Scan barcode
cobaltbookshelf's review
2.0
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.
If you enjoy sweet reads, Not That Kind of Ever After by Luci Adams might be the book for you!
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The ending was cute and tied up all the loose ends nicely.
If you enjoy sweet reads, Not That Kind of Ever After by Luci Adams might be the book for you!
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
stay_truetoyourshelf's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jrv45's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
blumoongirl's review
4.0
Sometimes you just need a little light reading….. and this book was just that… as well as so enjoyable. The main character was flawed-but lovable. The situations in the book were plausible. You found yourself rooting for a happy ending. You won’t be disappointed.
Thank you to Saint Martin’s press and McMillan audio for the NetGalley version .
Thank you to Saint Martin’s press and McMillan audio for the NetGalley version .
st_ve's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gulaabo's review
2.0
"Not That Kind of Ever After" by Luci Adams is a serendipitous read loosely based on the premise of the protagonist’s dating experiences being mirrored by fairy tale narratives while she stumbles towards finding her Prince Charming-who-is-perhaps-not-necessarily-a-Prince Charming. I call this read serendipitous only because I am taking a class on writing fairy tales right now, and also I love fairy tale retellings. There are many flashes of brilliance in this book, but it is ultimately not a comfortable read. I would classify it as more Women’s Fiction than Romance. It is written in the first person POV.
The main plotline of the novel doesn’t really start - or at least become clear - until we’re about 50% into of the book. The first half can easily be cut to about half its current length. There are also a lot of characters in the story, and the first half of the book feels confusing because we keep meeting new ones every few pages without any significant forward movement of the plot. We also don’t get to know many of these characters particularly well. Tighter editing would have helped with all of these issues and made this an easier read. This novel reads as significantly longer than average. (It is ~400 pages where the average romance novel seems to be about 350 pages.)
We do not have a likable narrator here. She is judgmental and selfish. I did feel for her, and she was even quite relatable at various points in the story. Those were the flashes of brilliance that I really enjoyed. But, I don’t know that she felt fully redeemed by the conclusion. That’s not necessarily required in a story, but in a Contemporary Romance where we’re looking at HEAs, I generally enjoy feeling like the HEA is deserved.
In regard to the primary conflict of the book, I will first share a disclaimer that best friend break-ups, while an important trope, are also one of my least favorites. Without going further into spoiler territory, this conflict was handled semi-satisfactorily in that there are significant apologies for the shaming of a character’s sexual activities. However, from a style perspective, this process of resolution involves many monologues. The narrator’s internal monologue specifically is the most frustrating because these are stream of conscious clusters telling us (rather than showing us) her every thought as she bounces between self-flagellation/guilt and figuring out what she feels she deserves.
Ultimately, the plot, the primary romantic interest, and the relatability of the protagonist still made this book worth three stars for me. However, I am taking off a star because the narrator’s description of French and German people feels like stereotyping and a bit discriminatory. There was no reason for the characters who were labeled by nationality to be labeled as such either. Emphasizing their nationalities doesn’t add anything to their characters that would have been missed if they were just…additional characters in the book without a clear nationality like most of the other characters. I’ll be curious to see other folks’ thoughts on this book. In addition, thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC!
The main plotline of the novel doesn’t really start - or at least become clear - until we’re about 50% into of the book. The first half can easily be cut to about half its current length. There are also a lot of characters in the story, and the first half of the book feels confusing because we keep meeting new ones every few pages without any significant forward movement of the plot. We also don’t get to know many of these characters particularly well. Tighter editing would have helped with all of these issues and made this an easier read. This novel reads as significantly longer than average. (It is ~400 pages where the average romance novel seems to be about 350 pages.)
We do not have a likable narrator here. She is judgmental and selfish. I did feel for her, and she was even quite relatable at various points in the story. Those were the flashes of brilliance that I really enjoyed. But, I don’t know that she felt fully redeemed by the conclusion. That’s not necessarily required in a story, but in a Contemporary Romance where we’re looking at HEAs, I generally enjoy feeling like the HEA is deserved.
In regard to the primary conflict of the book, I will first share a disclaimer that best friend break-ups, while an important trope, are also one of my least favorites. Without going further into spoiler territory, this conflict was handled semi-satisfactorily in that there are significant apologies for the shaming of a character’s sexual activities. However, from a style perspective, this process of resolution involves many monologues. The narrator’s internal monologue specifically is the most frustrating because these are stream of conscious clusters telling us (rather than showing us) her every thought as she bounces between self-flagellation/guilt and figuring out what she feels she deserves.
Ultimately, the plot, the primary romantic interest, and the relatability of the protagonist still made this book worth three stars for me. However, I am taking off a star because the narrator’s description of French and German people feels like stereotyping and a bit discriminatory. There was no reason for the characters who were labeled by nationality to be labeled as such either. Emphasizing their nationalities doesn’t add anything to their characters that would have been missed if they were just…additional characters in the book without a clear nationality like most of the other characters. I’ll be curious to see other folks’ thoughts on this book. In addition, thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC!
izzyvine99's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel like the beginning of this book was built and written well but the plot seemed to die towards the middle and this end was very rushed. All in all it was an easy read and it did have good parts it just wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read.
jenny_bean_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the cutest rom com book I've read in a long time. Absolutely delightful read. Following Bella as she detonates her life and puts it back together in this delightful romp about London, you laugh, you want to cry, and you want to shake some sense into her.
Bella is written so well, both as a relatable character and as a person in general. Like all of us, she is stumbling her way through life and career and making messy mistakes along the way. Like it is stated a couple times in the book, she is so incredibly lucky. Her friends are wonderful, her family is supportive, and her journey of self-discovery was good for her, and allowed her to make amends when she needed to.
Some fade to black sexcapades spiced up the book, and I can't even remember the last time a title matched the content of the story so well. Definitely recommend this sweet read!
Bella is written so well, both as a relatable character and as a person in general. Like all of us, she is stumbling her way through life and career and making messy mistakes along the way. Like it is stated a couple times in the book, she is so incredibly lucky. Her friends are wonderful, her family is supportive, and her journey of self-discovery was good for her, and allowed her to make amends when she needed to.
Some fade to black sexcapades spiced up the book, and I can't even remember the last time a title matched the content of the story so well. Definitely recommend this sweet read!