Overall there were a lot of things I enjoyed about this book but it was kind of a mixed bag of a read. Bella and Ellie’s friendship was really sweet, though not without issue. Bella’s whole problem with Mark felt kind of forced but I did like how it was resolved. The chemistry between Bella and Marty definitely felt the most natural and I really enjoyed their arc through the story. There are some really poignant moments where Bella and her experiences are really, deeply relatable. But also a lot of moments where I wanted to be like….girl, really? Really?! In the end she did mostly show character growth and tried to make up for some of her not so great choices, so I appreciated that and it left me feeling satisfied.

This was a really quick read that really kept me connected to the characters and rooting for them. I have not had a book that kept me wanting to pick the book back up and continue the story.

In her debut novel, Luci Adam’s turns away from the traditional romantic comedy format and takes her readers down a realistic path of a late twenties FMC whose life is just not where she imagined it would be.

This hilarious read shows the readers an unfiltered reality of growing up, feeling left behind, and navigating the world as a messy adult. The characters (and the writing) are witty, sarcastic, and sometimes chaotic. But that’s what I liked about it, it wasn’t sugarcoated as a feel good romance. It was real and relatable in so many ways.

I liked the FMC’s development throughout the book. She really blossomed from a scared, stuck, and selfish individual into a full grown adult by the end of the story. Through failures, rocky friendship transitions and self-exploration, Adams is able to showcase the character development in a way that the readers can really relate to.

I would say, the book could have been a bit shorter, there were times where I felt like it just kept dragging on, but overall this was a very enjoyable read!

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book at all. Nothing was offensive and it wasn't terrible writing but the story was just boring and unengaging

Not That Kind of Ever After is a sweet story that follows Bella, an aspiring writer who is done with trying to find her “happy ever after” Prince Charming. So what does she do instead? She writes about her sexcapades that align with the classic fairytales we know so well.

While she’s on this journey, her motivation is to become noticed as a writer. She will put herself in the most ridiculous situations for the story. Along the way she loses herself. Quite frankly, Bella is quite selfish. She has a falling out with her best friend, she makes poor choices, and she breaks her own heart over and over again. The one person who never disappoints her though? Her best friends brother Marty. Marty is the boy next door, the boy she grew up with, the brother of her “one true love” Ellie. But Marty might be more than that, it just takes some wolfs and ogres for Bella to realize that.

I appreciated Bella and Ellie’s friendship the most throughout the story. I can resonate with that “one true love” being a best friend, and the bond they have made me smile. Although Bella is somewhat of an easy to dislike character, I did find myself cracking up at her sense of humor and antics several times. This is more of a story where the journey follows the protagonists growth instead of your typical love story, but the ending is worth it. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of Not That Kind of Ever After, in exchange for an honest review! :)

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This one was definitely interesting and different than other romances I’ve read lately. It’s full of self-created drama from the FMC making bad choices all while seeking her HEA and getting closer to her dream of being a published author.

If you like quirky romances that are full of missteps, make sure to check this one out as it will have you laughing out loud as the blunders the MC finds herself in throughout the book.

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

2/5 stars, I love Rom Coms but this book was just not it for me. I disliked the main character, she was mid 20s but acted like she was 18. She was just a disaster of a person who treated people horribly. She really didn't have any redeeming factors and she never learned from her mistakes.

Not That Kind of Ever After is pretty funny, but other than that I really struggled to enjoy it. I unfortunately could not connect with Bella's character at all... She comes across super immature and makes the worst decisions ever... I was hoping for some character growth, but nothing ever really changes with her character in this aspect.

Thank you to NG for my copy to read and review!

I'll be honest: I'm picky with romance novels. In this case, my main gripe was with the MC herself. She was incredibly unlikable. The storyline was pretty solid and they're read great banter, but this fell kind of flat for me.

More like 3½ stars.

Bella is an almost-30yr old singleton, living in London, dreaming about the perfect “happily ever after” she always read about as a girl and now mourns the fact that she simply cannot find it for herself. After a particularly awful “date” (the term is being used very loosely here) and a very frank conversation with her best friend’s brother, Bella writes up her fairytale evening turned nightmare…and it goes viral. So even though Bella was having a hard time before, now she has a full blown following, all waiting to see what comes next, and she’s more than happy to oblige—at least until it all starts to spiral out of control. Cute book, kind of predictable and a bit unrealistic, but a nice “chick lit” type of book to pass the time.

3 Stars

Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not That Kind of Ever After is a unique and entertaining read about a hopeless romantic looking for love. Bella is a bit of a hot mess that's stuck in a rut. Everyone she knows seems to be moving forward except for her and so her quest for the one begins...

Overall, I thought this book was an ok read. I thought the plot was unique and I liked that the story was broken up into multiple sections. I thought the pop culture references were funny and they kept me entertained. I wouldn't truly classify this book as your typical romance. For me, it fits more along the lines of women's fiction since I felt like it was more about Bella discovering herself and finding who she truly is.

This book did have some hit-or-miss moments for me, including some moments that just felt repetitive. And even though this book was a 100% hit for me, I'm still glad to have checked it out. I think this author has a lot of potential and I look forward to checking out more from her in the future.

While I liked the story overall, I found Bella to be unlikeable in dealing with her friends and her parents. Who at 29 years old, thinks they are the most important person in their best friend's life, especially when that best friend is in a serious romantic relationship? Glad Bella got her stuff figured out, though she relapsed there for a minute.

Bella's life is not what she imagined it would be, and she has always wanted to find her Prince Charming. She has also wanted to be a writer. Put the two together and we watch Bella share her "fairy" tales of dating on a storytelling app.

Overall, it's a quick and funny read. I chuckled out loud several times. I even choked up a little towards the end of the book.

Bella is most certainly not likeable for me for most of the book. She is, more often than not, unapologetic, selfish, ungrateful, and a total mess.
But she does have a lot of character growth, which I love. She also has some funny moments.
The book is filled with moments of self-reflection, friendship, laughter, understanding others, and learning from one's mistakes.

This fairy tale themed book based on dating and finding Prince Charming is worth the read!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Thanks NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc.

2.5/5 rounded up

This book sounded good, but man was Bella ever a spoiled selfish 29 year old child. I'm glad she came to the realization in the end (like very end) of how self absorbed, selfish, and entitled she is, and how much she uses people without thinking about it, but it took way too long for me to give this any higher of a rating.

The entire time, I just wanted Bella's to admit she's in romantic love with her BFF (because she clearly is and is so possessive of her it's weird if she isn't in love with her) but she settles for the next best thing I guess - her twin brother.

I feel like this book would appeal best to young Disney adults - the ones who make Disney movies their entire personality - bc that's basically who Bella was.

I didn't hate this book, I don't exactly regret reading it, but I do wish I had put it off longer lolololol.

This was my first ever NetGalley DNF. Right out of the gate the book is crass and poorly written, and as a lot of other reviewers as mentioned, the main character seemed rather immature for 29. I didn't realize that this book was going to largely be all about her various one night stands, and I am not likely the target audience for this story, but the narrative jumped around a lot and was also hard to follow. I also just don't generally enjoy books where the main character is making terrible selfish choices 90% of the time. There was nothing fairy-tale about this book and I will not be reading others by this author.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

I was laughing through half of this book. I would’ve love to read Bella’s story because each chapter sounds better then the next. All the characters are great and Bella/Ellie are adorable. Props to Mark for reaching out xx

However the one thing I think I missed was the chemistry between Marty and Bella. The friendship was certainly there but I just didn’t see a romantic relationship between them.

I was sold by the tagline for this one: "Fairytale meets feminism in Luci Adams's Not That Kind of Ever After, a frothy adventure of one woman’s journey to claim happily ever after in times of serial dating, swiping right, and the quest to find your soulmate…"

After all, I've got years of online dating experience under my belt, and for as many contemporary romances as I've read, I've yet to read more than a few featuring dating apps. Not That Kind of Ever After sort of does (a weird-sounding app called Mirror Mirror), but the main focus is on Bella turning her romantic and sexual interactions into fodder for her writing. For much of the book, she is self-centered and selfish, which was hard to watch. The multiple Harry Potter references added to the feeling that the main character was in her early 20s, when in actuality she's 29.

I think the book would have been stronger had it been tightened, and if Bella's chapters for B-Reader were interspersed throughout -- i.e., keep the book a similar length, but cut some of the repetition and unneeded inner monologuing, and add the writing she's posting online.

Overall, I'm not sure I'd characterize this one as a romance novel, given the focus on Bella's personal story/potential growth. I'd recommend it most to those looking for a coming-of-age story about a character who can act foolish at times. (Because of that, it wasn't a great fit for me personally.)

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Griffin for picking me to read this book.
DNF at Chapter 21/35%
I don’t even know where to begin with this review. It took me 5 days to make it to 35% and it has been a struggle. I’m not connecting with the main character at all. There was nothing in the first 21 chapters that made me want to stick around.

DNF. I was just not jiving with this book.

The first line is so good but 10% in and I'm dreading picking this up. I don't know where it's going, or who anyone is. Too much backstory hefted upon me right out the gate. And then realizing it's 400 pages? I can't commit to that. Romances hardly ever work if they're that long. I can't take the risk.

The HP references were also cringe. Authors really need to stop talking about Harry Potter. It's 2023.

Have you ever read a book where the main character was a train trying to get to one point, but could derail at any moment? She means we'll, but everything she tries to do just falls apart? She says one thing, but comes out all wrong?

In Not That Kind of Ever After by Luci Adams, Ellie Matthews wants her happily ever after. Chasing that dream of finding the one-and-only Prince Charming has turned into one crazy event after another, so why not just write a book about these experiences - turning each one into a fairytale retelling Ellie-style! All the while her own Happily Ever After is right in front of her and always has been!

I truly loved the way this book unfolded. The whole time I was cheering on Ellie and of course, what shenanigans she would find herself in. Let me tell you, she had some crazy experiences.

Put this one on your radar! Available March 14th!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.