Thank you thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before publication date. I read a lot, but it has been a while since I've read a book that captured my attention so fully. I was unable to put it down. I laughed. I cried. I cheered for Bella every step of the way.

I really tried, but I couldn’t get into it… might try again if I get a chance. I was intrigued with the concept, and grateful for instant approval.

Bella is in a snit that her best friend and roommate Ellie is marrying Mark, who Bella thinks is boring and unlikeable. She says it out loud one too many times and creates a rift. She finds some solace in posting about a date gone bad on a confessional creative writing website, giving her story of woe a fairy tale theme, and B.Enchanted is born. At the encouragement of Ellie’s serial dater brother Marty, she tries to take his advice and just have fun instead of looking for the one, but tries to fit subsequent dates to the fairy tale theme as well. The reworkings are very clever and the stories entertaining.

While there is a lot of hilarity, there is a lot of immaturity as well (for starters, straight out hating the man who makes her best friend happy because she thinks he’s dull), and Bella’s stream of conscious narrative can be too minutely detailed. Still, she experiences character growth and makes appropriate apologies and reparations, and the happily ever after is sweet and fitting.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #NotThatKindofEverAfter from #NetGalley.

As we all know, not every book is for every reader – and in this case, this was a mismatch for me. I was intrigued by the cover art and book blurb, it sounded cute and I was hopeful.

Unfortunately, this one was not working for me – the pacing and writing style were not to my preference, and I really did not find any characters (especially our main) particularly compelling or ones I could or wanted to connect to, and I was having trouble attending to the story or wanting to continue to read.

Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to try an early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and freely offered.

The descriptor 'fairytale meets feminism' immediately made me want to read this book. I love the duplicity between encouraging females to own their sexuality while also expressing the negative feelings that can sometimes go along with promiscuity. I found the Bella engaging and relatable, however at about 3/4 through I feel like it had yet to reach a climax. When that climax does finally come it is somewhat anticlimactic. The reason that I almost exclusively read romance novels is because of the fairytale and somewhat predictable manor in which they are written. Categorizing this as a romance does seem somewhat misleading and may attract an audience that may be disappointment with the lack of the typical happily ever after. In general the book was enjoyable to read.

Absolute Fire! From the beginning in reverse cowgirl to the ending that completely had me entrantsed. I could totally see this story in real life and it makes it so much better. I read this in one setting and was wishing for more. I can't wait to read more by Luci Adams
I just reviewed Not That Kind of Ever After by Luci Adams. #NetGalley
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Thank you Netgally and St Martin's Press for inviting me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gosh, I really wanted to like this book.

Not That Kind of Ever After is about Bella, a head-in-the-clouds 20-30 something year old woman who wants to be swept off her feet by Prince Charming but keeps finding toads on online dating apps. With the help of her best friend's infuriating brother, Marty, she tries to learn about not finding "the One" and go about dating in a more casual style while also going viral for a story she wrote.

First off, I love the cover design. Not That Kind of Ever After has one of the cutest romance covers I've seen in a while and it is definitely what drew me in. Secondly, the summary sounded okay and I was curious enough to jump right

This one was not for me.

I liked the fairytale references. I thought that was a sweet tie-in to the cover and the whole story. There were not very many positives that I could find while trying to sludge my way through this book. The writing style was hard to get passed and Bella is one of the most annoying characters I've read about in a long time. She was grating and selfish and whiny. I do normally like unlikable characters but this was way over the line of just being unlikable.

The writing, the story itself, and the characters were not fleshed out enough to keep me interested and almost nothing happens for a majority of the book. I was curious for the first couple of short chapters but I lost focus very quickly.

2 stars

ｂｏｏｋ • ｒｅｖｉｅｗ

📚 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿
🖊️ @luciejadams
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

If you know me at all, you know that I do NOT read much romance. But you’ll also know that I absolutely love fairytales, and this novel about an aspiring writer struggling to find her Prince Charming among an army of frogs and some major life changes drew me in.

The main character, Bella, is the 20-something friend stuck in a rut as those around her move forward in their relationships and careers. While this felt relatable and her inner monologue contributed to some very funny parts, she is nevertheless quite selfish, childish, and even downright unlikable at times as she clings to seemingly impossible ideals regarding the perfect marriage and finding her Prince Charming.

Elements of the plot were definitely predictable, but I did enjoy the inclusion of pop culture references and modern-day add-ins like the dating app Mirror Mirror, and B Reader, a website for unpublished authors which Bella makes use of, posting chapters about her twisted fairytale sexcapade adventures in love.

I do feel that Bella’s growth seemed somewhat superficial because of her complete lack of self-awareness and justification of her questionable actions, and this made it difficult to feel sympathetic to her plight. Bella’s interactions with Marty, her best friend’s brother, were some of her most real and entertaining moments, and I could’ve read much more about them.

Overall, I found this debut novel to be an enjoyable 3.5 star romcom and would recommend it as a quick, cute read. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, witty rom-com that literally started out with a bang and maintained a rhythm throughout the entire story.

I enjoyed this one, it was a fun and really quick read with a premise that kept me interested throughout. I appreciated the raw humor and realistic perspective this book provided on the dating scene, as well as the added benefit of the fairy tale romance aspect that added something unique to the story. Overall a very fun rom-com for those looking for a little something different.

I found myself frustrated with the main character, at times wanting to ask her what she is thinking?? I appreciated how the protagonist speaks her mind and stands up for herself, however there were times she was downright frustrating! Someone recently said this about a frustrating character - it's her journey, not mine. And embracing that makes it all that much better, truly just allowing the story to play out as it's meant to.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you're looking for something fun and fluffy, this rom-com is for you. Bella is a 29 year old aspiring writer stuck in a dead end job as a receptionist at a publishing house. Determined to find her own fairytale and her "Happily Ever After" before it's too late, Bella starts on a journey which turns into more of a journey of self discovery which is where the fun begins.

The characters are well written, Bella is a delight and you can't help but root for her. The author doesn't shy away from showing that she's far from perfect, and while she definitely grows through the course of the book, she recognizes that there is still room to grow. I didn't want the story to end! I hope that there is more to come from this author, I certainly look forward to it.

When I read that opening line I thought "oh man this is going to be good" but it didn't take long to realize that it wasn't going to live up to my expectations. Bella is one of the most selfish and unlikable characters I've read in a long time, maybe ever.

The level of dependency she has when it comes to her best friend can not be healthy. I was like "yes Ellie move out while you still can your bestie is one bad date away from going full Swimfan on you."

Another let down for me was that I thought this would be more of a romance. There is no build up and nothing even happens until after 80%.

First off if you don't like super spicy/lots of sex scenes read with caution! I was a little taken back on how much sex there was. Nothing bad but was not expecting it!

I thought it was a really cute book, the MC is looking for love, wanting the one and dreaming about her wedding but she is single and ready to mingle, but struggling to find the mingle. Bella is a bit people pleasing and I wanted to shake her and say GIRL STOP YOU DO YOU! But it was a good representation of dating apps and sifting through it all to find your happily ever after!

Not my favorite but was entertaining!

Thank you Netgallery and St Martin’s Press for this ARC.

I really liked the main character Bella a lot ! I thought it was going to be a super romantic novel and while it was it was more about character development and growing up.
3/5 stars! I hope the author comes out with more book. I really enjoyed the writing style. I felt every emotion with this book and it was a great romcom overall.

What a cute book! Main character Bella was funny and just adorable. Many parts of the book had me literally laughing out loud. I would consider this a total rom-com. Overall I found this book to be fun and engaging. I recommend this as a perfect beach read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cute premise, very sexual. Enjoyed the self discovery and actually did not immediately predict the outcome.

Red Riding Hood
Mirror Mirror
Alice's Cheshire Cat
Sleeping Beauty
Muppets, and Easter Bunny, and Barbie, and kissing frogs
And, of course, Anna & Elsa

A plethora of fairy tale references, right from the start, and a writer MC looking for HEA (happily ever after)

"And I'm a true hopeless, despairing romantic. Above all things, above my wish to be a writer, above my dream to hug David Attenborough one day, above anything and everything, I want love."

"Well maybe that's it. Maybe you're just in the wrong fairy tale." Definitely strong Into the Woods vibes.

Honestly this book is hilarious. An open door romance that doesn't take itself seriously. And it's just fun to read. With a perfect amount of Lord of the Rings references, to top it all off.

'Not That Kind of Ever After' had a potential, but I felt like I reading more than one story. I liked the concept, but the book was very hard to get into and hard to follow at some points. The main character, Bella, is a writer, and she is searching for her own Prince Charming. She draws from her own terrible dates and one night stands to write her latest book. Bella begins this journey when her best friend, Ellie, moves out of their apartment. Bella and Ellie have been best friends since they were kids, and they rely on each other for everything. Bella struggles with losing her friend, and she tries to figure out what her next move will be.

Bella also has a strong bond with Ellie's twin brother, Marty. He is always there for her, but she doesn't see him as more than a friend to her. As the book progresses, will Bella's feelings for Marty change? How does Marty feel about Bella?

I think that Bella's romantic arc seemed like a secondary plot. I would have liked to know more about what happens with Bella and how she would get her happily ever after. I liked the ending because it seemed to wrap everything up, but I wish that there was more to Bella's romance, and I wanted less time spent on Bella's one night stands.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this book! The plot was amazing I couldn’t put it down. I liked the relationships he had with Marty I thought wow what a great friendship. I didn’t expect him to have such feelings for her up until way later in the book. I’m glad she ended up realizing what was in front of her this whole time.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

Good for the 20 something crowd, especially if your friends are all getting married and you are still single.

There were a lot of fun things about this book and by the second half, it started to pick up pace. It took me a little while to get into it and I felt like the first half could have been condensed to give us more later on.

Overall, I felt like the relationship was just starting to blossom and then blam, the book ended. I didn't love any of the characters and I really enjoy having a likeable character or two in a book. It helps me connect to them in a way. Overall, this book missed the mark for me, but I'd love to see what else Luci Adams comes up with in the future. The ideas was fun, but not quite pulled together enough for me.

This is such a cute and fun read! I enjoyed taking this journey with Bella. “Watching” her look for love in all the wrong places but learning and growing as she went through each of her fairytales. Finding herself exactly where she least expected. This book was a really good escape, I appreciated the humor and the refreshing twist on your typical fairytale retellings!