This was a weird little book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I think there is an audience for books with characters in their mid=50s.

I adore Amanda Prowse's books... and when a new one releases, I happily grab a copy. Often, they are longer than I expect and sometimes intimidating... as was this one. I started it and put it down because I couldn't totally get into the characters. But when I picked it back up and focused on the story and the beauty of the emotions Amanda includes, I realize how much I truly am affected by her writing style. Her characters are so spot on, so real, so vivid. I love the quaint English settings and dialog. In this one... the generations of relationships are the highlight. Give it a chance!

Ever After by Amanda Prowse is a gripping novel of forbidden love, at least in the view of the protagonist, Enya Brown. She had just dropped her son off at the airport when another car dented the passenger side door. When she looked up, is was if lightening had struck. This man. What a gorgeous man. Enya had been a widow for three years, but these feelings were new to her.
They exchanged phone numbers so the repair could be affected. She spoke to him on the phone and the feelings returned. He revealed he was married. He said he had just rented a flat as the first step in leaving his wife, but HE WAS MARRIED. It was a no-go. Her son, Aiden returned three weeks later, stating he was going to be married. She knew that. He had been in love with the girl down the street for years, Holly. They lived together. But, no, he had met someone. Oh, my what a mess this turned into. For everyone, especially her and her best friend, Jenny, who was Holly’s mom. And then, the parents of the bride, Iris, came to dinner. Her father was HIM. This is a story about lives and how they can change on a dime. Also how complicated they are.

Prowse has written a gripping, multi-facted book including topics like survivor’s guilt, love at first sight, friendship, and how to navigate a truly sticking situation. It was a stunning story of a woman’s life when her feet were stick firmly in the past. It took a lot to get her moving. It is also a story about trust and how important it is to believe in others and in what they built, as well as yourself. It got so complicated but, as life does, it all worked out. It was a stunning tour through someone else’s life, through aging, and not letting chances pass one buy. I loved it.

I was invited to read Ever After by Amazon Publishing UK. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #AmazonPublishingUK #AmandaProwse #EverAfter

An easy, unputdownable read! Relatable characters, believable plot! Nobody does family drama quite like Amanda Prowse!
She is quickly becoming one of my favourite go-to authors, I only discovered her earlier this year but I’ve loved every single book I’ve picked up since. Her unique and beautifully smooth writing style has such an emotional pull, making every story both touching and memorable.

I flew through it in no time!

★★★★½ (rounded up ⭐️⬆️)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

Wow. I loved this. To begin with Enya, the protagonist felt annoying and pessimistic to me but as the book kept going I loved it! I didn’t want to put it down at all I just had to keep reading to figure out where it would go. There were Jay dropping and tear jerking moments - it was sensational.

This is my second book by the author and I am so ready for my next read by her!!

This was my first book by Amanda Prowse and it was beautiful. "Ever After" is a poetic narrative about life and love after grief. Amanda told this story with love and care. I will definitely be looking for another book by this author! *I received a complimentary e-ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Amanda Prowse has long held a spot on my favourites list — and with good reason. Often hailed as the Queen of Family Drama, she has a knack for turning everyday domestic life into gripping, emotionally charged narratives. Just when you think you know where the story’s headed, she lobs in a perfectly plausible twist that upends everything, keeping you hooked until the final page.

Enya’s world has shrunk in the wake of her husband’s death. Now in her early fifties, she finds comfort in the familiar: caring for her son Aiden, his childhood sweetheart Holly, her lifelong friend Jenny — Holly’s mother — and her loyal cat, Pickle. But when a chance encounter in an airport car park sparks an unexpected connection with a stranger, Enya is caught off guard. The moment lingers, and she finds herself unable to shake the feeling that something is shifting.

What do you do when the life you built crumbles overnight — and the one person you’d usually lean on turns away? Amanda Prowse explores this heart-wrenching question with raw honesty and emotional depth. This is a story of rediscovery, resilience, and the unexpected paths that lead us home. This beautifully told, emotionally rich novel will stay with you long after the final page.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7793648476

https://maddybooksblog.blogspot.com/2025/08/ever-after-by-amanda-prowse-amanda.html

Poor Enya. She is a youngish widow. Her son Aiden, still has a room at her house, but he has set up housekeeping with his long-time girlfriend, Holly. Holly's parents are Enya's neighbors and they were best friends with Enya and Jonathan, Enya's late husband. Aiden needs to go on a 3 week business trip and he and Holly are already missing each other, before he's even gone.

After Enya drops Aiden off at the airport, her car is hit by an intriguing man. This is the first time Enya has been stirred by another man. But she still sees and talks to Jonathan regularly, even though he doesn't converse with her.

Aiden comes home with earth shattering news and Enya is stuck in the middle of everyone's anger, angst, and unhappiness. This is a complicated story about life, choices, love, and hope. I enjoyed reading it and the character I felt for the most was Enya. I really wanted her to come out of the angst whole and optimistic about the rest of her life.

Amanda Prowse once again delivers a deeply human and emotionally compelling story—her writing remains authentic and vivid, capturing the nuances of family and personal transformation. I've found that her women characters tend to be beautifully written and relatable, and this novel upholds that tradition, weaving in twists with a tender, hopeful spirit. I was especially drawn to how she paints emotional complexity with warmth and clarity, avoiding melodrama while still touching the heart. The pacing felt just right—graceful yet unhurried, allowing each character to reveal their truth. By the end, I was rooting for every one of them and hoping their futures held more light. It truly felt like “Amanda does it again”.

A lovely tale of love, loss, friendships and taking a chance.

Several years after Enya lost her husband, she is struggling to move on and fully embrace her life. After being involved in a small car accident, she starts to reevaluate things, and sees the chance of moving forward. However when her son throws a big curve ball, he upends things in her friendships and a possible new job opportunity, which may not be so easy to put right!

As much as I loved this story, the theme and how things progressed for the characters, I did find it was a little longer than necessary and a bit repetitive in places.
All the ideas were great but I think it could have been condensed down.

All in all a good story line, some lovely characters (and having met Amanda earlier this year I could really feel her within Enya) and great description.

This is really a lovely novel. You fall right into the story and really feel for the main character. I couldn't wait to see how it all turned out, and I enjoyed the journey.

This book is the very definition of a three-star read as it's just ok. I know I'm an early outlier; it has a very high rating as I'm writing this, but it wasn't something I was eager to pick back up. There's a lot of drama which is fine, but the in many of the circumstances the characters' behavior seemed unbelievable.

The death of Enya's husband left her devastated. Although now she's filled her life with friends and family she adores. Her job is coming to an end and she's looking forward to a new beginning with her best friend. However, her son Aiden makes a decision that throws a curveball into everyone's life. Enya is struggling to be a supportive parent despite not understanding her son's reasoning. A small fender bender puts an unforgettable guy in her path and their attraction is immediate. Nothing is simple though.

The writing style is smooth and a big reason this was a three-star read for me instead of a two-star. I can't go into specifics due to spoilers, but a simpler story probably would've resonated more. This felt too soapy.

Take my review with a grain of salt. Most reviewers are loving this, so I encourage you to check out their reviews if you're curious about this one.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK for providing an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It's very possible I'll be the only reviewer to give EVER AFTER a not-so-great rating, but here we go.

I loved the fact that the main character is in her 50s and is stuck in a rut after her husband's death.

However, I just could not connect to her or the other characters.

This would be a great read for those who love women's fiction.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an e-copy of EVER AFTER to review.

I rate EVER AFTER three out of five stars.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

We meet Enya, who’s still coming to terms with the loss of her husband and feels that nothing is going right in her life just now. Her son is the one she really cares about now.

When she goes to drop her son off at the ani, she meets the guy who knocks his car with hers and she likes him, but feels that she shouldn’t be thinking like that. Will this guy be the one bringing happiness back in her life?

When her son comes back home, he informs her of a decision that not only is she shocked to hear, but she’s thinking what it’ll mean for her friends and his girlfriend.

So, how can Enya ensure that those she loves, her son and she is happy?

The story was well-written and It flowed.

I recommend this book.

Amanda Prowse has a wonderful way of describing characters that you actually feel that you know them. This is a lovely book - heartbreaking ,and heartwarming . I just loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Amanda Prowse’s novel ‘Ever After’.

Enya is a relatively recent widow (her beloved husband, Jonathan, passed three years ago) and this novel was a beautifully crafted take on navigating that loss, her son’s upcoming nuptials to his high school sweetheart and loving again.

It had me deep in my feelings, and I truly enjoyed this read and am looking forward to reading more of Amanda’s work.

My thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Ever After’ written by Amanda Prowse in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Enya is dropping her son Aiden off at the airport when the driver of a Mercedes inadvertently hits the side of her car and to her surprise she feels an attraction to him. Aiden and Holly, the daughter of her best friend Jenny, have been dating since their schooldays but Enya is shocked when he returns from his holiday saying that he’s met Iris the woman he’s going to marry.

‘Ever After’ is a beautifully crafted story of friendship, relationships and love, as Enya still feels the loneliness of being a widow after three years and needs to give herself permission to find love again although she still loves Jonathan with all her heart. Parts of this story had me in tears such as when Enya doubly feels the loss when Jonathan’s spirit suddenly disappears from their house and she can no longer speak to him or ask his advice. I’ve loved the characters who are portrayed with understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. The only issue I have is that if I drank all the cups of tea Enya made I’d be forever in the smallest room of the house! This has been a wonderful story that’s had me enthralled from the first page to the last - I’ve loved it!

Enya is still struggling from the death of her husband Johnathan three years earlier, her son Aidan seems to be on the verge of settling down with his childhood sweetheart Holly, who is the daughter of Enya’s best friend, Jen and the only other person she is really close to is her sister Angela and then there is Pickle, her adorable cat, but with her imminent departure from her job at a family firm of solicitors which is closing due to their retirement, she is beginning to question what life has in store for her. When dropping Aidan off at the airport for a business trip she has an unexpected bump in the car park and sparks fly with the attractive stranger, then Aidan returns from his trip and the announcement he makes throws all their lives into chaos, but what does it all mean for Enya, will she get her happy ever after and where does the handsome stranger fit into this?

Ever After is the latest tale from Prowse which lays out her ability to touch hearts in the raw way her fans have become accustomed to. It’s an emotional read which portrays a woman who, like many mothers, will always put her loved ones needs above her own. This story is multi layered and deals with some delicate subjects such as grief and betrayal and, as always, she approaches these with the utmost integrity. The characters, especially the women, are beautifully written and by the end of the book I adored them all and, on the subject of love at first sight, does it really exist? I’d actually like to think that it does, but then I’m a sucker for a happy ever after. If you’ve never read a book by Amanda Prowse before, get this one on your list and then read all her others, if you like books that are relatable, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with hers.

I’d like to thank Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Chick lit for the 50 something. Made me laugh, made me cry. A real feel good story about finding yourself when you didn't know you needed to.

I just love all of Amanda’s books so was excited to read this. I wasn’t disappointed. A really lovely feel good book, fast paced and I just loved the characters, so very likeable and really wanting things to turn out how she wanted. Only issue I had is I couldn’t read it fast enough and didn’t want it to end. I 1000% recommend this book and author.