I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

***1/2

I’m pretty sure I’ve read at least one, and seen a few other, professional bridesmaid-themed romance novels, but a professional objector is a first. When Sophie discovers her fiancé has cheated (again), she hires a guy to make a scene and bring the nuptials to a halt by yelling “I object!” at the opportune moment. It’s a clever opportunity to save face and extricate herself and her family from the potential union of her dad’s boss. Max checks on to get his compensation after the wedding and enjoys a drink and a long anti-love rant with Sophie. When Sophie decides she wants to join him in this side gig, Max coaches her and hooks her up… and eventually, they start hooking up, and when Sophie’s job requires a partner for an event, it’s natural that Sophie asks Max to be her fake date. And then she gets a gig to break up the wedding of the ex that Max might still have feelings for, and it all goes to hell when he objects to breaking up this particular wedding.

There’s a mix of fun, sexy, teasing banter, but sometimes into downright cringey banter; I’m finding I’m not such a fan of love interests who speak disrespectfully in a bro-y way to each other, and it’s pervasive. It’s mostly balanced out a little by the sweet snarkiness of Sophie’s elderly roommates and the appearance of Chekov’s table: if a mid-century table appears in the narrative, someone is going to be ravished on it before the end of the story. Their experimentation with greedily taking instead of giving when it comes to kissing and sex is refreshing and pays off. Sophie’s desire for a promotion and struggles working with her ex are a subplot that offers an opportunity for her personal growth. The denouement is a little bit of a 10 Things I Hate About You moment, where instead of a poem, super-organized Sophie makes a presentation grid to detail all the ways she DOESN’T like Max and definitely isn’t in love with him, because, ew, gross.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #HappilyNeverAfter via #NetGalley, courtesy of #Berkley.

This is might be my favorite Lynn Painter book so far, I could NOT stop laughing the whole time I was listening to this book.
But mostly, I have no notes. Okay just one but really it’s tiny. I loved this couple, I love how they communicated and understood each other. The tension was SO THERE. I loved the humor. Rose and Larry were perfect. And all the cats, this was the perfect Rom Com.

2.5 stars. I usually love Lynn Painter’s work (not including Mr. Wrong Number) but this book felt like it was moving way too fast. It was like they were “in love” before they even knew each other’s last names. Also, while this was probably (hopefully) written before October, the near constant mention of Starbucks was just tacky. I already thought that reading about real life brands is never fun in books but this especially is just unnecessary. Not too late to take it out tho 🙈. That being said I did like the characters individually!

2.5 Stars.

I always get so drawn in by Lynn Painter’s premises and then end up being sorely disappointed because 100 pages are just sex. She’s only one step up from the 99cent reads on the Books app in terms of style, I would say.

Any book with more than two explicit sex scenes isn’t “romance”, it’s smut.

It was an easy overnight read because I skipped those 100 pages.

Don’t be fooled—this is NOT an innovative novel about objecting to weddings. It is a textbook fake-dating plot.

Why isn’t it lower than 2.5 stars? Idk I just felt like it. The banter, maybe. The comfort in friendship, maybe. Who knows?

This was such a pleasure to read. It’s filled with cute moments, but the characters weren't as well developed as they should be.

Lynn Painter knows how to write a fun YA romance - this was such a pleasure to read. It’s filled with cute moments but the characters aren’t as well developed as they should be.

I enjoyed the premise of this book. The fact that his job was actually an objector for weddings was a unique take on how to end a wedding when you feel like you have no other way out. But, I didn't feel that the characters were completely solid. It was an easy read so I didn't think this took away from the book too much.

Lynn Painter will never cease to amaze me. Everything she writes is hilarious and quirky and so real. Her characters feel like best friends, and this book was no different. I loved, loved, loved Sophie and Max and their BANTER. They had me giggling nonstop. I will never not recommend a Lynn book!!!

3.5 ⭐️

"Happily Never After" had some really fun and sweet moments, but there were also a few things that just didn’t land for me.

The ‘fake dating’ was really more like ‘friends-who-haven’t-realized-their-feelings-for-each-other let people assume they’re in a relationship’, which could be really fun in the right circumstances, but I just couldn’t get behind either of their motives. Sophie wanted a promotion at work, and her boss didn’t want to give it to her because she was too focused on work. This could have been a great set up for Sophie to realize that she really DOES need to make sure she’s taking some time off, but this never comes up again once she gets into a relationship with Max. It’s maybe implied that Sophie has stopped sending work related emails after hours and on weekends, but it’s never actually addressed. Max, on the other hand, just wants his parents to stop worrying about him settling down and get on with their retirement. While sweet, I think both of their characters and individual plots would have been a lot more meaningful if they could’ve been resolved without NEEDING to find a partner. Max easily could’ve shown his parents he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and if he happened to find someone he wanted to spend his life with, great!

I liked Sophie and Max, and I loved their fun competitive dynamic, but I started to dislike just how anti-love they were as I got further into the book. This is, after all, a romance novel, and by the end I really wasn’t convinced these people were ready to be in a relationship with each other.

Overall, "Happily Never After" had some cute moments, but the plot just wasn’t my favourite.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5)

“Good morning,” I said loudly, still smiling, then added in a voice so low only he could hear, “you piece of s$!t.” 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

“Sex was sex, and sleep was sleep—the two didn’t need to intersect.” Agreed!!!!

“The truth is that who gives a flying f@&k if you’ve been hurt in the past? Who cares if you’ve been cheated on? You have to 𝙜𝙚𝙩 hurt to get to the good stuff, don’t you see?”

“I want to be with you because you’re my goddamn favorite person.”

This was my 1st book by Lynn Painter and I really enjoyed it. I did end up wanting a little more…POW out of the ending but I still loved it overall. Now listen to me gush about this one…

I loved the drama of these POS exes, loved seeing Max and Soph winning! I loved how unabashedly Maxxie and Sophie flirted and conveyed exactly what they wanted in certain aspects but at the same time it was like there was a boulder between them. I also loved how at ease the characters were when they were in each other’s company. The level of passion accompanied by deep level of respect in a particular laundry area was framed so perfectly. I loved the banter and text messages between Sophie and Max too.

I’ve never heard of “second sleep” until reading this book but I need more of it ASAP.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 "𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁", 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂!

Lynn Painter delivers another heartfelt, hilarious romance! Painter can seriously do no wrong in my eyes. Her plots are always so unique, and I think wedding objecting is her best meet-cute yet!

The banter in this one was SO good! I did the entire book on audio, thanks to an ALC. And the two narrators (Helen Laser and Sean Patrick Hopkins) brought so much humor and emotion to the characters. I think picking up a physical copy would make a terrific comfort re-read.

This romcom would mostly fall under friends to lovers IMO, but it had bits of so many other tropes, which made it such a well-rounded romance. It was steamy, but not super spicy. I would have loved a little more since Sophie and Max’s chemistry was so 🔥🔥! 😉

The only thing I didn’t like about this one was Sophie’s job and workplace. Ugghhh I wanted more for Sophie and hated that she had to be the one to rise above and prove herself.

The wedding dramas throughout the book were so funny and had me giggling each time there were shenanigans. Such a sweet and funny book!

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for my. It was my first time reading this author, and I'd certainly still be open to reading more of her work in the future.

I found Sophie abrasive and annoying. The conflict with Max's ex was poorly executed. Overall it was just a struggle to get through.

I feel a little conflicted about this one. I have loved Painter's YA books (and recommend them to teens and adults alike) and loved the premise of this one and the meet-cute at the beginning when Max is hired to save Sophie from her wedding and they go on a "I hate love" late night rant, but I did also have some issues with the lack of direction from there sometimes and the fact that Sophie had to "prove" at work that she was over her ex, who she worked with, to get a promotion? Ugh. Still mostly an enjoyable book. Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

Can Lynn Painter ever do any wrong!? The answer is no.
Happily Never After is a wonderful low-stakes romantic comedy filled with laughter, love, and spice. The premise is incredibly original, the pacing is phenomenal, and the characters have depth and are extremely lovable. I was entertained every step of the way and never wanted this story to end.

Lynn Painter perfected a short and sweet romance novel. It was the perfect length, and had so much humor and love in it. I binged it in 24 hours because I simply could not put it down!

When Sophie discovers that her fiancé has cheated on her (once again) right before the wedding she wants to call the whole thing off. Unfortunately, her future father in law happens to be her dads ruthless boss. If she is the one to back out of the wedding it could have bad consequences for her dad. Enter Max, a professional objector. You hire him and during the ceremony he will stand up and say "I object!" effectively ending the ceremony. Sophie thinks this is a great idea and wants in on the action. Soon the two work together going from wedding to wedding not holding the peace. Sophie more fun then she can ever remember and if a physical attraction starts to form between Max and herself then what's the harm. It's not like these 2 cynics will develop real feelings for each other, right?

Lynn Painter is one of my favorite authors and Happily Never After is no exception. Such a cute romance!

"I object!"

It's Sophie Steinbeck's wedding day and she is hoping for an interruption. Sophie knows her fiancee is nothing but a cheating bastard, so she hires an Objector! At the right time, her objector will show up and she won't need to marry Stuart.

Matt has a side gig. He becomes the objector at weddings. You guessed right when the wedding officer is asking if someone objects to the union, he is the one who jumps and says he objects. Doing this has helped people in need just like Sophie.

After the failed wedding, Matt and Sophie share a moment and a few months later, they meet again.

Matt asks Sophie to join him as an objector and save people from mistakes. What starts as a friendship soon makes them realize they are attracted to each other, but how will it work when they have both sworn off love?

This was a fun lovers-to-friends romance! The banter between these two was what did it for me. It was so easy to fall in love with these characters.

I'm looking forward to Lynn Painter's next book.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first Lynn Painter book that I've read and I have fallen in love with her writing! Happily Never After is SUCH a cute rom-com. Even though it's slightly predictable at times, it's well written enough to get away with it. Falling in love while ending other people's love stories is such a unique trope, and now I'll forever look for another book like this one.