Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Happy Ever After Playlist

I loved this! I read The Friend Zone last year and was really interested in Sloan’s story. I felt the characters were really real, particularly the grief Sloan feels and her reluctance to jump into a new relationship. I thought the way Sloan and Jason met was so cute, and I loved the way their relationship developed. I really enjoyed the songs that were matched to each of the chapters and enjoyed listening to them as I read it.

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rrubin97's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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angelareads's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

The first half was a 4.5, then the second half became a little too cliche for me. Add in some unexplored emotional resolutions and this ends up around a 3-3.5. Not bad, but not as good as this author's potential. I'll read her next book.

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ninadisabella's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I was given this book as a gift from my best friend for Christmas. When reading the back of the book to gain insight on what it was about I was intrigued but also a bit worried that the book would be similar to a YA novel. I have nothing against YA novels but I prefer books that have more mature content in them; as I feel that they are more relatable to me as an individual. I was completely wrong though! This book has so much mature content including but not limited to: sex (steamy sex to say the least), grief, the emotional toll of being in the spotlight, and heartbreak.

One of my favorite things about this novel is that the entire situation that leads to the two main characters to meet seems so unrealistic yet so believable. The author does such a phenomenal job at detailing the encounter that it led me to feel like I was right there in the book. Sloan, the main female character, is such a lovable character. I adored that she watched the ID channel, loved to cook, and was an amazing artist. All though the book I felt her pain of losing her fiancé and not being able to choose happiness for herself. But then I also felt the extreme connection that she had with Jason. I really enjoyed that Sloan did not realize who Jason was in the beginning; yet she adored his music. When analyzing it made me realize that I think that just strengthened their relationship. Jason is such an amazing character as well! His love and understanding for Sloan is almost picture perfect. I want a boyfriend like Jason haha. I really loved that he was this small town boy that made it big but yet was so humble. Kristen and Josh were also great friends for Sloan and I loved their quirkiness!

I can't forget about Tucker!!!!! I was so nervous that the entire dog idea was going to be very kidish but I was so wrong! Tucker was such an amazing addition to the book. He was such a happy puppy and I felt his energy all through the book. I really loved the connection he had with his original owner, Jason; but also, I loved his immediate connection to Sloan!! They were both amazing pet owners and Tucker really made the story even more enjoyable!

One other thing I enjoyed was how little things from the beginning of the book were brought back in the end. I think thats a really cool way of foreshadowing and I appreciated the way that the author did that.

Now, I read a book from cover to cover. I don't like missing a spectacular epigraph or a heartfelt author's note. So when I got to the end and read some about the author I loved realizing that she was the founder of Nadia Cakes that has been on Food Network. I even liked how she used it in the last chapter of the book ;) Very cool!! I also really liked the author's note because I realized how close to home this really was for her as her friend went through the grief of losing her husband when they were young.

The only slight issue I had with this book was the pace of it. Although all together the pace was good, the beginning felt a bit dragged out and the ending felt a little rushed. I found myself wanting a little less in the beginning and a little more at the end. This is very minor though because when thinking about the book as a whole, it's pace worked pretty well!

Overall, I thought that this book was very good! I always like when I feel satisfied with an ending and I definitely did with this book. I find myself either not being satisfied or being too satisfied with an ending a lot of the times when reading. If I am not satisfied I just find myself becoming frustrated and if I am too satisfied I find myself unable to accept that there is no more. That then leads me to believe that I cannot read another book because nothing can top it or my connection to the characters (I know I am crazy). But with this book I felt very connected; yet I knew this was the perfect ending for Sloan and Jason (& Tucker)! It's a great read and I totally would recommend.

Favorite Quote: "And fall for him. And when you do, make sure you swing from every fucking branch on the way down."

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nemaria's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

3.5

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