A review by scorpireads
Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

❀ light romance.
— slow-paced, dual pov

tropes: friends to lovers, fake dating, love triangle, partners in crime, no strings attached

"i still thought love was for suckers and relationships were an outlandish risk too treacherous to be worth the reward, but in spite of that, she was all i can think about. all the time."

everything lynn painter writes, i will definitely read. the story follows sophie, a bride-to-be who finds out her fiancé had been cheating on her. and she meets max, whom her bestfriend hires to object to her wedding. sparks fly, in a platonic way, and they soon become partners-in-crime who have a side gig of breaking up weddings for people who otherwise can't cancel the wedding themselves. 

first of all, the concept of this book is freaking adorable. the plot was written perfectly and i enjoyed the never-ending hilarious banters so much. i was laughing, giggling, and kicking my feet the entire time. there are also lots of well-rounded characters. sophie—the fmc—is really likeable, her personality is amazing and i like it everytime she's being straight-to-the-point, leaving the mmc's mouth open. on the other hand, max—the mmc—is such a green flag, and the way he describes sophie in his point-of-view really gives me butterflies. plus, sophie's roommates and max's parents are so cute!

one more thing i like about this book is the main lead's small conversations and their platonic relationship? definitely out of the world. yes, the love story was slow-burn, but it didn't have any dull moments, and it absolutely entertained to the highest level. this is really a fluffy book full of cuteness and humor. if you're into romcoms, and you wanna get out of your reading slump, you should definitely read this.