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A review by booksinthemountains
Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to love this book but it fell short for me. Yet there were really important components. Here's our set up: Tessa has just moved to Long Branch and away from her best friend Caroline. She's struggling to adjust to her new location and taking on a lot of responsibilities with her older brother who is disabled. The one thing that seems exciting is her new school for those kids talented in the arts. Unfortunately when she arrives she is overwhelmed with imposter syndrome and as a result she suffers from writer block. Desperate to get her voice back and also to connect with her long distance best friend, Caroline and Tessa come up with a plan: to use romance tropes to get Tessa's new crush Nico to fall in love with her. But what about nerdy adorable neighbor Sam?
Here's the positive portions, I think this story about imposter syndrome and feeling isolated as a BIPOC is an important theme, as well as there being mirrors for Black girls struggling with feeling out of place. Tessa's fierce love and protective nature for her brother touched me (especially the section "my brother is my brother and I don't want him to change. I love him for him"). Also Sam is swoon worthy. Unfortunately these positives get lost in the mess, lies, and high school drama. You will get frustrated with the main character (but remember she's a teenager growing up). For me the hunt to be popular and get the generic boy's attention no matter what was too much. I really felt like I went back to high school and not in a positive way. Ultimately, it didn't work for me, but at the same time I think flipping through for the positive parts would be a really good read? Anyway, it's a neutral for me.
Thanks to Edelweiss for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Here's the positive portions, I think this story about imposter syndrome and feeling isolated as a BIPOC is an important theme, as well as there being mirrors for Black girls struggling with feeling out of place. Tessa's fierce love and protective nature for her brother touched me (especially the section "my brother is my brother and I don't want him to change. I love him for him"). Also Sam is swoon worthy. Unfortunately these positives get lost in the mess, lies, and high school drama. You will get frustrated with the main character (but remember she's a teenager growing up). For me the hunt to be popular and get the generic boy's attention no matter what was too much. I really felt like I went back to high school and not in a positive way. Ultimately, it didn't work for me, but at the same time I think flipping through for the positive parts would be a really good read? Anyway, it's a neutral for me.
Thanks to Edelweiss for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Racism