I'm not going to lie........ I actually had to put this down. I found myself walking away from it because the MC bothered me quite a bit and eventually I just couldn't do it anymore. She was hard to take in and I recognize that a lot of what I didn't like were some of her more relatable qualities, I just couldn't read her anymore, I am hoping for her sake and the sake of the book that the character development goes crazy by the end of the book but at about 30% I had to call it quits which I HATE doing for ARCs. I'm sorry :(

Luci Adams’ Not That Kind of Ever After is a witty, modern-day fairy tale that’s equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. Bella Marble’s love life might be in shambles, but when she embraces her inner storyteller and begins documenting her misadventures online, she unexpectedly captures a huge audience as @B.Enchanted. Adams cleverly balances Bella’s journey to self-empowerment with laugh-out-loud dating escapades and a relatable quest for “happily ever after” in the age of swiping right. With vibrant characters, quirky roommates, and a hint of romance, this novel is a delightful read for anyone who loves a fresh twist on the classic fairy tale.

I just didn’t like/couldn’t stand the main character. I gave this book a shot up to about 50 per cent but then I just quit .
I know some would love this one but it’s not for me .

If you're in the mood for a rom com this is the one for you. Also if you love fairy tale endings, I really enjoyed this book. I liked how witty the banter was and it was just fun!

I wanted to love this one. It felt like there was too much going on I could never quite get into the plot. I tried both the ebook and audiobook versions. And while I did like the narrator, it didn’t help me like the book.

2.5⭐️ rounding down. The book was perfect mid. I found the main character fairly insufferable and her active voice was not my cup of tea. I wasn’t interested in any of the love life bits because they were so long and so boring I just couldn’t get into it. I actually soft DNFd this guys three times over the course of nearly a year before i actually sat down and powdered through it. There are some very witty moments that did get a “exhale out the nose” laugh while i was reading but unfortunately they were few and far between. I don’t think it needed to be so damn long. It felt like going around in circles for a while towards the 2/3 mark, same inner though, same convos happening with secondary characters, different tinder date to write about. The premise is cute enough and i don’t regret reading it but that’s about all i can say for that.

Not That Kind of Ever After by Luci Adams. Pub Date: March 14, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. Bella has been stuck as a receptionist at a literary agency for years. She is at a crossroads in her life where it seems everyone around her is marrying, in relationships or moving on with their lives. Bella feels stuck, feels the dating scene has not been great and wants a different life for herself. Within these feelings, a self centered Bella appears. I struggled with Bella's feelings towards her best friend in regards to moving out and being in a relationship. Bella seemed jealous and not supportive, but I think it was her own insecurities about her current situation. I think the desperate nature of Bella's antics was off-putting to me and resulted in me having mixed feelings about Bella's true character. I think Bella has a lot of room for growth and to be okay with the present. Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A modern day fairytale love story, complete online dating, swiping right and accidentally going viral for uploading a fairytale re-telling story of a hilarious (disastrous) one-night stand 🤣
I did not really like or connect with the main character, or really any of the characters in the story unfortunately. There just wasn’t much to them and they were kind of lifeless honestly.
This was a super quick read for me and I actually laughed-out-loud on a few occasions, which I really appreciate in a book.

I unfortunately had to DNF this one. I found the main character to be to constant victim for no reason, which is so toxic. Then, the Harry Potter references? in a book from 2023? Ew

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

I enjoyed the premise of this book. The FMC was relatable and her spunky attitude made the book feel believable. How she bounced back from all of the challenges she faces was fun to read. Pick up this book if you enjoy HEA and rom-coms.

This one is a hard one to write about. The premise and plot are great ideas, but it is hard to have a romance with an unlikable main character. I'm not sure if it was meant as a test or the character just didn't work for me. Bella is immature a lot of the time and makes some terrible decisions.

What I did really like was the idea. Bella decides to finally write her book and writes it online chapter by chapter based on her dates. And of course it goes viral. Another great part to this is all the fairy tale references that are cleverly woven in.

Maybe this was just wrong book wrong time for me, but it was really not for me.

I loved this character! I loved the banter with Ellie! I loved that she didn’t like Ellie’s fiance - super relatable! What a sex positive, go after what you want book!
I could have used a lil more Marty.

Great book. I was able to connect with characters and the plot. I recommend this book……………………………..,,,,.

Cute romantic comedy that follows the life of Bella, whose life didn't end up exactly as she planned. She aspires to be a novelist, but instead is stuck working as a receptionist for a literary agent. Her other goal is her own happily ever after, like she writes about in his books. Not That Kind of Ever After is a modern twist on a love story, incorporating online dating apps, dating through bars, etc. This book was cute enough, but it did fall short in a lot of ways for me. It was hard to really root for Bella when it started to feel like she was her own worst enemy.

I tried to enjoy this book. It didn't hook me. I didn't like the main character. This book was a tad cringe. The cover is cute. This book just wasn't for me.

2 stars.

Bella is not where she imagined she’d be by her age. When her best friend gets engaged and her seemingly happy parents divorcing, Bella endeavors to actually live her life, taking chances like never before. Soon her life is even more of a mess and she has to come to terms with the chaos she created and mend the bridges she tried to burn.

I honestly wanted to really like this book but the main character is obnoxious. I found her to be so incredibly whiny and self-destructive, actually cringing at certain sections and counting down pages until I was done. Decent story and would have been more enjoyable if it weren’t for the main character.

Ugh! I just finished this book so I should probably take time to write this but why? It was so adorable, so emotional, so absolutely perfect. This truly was a story about how we all have to grow up some times. Fairy tales are wonderful (sometimes) stories we like to tell ourselves but sometimes life is even more wonderful if we stop expecting so much of it and just let ourselves enjoy what we have. This story truly reflects that. Plus the happily ever after is just perfect!

4/5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one day! I felt like I was with the characters and was cheering them on. I would definitely recommend this book to all my family and friends.

Short synopsis: Bella’s life isn’t going according to plan, until a retelling of a disaster one night stand and goes viral.

My thoughts: I was so excited thinking this was going to be a book about books (my favorite), but that was not what this was.

Bella was completely unlikable, who just creates terrible situations for herself. I was hoping she’d redeem herself but I was left feeling underwhelmed. Maybe it was just too long in my opinion, but I hope someone loves this story, just wasn’t for me.

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

📝 Bella's life is falling apart. She's not doing the job she wanted, her parents are getting divorced, and her BFF is getting married. During wedding preparations, she spends a lot of time with Marty---Ellie's brother, and he encourages her to just live the life she wants. So, when she writes an anonymous one-night stand story about a hairy man, she goes viral. Is the life she wanted all it's cracked up to be?

What I 🤍:
💪 Women Empowerment
✍️ Author Story
💭 What if.....

Overall I wanted to love this story but it fell flat for me. I really struggled to connect with the heroine. Sometimes she just frustrated me! COME ON GIRL, you're making us look bad! I just felt the pacing was slow, probably because I wasn't really into this story.

This book is perfect for those who want a change in their life, a life drama with a slight romance story.