Such a fun and quirky story! Great queer rep in an exciting and creative world with the added spice of a found family. Internal monologues can be hit or miss with me, especially those that tend towards silly/quirky but this was pretty pitch perfect.

its one of the slowest of slow burns i have ever read and, yet, i feel like everything important occurred before the first page. i will admit it does have its moments of cuteness and humour. if you like trope-based romances that nod to fairy tales, then this is the book for you. but i was just hoping for a little more plot, depth, and development.

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So This Is Ever After

Here's a book review of "So This Is Ever After" by F.T. Lukens:

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So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

"So This Is Ever After" is a delightful, humorous young adult fantasy that subverts common tropes in the genre. The story takes place after the typical "chosen one" narrative, where the hero has defeated the villain and saved the kingdom. However, in this tale, the chosen one, Arek, finds himself in a precarious position. As a temporary measure, his best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued (My Book Joy, Unconventional Quirky Bibliophile). However, things become complicated when the true heir is found dead, and Arek discovers that he must choose a spouse by his eighteenth birthday to prevent his own demise (Goodreads).

The novel features a diverse cast of characters, including Arek, Matt, Sionne, Bethany, Lila, and Rion, each with their own unique personalities (TV Tropes, Unconventional Quirky Bibliophile). The characters are well-developed, relatable, and their relationships with each other drive the plot forward.

One of the standout aspects of "So This Is Ever After" is its exploration of themes rarely seen in young adult fantasy. The story delves into the consequences of being the chosen one, the pressures of leadership, and the complexities of growing up (Smart Bitches, Trashy Books). It also shines in its portrayal of queerness, normalizing LGBTQ+ relationships and identities in a way that feels authentic and refreshing (Goodreads).

F.T. Lukens' writing is engaging, witty, and perfectly captures the voice of the teenage protagonist. The world-building is vivid, drawing inspiration from Arthurian legend and fairy tale tropes, but with a unique twist (The Book Wyrm's Den). The pacing is well-balanced, with a mix of action, humor, and heartfelt moments.

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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So This Is Ever After follows chosen one Arek and his group of prophesied friends after they defeat the great evil of the land. Arek gets stuck with the responsibility of king, and he must find his soulmate by his 18th birthday in order to remain king... and remain alive in general.
This is ADORABLE. I loved the group's dynamics, their banter and personalities were so passionate to read about. Specifically with the main couple, I loved the parallels not only with the failed confessions and general himbo nature of Arek, but with the princess's diary and how their intended romantic schemes went awry in the best way. A small additional note: I appreciated the queer energy of this book in the sense that while there's no explicit labels, this is a very explicitly LGBTQ accepting society. It doesn't hit the reader over the head with anything like "Arek is pansexual!" but it is very apparent, which I liked a lot.
If I were to gripe about anything, I would say that I didn't love how the characters spoke in a very modern, contemporary tone. That being said, it worked for this plot structure and general "silly D&D" energy so I forgive it.
It's relatively simple, it's very cute and fun, and it has the exact energy of a D&D campaign complete with schemes, quips, and shenanigans. 5 stars!

A fun story but felt like I was dropped in the middle of it instead of the beginning and there weren't flashbacks to really fill in the gaps. Always love seeing queer people being themselves though in a story where their queer identity isn't part of the drama.

This had potential but I had an issue with it: the story started AFTER the prophecy ended. Reading about the prophecy and everything that happened in the nine months up to the Vile One being killed would have been epic. I didn’t like the mentions of the prophecy and things that happened because I kept going “I would have liked to read that!” So can we get a prequel pretty please?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I was very excited when I read the description of this book–"Carry On meets Arthurian legend"? Count me in!!! Those are two of my favorite things to read.

It didn't quite live up to my expectations.

To summarize: the story follows Arek, a boy who somehow became the hero of a prophecy and who's successfully managed to rid his country of it's evil ruler, helped by the rag-tag group of companions he picked up along the way. In an attempt to avoid further unsavory usurpations of the vacant throne, Arek's best friend (and skilled mage) Matt recommends he temporarily assume the crown–just until they find the rightful heir. Except she's dead. In fact she's been dead for quite some time. And it looks like Arek's temporary guardianship of the throne is set to become a permanent thing. Doesn't sound like the worst resolution to a quest. Except for the fact that Arek needs to find a soul mate ASAP to fulfill the rules of magic. And seeing as he's already in love with someone, this creates a bit of a conundrum for him. And, yeah, to make things that much worse? He'll die if he doesn't bond with someone before his eighteenth birthday, which is is less than three months away.

Intriguing, right?
No mention of Arthurian legend anywhere there though, other than the fact that Arek picked up his sword from a bog.
I didn't find the three dimensional characterization and layered themes here, as I did in Carry On. That was disappointing.

I found the characters, despite being initially engaging, lacked depth and their arcs didn't really seem to give them much character growth. The side characters had potential but they read like a list of DnD campaign members and none of them were really fleshed out or compelling as more than archetypes. I wanted more from them and about them. The naming of the characters, the kingdom, the lords and ladies of the realm felt very thin--I didn't need or want a lot of heavy world building with a story like this, as character focused as it was, but choosing the name "the Kingdom of Chickpea" took me right out of the narrative, even if it was meant to be somewhat ridiculous. It didn’t work.

The story would have been resolved if the two main characters had sat down and actually had a conversation and talked to each other. It's a friends to lovers trope, which I adore. And I know miscommunication is a big part of that trope in fiction and I'm fine with that. I've loved it in other books. But it seemed a bit too drawn out here., just didn't click with me. Considering Arek will die if he doesn't bond with someone, my suspension of disbelief was stretched a bit thin when the person who loves him most knows this and doesn't step in to declare their feelings. Even if that person doesn't think Arek shares those feelings. This is romance primarily rather than fantasy, and I get that, but I wanted a bit more depth to this. And there is only so long you can stretch miscommunication by simply not trying to communicate at all.

I did like Arek. He's earnest and funny. Loyal to a fault and tries to do his best. And I liked the secondary characters. I liked them a lot! I wanted to know more about all of them. I wanted them given more development. I'm interested in the prequel--their prophecy and quest and the story of how they came together to defeat the Vile One. Their easy banter and comfort with each other was evident. I liked the side romances and the representation. This is a world without homophobia and I am here for that. The main romance is mlm but other romances are represented too. They flow so easily on the page and I really, really liked that. Love is love in this world and that's how it should be.

The dialogue tends to be what I would expect from young people in our current era, maybe even a decade or so ago. It's not quite setting congruent, which is ok, but not quite what I was expecting from the description. The writing is a bit simpler than I expected as well–it felt more middle grade to me than YA. More telling than showing in the writing as well.

I think it could have been a longer book, giving the characters more development and more growth would have been beneficial.

I loved the premise and the general basis of the characters but didn't feel the execution was what I hoped for this. It's a quick read, with tropes and overall fluffy, just not a lot of depth or complexity to it. And that felt like a big letdown..

It could have been so much more.

I’m torn between 2 1/2 and 3 stars.

This was really cute, however, it definitely reads young. It's obvious from the beginning that Arek and Matt are into each other, and the 'comedy' of miscommunication is a trope that I feel I've outgrown. Of course, if they'd had a conversation, the book would have been significantly shorter.

I did enjoy Arek slowly making his way through his friends, trying to 'woo' them, although I think the whole situation around Lila was... not handled well. It was unnecessary, and while it's clear that Bethany, Lila, Sionna, and Rion are upset with Arek, it's easily brushed off when really it should have been a much longer discussion.

That said, it was cute. I did enjoy the book, and it's one I definitely recommend for YA readers.

I know a lot of people wanted more of the before times. But I do think part of the bit is that we didn’t see the big quest.

That said, the pacing on this is almost agognizingly slow. While there was a lot of quipping (I liked it); I wanted more action!

Have you ever wondered what happens after the happily ever after? Well, Lukens answers that question for us, and now we know it's another debacle.
Fun, Queer, and full of Drama, So This is Ever After is fun as hell! Because this happy ending is a little complicated!

I was so looking forward to reading this one and it did not disappoint! Sweet, charming, with wonderful characters. A definite comfort read, and one I wish I hadn't waited so long to pick up.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

This book was such a blast! Not just fun but emotional as well. I loved the characters and this is going to be an insta comfort read for me!

This book was everything! I felt totally immersed in the writing and ahh. FT Lukens has done it again!

Very cute. This is a book that if you enjoy Dnd adventure but mostly pinning and cute queer romance, this book is for you! The best way to describe it is dumb boys being dumb, pining for each other, and not communicating but in a super sweet way. I thought the characters were fun and enjoyable because not one of their adventure party was annoying or too tropey. I loved all the Dnd nods and silly romance tropes. Though if characters being oblivious will annoy you, you might want to skip this book. It was definitely more romance than adventure with a happy ending.

I absolutely loved ‘So This Is Ever After’ by F.T. Lukens! I adored ‘In Deeper Waters’ and so was dying to read this. It was SO good. Fun, vivacious, and so sweet. Highly recommended!

A hilarious romp wherein the chosen one (aka disaster child with a sword) defeats the evil king and realizes that he and his party have no idea what to do next. Turns out the prophecy didn't explain the "after" bit to their quest, and the cooky old wizard's stats on prophecy accuracy aren't exactly encouraging anyway, and any other legitimate heirs to the throne are unavailable, so Arek's going to have to muddle through until he can figure out how to run the kingdom or hand off the whole mess to someone else.

Arek and crew are your archetypal adventuring party, with a sticky-fingered rogue, by-the-books knight, pragmatic prophecy-quoting wizard, and more, all with the and endearing, chaotic energy that has to figure out how to turn the bonds and skills forged on the road into something sustainable now that a troll isn't threatening to eat them, for example. The jokes are snarky and sometimes meta, and everything has the flair of epic fantasy with a colorful splash of modern dialogue and sassy teens.

I so enjoyed F.T. Lukens's In Deeper Waters, so I was excited to read So This is Ever After. It did not disappoint. At my school, we have an audience that loves LGBTQ+ titles that involve fantasy. I already know who will be enjoying this book once we get it. The Arthurian vibes lend a bit of magic to the story, which kept me reading until the very end. I'm excited to see what's next from Lukens!

Pretty great! I'll admit, Lukens has a little bit of a formula--a good one, but something they stick to nonetheless. I'll keep eating these up though!

I was the biggest fan in the world of In Deeper Waters, and while this book was a good one, too, I didn't realize that the entire thing was based around the misunderstanding trope, which is my least favorite. So while this will be a good story and cast of characters for many people, it wasn't so much for me just for that reason.