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laurenlanz 's review for:
So This Is Ever After
by F.T. Lukens
This book was unbearably cute, and I don’t know how to cope with it. I binged the whole thing in a day while cycling through laughter, the prickle of tears in my eyes and a persistent warmth in my heart….
I mean, im a sucker for both the best-friends-to-lovers and found family tropes, so what did we expect? I was doomed to fall in love with this book. A high rating is obligatory solely due to the amount of serotonin I felt while reading.
~★~ What is So This is Ever After about? ~★~
Arek has just defeated the villain reigning over his kingdom, successfully completing the prophecy he was destined for. He and his friends soon find the only heir dead, leaving the rather unexperienced Arek to step up as king before another corrupt ruler can take the throne.
To complicate matters further, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, uncovers a law that states Arek must find a soulmate to bond with before his next birthday, or he will die on the throne. If life was easy, Arek would profess his feelings for Matt right there, having been silently in love with him for ages.
Instead, Arek goads Matt into helping him woo their other friends, hoping that one will reciprocate and save Arek from death. All the while, Arek pines over the mage and best friend who’s been by his side for years, oblivious to the fact that love may have been right in front of him all along.
────── {⋆★⋆} ──────
Kicking off summer break with a lighthearted, character driven rom-com (featuring a slow burn best-friends-to-lovers romance!!) was so perfect. I adore how carefree this story is! The casual trope subversion and unabashedly queer cast offered a twist on fantasy that kept me endlessly entertained. I fell in love with Arek and his rag-tag bunch within a few pages, snickering at their dumb humour more often than I’d like to admit.
The romance had me in a chokehold from the start. If I haven’t implied it a thousand times in this review alone, best-friend-to-lovers is my absolute favourite romance trope, so I was bound to love Matt and Arek fiercely. Their opposing personalities made their dynamic all the more interesting, with Arek being impulsive and sarcastic, while Matt was his counterpart, responsible and put-together. The miscommunication trope is rampant, relied upon to drive the conflict between Matt and Arek, though I found I was surprisingly unbothered by it, too swept up in the whimsy of the story as a whole.
Bethany might take the cake as my favourite character. Her demeanor reminded my of the beloved Nina Zenik; her easy flirtation and friendship with the rest of the cast charmed me to no end. Sionna, Lila and Rion each had their moments, too. It was so funny getting to know them better through Arek’s failed attempts at romancing each of his friends. The ending made my heart soar (the climax had me capital S Stressed, even though a happy ending seemed the only possible outcome for a book like this). Matt and Arek are so sweet!! I presume I’ll be coming back to So This is Ever After whenever I’m in need of a mindless read that’s guaranteed to having me smiling throughout.
I mean, im a sucker for both the best-friends-to-lovers and found family tropes, so what did we expect? I was doomed to fall in love with this book. A high rating is obligatory solely due to the amount of serotonin I felt while reading.
~★~ What is So This is Ever After about? ~★~
Arek has just defeated the villain reigning over his kingdom, successfully completing the prophecy he was destined for. He and his friends soon find the only heir dead, leaving the rather unexperienced Arek to step up as king before another corrupt ruler can take the throne.
To complicate matters further, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, uncovers a law that states Arek must find a soulmate to bond with before his next birthday, or he will die on the throne. If life was easy, Arek would profess his feelings for Matt right there, having been silently in love with him for ages.
Instead, Arek goads Matt into helping him woo their other friends, hoping that one will reciprocate and save Arek from death. All the while, Arek pines over the mage and best friend who’s been by his side for years, oblivious to the fact that love may have been right in front of him all along.
────── {⋆★⋆} ──────
Kicking off summer break with a lighthearted, character driven rom-com (featuring a slow burn best-friends-to-lovers romance!!) was so perfect. I adore how carefree this story is! The casual trope subversion and unabashedly queer cast offered a twist on fantasy that kept me endlessly entertained. I fell in love with Arek and his rag-tag bunch within a few pages, snickering at their dumb humour more often than I’d like to admit.
The romance had me in a chokehold from the start. If I haven’t implied it a thousand times in this review alone, best-friend-to-lovers is my absolute favourite romance trope, so I was bound to love Matt and Arek fiercely. Their opposing personalities made their dynamic all the more interesting, with Arek being impulsive and sarcastic, while Matt was his counterpart, responsible and put-together. The miscommunication trope is rampant, relied upon to drive the conflict between Matt and Arek, though I found I was surprisingly unbothered by it, too swept up in the whimsy of the story as a whole.
Bethany might take the cake as my favourite character. Her demeanor reminded my of the beloved Nina Zenik; her easy flirtation and friendship with the rest of the cast charmed me to no end. Sionna, Lila and Rion each had their moments, too. It was so funny getting to know them better through Arek’s failed attempts at romancing each of his friends. The ending made my heart soar (the climax had me capital S Stressed, even though a happy ending seemed the only possible outcome for a book like this). Matt and Arek are so sweet!! I presume I’ll be coming back to So This is Ever After whenever I’m in need of a mindless read that’s guaranteed to having me smiling throughout.