I'll be honest... this is one of the few times I read reviews before picking up the book and I really wish I didn't. I can see why people didn't love it, the fmc was selfish and pretty unlikable at first.

I will say that she grew on me and I enjoyed her redemption(I felt like she was redeemed, others might disagree.)

It was a cute, quick read

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC

I read 9 chapters (how are 4 chapters her explaining how she ended up there?!). Pacing was definitely off!

The main character could maybe be interesting but thinks too much of herself and isn’t as independent as she thinks she is.

I just couldn’t continue. Couldn’t care about main character and what she would do with her life. Unfortunate since I liked the synopsis.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Bella has always been a romantic believer in fairytales, but she isn't where she wants to be. She hasn't found The One, she hasn't become a published author, and worst of all her best friend for life, Ellie is about to move out of their flat to live with the ever-boring MARK. Feeling all sorts of stuck, Bella decides to follow the advice of Ellie's older and totally not-hot brother, Marty, and throw caution to the wind in life! She uploads the story of her disastrous one-night stand (with a rather hairy man) to a storytelling app and suddenly... she goes VIRAL.

Not That Kind of Ever After is a late-20s coming-of-age story that I would say leans more toward women's fiction than romance. I enjoyed the twist on fairytales that Bella incorporates into her writing and actually wished we could have read them! However, Bella's increasingly unhinged experiences brought many laugh-out-loud moments but often at the expense of her seeming anywhere close to being a 29-year-old adult. Perhaps that is Adams' intention to paint a main character you want to shake by the shoulders or scold, because when reality sets in for Bella it is 1000% deserved and I can't say I felt bad for her at all. The way she treats her friends, her family, and her employer, all scream a lack of self-reflection and so, so much privilege! At about 400 pages, the latter quarter of this book could have been edited down for more precision, and the two main "conflicts" and resolutions felt slightly redundant after the initial come to Jesus moment that Bella had.

Finally... the romance. I don't want to give spoilers, but I appreciated the intention and felt the execution fell flat. Marty is an adorable and caring man, and I felt that the chemistry between him and Bella was just lacking. There is so much potential there, but alas, it was not for me.

Well, I gave it a go until 34% and that was it. I got put off early when the main character, Bella hooks up with a match from her dating app. And after noticing that her match is hairier than the wolfman, she still has a one night stand with him -- still hoping he's prince charming. Yikes!

And as her best friend and roommate, Ellie has plans to move out, Bella is full of resentment. That self centered attitude really turned me off. Especially when Ellie becomes engaged.

Bella's desperation and infantile antics really killed it for me with this novel. I'm sure that there are a number of readers out there that will appreciate this sort of storyline. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. One star.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Not That Kind of Ever After by Luci Adams was just not the book for me. I can usually deal with an unlikeable character, but I find it tough in a romance. Even more, I find it tough if there is no change of the person throughout the book. There were moments in this book where I thought Bella was getting it, but I really don't know if she ever did. Not only was Bella unlikeable, I found her very selfish and just plain mean.

I wanted so badly for this book to be for me, but it just wasn't. This is marketed as a romance, but there is no real "romance" per se. Was there a HEA? Yeah, I guess so, but Bella was just irredeemable.

This was just not the book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on Mar 14th

I did find this book entertaining, although it wasn't what I would call a really good read. At times I did laugh, but for me the storyline was so far fetched I had a hard time really connecting. Having said that I would still recommend because not everyone enjoys the same books.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Like a lot of other reviewers, I found it difficult to read this book because of Bella. She is extremely self-absorbed & too obsessed with her friend. She eventually redeems herself but I just couldn't enjoy it in the end. I hated that I couldn't like this book more because it seemed like a good premise.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I was surprised at how quickly I read Not That Kind of Ever After, considering that it’s 400 pages. The writing is witty and the plot kept my interest the entire time, just wondering how everything would turn out. Bella’s story is more about growing up than it is a romance. It’s about a twenty-something girl that works a secretary job for a publishing company and is just unsatisfied with her dating life. As a way to get out of her slump (both writing and dating-wise), Bella opens herself up to the possibility of being someone different—a girl who says yes to one night stands and yes to hanging out with the frat-like housemates downstairs. This didn’t bother me, but even though sex occurs throughout the story, the only romance part is at the very end. The heart of the story is more about Bella growing up and owning her mistakes. She’s a slightly immature MC that unfortunately makes some poor life choices in the name of clicks and “likes” as she realizes that she has accumulated numerous fans while writing about her escapades. I couldn’t help but agree with Mark that Bella could still write a successful work without sacrificing her character (and her body) for her craft, and just kept hoping Bella would come to that realization sooner rather than later at the detriment of losing her friends. Her writing was fun and I enjoyed seeing just what fairytales would make it into Bella’s adventures. I also loved Marty as a non-traditional hero. He is often Bella’s knight in shining armor, saving her from awful dates, but in the clothes of a rakish best-friend’s uninterested brother. Marty is perhaps a little too forgiving with Bella; I don’t think it would’ve hurt to see her suffer a bit more before her HEA as she has a way of alienating her friends. And lastly, Ellie is the best-friend everyone wishes she had. It is clear she cares for Bella even as she is in a fight with her. I was glad to see Ellie got her own fairytale at the end of the book. I received this book as an advanced reader copy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to fully believe the hype for this one, ultimately It was an unnecessarily dense book for the genre.

Not That Kind of Ever After is full of hilarious one-liners and cute side characters. However, the main character is, at (most) times, intolerable.
The main character, Bella, seems to be so obsessed with her friend, Ellie, and her quest for her “happy ever after”, that she treats everyone around her horribly. It was so hard to like her or feel any empathy for her because she never thought about anyone but herself. Worst part? There’s no character development for 90% of the book.

Not That Kind of Ever After did have good parts. We meet some adorable characters along the way, and I often found myself laughing. The side characters are really what makes this story.

I can tell that Luci Adams in a phenomenal writer, and the intention probably was to make the main character unlikable. However, this is just not my cup of tea.

Overall, I gave this book 3 stars. I think it is a decent read, but you should go in knowing that the main character is awful. That way, you won’t be disappointed like me. 😂

I will keep this short and brief because I agree with the majority of the reviews. It took me a little longer than usual to finish this book, I kept putting out down out of disinterest. However, I haven’t given up on my books and I’m not about to start yet!

The ending did improve and I knew who she would ultimately find her fairytale ending with. I still didn’t think she deserved it! She was very self absorbed throughout, definitely didn’t have a healthy relationship w/ her friend, and I just don’t buy her big break through. I think she needed some more self reflection/growth. Also, the ML was far too easy on her after her shenanigans. That being said, there were a few moments that made me chuckle and I didn’t necessarily dislike it enough to bring it down to a 2.

Thank you thank @netgalley & @stmartinspress for allowing me to read your works yet again.

Thank you for letting me reading this book! First off I want to start buy saying the first chapter was very funny. After that I had a hard time contacting to the heroine. It seemed a little repetitive about her not finding love. I read about 50 pages and DNFed. I think others will enjoy this book; I personally wasn't able to to connect and focus on the story at hand.

My Thoughts

Bella Marble has found herself at 29 in a job she is not only overqualified for but one she has actively lost interest in to the point it has become impossible for her to ignore how much.

When her best friend, and favorite roommate Ellie Matthews announces she is moving to a new place with her boyfriend Mark, whom Bella has never liked, it is apparently a turning point for them both.

Not a good one from Bellas point of view.

What happens after another strike out with Bellas latest date causes ripples in her life that at times were humorous and others just sad.

Finally, Bella seems to find answers when all along she was asking the wrong questions.

Some readers found this Rom-Com lacking I found it to be somewhere between fun and outrageous.

29-year-olds Bella Marble and her best friend Ellie Matthews are actually a fictional testimonial to being besties.
[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

First off I want to thank @netgalley & @stmartinspress for my free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ouff..this is a tuff one to rate. The FMC is so unlikable, her decision making is horrible, the way she acts is questionable, there was nothing I liked about her. She is just plain mean and self absorbed. It made it very hard to relate to her or root for her happy ending. Plus she has a very unhealthy obsessive relationship with her best friend.

The side characters were much more likable and added to the story. I truly really did want to enjoy this book, but due to the main character I wasn't able to.

Also, the story did develop quite slowly, only starting to get interested around 40% in and then took another 40% to get some wake of conscious and some self growth from the FMC, that was long.

I did want more depth, more feeling, more emotions from the characters which I never got. It just wasn't the book for me.

Synopsis:
Bella Marble’s life isn’t what she imagined. Instead of an author, she’s receptionist at a small press. Instead of happily married, she’s single, and her lovey-dovey parents are divorcing. And to top it off, her best friend of twenty-nine years, Ellie Mathews, is moving out and marrying the heinously boring Mark. (He’s not worthy of her. No one could be). Bella feels rudderless, only slightly soothed by time spent with Ellie’s (not hot) brother, (he’s not hot) Marty (okay, he’s hot. But he’s also the aggravating brother she never had—right)?

When Marty recommends Bella stop looking for “the one” and just have fun, Bella finds a new, empowered side of herself. But when she posts a fairy-tale retelling of a disastrous one night stand on a storytelling app, all of a sudden, Bella has become @B.Enchanted. And she’s gone viral.

Now, Bella’s in a fight with Ellie, her new roommates are so, deeply, weird, and the pressure is mounting to find new fairy tales to write about—but she’s got to live them first.

Review:
This book gives a lot of Bridget Jones Diary vibes, and not necessarily in a good way- if you like Bridget Jones, Bella is the center of her world and change is coming and she's not prepared, but she selfish and irritating and does not care one whit to think about consequences. She cries first and apologizes never (until forced) and all around doesn't feel like a real adult. I'm supposed to believe that she's a great writer with a voice and stories to tell but she can't see more than a foot or so in front of her. She treats her friends, family, coworkers. and herself horribly and then is surprised when things aren't working out her way.

I'm surprised I actually finished this one since I kept waiting for a change to happen to make all the cringey moments giving me third degree second hand embarrassment worth it but it never did and i am mad there were no actual consequences for Bella except tears.

Bella has two main goals - becoming a published author and finding Her Man - originally a search for her HEA, but recently things have changed. A lot.

I found many the decisions she made in her search…not the best? In a ‘this is going to end badly’ sort of way. That said, I have to respect the drive. That girl was Going For It.
What I didn’t like about Bella is how she - for the majority of the book - came across as unhealthily obsessed with her best friend Ellie, but thanks to being incredibly self absorbed, didn’t treat her in a way that shows she even liked her. She wasn’t even as considerate as you’d be with a casual friend. It made no sense!

This was a tricky one to rate. While I wanted to Love this book - and was Very Amused and a fan of many of the side characters (also Marty is great) - the MC keeping me from getting much past Like. It took over 3/4 of the book for her to show some actual character growth, and that…is a long time.

My main take away for this book is that I am overwhelming glad I haven’t had to date in literal decades, because just reading the lives of these singles makes me tired 😂

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

Not that kind of ever after is cute and funny modern (no so) fairy tale, great for fans of Sophie Kinsella.

Bella Marble has always dreamed of being a writer, but like so many of us, she is easily distracted and not terribly motivated. Until she has a one night stand with Charles Wolf, sparking her creativity to write about her awful dating life framed as fairy tales on a site similar to WattPad. As her following grows, so does her desperation, which is when I started to get annoyed with her. Until she begins to actively seek content-making dates, Bella was funny and relatable, and while a bit childish and silly, she wasn't aggravating and obnoxious. (Side note: Bella sleeping in the same bed as her best friend and the best friend's boyfriend/fiance is weird.) But once Bella's story gains traction, she starts actively trying to sleep with men to fit in fairy tales. Now, this isn't me slut-shaming. I don't care how many people Bella slept with, my problem is that she's using them for content. It made me want to shake her.
Eventually, though, Bella comes around and realizes that she doesn't need a fairy tale ending because she's not in a fairy tale.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC. This is my honest review. This is 3.5 stars rounded up.

I really really tried but Bella is so annoying and I just couldn't root for her. Hated how self-centered she was, she was not a great friend, and so many bad choices. I got 50% before deciding to stop reading and just skimmed through chapters to see what fairytales she'd create a new one night stand from + if my prediction of who her "happily ever after" was right.

I found Not That Kind of Ever After to be difficult to read. Our main character, Bella was annoying, immature, and unfortunately I just wasn't bought into her journey. The ending/true love interest felt both predictable but also out of left field. I liked the side characters much more than Bella, and would've liked to read more about them.

2.5 stars
I was looking forward to reading this book, and I liked some parts. It’s funny and entertaining at times, and I like the messages about growth and forgiveness. Some of the friend scenes are fun and charming, and the dialogue and narrative are often comical. However, I didn’t really like any of the main characters, and I felt the story was less of a romance and more a story of a woman trying to find herself.

Bella was a hot mess of a protagonist, and I had a hard time getting invested in her story. I could relate to some of her insecurities and fears, but she is incredibly self-absorbed and selfish, and she doesn’t treat her friends well. She acts really immature. I don’t know. I think I’m just the wrong audience for her character because if she were my friend I’d ghost her real fast.

One conversation Bella had with Marty was specifically harsh. I hated how insensitive she was and how often she didn’t think before she spoke. It felt like she didn’t really value the people closest to her, and I found her actions and words hard to forgive. Luckily, she has friends that are way nicer than me. I feel like the story was meant to show Bella’s emotional growth, but she didn’t really grow that much. Even her decision to write about her disaterous dates feels petty and mean.

I didn’t like Marty that much either. He is charming sometimes and does show Bella that he cares, but some of his other actions are so rude and insensitive. I had to keep reminding myself that these characters were supposed to be in their late twenties because they acted so much younger than that. I like that the story shows them flaws and all, but it feels like their flaws outweigh the good stuff.

Overall, this wasn’t a terrible story. It just wasn’t the right fit for me. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.