Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Ever After Always

This whole series has my whole heart, and I fall in love with the Bergman family a little bit more with each story. What a beautiful, and at times painfully accurate, portrayal of long term relationships.

“People whose love lasts, whose love grows and endures, choose each other in the unhappily ever after, the dark moments, not just the dazzling ones.”

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madamepincers's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

3.0

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bringmybooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Thank you to the author, Chloe Liese, for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

Unsurprisingly, the third in Chloe's Bergman Brothers series (although this one is about one of the Bergman sisters, Freya) was an incredibly well written addition to the series. However, for me this one was a little bit harder to read - when Chloe aims to write a novel about a marriage in crisis, she does NOT go halfway. At times it was so heartbreaking to read about Freya and Aiden's journey; how much they still cared for one another and how hard they were finding it to show the other, how much they wanted to be on the same page but weren't even reading the same book.

I've talked to a number of people about this one and I think the thing that is so interesting is how we, as readers, connect to novels and characters. For me, this was probably my least favorite of the series - namely because I identified so much with Aiden and it was so hard to see him struggle. On the other hand, fellow readers have said this was their FAVORITE in the series, because of how much they identified with Freya.

(Huge caveat here though - just because it was my least favorite in a series of REALLY GOOD books doesn't mean that this one isn't totally worth the read!)

Overall I would definitely recommend this to others, if only to see a very realistic and heartbreaking/heartwarming look at not the beginning of a marriage, but the middle of one - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the wonderful. It also helps that the other characters in the series flesh out the plot and the world of the Bergmans so well! (ALSO WE GET ROONEY'S STORY NEXT!!)

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sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Ever After Always is well written, just not for me. Marriage in crisis is just not my jam (unless there's grovel, I am do love me a grovel novel. Highly recommend Day off the Duchess by Sarah MacLean), but I'm a completionist, so I needed to read this book eventually. Might as well choose now.

It was nice to visit the Bergmans again, and all their family antics. Enjoyed that there were expanded roles for the four other siblings, so that they aren't just names. Most interested in Viggo (is he a secret Romance writer?) story, and how he was recommending Kleypas to his brothers.II also enjoyed their counseling sessions.

What I didn't like: they could have talked too each other, a lot of the issues were due to lack of communication (and basically my issue with marriage in crisis books). It's explained why there's a lack of communication. The lack of communication just got to the point where I thought the relationship was bordering on toxic, because they were always apologizing. I cannot speak to the representation of general anxiety disorder.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Liese has in store for Axel and Rooney, but if we're being honest, I really want Viggo's book now

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whatcaitreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book brought me out of my comfort zone- I don’t often read books with tough topics like marriage troubles but only Chloe Liese could still convince me fo pick up a book about it! I fell in love with Aiden and Freya and was rooting for them the entire book. Their journey to surviving their rocky marriage was tough to read and I’m glad that Chloe portrayed counseling and anxiety in such and honest and truthful way.

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