Happily Ever Amish is a lovely story of Addie, a young girl that has had a turbulent life. She was left by her mother to be raised by her grandparents when she was four, and now that she is nineteen, she still has no friends to speak of, because the others like to tease her that even her mother didn't want her. So she is lonely but tries to do her best. Soon she receives a letter from an admirer, somebody local but she doesn't know who. Daniel is a boy she has known for years, but they have never talked until recently. He seems nice, but he is a popular boy with many friends, so she doesn't know why he would want to be friends with her. Daniel sees her as a lonely girl and he tries to befriend her because he doesn't like how the others make fun of her. He begins to care for her in a deeper way, until she finds out he is her admirer. Lovely story I enjoyed reading!

Thank you Kensington Books and Shelley Shepherd Gray for allowing me to read, HAPPILY EVER AMISH, book one on Shelley’s new The Amish of Apple Creek series. The book will be released, October 25, 2025. It is a pleasure to be part of her Street team for this 5-star book.

Shelley continues her smooth rhythm of story telling by allowing this story to unfold in a normal sequence never too quickly. Always giving just the right amount of detail.

Addie Byler lives in Apple Creek and has been raised by her loving grandmother. She has never stood out as extraordinary, and has often found herself alone. She was never accepted by her peers because they consider her strange since she was abandon by her parents and she rescued an exceptional donkey that became her pet.

Daniel Miller Was one of her school mates who was really not mean to Addie, but really never noticed her or the way others treated her until they were attending the same engagement party and he became aware of Addie. Right then in there Daniel decided to become Addie’s Secret admirer and write her secret letters in order to build up her confidence. Addie writes back, and they become close friends.

Much growing takes place between Addie, Daniel and Addie’s estranged mother. These are far from an easy relationships. Shelley has a unique way of bringing everyone together.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed here in this review are my own, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Amish fiction.

A Heartwarming Amish Fiction book that drew me in from the first page. It was written by Shelley Shepard Gray and I’ve loved all of her books that I have read. This book certainly didn’t disappoint! The theme of this book was learning to trust others and being able to forgive those who have hurt you. I thought the book was entertaining and emotional. It was definitely a page turner and the main characters were engaging and realistic. My favorite character was Addie Holmes because she had a hard life and was emotionally scared from the actions of others in her life. Daniel Miller came in a close second as my favorite character. I could tell from the very beginning that he was different from his friends and that he had a good heart. I loved the books happily ever after ending. This is a book that will stay with me for a while and I’m glad I decided to read it.

Addie Holmes was considered to be a bit odd by most of her school friends. Some of these friends had been cruel to her and she had been excluded from their friendship circles. Yes she was Amish and most of us, myself included, thought Amish people were more kinder to others but in this story we see a different side of them when it came to the younger people. Even after Addie had graduated and left school she wasn’t excepted and most often was talked about by her former school acquaintances. She talked to donkeys. She was so odd that her parents didn’t want her and dropped her off at her grandparents so they could raise her.

Daniel Miller never made much of an effort to befriend Addie during his school years but he wasn’t mean to her either. At an engagement party for an Amish couple his friends gathered around and began saying mean and degrading comments about Addie. Daniel spoke up on her behalf and didn’t want to talk about her. After the party he wanted to do something to make Addie happy. He started to send her secret admirer letters . Addie wondered who could be sending her these letters and she thought whoever it was might be trying to make it a joke at her expense. She decided to respond to these notes and they corresponded with one another by leaving notes in a hallowed out trunk of an old oak tree. She had no idea it was Daniel and she wondered on long these notes would continue and if she would ever get to meet this secret admirer.

Addie had grown up feeling bitter against her parents for leaving her with her grandparents. Over the years she hadn’t heard anything from either one of them. Then after her grandfather had died she learned that her father had died and her mother was a drug addict who went to jail for robbery. Her grandmother had known this for a while but she had told Addie she didn’t know their whereabouts. Addie felt betrayed by almost everyone in her life. Even so she tried to help others when she trained her donkey to be a therapy animal and they would go out to nursing homes and even hospitals visiting patients and residents. She took care of her grandmother who by that time was quite up in years. Would she ever marry and have a family? Why didn’t her friends like her? Was she rude to people?
Even her own parents didn’t like her.

I recommend this book to readers of Amish fiction and fans of the author. This is the first book in Shelley Shepard Gray's new series The Amish of Apple Creek. This book is scheduled to be released on 10/25/22.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed here in this review are my own.

#HappilyEverAmish#NetGalley

4 stars
Happily Ever Amish
by Shelley Shepard Gray
An absolutely delightful tale. Addie is different from the rest of her Amish community and has trouble fitting in and making friends. She struggles to accept her life and herself. Shelley Shepard Gray has written a timeless book, Addie's struggles will resonate with almost anyone, and it was a pleasure reading through her struggle and growth. This is just a wonderful book with fleshed out characters that as a reader, I could not help but love. I would love to see this turned into a series.



I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

Daniel Miller has known Addie Byler all his life but the other young people in their group gossip about her and think she is strange. He doesn't like the way they talk about her so he decides to become her friend. He chooses to be a "secret admirer" and exchange notes without actually making physical contact. Addie is lonely and she enjoys this for a while but she starts running into Daniel around town and he is suddenly a lot more personable than he has ever been. She is now processing this sudden interest and also the enjoyable correspondence with the secret admirer. When the secret comes out it causes a stir for both parties. This is a fun story and has some good lessons in it and a good conclusion.

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my own honest opinion.

Addie has always felt like an outcast because she was known as the girl whose mom didn’t want her, was being raised by her grandmother and was always talking to her donkey. Daniel knew Addie when they were younger, but never interacted with her. When he learns how kind and caring she is, he makes a decision to make her feel important and like she is worth something. When Daniel sends Addie a letter and signs it from a secret admirer, Addie feels leery in believing someone would want to befriend her. The letter comes at a time when Addie is struggling with finding out that her grandmother has been in contact with Addie’s mother and now wants to meet with Addie after all these years and also that the dad she never knew, has died and bequeathed her some money. What will happen when Addie finds out Daniel is sending her secret admirer? Will she accept the money her dad left her and will she be able to put aside all the anger she has towards her mom and let her be a part of her life again? I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

My words and opinions are my own. I was given a complimentary book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

Happily Ever Amish is a great start to The Amish of Apple Creek series by Shelley Shepard Gray. I liked it. Four stars.

Such a beautiful wholesome story of love and romance. The characters of Addie and Daniel are so heartwarming and endearing.

It is exciting to watch Daniel and Addie's love for each other grow.

The story unfolds beautifully. I fell in love with the main characters, the Apple Creek community, and the Amish lifestyle.

I will be watching for more books in this series ny Shelley Shepherd Gray

Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for granting me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.