Reviews

Zora Books Her Happy Ever After by Taj McCoy

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chakgilbert's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Zora is dedicated to running her successful DC bookstore and has no time for dating. However, her priorities shift when a beloved mystery author agrees to an event at her store. Lawrence, the charming author, asks her out, while his grumpy best friend, Reid, also shows interest. As Zora spends more time with both men, she realizes they are not who they initially seemed to be. Despite struggling to choose between them, she can't shake the feeling that they are both hiding something. This leads her on a quest to uncover the mystery before she can find her happily ever after.

This is a funny book. I enjoyed its humor because I have family members and friends who act like some of the characters. I would recommend this book for contemporary and African American romance readers.

I think the author does a good job of making the reader care about the character. I saw the genuine love between Zora, her grandmother, and her best friend. I also saw Zora's genuine desire to build her bookstore's success while ensuring it is a pillar of the community. All the main characters were distinct in how they carried themselves, and I understood the decisions Zora would make for the most part. I got invested in who Zora would choose to end up with and why the dynamic between Lawrence and Reid seemed off. The author also did a good job of making me understand the story's internal and external conflicts. Not only did Zora have to understand what she desired in a relationship, she had to get to know both men and why she was hesitant. I understood why Zora needed to brush off the red flags she saw. The external pressure she felt to date and have grandbabies and her tendency to quickly remove men from her life made looking over the red flags easier.

One thing I absolutely loved about the book is how the author captured the vibe of D.C. I felt like I was experiencing the restaurants, the museum, and the bookstore. I enjoyed reading about her excitement about the dates, even if one man seemed more intentional in planning. I enjoyed the subtle ways the author marked the passage of time. It could be a shift in weather or a mention of time. It flowed naturally in the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. However, in some areas, it could have been trimmed. I wish the author had spent more time on the conflict and resolution. The last 20 to 25% felt rushed to me, but my best friend said she didn't feel that way. I laughed a lot, and this was a fast read for my best friend and me. While it is not an all-time favorite, it exceeded my expectations. I can understand why people love it and recommend reading it soon. It's a good book to read between heavier or more dense books.

dkg20's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 stars. Sigh. I really liked the premise of this book but here we are. Nothing changed from Taj’s last book- she still gives too many details about every little thing. Zora kept getting more annoying and it took her way too long to figure out the “plot twist.” I saw it coming from 100 miles away

crystalroses68's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ashleibby613's review

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

mellie_reads's review against another edition

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3.0

I don't normally care for the love triangle trope but this one was quite nice. Her granny & bestfriend were extremely funny! This book was cozy and the perfect blend of spicy and cute. I was ready to beat some sense into zora because Lawerence was a walking ick! On top of that the signs were so obvious but she was blind!! I don't care how nice them dates were but if he can lie to you about cooking when its obvious he ordered the food what else will he lie about?? Obviously a lot. I was rooting for Reed from the second he kissed her the first time. This is a really cute book to read in between other more intense books.

zoer03's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow, I am in love with this author, the writing and the characters just scream real life, I laughed, loved and gasped and felt all the feelings along with the main character Zora. Both men are lovely, but what I did love about this one was a little nod to P&P, it felt like Elizabeth deciding on either being with Wickham or Mr Darcy and as we all know how that went… I felt that Reid was the one for her. Grumpy, and intense and yet had hidden depths to him, whereas Lawrence was all show and had a thin surface. I adored Granny and Emma… those two were cute and those talks were wow laugh out loud. A brilliant book and yep this author is on my watch list for more.