I'll be honest, as someone who has been happily married for over two decades, I don't normally (willingly) read stories featuring infidelity; it's one of my greatest fears. But this was a compelling, heart-breaking, yet redemptive story.

You don't need first-hand experience to be able to relate to Josie, or feel the myriad of emotions she does. The tension between her and Frank was palpable, as was Josie's almost obsessive need to know every sordid detail of his infidelity, while also not wanting hear it. My heart broke for their family, but as with every other Sarah Pekkanen novel I have read, the ending--while not necessarily wrapped up in a pretty bow--was both satisfying and hopeful.

Thank you for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, but honestly, it was just o.k. for me. I liked Josie's character and sympathized with her situation. I loved the ongoing emotion and "aha moments" as she and Frank attended counseling and through discussions with her friends and her own counselor, but sadly, I found myself bored and struggling to read this one.

I typically like Pekkanen's books but this one fell flat for me. We follow Josie in the aftermath of discovering her husband's affair, but I found myself bored by the the investigation and not motivated to finish it.

3.5 ⭐ Sarah Pekkanen truly is a gifted writer. This topic is sad but is an honest and well written portrayal of a family in crisis. Never having been in Josie's situation, I got a little impatient with her at times, but mostly felt like I got a glimpse at somebodys life behind closed doors. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for approving me to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I rate this book 3.5 Stars. 

I was a HUGE fan of Sarah's Co-Written book "THE WIFE BETWEEN US", so I really wanted to read some of her solo work. When I saw this book pop up on Netgalley, it was a must read for me. I was happy when I got approved for it. 

I like the kind of book, that makes you feel like you are a fly on the wall in somebody's house. This book had a very realistic aspect to it, I think everyone probably knows a Josie and Frank in real life, and while reading this, I felt like I was reading about my own friends. So for that aspect alone I really liked this book.

I also enjoyed the writing style, it was clear of jargon, and dramatics. It was a fluid, easy read, that kept my attention. It was rather short too, and I like that. It wasn't full of a lot of useless words and plots. 

I love how strong the emotions were, I felt the way Josie was torn and conflicted, I felt how bad Frank felt, how they both suffered. I found Josie to be very relatable with how she dealt with the news, and how she processed it. Overall I found this book very enjoyable, I do not really have any complaints about it. I think Pekkanen has great writing skills and I definitely will keep reading her books!

**3.5 Stars**

Sarah Pekkanen's The Ever After merges the genres of suspense and domestic drama to tell a story of a husband's infidelity. The lead character, Josie, discovers a salacious text from another woman on her husband, Frank's, phone by accident. The book follows the aftermath of this discovery, peering into the mind of Josie as she struggles to understand why her husband cheated on her. Was her marriage always a sham? Were there signs she missed?

To make matters worse, Josie and Frank have two young daughters. They both do their best to hide the situation from them, but ultimately Josie realizes she needs Frank out of the house to figure out a way forward. The book follows Josie's inner dialogue as she tries to reconcile the many sides of Frank: the loving and doting father, the once caring and adoring lover, the hard-working employee, the solid friend, son, and brother. How could someone who was all those things rip a marriage to shreds?

I struggled with the ending of this book as it felt flat and abrupt. I felt like I truly understood Josie's train of thoughts, but Frank's motivations for the affair still felt unclear to me. In some parts of the book I felt like I was reading a self-help non-fiction book rather than a piece of fiction. The writing is good, but I really struggled to see Frank's point of view in all of this.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, the author, Sarah Pekkanen, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of The Ever After.

I have read all of Pekkanen's except for one-- which I own. So I was so excited to be approved a copy of her newest.
Though it happens in many books, I always feel slightly uncomfortable reading about unfaithful marriages. It has become such a common part of society it is scary. And this book felt so real. My heart broke for Josie, which is where 90% of our focus lies. Pekkanen did an wonderful job on focusing on the raw emotions of someone who is put in this situation. We do not wander to the feelings of others-- dumbing down the main focus that is the wife. Unlike most books, it did not turn into what the woman could have done better or that she simply accepts it all, but how a woman gets past or through an emotional monkey wrench of a husband being unfaithful.
I normally skip Author's Notes-- completely guilty-- especially when they are at the end of a book. But the one for this book was at the beginning. Pekkanen explained where the idea for this book came from, as well as, some statistics on infidelity. I found this to be a perfect lead in for this book because no matter how much we do not want to think about it, infidelity is real and sadly, in 2018 is everywhere. This book deals with a very real topic that has real effects on many people and done so well.

interesting twist on the infidelity plot that seems timely in the realm of contemporary women’s fiction. The three friends and the heroines daughters
were well rendered not so much the main couple and the therapists. I did like the book coauthored by Sarah much better. Had the ending
been different, woman trusts her intuitiion, and goes forward I would rate the read differently-the difficulty of women expressing negative thoughts and feelings seems trite. A fast weekend read for when you don’t want to think

With one small message on a phone, her life shifted drastically...A perfect study of betrayal and its aftermath, Pekannen's main character learns that hindsight really is 20/20. Forced to examine what she thought was her happy marriage and home life, Josie undertakes extensive sleuthing to discover the real truth. Josie must struggle through her sense of humiliation, feelings of anger, and grief for the life that was. Sifting through clues, Josie finds a new side to herself and her own strengths as she confronts facts head on. Self examination brings to light hard truths that are a direct strike to her heart. Readers will identify strongly with the grittiness and havoc that dalliance causes. Can Josie trust again?
Another triumph for Pekannen's, readers will find that the characters are very real, as are their struggles. Pekannen's down to earth style, humor, and unique voice unite to give us another beautiful story that is unpretentious and revelatory. This will be a popular favorite!

*advance reader copy provided by Simon & Schuster, via NetGalley and Atria books

This book attempts to portray what it's like for a woman when she discovers her husband is having an affair. Unfortunately, it completely fails to develop any plot, belief in, or sympathy for the wife. It is poorly written and not worth reading. Not even one star.

Pekkanen begins the book with a preface, telling readers how the idea came to her from an overheard conversation in a coffee shop for the plot which involves a marital affair. She also cited statistics indicating an affair occurs in at least one of every three marriages. She notes: “In <em>The Ever After</em>, a therapist tells my main character, Josie, ‘It’s an epidemic.’ The line is fictional, but the facts informing it are not.”

She adds: “I hope that Josie’s story will give you, the reader, an intimate glimpse into this largely secret epidemic and its aftershocks.”

Josie and Frank Moore, both 40, have two young daughters - Izzy, 3, and Zoe, 7. The kids make life hectic and exhausting for Josie, a stay-at-home mom. Frank is a great dad, but he has the easy part - the entertaining and comforting. Josie resents that she has to be “the bad guy.” Furthermore, Frank doesn’t quite get how much work it is to take care of the girls, and wonders why he has to perform a job all day and then come home and pick up toys or make dinner. It seems as though their marriage has become a succession of little resentments and squabbles, but Josie still considers herself lucky and thinks their marriage is good. That is, until the day Josie borrows Frank’s phone and learns he is having an affair.

The rest of the book recounts the evolution of Josie’s feelings about Frank and their marriage, as she goes through all the stages of grief and anger. She also feels a deep sense of betrayal. She starts going to a therapist, and also, together with Frank (at his request), starts seeing a marriage counselor. In the joint sessions, Josie is surprised to find out Frank’s feelings; they barely communicated anymore except about chores and the needs of the kids. She realizes: “It was astonishing, how you could become entwined with someone, sharing a bedroom and a life, without truly being intimate.”

Meanwhile, Frank is beyond contrite. He doesn’t just want to go back to “before,” he wants their marriage to be *better*. And there is pressure from the kids, who are upset by changes in their home life they don’t understand.

An epilogue six months later tells how Josie and Frank resolved the problems precipitated by Frank’s infidelity.

Discussion: Frank is a little overly perfect - aside from the infidelity -, but even that gets multiple mitigating explanations: they don’t have sex much anymore and for Josie it is mostly done out of a sense of obligation; their interactions mainly consist of fighting over who does what with the girls and in the house; with Frank out in the work world and Josie at home, they have grown apart; having affairs is epidemic; men aren’t as good as discussing what is bothering them; men compartmentalize things more than women, and so can have physical relationships without necessarily making an emotional commitment. Finally, one of Josie’s friend suggests that maybe Frank subconsciously wanted her to find out and stop him; he knew what was on his phone when he lent it to her.

In other parts of his life, Frank is a wonder. He is fantastic with kids! He gets up early to go to church! He volunteers for the homeless! He is generous with presents and surprises! He begs Josie to let him help with the cleaning! (He had me at that last part….)

I would have liked Frank to be more realistic (or for me to be less cynical), but it does help facilitate the ending Pekkanen clearly wants to happen.

Evaluation: I always enjoy books by this author. She excels at exploring nuances of relationships.

What happens when we think we have a happy marriage and partnership, only to find out we have a marriage in crisis? Anger & sorrow overtake Josie as she does her own research to find out about her husband's affair. . Her husband Frank seems willing to do anything asked of him to make things better. With heart, this story examines the reasons many marriages break down. Is it possible to have a better marriage after all seems lost?

The Ever After

A common book topic, affairs and cheating was brought to life in a different way in this title and I was a fan! While finding a husband’s affair via email is common in life and story, Pekkman’s choice to show it from the wife’s feelings and how she dealt with her life after the discovery was an approach I enjoyed. A quick, easy read, Josie was a character you easily liked, as well as her supportive friends even if personally I wasn’t enthralled with Frank as a character - it wasn’t about him, but Josie & her reaction.

I love domestic dramas and I love Sarah Pekkanen. So this book was a TOTAL win for me. There is nothing I didn't like about it and I feel like I could read it a second time around and enjoy it the same all over again. I highly recommend it.

**Full review to come on release day **

4.5 stars

Sarah Pekannan manages to take a familiar theme in womens fiction- husband's having affairs- and manages to infuse it with freshness. With well developed characters that you truly sympathize with, this was an easy book to read. I enjoyed this book immensely, and cannot wait to buy the final copy.

I admit to being very disappointed in another story of a wife learning that her husband is cheating by glancing at his evil cellphone.

The simplistic plot follows Josie and Frank through discovery, rage, counseling and eventual accord. I am sorry but there was a lack of depth and reality that prevented my engagement in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

Josie and Frank are happy. They have two children and enjoy their lives together. However, Josie uncovers a text message that reveals Frank had an affair. What is going to happen to their relationship?

One thing that surprised me about this book is that I liked Josie and Frank. I was rooting for them. Pekkanen wrote Frank in a way that made him still likeable, even with the affair. It does help that he didn't cross a certain boundary. Also, Pekkanen focused the story on Josie and her feelings, not on details on the affair. Add in Josie's friends, and you've got a book with some humor and heart. A good, quick read, rounding up to 4 stars.