her rock-solid parents are getting a divorce.

Her friend Marty (who also happens to be her best friend's brother) gives her some advice to stop looking for love and start having some fun. Along those lines, Bella engages in a series of um...interesting?...encounters gives her an idea for a book. So she keeps going, starts writing, and things gets crazier and crazier. There are a lot of sexy-times but it's not really on-page or explicit.

It's more than a romance though. It's also about growing up, friendship, family, and being your own fairy godmother.

Not That Kind of Ever After is the story of Bella and how her life fell apart, got put back together, fell apart again, and got together again. Bella’s life isn’t what she thought it was going to be. She would be an author, live an extraordinary life, and be married. Instead, she’s a receptionist at a publishing house, isn’t living her dream life, and is single. In a matter of days, her life gets turned upside down when her best friend moves out and gets engaged to a man Bella can’t stand. Then she finds out her parents are getting divorced. But there is an upside to everything. She is rewriting her bad dates as fairytale retellings on a storytelling app, and she has gone viral. But as soon as she thinks she has everything, things come crashing down. A fight with her best friend, being rejected for dates (which means no stories), and weird roommates litter her life now. Can Bella get out of her way and get back on track? Or will she be stuck in the same rut forever?

I was not a fan of Bella. Oh, at first, I liked her. She was funny and seemed like a great friend. But she began to wear on me after a chapter (yes, a chapter). She was high maintenance and not in a good way. She always had to be the center of attention and literally pouted when it wasn’t on her (Ellie’s moving out/engagement party). And lastly, she was highly immature. I could have dealt with the other faults and liked her. But it was her immatureness that ruined her character for me. Put it this way, I felt for Ellie’s fiancee and her roommates.

I did like that the author took Bella’s romantic hijinks and had Bella turn them into romance fairytales. It gave me a fresh way of looking at the fairytales and a giggle.

The side characters were well-written in Not That Kind of Ever After. I sympathized with them because I didn’t know how they tolerated the drunken, immature mess that Bella had evolved into.

Bella did experience character growth during this book. There was a point in the book where Bella realized that maybe she was doing everything to herself, and she tried to fix everything. It was nice to read that, but the damage was done in my eyes with her. Like a real-life person, I didn’t want a character to be a constant drama llama, and Bella was.

The romance angle of the book was interesting to read. While I think I figured out who Bella ended up with, I needed clarification. So, I wouldn’t label this a HEA with her on the romance front.

There is a lot of sex in Not That Kind of Ever After. What I liked is that the sex experiences ran the gauntlet. They went from bad to good to out-of-this-world fantastic. The author even threw in a menage for Bella to experience.

The end of Not That Kind of Ever After was interesting. I liked that the author wrapped everything up. I am not going to get into anything other than that, other than the ending was very fitting for the book.

I would recommend Not That Kind of Ever After to anyone over 21. There is language, mild violence, and sexual situations.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, NetGalley, and Luci Adams for allowing me to read and review Not That Kind of Ever After. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

I thought this book was so-so at best. It does have some funny moments but mostly I thought it was just pretty much blah. It didn't help that I wasn't a fan of Bella's. She just came across as childish to me. Sadly, for me, this book was just disappointing.

This was a cute romcom that drew from all your classic fairytale tropes. Although it did feel a bit predictable at times, I did enjoy it for the most part. I would recommend this if you're looking for a feel-good romance that's a nice and easy read.

Oh Bella... so relatable in some ways and in others - how do you get yourself into those situations?! Bella is struggling to figure out her life while all of her friends, or what feels like everyone, are moving on and growing up. Her best friend is moving out and getting married, her roommate has found love and her other roommate has her life put together... Bella is stuck and she ties her life to different fairy tales... little red riding hood did not work out well... Cinderella... and the list goes on. This is a fun story about how Bella figures out her next step in becoming a grown up... and finding love. A fun and enjoyable read about what it is like when you are in your twenties... an adult but still figuring it all out.

I DNF'd this book at 37%.
There were aspects of this book that I think had potential. The Disney-themed dating app idea was kinda cool, as was the website where you can post chapters of your own writing for others to give feedback on. I hung on as long as I could in hopes of seeing sparks fly with Marty and Bella. If he was as much of an "arsehole" as Bella described him to be, he wouldn't have left his flat in the middle of the night to pick her drunk a$$ up. Again, SUCH strong potential for this to be so good! But I was really struggling to pull through with the slow pacing and self-centered, immature antics. I took a peek at Good Reads reviews, and saw someone post that Bella doesn't realize Marty is the one until the last 50 pages. I can't endure the whining for that long.

Bella is a horribly annoying and immature character. She comes off pathetic and desperate during the first few chapters between sleeping with wolf man who she was trying to force into being an HEA, and leaving her shoe in a night club. The immaturity continues with the news of her parents divorce, which I appreciate she at least acknowledges, but also her co-dependencey on Ellie is too much. As a 29-year-old, she should have known that eventually her bff in a serious relationship would move out and start her own life. That is a normal part of life. She's so judgy about Marty and his hook ups, but we literally start the book with her having a random hook up with a guy she wasn't even into but she REALLY just wants to get married already. I imagine there's character growth as the book continues, but it's taking too long to get there.

The main character is very immature and codependent and obsessive with her best friend. Making assumptions about her best friends fiancé. A lot of miscommunication or lack of it leads to issues that could have been settled or left room for some other things.

There are a couple funny hook up parts but overall the idea of her sleeping through fairy tales and writing about them was a bit gross. Which then leads her need for validation from random people.
I think I did not like the main character at all for many reasons and it really made the story not great for me.

I struggled with this one from the beginning. Bella was self-centered, rude, and kind of pathetic, which made it difficult for me to root for her. When she got in bed with her best friend and friend's fiancé so she could whine about her life, I was baffled. What a weird, boundary-breaking thing to do. And of course Bella is so jealous that her bff would pay attention to her own fiancé, gasp! Get over yourself.

I do think that the book synopsis basically told you everything that happens in the plot and there are no surprises in the story. The romance wasn't developed at all and just dropped on us, it felt like lazy writing to me.

Overall, this was not my cup of tea.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the copy.

Not That Kind of Ever After iis a charming and delightful romantic comedy that puts a fresh spin on the classic fairy tale trope. The story follows Katie, a struggling journalist who is assigned to cover a celebrity wedding in a small town. When she arrives, she is surprised to find that the groom is her ex-boyfriend, who she has not seen in years. Despite their initial awkwardness, the two quickly find themselves drawn to each other once again. What sets this book apart from other romantic comedies is its witty and irreverent humor. The author has a talent for writing sharp and funny dialogue that keeps the reader engaged and entertained throughout the story. The use of fairy tale motifs and allusions adds an extra layer of whimsy to the narrative, without detracting from the more grounded and relatable aspects of the story. The characters in the book are also well-drawn and likable. Katie is a relatable and endearing protagonist, with her own quirks and flaws that make her feel like a real person. The supporting cast of characters, including the groom's eccentric family members, add humor and depth to the story. The romance in the book is satisfying and believable, with a slow and organic build-up that feels authentic. There are no contrived misunderstandings or melodramatic plot twists, but rather a gradual and realistic progression of the relationship. I loved portrayal of small town life. The author captures the sense of community and interconnectedness that comes with living in a close-knit town, as well as the joys and challenges of rural living. The book is a delightful and entertaining romantic comedy that will leave readers feeling warm and fuzzy inside. The humor is sharp, the characters are likable, and the romance is satisfying. It's a perfect read for anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale twist, or just wants a light and enjoyable escape from reality.

2.5 ⭐️ Received this book as an ARC From NetGalley and I really wanted to like it, it sounded like something I would absolutely love normally but for some reason I had a hard time getting through this and to me it boiled down to I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters. The story had some really good parts but I just couldn’t bring my self to rate it higher than a 2.5 because I almost didn’t make It through. The story follows Bella as her life has hit to her an all time low, her best friend moved out and is engaged, her parents divorce and a lack luster life life. Bella is basically learns that change isn’t always a bad thing and sometimes love is right in front of you. There were parts that really brought me in and parts that really lost me. I think the story line could have been refined a little more there was just so much going on I felt It was easy for me to get off track. Overall I ended up liking where the story ended up but I just wasn’t necessarily taken in the entire time