LOVED THIS BOOK! It's what Merlin could have been if the writers weren't scared to make Merlin and Arthur canon. Thank you for this lovely book!

so this is ever after is a feel-good book. it’s adorable, it’s fluffy and its got such loveable characters. it’s not a deep book by any means but I LOVED IT. i had so much fun reading it and i will probably scream about this book to all my friends.

arek and the other characters were all so bloody funny and i laughed a couple times because i adore their banter and how much love they have for each other. found family is among my favourite tropes and it’s done wonderfully here. the whole book was just a comedy story as much as it was a romance one and it worked out so well in the end. like it doesn’t take itself seriously.

i was a bit frustrated at first with the main characters because both simply refused to talk to each other, but the romance was so good. they’re so cute together and i really liked that the book also had a plot and wasn’t focused just on the romance. i was rooting for matt and arek from the start as they’re both very loveable characters.

i’m definitely reading the author’s other books because this one was exactly up my alley.

Light and fluffy. I saw a Goodreads review that described this book as the post-canon adventures of a DnD campaign where the DM has preemptively decided who the endgame couple is and honestly, that's pretty spot on. We open with our Chosen One, Arek (soon to be King Arek) having just slain the Vile One and through a series of mishaps, ends up King. Arek, who's had a crush on party mage Matt, soon discovers that if he doesn't wed someone by his 18th birthday, he'll fade away. Thus ensues the shenanigans of Arek pursuing every possible marriage candidate but the right one, and how he ends up doing so anyway. This is probably the closest I've seen to slice-of-life in a fantasy Chosen One-style novel, with the writing definitely geared towards the younger side of the YA crowd. My only criticism is that there are multiple scenes where characters go to bed with their shoes still on. Overall, I rate this book a 3.5/5.

Arek never really thought much about what would happen once he and his ragtag team of friends complete the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. What Arek definitely didn’t expect, though, was finding himself accidentally crowned king and caught up in a curse that requires him to find his soulmate before he turns 18 or either end up killed. Utterly desperate and with no romantic partner in sight but confident in the knowledge that a good relationship is based on a solid friendship, Arek begins wooing his friends with some hilarious yet devastating results. But as the failed attempts at wooing his friends one by one pile up and the deadline to find a soulmate fast approaches, Arek finds himself at his wit’s end—only to realise that his one true love was in front of him all along.

Listen up, y’all, this book is to be devoured in one sitting. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them. So This Is Ever After turned out to be an unputdownable, subversive and hilarious extravaganza that turns tropes on its head and delivers a magnificent slow-burn friends-to-lovers with a lot of emotional depth.

F.T. Lukens has a talent for situational humour. Obviously, this is already a highly entertaining situation Arek finds himself in, but the way humour is added in the right moments felt like watching a beloved comedy show. These tropes that we all know and love so much—the chosen one, the eternal sidekick and so on—are subverted in the most entertaining of ways in So This Is Ever After. To have the Chosen One accidentally land on the throne only to find himself having to marry to keep the kingdom he didn’t even want in the first place was all kinds of spellbinding.

And much of that can be attributed to the incredible (and wonderfully queer) cast of characters. It’s always a gamble when you have a relatively short book with so many characters as in this one, but Lukens manages to give every single one their moment to shine and refrain from making them static. We have, of course, Arek who is as kind as he is funny, his best friend Matt who is the mage, Bethany, the group’s bard, Sionna, a fearless fighter, Rion’ a knight with a heart of gold, and Lila, whose mysterious past makes for some entertaining mystery moments. The sense of camaraderie between them felt so real and I loved how they all stayed behind to help Arek in his new role as reluctant but fair and kind leader. Their friendship had a tangible quality to it and we really get to see everyone fighting to make the kingdom great again while finding what they’re good at or what they want to do with their lives. During the “wooing” part of the story, Arek learns so much about his friends that he didn’t before and it was eye-opening to see what a person keeps to themselves and for what reasons. Honestly, this is where the magic in this book really lies—the way Lukens manages to balance the laugh-out-loud with the tender moments. This story has so much heart and you can tell.

Now, Arek and Matt’s friendship deserves an entire paragraph for itself. It’s one of my favourite ways to deal with the friends-to-lovers trope when both parties are so hopelessly in love with each other and literally everyone around them can see it except for the two of them. Arek and Matt delivered all the mutual pining, disgruntled jealousies and hilarious “wait, you’re in love with WHO” moments that had my eyes glued to the pages. You could also tell how much respect they have for the other because neither is willing to make the other sacrifice something they shouldn’t and even before they realise just how perfect they are for each other, there’s so much love in these pages that you can’t help but feel absolutely smitten with them. Arek is so in love with Matt but somehow, there’s always something from keeping him confessing that love. Meanwhile, Matt doesn’t want to be an option instead of a choice. It’s so harrowing yet incredibly entertaining watching these two dorks be so devoted to each other yet not taking that final leap of faith.

With a marvellous cast of well-rounded characters, plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and even more heart, So This Is Ever After puts a hilarious, queer and wholesome spin on the beloved Chosen One trope. Fans of Carry On and Merlin won’t want to miss out on this!

I loved this book. I love that is starts where most fantasy/quest stories would be ending. It was chaotic, in the best way possible. The Arthur/Merlin style romance we've always wanted. I want to read more about all of these characters, posthaste.

This YA fantasy is Camelot meets D&D meets Merthur fanfic all wrapped into one. After the evil overlord is vanquished and the prophesy is completed, what comes next? For Arek and his companions it’s not automatically a happily ever after. In the quest to save the kingdom he has found himself crowed king and subjected to a curse that requires him to be magically bound to a soulmate before his 18th birthday.

I’m not gonna lie, it took me a second to get into this story. From the get go we are dropped right into the climax of the adventurers’ story and we join them in piecing together the aftermath. Once I was in it though, I was IN IT and didn’t put the book down until I turned the last page.

Even though at certain points I just wanted to strangle Arek, lock him in in a room with another character and scream “JUST USE YOUR WORDS MY DUDES”, I still loved them and was rooting for them and hoping for a happy ending.

I loved how in this world sexuality and gender do not need to be explained or declared. LGBTQ+ relationships are centered and nobody bats an eye or feels a need to ‘come out’. A non-binary character is also introduced down the line and their pronouns are not once stumbled over nor are they ever misgendered. This is incredibly refreshing after reading many books where homophobia and discrimination darken the plot.

Overall, this was such a feel-good easy read that featured everything I love: a cute love story, action, adventure, bad ass characters, and ✨magic✨. Would definitely recommend to anybody who wants a quick pick me up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this book in one sitting! "So This Is Ever After" is a incredibly charming D&D style fantasy romp. It plays off the chosen one trope of what happens after the good guys defeat the evil bad guy. Lukens first novel "In Deeper Waters" was a little more refined in it's dialogue where as this novel was a little more quirky. (I don't say this in a bad way, I was just surprised a high fantasy story would include the word "doofus" so much.)

Honestly it was such a FUN read overall. Do I think this is the next great classic of our time? Nah. But I sure as hell enjoyed it soooo much. You want gay romance? YOU GOT IT! You want sapphic romance? YOU GOT IT! Het romance? SURE WHY NOT! YOU WANT POLY REP? IT'S ALL HERE! (Seriously though, the queer rep is great and sweet and you'll get the nice warm fuzzies from this story.)

It's a cliche best friends to lovers romance story, but it's one that will leave you smiling and happy. I like that Lukens stories contain queer rep where they stakes/hardships in the story don't stem from their identities. The world, in said stories, is able to exist without bias towards queer identities and is great for readers who want a love story without the trauma that can come from our real world lgbtq issues. I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a fun and fantastical queer romance story!

This was charming and sweet and just really fun. I enjoyed the ‘Modern-style Characters in an Old-style World’ feel and the deadpan parodic comedy style. That they felt so contemporary despite living in a world that could have existed a thousand years ago made them easily relatable. The language they use and the attitudes they have are so completely incongruous with the world they are in, and that just made it all the funnier. ‘King Arthur meets Simon Snow’ is also a good way to describe the premise, and Arek himself. (I might also throw in a *touch* of The Princess Bride.) The characters were my favorite part of the book; the whole cast is charming, lovable, and hilarious.

So This Is Ever After upends many of the expectations that are typical of this kind of story. (But follows many others.) Just like with Miracle Workers, this is more like watching LARPers enact an extended fantasy sequence or listening to gamers in an MMORPG than reading a period/fantasy book. The language is contemporary but the writing is also so self-aware that the characters even refer to romance and fantasy tropes and famous fairytales in their own story.

The romance aspect of the book is very sweet, though the path to resolution felt a bit too drawn-out for my taste. Arek longs for an opportunity to tell Matt how he feels but those opportunities keep getting thwarted. There is much angst and yearning. By the end, it’s legitimately painful watching these doofuses make themselves miserable because of wrong assumptions and self-sacrifice. I thought the book lost focus a bit in the lead-up to the pre-climax separation, and there were aspects that felt like the story was grasping at straws. But it’s relatively minor and the rest of the book more than makes up for any missteps. (The romance is very age-appropriate; Arek and Matt are 17 and there is only ever kissing, and it comes towards the end of the book.)

The universe is one where queerness and fluid sexuality is completely normalized; many of the characters are casually implied to be not straight and it is never an issue. Everyone is unquestionably accepted for who they are. It also included smart women in powerful positions and a fairly diverse cast. I especially loved the subtle messaging about kindness, humility, and doing good for others.

I’ve never read anything by this author before (In Deeper Waters is on my TBR) but I am now a fan of FT Lukens. The writing is funny as hell. I really enjoyed reading this. Can’t wait to see what they do next.

4 magical swords out of 5

This book has the same vibes as Curses by Lish McBride and Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. It's got the awkward but funny found family thing down pat, and the characters work together pretty well. Overall, it was a good book. The internal monologue of the main character, Arek, was amusing, and the ending was satisfying (he ended up with the one I was rooting for, but no spoilers!) Check it out, and thank you to F.T. Lukens and NetGalley for sending me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest and constructive review.

F. T. Lukens you’ve done it again!

“So This Is Ever After” is fun, action packed and full of all the tropes everyone loves.

I had my ups and downs with this novel- weather I liked it or not.

Some aspects are great: the easy to read fantasy, the humor, Lukens does great dialogue that reads naturally, the action was well done and easy to follow. The beginning was great. Starting almost at the end of the book we normal would’ve read.

What I wanted more of were the characters. I expected this to be a more of a character driven story but I didn’t feel connected to them, even our main who we follow their internal monologue, didn’t really resonate with me. Some of the choices didn’t make sense as much as they were just plot convinces. It was hard to understand the motivations of anyone.

However, I did enjoy reading this. I think the plot itself is really interesting and puts another layer on the “happily ever after” idea.

<i> Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this arc in exchange for my honest review. </i>

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own and some minor spoilers are ahead. It will be released on March 29th, 2022 so go pick up a copy if this sounds interesting to you!

On paper this sounds like something that I would absolutely love: Arthurian legend meets DnD. However, this just happened to have a perfect combination of things that I dislike. I am harsh on Arthurian legend retellings, but I was hoping that this would be able to sneak by because it doesn’t involve Mordred. However, honestly, it doesn’t really involve Arthurian legend. At all. I guess you can argue that this would be what the Merlin t.v. show could have been, but still. It doesn’t really have anything to do with Arthurian legend. The bigger problem for me was actually the DnD aspect.

This felt like reading a teenagers fan-fiction of their DnD campaign. Starting with the characters’ names being things like Matt the Mage and Bethany the Bard, it just felt extremely juvenile and cheesy. However, also we have other naming “issues” like the Kingdom of Chickpea and the season +hill naming convention for the nobles. I guess I just would like to see more… effort? Also some of the dialogue felt like things from a high school student’s campaign. In fact, I think I’ve heard and said some of them in my time as a DnD player, but that doesn’t mean I want to read them in a book. And yet, this was not the biggest issue that I had.

The plot or really the lack there of was my biggest issue. If the two main characters had sat down and had a real conversation about their feelings for five minutes there would be no book. This was miscommunication at its worst. However, I guess on the other side it does also have Best-Friends-to-Lovers, so that may balance it out for some readers, but the fact that everything in this book could have come apart with one conversation just means that it wasn’t for me. I understand that ultimately this is a romance book with a fantasy setting, so the romance is the most important part, but I want more.

On a positive note, I did enjoy most of the characters and would be interested in reading a prequel to this book. There were a lot of inside jokes and references to things that happened in the groups collective past that made me curious about that. I also really enjoyed all the representation going around in the queer-norm world. There is a little something for everyone though the main romance is mlm. Also, despite not enjoying the story as a whole, I found the writing easily carried me along to the end.

Overall, this was just such a disappointment. I really wanted something cute and fun along the lines of In Deeper Waters, but this brought me very little joy. I understand that I am not the target audience and that these problems are perhaps more personal than anything else, but I’m still disappointed. I will give F.T. Lukens another go after this and hope that this is a fluke, but it’s made me a little leery going forward.

So This Is Ever After was a quick fairytale romp full of idiots-to-lovers goodness and comedic miscommunication that was a little less fairytale than Lukens’ previous title, but equally as romantic and chock full of queer love. This is a simple and campy story that reads like a very gay Dungeons and Dragons party playing through post-plot roleplay shenanigans that consist entirely of shipping two characters who are inevitably going to end up together because the DM has had it planned since day one. The magic and fantastical elements aren’t very developed and the friendship dynamics of the main characters are a bit lackluster due to us entering the story near the ending and not being able to see their relationships develop over time. There’s a lot of telling rather than showing, and the writing is very simplistic, but it gets the point across. If you’re looking for a simple fairytale-inspired story stuffed full of romantic tropes and cliches, this is a fun and quick read.

I wanted to like this book so so much but something kept me from fully loving it. I'll start with the pros; THE CHARACTERS! Oh my goodness I loved the characters in this book so much. Every. Single. One! I absolutely adored the way that everyone was just so fluid in their love and its never mentioned because thats just how it should be in the world. Thirdly, I really enjoyed the idea of the story, its what the BBCs Merlin could have been if they had given in to what was right there. However, every good list has pros and cons. The main thing that kept me from liking this anymore is that it felt very rushed. It could have been, I felt, a longer book with more details in the middle. It's hard to route for two characters who are both clearly in love with each other from the start, do nothing about it, magically get together, and then the book ends. I would have enjoyed even 100 more pages after they got together; potentially see the group go through another conflict that further strengthens their bonds. It felt like a really good beginning to a story. I would definitely give something else by this author a shot though.

This book is straight camp. You don’t read it for the world building, adventure, or fantasy elements. You read it because it will bring joy through ridiculous plot situations and friends to lovers romance. I think this book was exactly the right length, short and able to be finished in one day. Anything more and I think I would have fallen off with my interest.

Rep: the entire world is super freaking gay. Bisexual MC.

Thanks Netgalley for this arc!

What happens when you are prophesied to die if you don’t bind yourself to another person just as you’ve been made king and were about to finally confess your love to your best friend? Well for King Arek life’s about to get real rough. He has 3 months to find a soulmate to bind himself with or he will literally die, the worst part? He’s absolutely in love with his best friend Matt and has been trying to work up the courage to confess his feelings... except every time he does something gets in the way. Arek, assuming that Matt is rejecting decides to go on a quest to woo his friends in order to find someone to fall in love with him while he struggles with his feelings for Matt... but maybe the signs were all wrong and maybe the his soul mate has been right in front of him the entire time. Throw in some painfully hilarious attemps at wooing friends and dealing with a crush and what you get is a sweet story about two very oblivious friends. This was a cute and fast read and I’d definitely recommend it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

One word to describe this experience: YEARNING. Good god the yearning and angst is fantastic in this. it spoke to my SOUL.

What happens after a hero goes on their quests and defeats their monsters? That's what this story is about. It's also focused heavily on friendship, which I loved. This book has one of my favorite found families I've ever experienced. This book doesn't technically *need* sequel, but I'd want one just so I could be with these characters again. In fact, this is my formal request at a second adventure with this group. They were all great and had their distinct personalities that was palpable from the first chapter. They're weird and funny and complement each other the way a friendship should. Their bond is phenomenal.

The plot itself is simple, but the circumstances of the book (brought on by the MC being both dramatic and terrible at communication) make things anything but simple. Despite (or perhaps because of) his flaws, Arek is a fantastic reluctant hero whose character growth is wonderful to read. And, though he and Matt are total idiots (who I adore so much), their relationship in particular felt so genuine and natural. It's hard to pick a favorite character from this book because they're all so wonderful. Even the side characters have their roles that just feel right. F.T. Lukens has written a masterpiece and they are for sure an auto-buy author for me from here on out.

Arek never really thought much about what would happen once he and his ragtag team of friends complete the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. What Arek definitely didn’t expect, though, was finding himself accidentally crowned king and caught up in a curse that requires him to find his soulmate before he turns 18 or either end up killed. Utterly desperate and with no romantic partner in sight but confident in the knowledge that a good relationship is based on a solid friendship, Arek begins wooing his friends with some hilarious yet devastating results. But as the failed attempts at wooing his friends one by one pile up and the deadline to find a soulmate fast approaches, Arek finds himself at his wit’s end - only to realize that his one true love was in front of him all along.
Listen up, y’all, this book is to be devoured in one sitting. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them. So This Is Ever After turned out to be an unputdownable, subversive and hilarious extravaganza that turns tropes on its head and delivers a magnificent slow-burn friends-to-lovers with a lot of emotional depth.
Lukens has a talent for situational humor. Obviously, this is already a highly entertaining situation Arek finds himself in, but the way humor is added in the right moments felt like watching a beloved comedy show. These tropes that we all know and love so much – the chosen one, the eternal sidekick and so on – are subverted in the most entertaining of ways in So This Is Ever After. To have the Chosen One accidentally land on the throne only to find himself having to marry to keep the kingdom he didn’t even want in the first place was all kinds of spellbinding.
And much of that can be attributed to the incredible (and wonderfully queer) cast of characters. It’s always a gamble when you have a relatively short book with so many characters as in this one, but Lukens manages to give every single one their moment to shine and refrain from making them static. We have, of course, Arek who is as kind as he is funny, his best friend Matt who is the mage, Bethany, the group’s bard, Sionna, a fearless fighter, Rion’ a knight with a heart of gold, and Lila, whose mysterious past makes for some entertaining mystery moments. The sense of camaraderie between them felt so real and I loved how they all stayed behind to help Arek in his new role as reluctant but fair and kind leader. Their friendship had a tangible quality to it and we really get to see everyone fighting to make the kingdom great again while finding what they’re good at or what they want to do with their lives. During the “wooing” part of the story, Arek learns so much about his friends that he didn’t before and it was eye-opening to see what a person keeps to themselves and for what reasons. Honestly, this is where the magic in this book really lies – the way Lukens manages to balance the laugh-out-loud with the tender moments. This story has so much heart and you can tell.
Now, Arek and Matt’s friendship deserves an entire paragraph for itself. It’s one of my favorite ways to deal with the friends-to-lovers trope when both parties are so hopelessly in love with each other and literally everyone around them can see it except for the two of them. Arek and Matt delivered all the mutual pining, disgruntled jealousies and hilarious “wait, you’re in love with WHO” moments that had my eyes glued to the pages. You could also tell how much respect they have for the other because neither is willing to make the other sacrifice something they shouldn’t and even before they realize just how perfect they are for each other, there’s so much love in these pages that you can’t help but feel absolutely smitten with them. Arek is so in love with Matt but somehow, there’s always something from keeping him confessing that love. Meanwhile, Matt doesn’t want to be an option instead of a choice. It’s so harrowing yet incredibly entertaining watching these two dorks be so devoted to each other yet not taking that final leap of faith.
With a marvelous cast of well-rounded characters, plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and even more heart, So This Is Ever After puts a hilarious, queer and wholesome spin on the beloved Chosen One trope. Fans of Carry On and Merlin won’t want to miss out on this!

This was a quick and light read for me and I did enjoy it. However, the glaring and annoying premise of miscommunication that took 300 pages to resolve was a bit much. It felt too dragged out to be believable with Arek's "I'm going ask him how he feels about me" attitude to only wither down to avoid saying anything straightforward and leave so much room for misinterpretation.

I think a more interesting angle would have been to have the boys know how each other feels, but question if their feelings stem from their own volition or the prophecy. It's a better way to have the boys questioning each other, but still be able to voice their concerns and avoid 300 pages of melodrama that could go to other issues.

This Advanced Reader's Copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


I whipped through this book practically overnight, and honestly, I don’t have many bad things to say about it, but it still didn’t quite hit the 4-star tier for me.

Synopsis: Arek is The Chosen One, the one who will kill the evil tyrant that’s been lording over their kingdom for the last 40 years. He hasn’t given much thought to what comes after, other than that he wants to confess his feelings to his long-time crush, his best friend, and their party’s mage, Matt. Unfortunately, Arek crowns himself king and learns the hard way that it’s a job can’t refuse. He must find a spouse by his eighteenth birthday—three months from the start of the novel—or die trying, and through a series of increasing miscommunications, Matt is strictly off the table. What’s a king to do when he has to marry literally anyone but the man he loves?

So This is Ever After is a fun, fast-paced read about what comes after the world has been saved. I’ve really enjoyed this concept in YA, ever since reading A Hero at the End of the World, and Lukens does a great job depicting the earnestness, but also cluelessness, at which this band of teenagers has as they try to run the kingdom they’ve just saved. I’ve never read a Lukens novel before, but this has certainly bumped In Deeper Waters higher on my list.

Though Arek spends a lot of time in this novel wooing other people, this book really revolves around his relationship with Matt. They grew up together, Matt followed Arek on this insane quest to save the realm without question, and now…well, now things are complicated. Matt hides things from Arek. Arek hides things from Matt. With every increasingly ridiculous romantic scenario Arek orchestrates to find his potential spouse, Matt winds up by his side instead of the friend he intended to woo (and, in almost every scenario, Arek learns his friends are all already spoken for, crushes or otherwise). Despite Matt harboring the same feelings for Arek, their lack of communication (later called out in the novel) traps them both in an unhappy cycle of watching each other grow more and more distant from one another.

Of the characters in this novel, Matt and Arek were obviously the most fleshed-out, but everyone on Arek’s council got to shine a little, and Arek discovered, as many of us do, that sometimes being the loudest in the room means you’re might be talking over a side of your friend that would have been wonderful to know.

Overall, I think So This is Ever After will be a great YA read for someone looking for a book they can finish quickly, can enjoy reading, and can appreciate the nods to D&D, Fantasy, and a small dose of teen angst.


**STAR BREAKDOWN**

Cover: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★☆☆
Characters: ★★★★☆
Would I Reread?: Maybe
Would I Buy?: Probably Not
Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ [a 3.8 or 3.9, probably]

**PLAYLIST**
-King & Lionhart by Of Monsters and Men (again)
-Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars
-Kingdom Dance by Alan Menken
-Romantic Flight by John Powell

Arek and Matt were given a prophecy that Arek would decapitate the Vile One that ruled the kingdom. Nine months later, together with their group of new friends the quest has been completed, leaving Arek with a crown, temporarily. But when they go to rescue the lost princess, who has been locked in a tower, all they find is bones. Now the permeant ruler is Arek, and the crown will kill him in three months if he isn't soul bound to someone in that time. But finding his soulmate in three months when he can’t even confess his love for his best friend...will be challenging. So Arek plans to woo his friends with Matt’s help, in the hopes that Matt feels the same way about him.

Reminiscent of Carry On and Alcatraz Vs the evil librarians, this is a comedy of errors retelling of King Arthur that will keep the reader laughing. Full of snark and bad dad joke type of humor and innuendo, I laughed so much that I cried, even with the highly inappropriate humor. It was hard at first to keep track of all the characters, but soon the party of heroes became individuals with their own strengths. I could totally tell that Arek and Matt had a thing for each other, but they were too worried to let on to the other. This is pure romantic comedy set in a world that is too funny to take at times. I needed a good laugh and this book supplied in plenty.