This witty romance comedy may just be the cruise you’ve been looking to take!

Dr. Maggie Maguire is a scientist who has been wrapped up in her work studying the different causes and effects to happiness. She even wrote a bestselling book and giving talks with her fiancée. Unfortunately, things happen and her happiness is shattered when her fiancée breaks it off and immediately takes up with an acrobat who he soon marries. This, of course, sends poor Maggie to the brink of watching Hallmark movies while eating gallons of eggnog ice cream. Fortunately, she has two friends that recognize what is happening and realize the best way to get her to move on is to put her back in the saddle. So, they book her on a cruise, which sounds great until Maggie learns that she is one of the speakers on the cruise. Now faced with anxiety of telling people about happiness when she lost her own, Maggie begins the process of starting over with love. And what better place to find it than on a singles cruise in the Gulf of Mexico!

Overall this book was an enjoyable read. The writing is extremely witty throughout the book and makes you laugh out loud a few times. The scenes were set really well with the cruise and describing the activities throughout really kept the progress steady. However, many people may find Maggie’s character annoying throughout much of the book. She does whine a lot at first and then makes some decisions throughout the book that can leave readers scratching their head. By the end of the book, you can see that Maggie has actually had a lot of personal growth. More so than her friends. The romance triangle of having two guys vying for Maggie’s attention was interesting, but sometimes not completely realistic. In many ways, it was like watching a Hallmark movie but hoping for more of a real life feel. Don’t take it too serious. Just enjoy it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The premise of this book seemed fun and the fact that the main character is a scientist really interested me.
This book was fun and there’s no doubt towards the writer’s talent.
Maybe it’s because I’ve read to many “serious books” lately and took me a while to get into a “more relaxed book” mode, but I didn’t connect with the main character. She seemed immature at times and I really wanted to shake some sense into her.
Nevertheless, a novel taking place on a cruise was fun and there were some tender moments when the characters started asking serious questions.
I will still read other books from this author.

I had not read anything by Kristen Billerbeck in awhile and was excited when I saw she was publishing a new novel. Her books usually are in the chick lit category and The Theory of Happily Ever After fits this theme. Dr. Maggie MacGuire is an author who specializes in happiness, but falls into a depression after a broken engagement. Her friends take her on a cruise to help her revive her life and career. Along the way she catches the attention of two gentleman and proceeds to find her own worth. It will be a great beach read for the summer!

I enjoyed this book, however it was not my favorite. Kristin Billerbeck has been one of my favorite authors for a long time – it was one of her books many years ago that really got me into reading and I have always enjoyed her witty writing, so I was very excited to see a new book by her. There were several things that I really enjoyed about the book, however there were a couple of things that made this not one of my favorites. This is written in first person, which I loved. There were lots of fun moments that had me laughing, and I enjoyed the cruise setting. The story was an interesting concept, a scientist who is studying happiness; however she is not truly happy herself.

I did enjoy that this was a light easy read, and I liked that there was some depth to the issues that the characters were dealing with. At first glance, it may seem that Maggie is thrown for a loop due to a breakup with her fiancé. However her issues went deeper to dealing with unresolved grief from her childhood. As the story unfolds, we see Maggie starting to deal with her grief, and recognizing that some of the issues that seem to be on the surface are really deeper seated than what they appear. I found myself not fully connecting with Maggie’s character. I enjoyed a lot about her – especially her love for Hallmark movies, but at times she felt annoying and repetitive.

I also struggled with the characters of Maggie's best friends. At first it seemed like they had her best interest at heart and were genuinely trying to help her, however as we got further into the story they were more annoying and not very supportive of her, being too critical and just looking out for their own interests. This didn’t seem to me like how her true adult friends would act towards her.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley.
Opinions expressed in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Interesting premise, and loads of potential. However, it just didn't cut it for me. After the first chapter, I wasn't sure I would keep reading. The characters felt like the author was trying too hard to be clever with witty banter, and for me it fell flat. For Maggie to be such an analytical, left-brained person, she certainly threw caution to the wind on several occasions rather than use logic to think through those situations. And her friends were super annoying. I was like listening to junior high conversations. I felt the author wanted us to 'get' that Maggie didn't feel worthy, but she pounded the idea to death. And the mother...please. Ugh. Based on this book alone I don't know whether I would read another from her, and certainly not if this becomes a series. Also, the mentions of God were few and far between, and many decisions made by Maggie and co had nothing to do with their Christian faith. It was like it was just a token tossed in to keep the book within that genre. Not my type of book!

I have had a hard time deciding how to review this book. I liked it on many levels but there were times that I got frustrated with the characters. Maggie Maguire, PhD, is a professor studying the science of happiness and has a bestselling book on the subject. She goes on a self imposed sabbatical after her fiance' Jake dumps her to marry someone else. She holes up in her apartment for a couple of months, not even telling her parents of the breakup. They adore Jake. Her two best friends sign her (and them) up for a singles' cruise to Mexico to speak and promote her book-all without telling her. They love her and want to snap her out of her depression. They mean well but come across as snarky, pushy and quite irritating at times. Maggie deals with issues by ignoring them, a trait carried over from childhood. This is very frustrating to her friends and they fuss at her more. Haley is her publicist and is concerned that if Maggie doesn't get her life on track, it will affect her own career. The new publisher is on board ship with them and this adds pressure to the situation. On the ship, Maggie meets a couple of guys that are interested in getting to know her. Brent is a fun loving guy who gets her out of her comfort zone and Sam is a quiet man with a sad past and is concerned with what Maggie is going through. His sister is the new publisher. Sam and Maggie are drawn to each other by their past. In a winding path with ups, downs, twists and turns, Maggie has to finally face her situation head on and stop burying her head in the sand. I was pulling for Maggie to stand up for herself and take her own advice for happiness. Her faith helps her finally see her way through her issues and see her own self worth. Overall, this was a good book that I enjoyed and wanted to finish quickly to see how things worked out.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions stated are mine.

I have read other books by this author and really enjoyed them. This one, not so much. Written in the first person, a view I have no problem with, it was really on the bland side. The main character has been dumped and is taken on a cruise by her two friends. Dr. Maggie is a relationship expert, but she has no clue here. She is rude, condescending and I did not connect with her character at all. Really, I didn't connect with any of the characters at all. Well, Sam's character was the best of the bunch and his was not all that great. The spiritual aspect was good, but even that did not redeem this cast of uninspiring and uninteresting characters.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book via Net Galley all opinions are my own.

I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, we have a character who has been deeply hurt, and still bears the scars of childhood hurts, and who is working through her grief while maintaining a facade that life has a fairytale ending. On the other hand, the characters are really juvenile, and sometimes I just want to smack some sense into them. I enjoyed the setting...along the Mexican coast...and felt like I was cruising right along with them. It goes back and forth between being a serious book addressing her issues and being a silly, at times inane, book of pettiness. At the heart of the book is the question of life...who is she? What purpose does her life have? Where does she belong? It is this journey for answers that kept me reading until the very end.

I’m torn. There were parts of this book I really liked. The premise of it—a science of happiness expert whose still searching for happiness herself—was great. And being in a situation singles cruise had the set up for some funny moments. Also, it’s written in first person and I love that. The problem is that I didn’t love Maggie. I found her annoying at times and repetitive. Kind of wanted to shake her. Wanted to shake her friends, especially Hailey, too. I really liked Sam though. And loved the deeper, spiritual message although I think it got lost a bit with the drama between Maggie, Hailey, and Sam.

This book was fun. I laughed out loud long and hard a time or two. Even though Dr. Maggie Maguire is a happiness scientist, she’s not very happy herself, and this makes her wonder if she’s a fraud. Her friends force her to take a singles’ cruise, not telling her she’s the speaker, to get her out of her funk. While her friends do some amazing things for Maggie, at times they are brutally harsh with her. I found that hard to take. The fact that someone Maggie has just met seems to get her more than they do is just plain sad.
Maggie is so beaten down, she doesn’t feel she’s worth loving. Two men, who may be polar opposites, show an interest in her. I loved Brent’s fun, outlook on life and appreciated Sam’s observant thoughtfulness. Both help Maggie grow in their own ways. But which one is a keeper? Or will Maggie return to grieving her ex-fiance?
This was the first book I’ve read by this author and it will definitely not be my last. I enjoyed the quirky characters and the great descriptions and colorful imagery. It was a treat. Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.

A really fun book. If you are looking for a book that you want to grab on the way to the beach or vacation, I would recommend this one.
Poor Maggie has been thrown for a loop in life and is struggling to get her momentum and focus back. Her friends wisk her away on to a singles cruise and the fun begins.
Filled with laughable moments this book was just the kind of light-hearted read I needed.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book. My opinion is my own.

"Forgetting the pain isn't the answer - feeling the love we had is."

Kristin Billerbeck spins a youthful, snarky, aching yet hopeful tale between a down-in-the dumps happiness scientist/researcher Maggie and a brooding contemplative Sam set during a singles cruise to Mexico. It is told in first person present tense from Maggie's perspective, which helps the reader really get into her brain but does lead the plot to slow down at times because Maggie is stubborn and somewhat clueless or sometimes simply doesn't get what is happening around her. Maggie and Sam both have tragic pasts and they're looking for and hoping for that "something" to help them get back to who they were before life's circumstances changed them. Maggie's life has imploded both personally and professionally and her best friends Kathleen and Haley drag her to this singles cruise to be a speaker and also to get back her groove.
At first, I had some trouble connecting with Maggie, Kathleen, and Haley. They are all in their early thirties and professionals but are quite selfish, whiny, and a bit mean. Maggie does mature through the book, though, and I did find myself empathizing with her. She's the nerdy girl who is socially awkward who just really wants to be loved for who she is, not what she can do. Her understanding of God's grace and love is a touching moment in the story.
The plot has plenty of comedy as well as sharply-edged dialogue.
If you enjoy contemporary rom-com, you will certainly enjoy this newest offering from Kristin Billerbeck.

I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group via Interview and Reviews. I was not required to write a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own and subjective.

I have absolutely no clue what I just read. And that's not a good thing. The story line is bland and the characters annoying. From the main character who's complaining got old by chapter one to her best friends who I wouldn't want to hang around with under any circumstances ever.

These so-called "Theories" of Happily Ever After are annoying as the main character does absolutely nothing but sulk for 90 percent of the book. Even the witty writing could not save this book.

I don't recommend this one.

As a huge fan of Kristin Billerbeck’s since way back, I think I picked up my first Billerbeck novel in 2004, I’m very surprised by this latest book. I’ve been waiting excitedly for it to come out and unfortunately I’m disappointed. I hate to give a negative review, but this book felt like kind of a mess.

The characters felt flat and awkward to me. Not actual fleshed out people but caricatures to embody certain tropes and push the narrative one way or another. The main character’s voice shifted so much throughout the novel it felt like parts had been written separately over a long period of time and then awkwardly cobbled together. I realize books are written in parts over time, but you’re not supposed to be able to tell. The faith based element was clumsy and felt tacked on. Basically everything about the book felt awkward and clumsy. I didn’t find it humorous, or romantic, or entertaining.

Personally I find Hallmark movies so poorly acted and ridiculously cheesy that I can’t even watch them. If that’s what this book was going for, then I think it captures that awkward Hallmark movie essence perfectly.

Welcome back, Kristin Billerbeck! It’s been quite a while since we saw a new novel from her, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to review her newest, The Theory of Happily Ever After.

The story is classic Billerbeck — three friends (all diverse in personality and interests), and a romance that is both romance and comedy (woven with a flair of women’s fiction). Billerbeck’s stories, while costumed in chick lit hilarity, have always offered their readers a chance to engage with life and truth. This one does the same.Theoryof

The Theory of Happily Ever After is the story of a research-focused academic who gets jilted right before her wedding. She ends up on a cruise ship, courtesy of well-meaning & intervening friends, where she’s challenged to discover the life she wants and how to boldly claim it.

While this one didn’t contain as much sparkle for me as some of her earlier books, it was still a solid work. The nuggets of truth sprinkled throughout the novel touched my heart and mind as I considered what it means to walk through the debris of a plan gone awry.

Particularly unique to this story was the idea that sometimes we just don’t know what we want. There have been plenty of stories I’ve read that contain some amount of disillusionment — as the main character discovers that the perfect life he/she imagined wasn’t so perfect after all. But this story offered a nuanced twist, as the main character struggles to answer questions about her abilities, her calling, and how the two may not actually intersect as she once thought. What happens when you begin to question the life you used to find comfort in? What happens when that life no longer holds the peace or certainty it once did? And what happens when your friends don’t understand your need for something different and an almost-stranger seems to get you more than you get yourself?

I loved Billerbeck’s take on what it means to be seen, really seen, when you don’t even know what’s going on in your life. And how insight from a stranger can be blessed and inspired by God – even if it makes you highly uncomfortable and, at times, even angry.

The Theory of Happily Ever After was pleasant and thought-provoking. It was the Billerbeck I’ve always known: Ready to weave together truth with circumstances on steroids.

The Theory of Happily Ever After is a romantic comedy with a hidden, tender heart.

Maggie might be a doctor on the science of happiness- and she has a bestseller to prove it- but that doesn’t mean she has all the answers. So when her fiancé leaves her for another woman, she is unsure how to move forward. Overwhelmed with the choices she must now make to direct her future research, resume her employment in the same place as her ex, and finish (or actually start) her next book, she finds that ice cream and movies are the only cure. Until her friends drag her on a cruise for singles where, surprise, Maggie is to be a guest speaker. Can Maggie prove to her friends, the handsome stranger who challenges her research, and ultimately to herself that she has the power to change her life and choose what she wants?

I found that I had to really dig deep to enjoy this book. It has an excellent message and a tender heart buried underneath all the distractions and complications, but it took a bit of perseverance to uncover it. I could cope with the endless putting down of herself and whining that Maggie frequently engages in. Sometimes everyone needs to indulge in a little wallowing, right? I could look past the repetition of stating the same things over and over (the word gelato or ice cream is used over 20 times in just the first few chapters. So what if Maggie is eating ice cream. Who cares????!!). I could overlook the friend-shaming and competition over a man’s interest between friends. But the woman shaming, the “dumb and willing” labels of another woman who we know nothing about was just plain juvenile and unnecessary. Yet underneath all that is a story about a woman who is seriously hurting- not from heartbreak over a broken engagement, but from a grief that runs much deeper and from an upbringing that taught her to doubt herself and chase success rather than fulfilment. It was this story of Maggie finally realising the power she has over her own future that I enjoyed.

The Theory of Happily Ever After is an inspirational story and references to Christianity, church and God are sprinkled throughout. Yet the characters remain distinctly human - flaws, jealousy, judgment, mistakes, and all. The setting - a cruise along the Mexico coastline - is a lighthearted setting for this lighthearted novel and plenty of hilarity ensues, mostly at Maggie’s expense.

Sometime inane, sometimes downright ridiculous, The Theory of Happily Ever After is a lighthearted examination of moving forward, finding the right you and following a new path for your life, even if it means standing up to your friends, family, and everything you have been taught all your life. And while a happy ending might not be a solution to problems in the real world, it’s fun (if a little chaotic) to join Maggie on her journey to a happy ending.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

I enjoy cruising and I love reading books where the characters are also cruising. For that reason, I enjoyed this book. Throughout much of the book, I could imagine myself on the cruise with the characters and I also felt the characters were pretty much relatable. What I didn't enjoy so much was the "Christian" theme throughout the book. This book is labeled as Christian fiction, however, I don't feel there is much Christian fiction about it. This was one aspect I was excited to read about - see how the Christian main character experiences days on a cruise ship, etc. However, the Christian lines and characteristics felt forced. They seemed like an after thought to the story and characters. This book would better be labeled as romance fiction. Overall, it was a nice story that kept me guessing what might happen next.

This is the first book that I have read by Ms. Billerbeck. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! The positive quotes at the beginning of the chapter were beneficial to gain a positive perspective on life and happiness. Not only did this book make you take an introspective look at oneself, but it was funny and comical at times. This tale is about Dr. Maggie Maguire who is a research and statistical fanatic. Her specialty is “happiness.” However, it is hard to tell others how to be happy, when you are miserable. This book takes the reader on a journey of how Dr. Maguire finds the key to happiness. There is a romantic story to be told for those who enjoy romance. I highly recommend this book! You will not be disappointed.
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, this is my own opinion.

The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristin BillerbeckI really liked the premise of this book. Self-help author falls apart, gets forced on a cruise by her friends, finds love hate with the man of her dreams who has Big Secrets. Seemed very similar to Breathing Room which is a favorite I reread fairly often.

I wish the description of the book had been a little more explicit that it had Christian overtones. It's fine to read when it's done well but the religious themes were wedged in with a fairly heavy hand (jamming a Bible into a character's hand then prolonged wondering about why it's there... really?) that became distracting. It was neither this though nor the first-person-narrative that dropped this down a star for me. It was a fairly pleasant if unexciting read except that it pitted the narrator against her friend for the interest of a man. Just, no. And, ew, can we just get rid of that trope already?

For those that don't mind that trope or spots of Christianity or first-person narrative, this is generally a light and fluffy read that you would probably enjoy.

Two and a half stars
This book comes out May 1
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

I have a psych degree and took several classes on Happiness and Contentment specifically. As such, I was ridiculously excited to read this one. But, to be honest, it was hard to get through. To use the author's favorite word, it was mostly "drivel". The characters were extremely difficult to like, and the plot and writing style hard to follow. I think the premise might've been okay, but it just didn't work out in practice. There were several points were I actually had to backtrack to try and figure out exactly what was going on; not something I'm used to doing. I'm hoping those moments were because this copy is missing something, possibly due to the fact that it's not the final copy? Mostly though, the characters made me angry.