Ahh this was such an excellent contemporary romance. It really contains a bit of everything-- mystery, suspense, romance, wonderful characters, and an added bit of paranormal activity. I have to say I have never read any books by Therese Beharrie, but I want to now! I loved how she discusses everyday troubles, it made for such a relatable read. I also enjoyed the diversity among the characters and the great setting. I was hooked form the start!

Included as a top pick in bimonthly November New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

We reviewed this book on our podcast which I am linking below. Both cohosts recommended and we had things we enjoyed and some things we would have liked to see more of. Our episode goes in to much greater detail.

Witchy romance is my new favorite genre and although this story wasn't exactly of a witch it was in the same vein and definitely hit all the right notes for me. Gaia literally dreamed her novels or her dreams wrote her novels or something magical like that. It was all so fun and excited and mysterious especially when you added hard working and super sexy Jacob (her best friends little brother!). These two were explosive from the moment they met and although they had good reasons for keeping apart, I loved seeming them build something between them that was separate from Jacob's brother.

Gaia was a bit of a homebody, reluctant to spend time with people but her personality was that of a spitfire full of charm and wit. She exhibits so much personal growth during he book and although I was impressed with her at the start, she definitely ends in a better place. Jacob, who starts out with everything together also went through a metamorphosis that left him stronger and more confident than ever. The author did an excellent job of helping the reader see beyond surface level to the character within and pull out the struggle in a seamless and nuanced way.

The romance was funny and beautiful and super swoony. BUT there was a side story going with one of Gaia's fans that stuck out and I am excited to explore it further in book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC for an honest review!

My my my ... This book was excellent! One of my top three tomances of the year.

The relationships were so thorough and complex I felt trapped to keep reading. I loved it all from the very first minute.

Gaia is one of my favorite heroines. She's so relatable in the best sense of the word. Her journey helped acknowledge some of my own anxiety. She's simply remarkable.

Jacob was the perfect love interest. His support and faith in Gaia made me fall for him almost as fast as Gaia did. His personal growth towards the end of the book is quite refreshing.

Therese Beharrie is so incredibly funny, her writing feels like a warm cup of tea :) . I cannot wait for her next book!

Unfortunately I did not finish. I thought the concept of the story was really really interesting, but felt the writing was elementary and didn't hold my attention. It took me a week to get through the first 30% of the book and, at the end, it was not a romance that connected well with me.

When I think of romance, think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day. This one took by surprise!

Gaia is a successful romance author who spends most of her time alone at home writing or with her best friend Seth, Seth wants to change that and for Gaia to know more people and make more friends, so he invites her to a party at his house. Gaia goes to this party with a book and spends her time in corners avoiding people until she meets Jacob, Seth's younger brother.
This story is all over the place , there are multiple plots happening at the same time. Gaia Anderson is an author of romance novels who does not believe in love but has a unique gift that has helped propel her books to popularity. She also has debilitating anxiety from childhood trauma, a possible obsessed stalker and comes across a bit delusional.
I did not like the gift the Gaia had where she dreamt anything that she wrote. and wanted to know more about how the stalker (sister) found Gaia and their story together,

DNF. I like the premise, and I was really intrigued by the heroine, Gaia, due to her anxiety and the fact that she’s a romance author. But I found the rest of it so difficult to gel with. The pacing between dreams and reality is jarring. And none of the characters are likable. Jacob was a huge WTF to me…like, he ended up sleeping with a married woman due to lack of self-control, and “she came onto him.” And then, there’s his brother, Seth, who is also Gaia’s “best friend.” He stops speaking to Gaia when he finds out what’s going on between her and Jacob, and I was just like, “why are best friend’s sibling romances so toxic?” Yes, maybe he’s bad news, but tell her that, don’t abandon her to the wolves! And other reviews hint at family drama for Gaia too…it’s just a lot of toxicity for a book billed as a romcom.

I started out enjoying this book. I loved Gaia's weird sense of humor and bluntness. And Jacobs's suave demeanor. It was cute and you really wanted them to succeed. Then out of nowhere the paranormal aspect came into play and hits me in the face which made the plot seem like it was all over the place. The dream part was really confusing and hard to follow at times as well. There was a lot of going back and forth which made the book seemed like it drag on and on.

I had a hard time rating this book because I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. So I was going back and forth between a 2 or a 3 star.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This was so a cute book! I loved the representation and their storyline. Gosh my heart. Is it too soon to read again?

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 Q: do you tend to remember your dreams?

Therese Beharrie’s And They Lived Happily Ever After features a concept I haven’t read before: what if whatever story you wrote down turns into a dream starring you as the protagonist that night? That would probably be more exciting if you were a romance writer, like Gaia Anders is in the book.

Gaia grew up in foster care & now prefers to stay away from other people. While taking 5 at a party she re-encounters Jacob Scott, her best friend’s younger brother who’s now a hot workaholic. They kiss IRL which doesn’t happen a lot for either of them.

Then Gaia writes a story and like usual, Jacob shows up in her dreams only not like usual, he’s aware that he’s in Gaia’s dreams & his mind is kinda blown.

Beharrie powerfully shows how Dream Life & Real Life compare & contrast for Gaia & the potential dangers of Gaia being able to write & live temporarily in a life that feels “safe” to her. Gaia lives with anxiety & fears of abandonment & Beharrie captures her wariness in a way that’s convincing but was also frustrating at times for me bc as a reader I wanted Gaia to trust Jacob (& be more willing to engage w/ her fears) a little faster 🙃.

The book itself doesn’t always feel like an effortless reading experience for me & the first chapter is a little bumpy—especially in terms of explaining the premise—but the convos about writing romance & being a woman “taking up space,” the dorky & sexy hero, the reference to Gaia’s cellulite & her willingness to “teach him what she liked” are all lovely.

This is one of those reads that’s a little hard to characterize but it boils down to: there’s a lot here to appreciate but the execution doesn’t always work for me.

4 ⭐️. Release date: 11/30.​

[ID: the ebook rests on a flatlay of assorted pink romances, all placed on a white fabric dotted with gold dots.]

DNF at 20%

I really wanted to love this but it just wasn't working for me. I was a little confused about what was going on, and I was having a hard time buying into what was happening.

One big issue I had was with the dialogue. I wish there were more tags; I couldn't keep up with who was speaking.

I've been looking forward to this book, having heard good things about Beharrie's category romances, but I'm afraid the writing style isn't for me. Within a few chapters I found myself skimming, and the attraction between Gaia and Jacob is instant, not earned. I'd still like to try her other books, but I'm sadly setting this one aside at 23%.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was an interesting mix of fun, romance, and banter and more weighty issues like mental health and the foster care system. Gaia's magical ability was really cool and was worked into the story quite well.

I really enjoyed the start of this book, but as it progressed there were some things that detracted from that enjoyment. Seth's reaction to finding Gaia (his best friend) and Jacob (his brother) kissing was so bad. He treats Gaia absolutely awfully for no reason, even though they've been best friends for 12 years by this point, and then he proceeds to not talk to her for almost the whole rest of the book. By the time we get his apology and explanation near the end of the book (and the explanation for his behaviour is honestly quite horrible and Gaia should have dumped him as a friend right then and there but anyway), it didn't feel genuine because it initially came off as a romantic-jealousy thing and we got nothing in the middle to challenge that. The only thing I liked about that situation was that Gaia didn't feel like she had done something wrong and needed to apologise to him.

The other thing that was really weird to me was the whole situation with Gemma. I understand that she didn't want to just straight up say "I'm your sister" the first time they met, but it was SO obvious that she was lying about being Gaia's fan and she still went with it anyway. And Gaia's reaction to the whole thing made very little sense to me. You'd think someone with anxiety would be much more weirded out/anxious about someone who literally admits to stalking her. Gaia says she has a 'gut feeling' that Gemma isn't going to hurt her, but honestly that's kind of ridiculous, because it implies that our gut feelings/first impressions of people are always correct which they're often not.

Gaia's romance with Jacob started out quite well but as it progressed I started to not really like it much. Jacob's character was a very confusing mixture of sweet and cold. I thought he overreacted to the whole magic side of things. Of course it's unbelievable at first, but I wasn't very sympathetic to the ways he felt like it intruded into his life. Additionally, I found it very frustrating that he was always asking Gaia to open up about her issues and anxiety but he never offered anything in return, so it felt like Gaia was in the dark about his issues for a while; I didn't like how unbalanced that was in their relationship.

Overall there were some good things about this book (the magic, representation, explorations of the trauma that inadequate foster care causes etc.) but I think the story and the romance was drawn out a little too much for my liking, and the issues with the book unfortunately outweighed my enjoyment of the rest of it.

This was a cute read with charming, well-developed characters. I enjoyed the magic and how it was woven into the story - it was well done. I really liked how the book started - quick pace and right to the meet cute. Unfortunately I think that made the progression of the story (and the main relationship) drag in comparison. And, honestly, the banter was so over-the-top suggestive that the slow burn and low steam of the relationship made me feel line I was constantly waiting for something that never came.

I loved the representation of anxiety in this book, but I'm quite disappointed with the friendship.

Seth and Gaia are best friends and have been for over a decade, but Seth's reaction to the kiss was... not good. It only makes it worse that Seth knew about Gaia's anxieties and he still reacted like that.

I also think that the book ended very abruptly and way too fast. Gaia and her sister's story just felt incomplete.

I did really enjoy the pacing in the book, but I think the thing that really kept me going was the anxiety representation, ant that's why this book stays in the middle-rating for me.

I’m thankful for this arc but I’m quite disappointed with this supposedly “best friends brothers” romance. This did not feel like a best friends brother romance at all. Actually, Seth is a terrible best friend and I did not like this book. Seth and Gaia have been best friends for 12 years. She has no family or friends other than Seth. She gets caught kissing his brother and Seths reaction was awful. Rant review time.

1. Seth goes an entire month without speaking to her. They don’t speak to each other until the 77% mark. Seth knew for a fact (he later admits) that Gaia was waiting for the day that Seth didn’t want her anymore. That she’s used to people leaving her due to her experience in foster care but he goes an entire month not speaking to her?? Letting her feel rejected once again but by her supposed best friend if 12 years?? It was actually a little over a month. How is that a best friend?

2. At 91% (yup best friends for 12 years but we don’t get the apology until the 91% mark) Seth says, and I quote “I know you expect me to stop being your friend” and then he says it’s because he inherited his fathers need to be wanted. What’s worse is that he says “I knew for a long time that you had anxiety problems - panic attacks when things got overwhelming - and I did nothing about it because it meant that you needed me” so he let her go years without therapy because HE wanted to feel wanted??

He hurt her by ignoring her for a month WHICH HE KNEW HE WAS DOING. And on top of that he knew she needed therapy for her panic attacks but he was selfish and needed to feel wanted so he let her go all these years with panic attacks and self isolation instead of legit help. Not a best friend

3. So Gaia meets her sister at the 86% mark. Her sister was adopted but not Gaia and she never knew any of her family. Her family refused to adopt her so she was in foster care until she turned 18. So she meets her sister and goes two weeks ignoring her and then finally had a conversation with her at the 98% mark and they barely talk and then the book abruptly ends. That’s it. Gaia spent her whole life feeling rejected but doesn’t speak to her sister for a few weeks and then we the readers FINALLY get to see them sit and talk with each other but it was at the last page and just small talk??

Honestly, when I read that last page it felt like the book was incomplete. It just abruptly ends and was unsatisfying. Not only that but the romance wasn’t good enough. It was just Gaia having anxiety problems and Jacob suffering with keeping his family together and them sharing dreams together but as Gaia’s characters. It wasn’t them, it was her characters and it wasn’t a romance. Her own best friend barely spoke to her making it not even feel like a true best friends brother romance. I’m grateful to have received this arc but did not like this book

Things I loved: magic, anxiety rep, personal growth, black romance, best friend's brother/ brother's best friend
Things I didn't love: N/A!
I can't say enough good things about this book! The magic adds just enough to the story to differentiate it from other romances. It moves the story along, adding just enough surprise. The anxiety representation felt authentic and made me incredibly proud of Gaia at the end. Gaia's personal growth was beautiful to watch, especially learning about herself and her vulnerability.
Overall I recommend this to anyone who loves romance with magical elements and a little self-discovery.
Rating: 4.5/5

This is a paranormal contemporary romance and that's a thing I didn't expect going in and sadly, did not work that well for me.

I loved the story as a contemporary romance - a writer heroine is a difficult past and undiagnosed and untreated anxiety, a kind and caring hero who is her best friend's brother. He has his hands full with keeping the family business going and his family together and no intention or time for falling in love. They seem like an unlikely couple of the surface over the story we see how they actually make a perfect fit. There is a lot of internal conflict to their relationship which is my catnip in romance and I enjoyed reading about it.

At the same time the story has a strong paranormal element that didn't work for me at all. Gaia has magical dreams related to her writing which I admit I didn't fully understand how they worked. And thny because of her romantic connection she has with Jacob, he gets to share and participate in her dreams. It was all very weird for me and felt it didn't add anything to the story for me, only made me confused and annoyed. I think this would have been a great contemporary romance with out the paranormal aspect. I definitely would have enjoyed it more.
I really liked how Gaia's anxiety, mental health struggles were presented, we get to follow her on her journey of realising she has issues, through defining them and seek the proper way to deal with them. At the same time Jacob's support and care for her was phenomenal while coming face to face with some hard truths about his own life. It was the happiness they felt when they were together that helped them realise how unhappy and unfulfilled they have been up to that point and it acted a catalyst for them to be more daring and to reach out for the things they wanted.

Some plot points seemed too much and overall they served just as a distraction from the main story. I was not happy with the resolution of her magic in the end. There is also a spoiler for the next book right on the final pages and it left me baffled and once again asking my self "Why, Why go there at all?"

The writing is great, as I have come to expect from Therese Beharrie, the sense of place is tangible (Cape Town), the slow burn romance and the complex family relations round it are awesome. I would have absolutely loved it if it wasn't for the magic bits, as it is it I have mixed feelings about it and would only recommend with the caveats mentioned in my review.

CW: undiagnosed anxiety, panic attacks, mental health issues, death of parents (in the past), foster care and adoption (in the past)