Josie never suspected. Seemingly content with her married life and two children, she is shocked when she accidentally sees an email to her husband from another woman that suggests they may be having an affair. To what extent will she go to uncover the truth and make a decision about whether to save her marriage or not?

I am a fan of Sarah Pekkanen’s writing, especially her thrillers. This is an earlier novel, a domestic drama, that I missed and wanted to go back and read it. Unfortunately, it didn’t resonate with me as much as the more recent books. I thought the character of Josie a bit naive and the whole account of their situation a bit tedious. It is well written, but I just couldn’t engage with it.

Five stars!
This book was goooooood. I've been in love with Sarah Pekkanen work since e the wife between us! This definitely had a great twist at the end! Highly recommended this book and all other work by this author

Sarah Pekkanen (fav author) returns following The Perfect Neighbors (5 stars) with her latest, THE EVER AFTER —an intricate and gripping domestic suspense of marriage and family in crisis and its hidden secrets.

Fortysomething couple Josie and Frank Moore are happy with their two young daughters, Izzy and Zoe, in the Chicago suburbs. Frank was a good father. However, what is on Frank's iPhone shatters Josie's carefully planned life.

The email was from a woman named Dana (married). She confronts him. Someone he met on a business trip. Nine words, "Sighhh...Thought of you this morning in the shower."

Had the neighbors seen them together? Had Frank been having an affair behind her back? The two were pharmaceutical sales reps.

Josie wanted to know all the details. She is obsessed. Frank's iPhone contents completely disrupt Josie's meticulously organized life.

Josie has secrets as well. The hot stay-at-home, Steve. Is she any better?

Could she leave her husband? Were there other women? Does she know her husband?

Her mind swirls with options. Kick him out, get therapy, and try to work it out? Could she ever trust him again? They had been together for sixteen years.

From past to present, we learn more about the couple, their marriage, and the choices they will need to make.

COMPELLING! Sarah is a skilled writer, and THE EVER AFTER is raw, emotional, and thought-provoking. She gets to the heart of the marriage from both sides, with highly relatable characters. I enjoyed the insights which added to the character development, their history adding depth and dimension. I enjoyed Josie's character and her journey.

It is easy to be judgmental in relationships, but until you are faced with the decision, you do not know how you would react. I enjoyed all the emotions and suspense and the author's note about the inspiration behind the novel.

This is my 18th book by the author and a huge long-time fan! I read this book when it came out in 2018; however, I just realized I failed to post my review. I had a lot going on in my life from 2016-2018, so not surprised.

You must read her latest book coming August 1, 2023, Gone Tonight (5 stars). I love the author's work and highly recommend all her books.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. #CoverLove

Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: June 5, 2018
My Rating: 4 Stars

Josie thought she and husband Frank were happily married... until she discovered he was having an affair.

What happens now? Should she forgive him and work things out for the sake of their daughters? Can their marriage--and family--survive his betrayal... or not?

This is the first book of Pekkanen's, sans Greer, that I've read. It was an enjoyable quick read, and I'm glad I read it. I plan on reading more of her solo works in the future.

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Atria Books via Netgalley.

The Ever After again demonstrates bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen's ability to evocatively, yet sensitively, explore the intricacies of human relationships in a manner that both entertains and deeply moves readers. It is the exploration of a marriage that seems, at first glance, to be a fairly typical, solid, modern American marriage. However, emotional turmoil lurks beneath the surface.

Pekkanen's says her inspiration for a book was a conversation overheard in a public place about infidelity in the age of technology. "Two women sitting close to me were loudly discussing the plight of a mutual friend," she recalls. "I couldn’t help but get sucked into the story – and I knew I had to find a way to work it into a novel. Of course, my book is pure fiction, but the grains of the novel were planted on that morning."

Josie and Frank Moore appear to be happily raising two daughters in suburbia. Josie gave up er career to be a stay at home mother, but still runs a business from home on a part-time basis. Frank works long hours and travels for business. Frank is a wonderful husband and father, and certainly does not seem like the kind of man who would cheat on his wife. Pekkanen describes the couple as a lot like parents she knows -- "they’re overwhelmed, they’re doing their best, they love each other, they bicker too much, and they make mistakes." She believes readers will "recognize some of the dynamics in the marriage."

As noted, the story is set in the technology age. And even though Josie thinks that she and Frank keep no secrets from each other -- after all, she knows all of his passwords, including the one for his email account and the code that unlocks his cell phone -- she is devastated when she uses Frank's cell phone and makes a shocking discovery. Gone are the days when suspicious spouses had to hire private detectives to conduct surveillance and surreptitiously snap incriminating photos. Now answers can be found in emails and on websites like Google or social media sites/applications like Facebook and Instagram. But how many questions does Josie really want to ask? Does she truly want the answers? She must struggle with those questions as she examines the realities of "ever after," and whether there were signs and clues she missed along the way.

The central theme of The Ever After is, of course, trust. How it is established, what value partners place upon it, and its importance in their relationship. How it is broken and lost, and whether it can ever be reestablished. Notably, The Ever After is a mediation on that theme from Josie's perspective. Although, through the characters' conversations, Pekkanen gives some insight into Frank's thought processes and motivations, it is primarily Josie's story. And it is an intriguing, honest look at the complexities of marriage and how important trust really is, especially in an era when so much technology makes deception easy.

Once again, Pekannen has created characters with whom readers can identify and empathize, deftly painting a believable portrait of a marriage in trouble. Remarkably, although there is plenty of blame, there are no villains in the tale. Rather, it is populated by flawed human beings doing the best they can and not always making the best choices. And there is so much love -- for each other and their children.

Pekannen says she is "drawn to the dramas and adventures of ordinary people" and in The Ever After she takes readers on an emotional journey with Josie and Frank. Whether their marriage with survive is a quandry readers will find engrossing and find themselves considering long after they've read the last page of The Ever After. Pekkanen hopes their story will "spark a lot of conversations, including some that might even strengthen the marriages of readers."

I found myself really conflicted during this book. It's an entertaining domestic drama/contemporary novel, don't get me wrong, but the circumstances just made me shake my head at times.

Josie and Frank are a typical married couple with a couple of kids who have neglected their marriage in favor of jobs, kids, and life. It happens. Then one day Josie finds some emails on Franks phone that indicate he's had an affair. Now here's where the conflict comes in:

It turns out, Frank DID spend time with another woman - but there wasn't actually significant physical intimacy. I had a hard time getting myself terribly worked up over some flirtation and making out. And Josie got TERRIBLY worked up about it. Putting myself into the situation, YES I would be absolutely furious, hurt, and upset if I found out my husband had done that. But I can't see myself being "move out, get divorced, scum of the earth, I can never even ride in your car again, have tons of therapy" upset over it. I honestly wouldn't even call what Frank had an "affair" - which Josie makes a really big deal that it was.

The time flashbacks that may or may not have been other instances of Frank's inattention to their relationship were kind of misleading. Were they there to make the reader dislike Frank and want Josie to kick him to the curb? Again, if so, they weren't THAT bad. Or were they there to make the reader like him more? Because they also weren't that GOOD.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but I feel like it really lacked a clear direction. Should we hate the cheater or find him redeemable? Should we root for divorce, or want them to get back together? I never found myself feeling strongly one way or the other, and often felt conflicted and confused about how I was intended to feel.

I have such mixed thoughts on this book. One on had I felt for Josie and her crusade to have answers. I can understand why she wanted to look into the past to find out the hows and whys of the damage that was done and what ultimately became her life. On the other hand, although the premise of the story was very good, it was just too slow for me. It seemed more like a how to book on infidelity than a deep novel.

2.5 stars

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. While this was an overall easy and quick book to read, I didn't really care for the stories and the characters. I wasn't drawn into the story of the struggling marriage of Frank and Josie and felt like the drama of their situation dragged and didn't make for a compelling story.

Husband cheats. Wife is devastated. I just saved you several hours.

Not worth the pages its written on.

The Ever After started off strong, but had difficulty finishing it and it was a bit too predictable.

This is a dive into a marriage that has suffered the damage of an affair. While this could be a cookie cutter story of it, Pekkanen writes characters so well that you connect to the story because of the characters.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I knew Sarah Pekkanen had plenty of solo stuff, but I’d never read anything by her till I read The Wife Between Us (the book she co-authored with Greer Hendricks).

Now, I knew from the back cover that this would be no The Wife Between Us, but I was curious about it- so I took a chance and requested this book.

Again, if you are expecting TWBU type story when you go into this book- you will be disappointed. And even if you aren’t expecting that- you still may be disappointed. I’m kinda iffy on this whole book.

Once Josie discovers those 9 words- she’s on a mission. Had there been other affairs? Was this one the first? Was he in love with her or was it just a fling?

I truly felt for Josie at times. Her world had been shattered- and I think that just punched me in the gut and made me want to cry for her.

I also think that if Josie had not had children- case closed. Over and out. She would have (figuratively) burned the bridge and moved on.

However, children complicate matters. While they may not be thought of as an affair begins- they generally are thought of quite frequently as an affair comes to light.

I was wanting Josie to be more active at times- to rip the bandaid, to make the choice to move on. However, this story is Josie’s journey- showing how she currently is, to flashbacks from the past- some showing that Frank is not the perfect man that she has wanted to act like he is at times. Josie’s journey is a necessary journey as she examines her marriage- but it does go on a tad long and the ending, while expected, did not give me the resolution that I had hoped for.



Bottom line: If you want a story about a marriage in trouble, a journey that a woman must take on her own to decide if her marriage is worth saving- this book is for you.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

This book has just slipped onto the list of one of my favourites of all time. It was honest and real, and even though it made me question everything in my marriage, that just proves how well written it is. Pekkanan wrote this as if it could be a journal. No necessary climax, more so a tale of what's going on in a woman's mind after a devastating heart break. I felt for the main character, Josie. While some statistics and points given about marriage is a bit depressing, the overall outlook of this book is positive. A different book than others I've read lately, a quick easy read, that I truly enjoyed!!

This was a gripping thriller that took you to every aspect of trying to figure out what was really going on and what was going to happen next! This was such an amazing book and I can’t wait to see what else is released from this author!

Josie and Frank Moore are like any other suburban married couple. They get busy with the day to day life with two small girls. The day that Josie Moore's world shattered started out just like any other. She and her husband, Frank, have made a quick stop at Starbucks when Josie asks to borrow his phone. She discovers that he has been having an affair. Now Josie is a fortysomething mother of two small girls whose husband cheated on her. He swears that it never progressed past kissing, but how can she possibly ever trust what he says ever again? Now Josie has a decision to make - does she end her marriage or does she try to fix her relationship with a man who betrayed her. It is going to take a lot of introspection on Josie's part to make a decision that will impact her family for years to come. What will she do?

The Ever After is a book about what happens after people say "I do." Love isn't always "happily ever after." The book is told from Josie's perspective, but it flashes back in time to give the reader insight into how Josie and Frank got "here." I know the author was trying to give us a better perspective, but it just added to my dislike for Josie. It was in those flashbacks that I realized that Josie wasn't exactly nice to her husband. I know the pressures of raising children can take on a toll on a marriage, that is obvious with this book. But where was the common courtesy? I have been married nine years and I still make sure to say "please" and "thank you" when asking my husband to do something. I don't demand it. Now, of course, this is no reason to cheat on your spouse. But it is easy to see where their marriage started to break down. And it didn't just happen overnight. I was okay with the way the book ended - it was real. And honestly, if not difficult. -- CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom Line - I guess you could say that The Ever After is a cautionary tale. It happens to marriages all over the country when two people in love stop making each other a priority and take advantage of them, well, it puts their marriage in danger.

Details:
The Ever After by Sarah Pekkanen
On Facebook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Buy it Here!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This was a great book. I just love everything this author writes!

This one started off strong for me but eventually it settled down and was a bit too predictable for me.

One morning while Josie's husband Frank runs into Starbucks she sees an incriminating email on his phone. She soon discovers that he is having an affair. Will she stay or will she go?

She starts digging up more information and at first this really had me intrigued. The key word is 'at first' because nothing happened...and I mean nothing. To me it just felt incomplete. It left me wanting more, hoping for more, but it never came.

I was a big fan of The Wife Between Us so I had high expectations and it made me a bit sad that this one just fell flat for me.

How far would you go to uncover the secrets you think your husband is keeping? Is it possible to keep that idea of a happily ever after, when you suspect him of having an affair? Josie has these thoughts when she sees a message on her husband's phone—a message meant only for his eyes.

The Ever After takes us through all of the emotions that Josie goes through as she tries to find out answers about her husband, his activities, and their changing relationship. As she goes through a roller coaster ride to figure out what she wants, Frank possibly lies and cheats his way back into her life. She's not sure who, or what, to believe anymore. I went through all the ups and downs right along with Josie—alternately wanting to kick Frank out and to let him stay.

Interesting read. I feel like those affected by the act of cheating can really draw from this book and the emotions the characters experience. I'd imagine this book could even be a healing read for some.

The Ever After is a domestic drama. Josie, mother of two with a seemingly perfect life, finds out her husband, Frank, is cheating on her. Throughout the book she is trying to find answers. The answers that anyone in her place would be asking. The questions of what happened and why.
It was a quick read. I wasn’t bored or waiting for it to end. It read smoothly. I think the things Josie thought and insecurities she felt were spot on. While I enjoyed this book, I was also waiting for something more to happen. I don’t really know what I wanted to happen but I was looking for more. More answers, more something.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for this copy to read and review.