I wasn't two pages in before I was cracking up. The author does an amazing job with details and painting a picture of what the scenes really look like. I can't lie, I'm not one to usually go for chick lit romance but this sounded interesting to me and it certainly was. Our main character has definitely been given some bad cards recently and you feel for her because even if you haven't been in the exact situation as sticky as it is, you can definitely relate to her feelings. I felt immediately connected to her sarcastic melancholy demeanor right off the bat.
Maggie sees herself as a fraud after writing a bestseller on how to be happy as she has recently been depressed after her fiancé left her for a young acrobat. She's upset not only about that loss but the loss of being reliable. She compares herself to James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, which I read two years ago and do recommend despite the controversy surrounding it. Thanks, Oprah 🙄. As others have said in reviews, Maggie is a bit of a complainer, and that's ok because even she doesn't deny it. But given her situation, I think I may be in the same boat. It's okay to feel that way sometimes, especially in her shoes. So yes, she complains, but for a good reason. Some people's personalities are just that way and I think I could lean towards her sarcasm and skeptical outlook quite often.
Anyway, Maggie's awesome friends force her on a singles cruise to "do more research" in order to feel better about her book and also put her book's recommendations to use on herself. Side note, she travels on Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas. I always sail Royal Caribbean and side note, my next Royal cruise is only 46 days out! It's awesome to feel connected to a character.
Halfway through the book did seem to get a little repetitive. Which is why I knocked a star. At this point, I understood the character traits so much that more action would have been nice; BUT, I LOVED that this book actually developed its characters. I've been reading quite a bit that's been lacking in that department so this was a nice change.
It is a Christian lit book but I don't feel like it's in your face Christian. The characters a bring up church and Maggie discusses her issues with her faith but I didn't feel like it was too much for a non-Christian to dive into.

I posted a poll on my Facebook page the other day, asking, "If you aren't really enjoying a book, do you keep reading and hope it gets better? Or give it up?" The results were almost split down the middle. I'm always torn on this question, but I usually try to keep going for at least a little while before I give up. This week I read a book that really pushed my keep-going limit. But, in the end I did finish it.

An author that I love recommended The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristin Billerbeck, and I've always heard that Kristin's books are really funny, so I decided to give it a try. The story is about Dr. Margaret K. Maguire, the scientist who literally wrote the book on happiness. It was a bestseller, and she was preparing to start researching her second book, when her fiancé broke it off and ran away with an aerial gymnast. Maggie secluded herself in her apartment for two months, seeing no one and going nowhere.

Her two best friends decided she needed an intervention, and they scheduled her to speak onboard a singles cruise to Mexico. On the ship Maggie met and felt instantly attracted to handsome Sam Wellington, but he pushed all of her buttons, and reminded her too much of her ex. So, she determined to have fun and not even think about love and happiness. Interesting, strange and sometimes funny events kept pushing her and Sam together, even when she wanted to be with someone else. In the end it all worked out, like you'd expect, but it was an adventure getting there.

This book was not at all what I expected. Pretty much all of the characters were whiny and selfish. Maggie seemed to have to real direction in her character. I don't know how many times she decided to give up working and just have fun. Or how many times she decided to stop having fun and just work. Her character was obviously depressed, but I felt like her emotions just bounced all over the place, and I was never able to keep up. Everything she did seemed random and weird. She went straight from nearly dying in a fire, to putting on a princess dress and riding a zip line. I don't know how that's even logical.

Her friends were shallow and self-centered, and I wouldn't even consider them to be friends with what was written in this book. Haley was only concerned with saving her own career, and Kathleen was painted as a beautiful, muscular, amazon woman. She didn't seem to serve much purpose at all except to round out the threesome, and tell the other two they were stupid. Haley was by far my least favorite character. She was probably the most whiny and selfish of all. She was determined to have Sam for herself He showed no interest in her, and sought Maggie out repeatedly, but Haley accused Maggie of trying to "take him" from her. Seriously. I found her attitude and actions to be downright embarrassing. She used every available opportunity to humiliate Maggie in front of Sam. That's not okay, and it's not something a friend would do.

Sam was an okay hero. It seemed weird that he pursued Maggie even when she was only rude to him. And when I found out why he was drawn to her in the first place, it was really almost creepy.

Now, you may think from reading this that I hated this book. The truth is, it isn't one of my favorites, but there was something about it that made me keep reading all the way to the end. I guess I kept hoping that the characters would eventually change and things would turn out happily ever after. There were a few moments that had me giggling, and eve once laughing out loud, which helped redeem this book.

If you are already a fan of Kristin Billerbeck, you might enjoy The Theory of Happily Ever After. I didn't, but I may still read more of her work in the future. Since I haven't read any of her other books, I don't really have anything to compare this one to. I really hoped this would be one of the books I could recommend for summer reading, but it isn't. Sorry ya'll!



I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The premise of this book is promising: girl gets dumped, goes on a cruise with friends, and meets the right guy. While this book covers those plot points, it doesn't do it in a way that's endearing. The main character, Maggie, is supposed to be very cerebral, but she comes across as a wishy-washy hot mess. She goes back and forth so many times on her feelings for Sam that it's frustrating, and I can't empathize with that level of indecision. Her interactions with him are confusing, and they spend more time arguing and debating than falling in love. Her two best friends are supposed to be her support, but Maggie spends more time resenting them than bonding with them, and I can understand why. They're not likable, and her friend Haley in particular is just rude. She continues to pursue Sam even after she sees him kissing Maggie. Seriously, what kind of friend is that?!

From what I understand, this book is supposed to be Christian fiction, but the faith element is weak, and Maggie is quick to use derogatory names for people that she doesn't like. I admit that we probably all do that sometimes, but it just threw me off a little to find it in this book.

This was my first book by Kristin Billerbeck. I'll probably read some of her other books to see if they are more enjoyable. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a fun summer read! The setting of a cruise ship makes you feel like you're on vacation. I really enjoyed Maggie, the main character, and her quirky personality. Not just a self-help guru, but a happiness scientist, which means she's super smart; just insecure in her genius. It was fun to follow along on her self-awareness journey in realizing she doesn't have to be perfect to be loved, she doesn't have to try to make everyone happy, and she's beautiful just the way she is. The chemistry between Maggie and Sam is absolutely delicious! Reading about their time together just left me wanting more.

The only negative I found was in Maggie's two best friends, Kathleen and Haley. Both of their personalities are strong and pushy. I'm not sure if this book will be a series, but I felt like both of them need a story of their own just so they can learn some serious life lessons. It was obvious that they both love their friend, but they were very pushy in what they thought Maggie should be doing with her time and career. I was glad to see Maggie stand up for herself to these two.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Theory of Happily Ever After and look forward to reading more from Kristin Billerbeck as this was my first book from her.

The Theory of Happily Ever After
by Kristin Billerbeck
Revell

Christian
Pub Date 01 May 2018




I am reviewing a copy of The Theory Of Happily Ever After through Revell and Netgalley:

Dr Maggie Maguire believes that happiness is a serious science, she takes it seriously like she does herself. But happiness sometimes feels out of reach like when her fiancé dumped her leading her into an ice cream fueled chick flick binge.

Her friend decides to book Maggie on a New Years, New You Cruise in The Gulf of Mexico, afraid that if she doesn't do something, Maggie will never snap out of the depression she had sunk into.

Maggie can't help but wonder if she's qualified to teach others about happiness with everything she had been going through, but when a handsome stranger on board the cruise insists that smart women can't ever find happiness, Maggie sets out to prove him wrong. This journey shows her that true happiness isn't about the head but the heart.


I give The Theory Of Happily Ever After five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Light hearted chick lit. But wait--is it really lighthearted, when a gal is desperately trying to find her way-to happiness after being jilted, to success, and to love.
I found Maggie to be a very easy-to-relate-to character. She struggles with never quite measuring up. She feels responsible to be the person everyone else expects her to be. So much so that she hardly knows what would actually bring her true happiness. And then, when she thinks she might have an idea, she wants to toss it over for her friend.
This book is well written, although the action does feel like it drags a bit in a few parts. However, this author balances it all out well, and the story teaches some valuable life lessons while reaching a satisfying conclusion.

I, on occasion, receive complimentary copies of books from various sources, including but not limited to, publishers and authors. I am not required to post a positive review, this is my honest opinion.

The Theory of Happily Ever After (2018) by Kristin Billerbeck is a standalone Contemporary Christian Romance. This book comes in all forms including eBook, and is 288 pages in length. With a full-time job and a very busy six-year old at home, this novel took me two days to read. I received a copy of this novel in eBook form from Revell Publishing via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my opinion of the story. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give The Theory of Happily Ever After 3.5 STARS.

I am a bit torn with this book. On the one hand, I really love the concept — a happiness MD who is miserable. I mean, that screams hilarity. And, I absolutely love Maggie, the main character. I think she behaves EXACTLY like a person in her position would behave. She endeared herself to me almost immediately. I have been where Maggie is emotionally, so I completely get the sense of loss and exhaustion and depression that she experiences throughout this book. I get that desire to want to do something for yourself instead of doing what is expected of you. BUT, I do not like Maggie’s “best friend”, Haley, and Maggie’s mother. I actually had to put the book down to get away from those characters a couple of times. I also struggled some with the first-person narration. To me, it felt like Maggie is unreliable at times, and I don’t know if that was done on purpose or not.

What I LOVED…
Sam Wellington is FANTASTIC. I would read any book with him in it. He is an excellent hero!!! He is swoon worthy to say the least.
Maggie and how she deals with all the bad that is thrown at her. She is very realistic and funny and self-deprecating. If she were real, I would be her friend.
The singles-cruise setting is fabulous. I found this premise refreshing, unique, and funny!
The Belle (from Beauty and the Beast) costume scene is the BEST scene ever! I laughed so hard.
The first KISS!!! I didn’t see it coming, but loved it so much when I realized it was going to happen. Again, I love Sam Wellington.
The quotes from Maggie’s book that begin each chapter are excellent! I feel like I got to read two books in one.

Best Friend and Mother
I am spoiled. One of the greatest humans on this earth just so happens to be my best friend. Lara is more than a friend to me. She is like my mother, my sister, and my best friend all rolled into one. She knows everything about me, but never uses that against me. She helped me through my first years of teaching, was with me the night I met the man who would be my husband, was at my wedding, got me through one of my lowest periods of life ever, and was the realtor when I bought my first home. I literally trust this lady with my life! She has been with me through highs and lows. She has listened patiently as I cried my guts out in front of her, and has always responded with the sagest of advice. I love Lara very much, and I thank God for blessing me with such a phenomenal friend.

I’m telling you about my best friend so you know that I know what a best friend looks like. Haley is NOT a best friend. Haley is self-centered and selfish.

Haley is supposed to be Maggie’s best friend, but she treats Maggie terribly. She is judgmental at almost every turn. I think, as the reader, I was supposed to get that Haley was speaking “truth” to Maggie, but it never came off that way to me. Several times, my feelings were hurt for Maggie because of the things Haley says. Not once did I actually get the vibe that Haley legitimately cared for Maggie. She never spoke to her respectfully. She never treated Maggie as anything other than a nuisance. Maggie had her whole life turned upside down and was reeling terribly. Instead of being a true friend and helping Maggie through everything, Haley seems to get irritated and offended. It didn’t make me feel like Haley was truly there for her BFF.

Maggie’s mother is completely wretched. There is one phone call in particular that made me so mad, I wanted to throw my book across the room. If I had been reading a paperback copy of this book I would have! I get that in real life there are mean moms. I have a lot of experience with meanness in this area. So, as far as reality goes, the author completely captured a true-to-life mean mom. But for what purpose? All it did in this book was make me dislike Maggie’s mom intensely. It didn’t make me feel like, “Yes! Now the main character will pick herself up by her boot straps, stand up to her mother and her meanness, and make excellent life changes to prove her mother wrong!” Nope. It just made me hurt. And, it just devastated and embarrassed the main character.

First-Person Narration > Unreliable Narrator
I am not a reader who has a problem with first-person narration. I prefer novels that allow me to see both the Heroine and Hero’s sides of things, but I don’t hate first-person. I’m not a fan of the first-person narration in this book though.

The actions of Sam, and the words that came out of Haley’s mouth, many times contradict with what Maggie relays to the reader. I’m not sure if this contradiction was intended by the author or not. I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to see Maggie as so emotionally fried she kept misinterpreting things, or if she is just too much a left-brained character that she can’t interpret people correctly. Maybe it’s a little of both? Also, she would put words into other characters’ mouths, but the actions of the other characters completely contradict what Maggie says. The use of first-person narration in this story made me feel like I couldn’t trust what Maggie said at times, and some of her reactions appear outlandish.

Overall, The Theory of Happily Ever After is an enjoyable book, it just had two aspects that I struggled with. I do recommend this novel. It’s engaging and fast-paced, and there are some really hilarious moments that had me laughing out loud. And, I could relate to a lot of what Maggie goes through and how she deals with it. If you are looking for a contemporary novel that’s quick, easy-to-read, and hilarious at times, check out The Theory of Happily Ever After.

Chick Lit has become less rare than a decade ago, but it’s still around. It’s been a few years since Kristen Billerbeck gave us her brand of chick lit, so learning she had a new book coming out, just in time for summer vacations, had me excited.
 
The concept of The Theory of Happily Ever After is interesting. A scientist who wrote a best-selling book about happiness based on research who is anything but happy dragged on a cruise by her two best friends? What could go wrong?
 
Well, it turns out plenty can go wrong, including a lot of drama. I mean, Maggie has some just plain bad luck on the ship. But she’s got her best friends with her and the attention of two good looking men.
There were a few laugh aloud moments but I saw the potential for a few more than were missed. The biggest missed opportunity in this book was development of some of the supporting characters. One of
 
Maggie’s friend’s starts acting like a middle school mean girl while the other bosses them around. In fact, more often than not, Maggie’s friends come across more bossy than concerned or supportive.
And then there’s the whole issue with the rehashing of about five topics continuously throughout the stories. I mean, I get it, Maggie likes Hallmark movies (for the same reason most of us like Hallmark movies, by the way).
 
While there were some aspects of this book that could have been better examined by leaving out a mention or two (or ten) of aforesaid Hallmark movies, there is a strong theme of finding what brings you happiness, of not letting others decide what you want in life, and of grieving loss instead of burying it.
 
Over all, The Theory of Happily Ever After had some high points and some low points for me which equals an average read. It also left a few unanswered questions about Maggie’s friends which makes me wonder if we’ll be seeing them again in future books.
 
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I found the main character to be extremely annoying and very self-centered. She complained all the time! She liked the hero and then she didn't. He made one statement at the beginning of the book that he apologized for, but she brought it up the rest of the book. I wanted her to get over it already! She constantly questioned whether he liked her, even though he plainly said he did and he had kissed her. I tried to like this book, but I just could not. I found myself wishing for it to be over.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a fun, hilarious story with some surprising depth. I enjoyed getting to know the main character and her friends as they went on a zany adventure!

I enjoyed this book. I loved Maggie, I wanted to jump in the book and help her. I was in stitches at some of the antics that went on with Maggie. This book will have you laughing you wont want to put it down. there was romance, friendship and heartache that was needed healing in this fun book!

As a fan of Kristin Billberbeck's writing (going back to the days of the Ashley Stockingdale series), I was excited to read a recent work of Kristin's. She tackled the hard subjects of depression (not overt) and a scientific question "what makes people happy?" Structurally this was a great book. I loved both of the male heros and their actions left me guessing as to who would win. However, I didn't like the friends, Haley especially. It seemed like all of the dialogue centered around "fixing" Maggie and her current state of depression. After awhile, the repetitive topics got old. Didn't her friends want to talk about anything else...as a friend? There was so much dialogue and not enough external action.
Then Haley turned into a villain which I didn't see coming. There was never any obvious reconciliation between the two of them. If she gets her own story I'm not interested in reading it.
One more great thing to note, Kristin tackles 1st person POV like a pro. I love first person stories!

Theory Of A Happily Ever After Is such a joy to read - get it - joy - you may find yourself laughing out loud that's how much enjoyable this is. This book is set on a cruise - how fun is that? The main character is Maggie the mess - that is what her life is - a mess - all she wants to do is - Hey now I can't tell you everything., you have to find some things out for yourself - now two friends get her to the cruise by - nope you have to find out that too - I will tell you there is romance in the book - now is it with one or more? - interesting. This book does talk about certain types of things that woman like to do when they are depressed about things - they go and watch certain types of these - you have to read it to find out what it is.

The Theory of Happily Ever After is a well written romance. I loved the plot , characters and setting. My first book by this author but not the last. If you are looking for a good clean romantic read I recommend this book.

How can I not love a character that binge watches romance movies and eats ice cream? It is like Kristian Billerbeck is seeing into the lives of her fans. I instantly like Maggie and felt for her as she struggled through different situations. The book seemed to be more fact than fiction. This was my first time reading Billerbeck. Thanks to Netgalley I am reading some great authors who I have never heard of before. I was in the mood for a romance where a strong woman wanted to disapprove what a guy said, and along the way, the couple began to see eye to eye. I was swooning in no time.

Scientist, Dr. Maggie Magguire's life has been turned upside down. Recently dumped by her fiancee, the author of a book on happiness. Maggie spends her days sitting on her sofa eating gelato and watching romance movies until her friends come to the rescue and book her as a guest speaker on a "New Year, New You" cruise to Mexico.

I enjoyed this book, it was fun, witty and full of suspense. The characters were believable and interesting.


Maggie fears she is unqualified because she can't find happiness herself. Then she runs into a handsome stranger who insists that smart women can't be happy, this makes Maggie determined to prove him wrong.
The writer proves that if we listen to God and follow our hearts, happiness will follow.

This is a wonderful book that is hard to put down.

The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristen Billerbeck is such a fun book! Dr. Maggie Maguire is the expert at the science behind happiness, but after a breakup and betrayal by her ex, she is absolutely depressed. When her friends drag her on a singles cruise where she is supposed to pull herself together and give a lecture as the expert she is, absolute mayhem ensues left and right. I thought this book was an absolute delight to read. Overall, it's a fun, light read that's perfect as a summer beach read. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

A fun story by Kristin Billerbeck. This book takes place on a cruise ship as Dr. Maggie Maguire, happiness expert, looks for her happily ever after and the meaning of her life. Of course there's at least one good-looking guy that catches her eye, especially as this is a singles cruise. Perfect summertime reading.

To put it plain and simple—The Theory of Happily Ever After, by Kristin Billerbeck, is So. Much. Fun. It’s been quite a while since a book has made me laugh this much. The wit is superb, yet doesn’t take away the depth of its meaningful spiritual message.

Dr. Maggie Maguire is a unique and intriguing character. She is the author of a successful book revealing the science behind happiness, yet her tumultuous love life makes her feel like a fraud. Who is she to tell anyone anything about happiness when she’s reduced herself to a broken-hearted, gelato-eating, cat-stealing, cheesy-movie-watching couch potato?

Maggie’s two best friends, Haley and Kathleen, secretly book her on a singles cruise where she learns that she must give a speech on her scientific happiness theory. That’s when things go completely awry. Two men show interest in her when she doesn’t want or trust the attention, her publisher has looming expectations, she’s lying to her parents, and her ex is determined to dump a second helping of misery on her plate.

This book is an entertaining rom-com that’s sure to penetrate your heart while offering plenty of high jinks and giggles.

4 Stars

Cover: Like
Title: Love
Pages: 288
Publisher: Revell
First Line: Life is filled with irony.
I was blessed to receive a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Revell.

I’ve always loved Kristin Billerbeck’s books – she has a light touch with her chick-fic which is fun and quirky. So I looked forward to this, her latest. I liked it, but it’s not my favorite one of hers.
The protagonist, Maggie, is a brainy academic who has hit the big time with a huge TED talk and book about finding happiness (she’s a happiness researcher). But she’s hiding at home, bingeing on ice cream, after being dumped. Her friends take her on a cruise where she’s the main speaker.
Was it the premise that troubled me? Seeking happiness feels ephemeral. We find joy in hard times and good times, but happiness to me seems rather dependent on sunshine and things going well in our lives. Also, although Maggie said she was a Christian, her faith didn’t seem integral to how she lived.
The story does delve into deep issues at times, and I really liked the character of Sam, but I didn't feel I knew who the real Maggie was.