This seemed like a cute rom-com story about Bella Michaels envisioning her future perfect happily ever after that mimics the epic level of a fairy tale story, complete with a prince sweeping her off of her feet. In the meantime, she keeps finding frogs and looking at them like they might turn into a prince if she kisses them. While I could understand where she was coming from, Bella does come off a bit self-centered and spoiled, especially when witnessing her best friend Ellie with her boyfriend Mark.

After a fallout with Ellie and Mark, Bella has to find her way on her own and because she's trying to navigate through finding her own happiness, or at least fun right now, she goes on a series of dates. They become inspiration for stories that she can write and it gives her the much needed confidence to continue and to put herself out there.

Although I saw the romance coming, I was rather underwhelmed by it because there was no hint of chemistry between them prior except that they had known each other for a long time, but he certainly wasn't sitting around pining for her and vice versa. When it finally happens, as though it had been meant to be all along, I was a bit disappointed about what a non-event it was and the aftermath. I realize the point of the story is that Bella grows out of her egocentrism and becomes more self-aware of others and their feelings and vulnerabilities as she, too, comes out of her shell in order to appreciate both human flaws and strengths.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true
opinions after fully reading this book.
I loved the cover and title of this book but unfortunately I did not enjoy the authors writing style. I had a hard time staying interested in the book.

This was a cute book. It was a little slow for me and took me longer then usual to read. There were laugh out loud moments but the characters were a little blah. I won't tell anyone not to read it but it wouldn't be my first recommendation. I will still be checking out other books by this author.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in advanced.

I really wanted to love this book. The description sounded very interesting, but the description was the whole plot of the book.

I found Bella to be a very annoying MC. She was definitely relatable at times but she was mainly annoying and selfish. Besides, every other character had no depth and didn’t make a difference to me.

Her relationship with Marty was just so out of the blue to me. If I hadn’t read the description I would have been very confused. I feel they should have hinted at something earlier because when he picked her up and let her sleep on his couch was not a hint. When they finally get together, she says he’s just Ellie’s brother, we never read that she finds interesting in any way, shape, or form.

Also, there was too much sexual talk for me.

It wasn’t a book I personally enjoyed reading but I am sure there is an audience that will enjoy the story.

PS.: I will write a spoiler-free review on my page.

I’d like to say this was a cute rom-com. There were some funny parts when Bella began writing about her dates. Bella came across as emotionally immature and so, so whiny. I think she became more unlikeable as the story progressed. The peripheral characters were extremely likeable, though, and that’s what kept me reading.

The texts between her and Marty were sweet, and I would’ve loved to see more between them. It all came together in the end, though. I actually teared up as she finally woke to how selfish she’d been and made amends to those who cared for her. 2.5/5 Stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC.

This was cute, frothy as described, and exactly what you expect when looking at the cover!

Sweet, light hearted, not something you’re going to get a ton of depth from, but sweet nonetheless!

Interesting spin on this story. In the beginning the main character Bella was whiny, selfish, immature and down right annoying. I felt the character came across weak and insecure and maybe that was what the author was wanting when they wrote it so the character could grow. I liked the relationship she had with her best friends brother, the no bs banter and truth. It was an interesting read.

While the story was at times entertaining, it just didn’t grab me as much as I would have liked. I wanted more depth and more feeling. Given the length of the book, I was hoping to feel more attached to the characters.

The ending was cute and tied up all the loose ends nicely.

I’m so tired of chick lit being packaged as romance, and this whole book was just so cringe for me. I kept wanting to get into it but something about me and the main character wasn’t connecting and the pacing was… off… safe to say this wasn’t the book for me.

This was just ... no bueno. Not the kind of book for me. It all felt messy and rushed, and I couldn't handle all the sarcasm. Unfortunately, I didn't make it past the first chapter because I was cringing too hard at just all of it. I'm sorry, but I have nothing to actually review:(

This was definitely different than I expected. I wasn't expecting it to make me look into my own relationships. The main character goes through so much emotionally that you start to feel for her. I think it was more unbelievable before it was believable. I truly wanted to see her have a fairytale ending, but then realized she did. She had the ending she should have, and she truly came into her own life. Took a few chapters to get into it, but I liked it.

2.5 Stars.
This was a trudge through the trenches.
What do I mean by that?
I felt like I was stuck on one of those playground merry going rounds that just keeps spinning. You’re holding on for dear life hoping you’ll see new scenery. But you pass the same swing set and the same slide and the same seesaw with every revolution.
And then you realize the scenery never changes.
The heroine is almost just as inane and clueless and irritating in the last chapter as she was in the first one. The marginal character growth she has happens in the last 15% of the book.

I had a difficult time connecting with the main character, Bella, but it was a fun rom-com read. Not my usual preference, but I am glad I read it. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley.

I got to about 31% of this book and stopped reading. I didn’t like the characters. Didn’t really connect with the plot. I just thought this one was not for me.

So many things to unpack in this one, but the one that stood out the most is I couldnt stand the female MC.
She was soooo selfish and honestly every time she realized how awful she was being she went ahead and became more awful.
Ugh I dont know also I felt like she was super clueless and I hate female MCs that are dummies.
So that was that.
To say that this book didnt make me laugh would be a lie bc it did, make me laugh, but it also brought out some rage, Im lying not some but a whole lot.

Mare~Slitsread

I think I knew from the first line of the book, that it wasn't going to be for me...but I trudged on, and indeed found that it was not for me. I'm not sure if it was the humor or something else that I didn't "get" but this book missed the mark for me. I ended up DNF'ing the book and would not recommend reading it.

All opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to be an early reader!

Bella Marble's life is not what she imagined it to be. She's a receptionist at a small press instead of an author, and single instead of happily married. Her best friend is getting married to a boring man named Mark. Bella spends time with Ellie's hot brother Marty, who tells her she should have fun and not look for "the one". This leads to her posting a fairy tale style retelling of a bad one night stand on an app, which goes viral.
I didn't really care much for this book. It seemed promising from the description but the actual book was a bit of a letdown. A lot of the issues the main characters faces are ones of her own making. It wasn't terrible but it could have been better. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I DNFed this novel, I tried on more than one occasion to pick it up and read it only to find myself needing to put it back down after reading two or three chapters. The elements of the story definitely seem like ones I should be able to connect to, yet for some reason I found that I could not. The beginning had what felt like an attempt at a satirical edge, but for me came off more as flippant and a bit depressing.

It gave me some chuckle moments. It felt very cute and light, but also had some sulking moments from the FMC, which wasnt to bad. It was almost like an inside peek into how some authors get started, but it also gave me some repeat vibes (but not bad enough that I didnt want to continue reading)
It was my first book from Luci Adams, and the ARC read was fun.
It felt very much like a novella even though the length was more full book.

Not that kind of ever after is an adorable romance book. I love that this was a book where the parents had this incredible romance. I also love the fact that the protagonist is in her twenties. She’s disappointed that she’s about to marry a boring guy and that she won’t get the swoon-worthy romance her parents have. This book is adorable and funny!! I read this while recovering from knee surgery and it was the perfect distraction.