3.75 ⭐️ (my favorite of lynn's adult romances)

happily never after is a solid contemporary romance! i will forever love lynn painter, her characters, and her writing style but i was sometimes disappointed with how much i disliked her adult romances. this one, however, was an exception. i love how creatively absurd this plot was. i've never read something like it before and i adored every minute of it. sophie and max are such entertaining characters. they have phenomenal chemistry and didn't really have major character flaws. their ability to be their truest form of themselves with each other (without worrying about judgment or critique) made their relationship even sweeter. (and of course, the side characters were a joy as always!) however, as much as i enjoyed reading this book, the third-act conflict felt childish when seeing how mature the characters are. the conflict was something that could have easily been fixed with a conversation and didn't need to be dragged along. it could have been avoided altogether. the epilogue, though, did make it better at the end. i will definitely be resisting this book in the future! and as always, the biggest thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing group for providing me with the arc!

This was my first Lynn Painter book and I am now obsessed and planning to read her entire backlist. Such a quick read but so much fun!!

Sophie’s wedding is interrupted by Max, a man who has a side gig objecting at weddings. A friendship follows suit where she joins him in objecting at other weddings. Along the way, the friendship blurs the lines into a quasi-relationship despite them both swearing that they don’t believe in love.

This book is such a fresh concept and I found myself devouring this in one day. Max and Sophie were both hilarious characters, but the best part was the dynamic between the two of them. The chemistry was off the charts amazing and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes as they denied the love brewing between the two of them. This book felt like a classic 2000s rom-com movie and I ate it up.

Highly recommend and I can’t wait to check out Lynn’s backlist. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley for the advanced copy! All thoughts are my own.

ARC Review for Happily Never After. Spoilers removed (so this jumps around a lot and thoughts may seem incomplete due to a spoiler being removed). Full review is on the site:

Lynn comes straight out the gate swinging with this absolutely hilarious tale of two people whose paths cross in the most unexpected of ways. Brimming with the heart, wit, and snappy banter that is Lynn’s signature, “Happily Never After” will take your ideas of love on a ride that you will never forget.

To have and to hold, through sickness and health – yeah it sounds promising until you find out the person in front of you has been lying, cheating, and for some crazy reason – is still determined to marry you! That’s the unfortunate situation Sophie Steinbeck finds herself in. If not for her best bud Ara’s timely intervention, Sophie could have been trapped in the shackles of matrimony, holding onto a hope of annulment or divorce as her ticket to freedom. But a hero lurks among the crowd, ready to utter the sweetest of objections just as the officiant reaches the pivotal “If anyone here knows of a reason…”

“I do.” Those two simple words have been Max’s saving grace time and again, rescuing friends, family, and acquaintances from the brink of wedded disaster. What starts as a favor for a coworker becomes his brand, and once again, word of mouth has Max standing in a church, stopping a union from being built on lies and deceit. Typically, he’d take his payment, cut ties, and move on. However, Sophie isn’t your average bride. Amid the aftermath of separation, Max finds himself drawing closer to Sophie as they unpack the essence—and in her view, the nonexistence—of love. Fast forward a few months, and Max is the one in a pickle, turning to the person who’s as cynical about love as him. A favor thought to be a one-off snowballs into several more weddings and evolves into an unexpected friendship with a feigned romance twist. As they spend time together, they realize their outings are mutually advantageous—Sophie’s promotion hinges on her demonstrating she understands work/life balance and has moved on from Stuart while Max’s parents are eager to hand off the family business to a “well-settled” Max. Seems pretty straightforward, as long as they can fight their growing chemistry. But for two people who view love with so much skepticism, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Unlike the other delightful books I have had the pleasure reading by Lynn Painter, this one was more of a thinker than a gut buster of laughter. Don’t get me wrong, the chuckles were there and the banter was solid but the deeper meaning of the story was more appealing than the humor. Getting to know Max and Sophie is a journey into complexity. She was organized and disciplined, yet with the spirit of a more relaxed personality. She sought a life of equilibrium and structure but yearned for unpredictability, and that’s where Max came in as her perfect counterpart. Describing Max is challenging – he knew what he wanted out of life but something always seemed to be in the way. He was definitely a man that mastered obstacles. Max’s appeal came from his easygoing nature, but the true magic was in what he and Sophie unearthed in each other.

A moment of recognition for the secondary characters of this book – Larry and Rose were a hoot! It was so sweet to realize that while her roommates drove her crazy, they had essentially became Sophie’s family and best friends. They truly contributed to the story in their own unique way, adding wisdom and guidance that only the older generation can.

While there is absolutely nothing I disliked about this book, it does take some time to build up momentum, picking up steam about a quarter of the way in (so be patient!). Once it finds its footing, it’s nearly impossible to put down. The chemistry between the characters is one of the primary hooks drawing in the reader. Lynn has a tendency to not focus on the spice but more of the intimacy and connections of her characters. Does that mean the steamy moments, weren’t hot – absolutely not – they were fire but it was the looks, the caresses, the description of how they saw each other, inside and out, that made those intimacy scenes deeper and satisfying.

Philosophically, the book delves into the essentials of what love is, how we define it, what it symbolizes, and the consequences/impact of it. Through it all, we are continuously forced to remove the “term” love and start to witness a foundation built on friendship, chemistry, bond, mutual respect, adulation, and happiness. We are reintroduced to the misnomers of love that are actually lust, desire, fear of being alone, familiarity, contempt, or just situationally beneficial. Overall, the reader finds their beliefs, definitions, and perspectives challenged – begging the question, if we removed the term “love” and just placed the characteristics described by Sophie, how many us would still claim to be in love?

Happily Never After makes you laugh, makes you think, and most of all makes you realized that certain ideals are not black and white. We are allowed to live, love, and lose but by our own definitions not those placed upon us. Sophie’s acronym has found a special place in my heart and I would be interested to know what impact Lynn’s words will have on her readers.

Was a very fast paced super cute and funny romcom. The characters don’t have a lot of depth, but you find yourself laughing and loving all the drama and antics that you don’t mind, the book is under 300 pages, and the ending is a little sappy, but very enjoyable. I will recommend this

3.5 stars

Sophie Steinbeck does not believe in true love. Max Parks does not want to find love. Both believe in happily never after.

Sophie is being cheated on by her fiancé and cannot call off the wedding, so of course the solution is to hire a wedding objector. Enter Max, objector for hire and unexpected ally in Sophie’s rejection of love. Max and Sophie become an objecting team and as they break up couples not meant to be together while initially faking being friends, they both find themselves wondering if their evolving friendship has caused deeper feelings than either thought possible.

•••

I wanted to love this book based on the premise alone. I haven’t read any other books based on the idea of a wedding objector for hire, so I’m glad I gave this one a chance.

This book was a cute rom-com, but it fell short in character and plot development, in my opinion. I feel as though I only got to know Sophie and Max on a superficial level and because of that, the conflict felt really forced. Sophie and Max have physical chemistry, but they lack complex personalities and feel so flat that even though they’re supposed to be changed people by the end, I don’t really buy their lust turning to love.

Sophie’s elderly roommates kept the book enjoyable; Larry is such a great side character! With not much depth, this book is a good lighthearted read for anyone searching for that.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

The wedding that did not take place. The Objector. Who or what is The Objector? This is someone named Max who earns quite a pretty penny when the routine question is asked whether or not a wedding should take place. Max makes his objection at Sophie Steinbeck's wedding. As it stands, her fiancé had been cheating on her and she is more than relieved to be able to call off the wedding.

Three months pass and beyond drinks the night the wedding did not take place, Sophie and Max had not seen one another. However, Max has another job as an Objector coming up and needs Sophie to play his second. If she agrees, she can earn a lot of money.

As a friendship grows between Sophie and Max as they work together to stop a few weddings here and there, that friendship grows into more. However, as each of them is completely jaded about love, emotion definitely will not come into play even when the couple get closer and closer. Or will it? After all, sparks won't create real emotional feelings, or so it seems. Lynn Painter has written quite an enjoyable read, one that kept me entertained right from the start.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the advance copy of this!

Listen, Lynn Painter can do no wrong. I have yet to find a book of hers that wasn't stellar. This is my second adult book of hers and last year I absolutely loved The Love Wager. And this one was no exception. I thought the concept was unique and what a meet cute (though a little out of the ordinary)!

"You cannot touch me, Steinbeck, without shattering me."
"I want to watch you shatter."

Sophie has sworn off on love after her ex fiance was cheating on her and her best friend hired an objector to object their wedding. Fast forward, the objector Max needs a favor from Sophie and for her to join her on a wedding gig. The chemistry between Sophie and Max was very apparent early on and the banter carried on throughout the book. Max fell super hard for Sophie and you could tell he was struggling to respect her wishes to not be in a relationship. Sophie's feelings were also very complicated because she made this vow to herself that she would not fall in love again but here she was slowly falling for Max. They both just worked so well together and became best friends throughout the course of the book.

This was a quick read and just such a delight!

If you are a fan of dual POV, fake dating, wedding shenanigans, fun banter - definitely check this out!

PS - Why is it so sexy when a guy says "Stay the night"?!

Read if you like:
💔 Love Cynics
💋 Fake Dating- ish
🥵 FWB
👴🏼 Grumpy/Funny Senior Roommates
❤️ He Falls First

This book is a light and fluffy look at two cynics that become friends after Max is hired to object at Sophie’s wedding after she finds out her fiancé is cheating on her just days before their wedding.

Both Max and Sophie are love cynics so when he could use some help and Sophie could use some extra cash after demanding to keep the fancy apartment and kicking her ex out which led to having to get a couple senior roommates to make rent, they become business partners breaking up weddings together, because what’s the harm when you are a cynic and helping others get out of bad relationships?

Except both Sophie and Max could benefit from people thinking they are dating so when they put on a “fake dating but we are just friends 😉” plot, they start to have a bit of a friends with benefits arraignment in addition to their business relationship.

All in all, I loved the he falls first and the way these two cynics changed their opinion about love through finding their person that could help them see the beauty in love.

Thanks Berkley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review of this light and fluffy romcom!

Cute and fun! As Lynn Painters books always are!!! Characters who are figuring it out and stumbling into one another in a way that just makes sense.

If you're in the mood for a fun, lighthearted, low stakes romcom- I've got a book for you!

It was fine and had enjoyable moments during the read, but I can tell that this one isn't going to stick with me like Better Than the Movies. I think the pacing of the plot was great, but the character/relationship development was lacking because both main characters felt like shells of any typical Hallmark romcom lead from any romcom that you've seen. This book spent a lot of time telling me how much chemistry Sophie and Max had, but I just didn't buy into it. I need more banter, more tension, more *something*.

There was spice, but it was almost like closed door spice? I'm not sure if that makes sense, but there would be some graphic descriptions and then a fade to black. It's the first time I've come across that, but honestly I didn't mind it.

Overall, a decent romcom, if a little forgettable and predictable.

Thank you to Berkley for this ARC!

OKAY WAIT this was cuuuute! i've still never been to a wedding where there actually was a chance for anyone to object, so that's funny, but using objecting as the context for this storyline was fun! i didn't totally buy into the FMC's original reasoning for why she was willing to go through with her marriage to her scum of a fiancee until The Objector came onto the scene to save her, but putting that aside, i thought it was a unique meet cute and the way their story played out was fun and flirty! it was a great audio listen, too, and i flew through it, totally picturing it as a katherine heigl/josh duhamel movie! (tell me i'm wrong!!!)

Thank you to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook and to Berkley Publishing for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happily Never After is a fun, light-hearted romance that I enjoyed reading/listening to in one day.

Sophie is at the altar on her wedding day when Max objects to it. He is paid to object as Sophie knows her fiancé has been cheating…again.

A few months later, Max contacts Sophie and they decide to team up together to object at other weddings. This leads to them spending a lot of time together. The chemistry between the two is evident and leads to some steamy scenes (nothing too graphic). But, both are anti-relationships. Can they deny their feelings for one another?

This is a great story with amazing banter. I love Sophie’s geriatric roommates, Larry and Rose. So funny. Their banter with Max AKA Julian was the best.

The narrators, Helen Laser and Sean Patrick Hopkins, were new to me. They did a wonderful job with the snark and emotion. Very enjoyable!

I LOVED every second of this book. And I almost can't articulate why. The story wasn't absurd. The characters don't have any major flaws. There's no crazy drama. No one is secretly rich. And it just makes the whole story just so freaking adorable and delightful.
Sophie is confident, funny, smart, ambitious, and effortlessly cool without being annoying or unlikable. Painter struck the perfect balance with her. I found Sophie so relatable and saw a lot of myself in her and just wanted to be friends with her! Max is charming and emotionally mature and perfectly matches Sophie's wit, intelligence and ambition. Their banter is to die for.
The chemistry is immediate and blatantly obvious but it never becomes frustrating. Painter is somehow able to pepper in deep moments and thoughts without losing the overall lightheartedness of the story.
I was smiling every time I picked this up to read.

Luckily Sophie Steambeck heard from Word of mouth about The Objector Max Parks, if there is a valid reason for objecting Max will intervene during the wedding ceremony and take all the pressure off of the dis center, in this case Sophie. After finding out her fiancé Stewart was cheating she wanted to call off the wedding because Stewart’s dad was also her dad‘s boss she felt she was in a pickle at least until she heard about Max. Little did Sophie know she would begin accompanying Max on his objector missions and enjoying it. Both Max and Sophie don’t believe in having relationships where he just doesn’t want to be bothered Sophie doesn’t believe they exist but after they start hanging around each other and feeling the extreme chemistry for reasons original to each of them they both need to play at having a relationship Sophie because her boss ED is worried about her work home balance and so she wants to pretend she is out having fun to ensure she becomes a VP at her company Max is doing it because he wants to take over his dads company but his mom refuses to move to their home in Florida unless her baby boy is stable and in a relationship and oh yes his dad asks him to do it so he can buy a boat he’s had his ion. So why not do it with someone you have overwhelming chemistry with. Eventually they’re doing everything but calling it a relationship and enjoying it but once they put a stop to it the extra curricular activities Sophie may learn love really is in obtainable goal in Max WILTSE but doing things that make someone else happy isn’t that bad after all? From a hick in a headlock to a male chauvinist pig being punched in the face it seems these two surprise each other at every turn but will they be smart enough to object to their own opinions about love and relationships? I usually struggle with rating a book but when I was finished with Happily Never After I knew immediately it was a five star read. Sophie is one of the best characters I have ever met. I think writing must be fun because we can always answer those questions I wonder what would happen if… And that seems what Miss painter has done with happily never after and bought a great job I loved this book and found it hard to put down a really really funny awesome read! I want to thank Berkeley publishing and net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I love Lynn Painter's books. They are just so much dang fun. And this book was no exception.

Sophie is a bride with a big problem - her fiancee is a cheater, but if she calls off her wedding, her father's job will be in jeopardy. What's a girl to do? Luckily, she's "saved" by Max, who makes it his life's work to save people from bad marriage choices.

What comes next is a wild, hilarious tale of two people who don't want to admit their feelings for one another doing everything they can to avoid being in love.

This book is a lot of fun, but it also has a lot of heart, and I really enjoyed it.

I loved Mr. Wrong Number, so I was super excited to read this one. As an Omaha, native, I love that Lynn Painters books are set where I live and I know exactly where the characters are when she references that one Starbucks on Dodge street or the Whole Foods in town. I really enjoyed the wedding crashers theme of this book, but I had a bit of a hard time connecting with the main characters. That's on me and not the book. The supporting characters stole the show. The MC's roommates and Dad made me laugh out loud. I highly recommend this one to other romance book lovers out there! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Happily Never After is the first book I've read by Lynn Painter and it won't be the last. I don't normally pick up a ton of contemporary books but there was something about this book summary that made me want to pick it up.

Our main characters are Max and Sophie and the way they meet is definitely unique. Max is originally hired to break up Sophie's wedding. To provide some context, Sophie had found out a few days before her wedding that her fiance, Stuart, was cheating on her and her best friend somehow found out about the "objection" services Max provides and asked him to save Sophie from a marriage she couldn't call off due to reasons. After the non-wedding, they all end up celebrating the successful break up and then they go their own ways but out of the blue, Max reaches out to Sophie with a proposition (help him with an objection for a good friend) and that is the start of everything.

I loved both of these characters. They both had been burned in their relationships in the past so they really go into this thinking they are friends only but along the way, they each became the other's "person" and they don't know what to do about it. I say that, but I have to tell you, these two aren't afraid to share their thoughts with each other about what they want...they may not be fully honest about their feelings but they are not afraid to take the next step from friends to friends kissing to more.

If you're looking for a book that has a great friends to more story, consider picking this one up. The banter and relationship between Max and Sophie was my favorite thing about it. Of course, there are solid side characters (Rose and Larry) and the story itself is well done and I loved how Painter tied it all together. I'll be looking for more from Painter in the future for sure.

Lynn Painter is a wolf in sheep’s clothing
I expected a sweet, charming romance that would match the vibe of the cute, illustrated cover. Imagine my delightful surprise when “Happily Never After” started with an interrupted wedding, a fight, and a curse flying from the microphoned mouth of the preacher.

All hell broke loose as his groomsmen followed, though it was unclear if they were trying to hold him back or incite the forthcoming brawl. It was a cacophony of male yelling and gray tuxedos in motion. His mother yelled, “Stuart, no!” Just as Stuart punched the objector square in the face. “Oh my God,” I said to no one in particular, watching in disbelief as the objector took the punch without his body moving, as if he hadn’t even felt it. Stuart’s father looked right at me as he loudly muttered, “Jesus Christ.” And Pastor Pete apparently forgot that his lapel mic was on because he sighed and said, “Are you f*cking kidding me?”

Touche’, Lynn Painter. You got me good. I really wish I would have been invited to this wedding. It would have been the highlight of my year.

Unique Meet Cute

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
The Objector and the Jilted Bride. Amazing! Sophie and Max had me invested in a heartbeat. Their meet cute was so completely out of the box and unique, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Of course, we go on to find out that the bride was in on it the whole time, and neither Max nor Sophie have any desire to be in a relationship, but I digress. It’s still an exceptional take on someone being left at the alter, and what’s more, it becomes the start of a beautiful friendship.

Sophie thinks the idea of The Objector is brilliant. There are so many people who would have benefitted from being able to cancel their weddings without the onus of being the one labeled the quitter. When Sophie finds out that Max needs a woman objector for an upcoming event, she delights in the opportunity. Naturally, attending the objector events together allows for Max and Sophie build their friendship and use it to mutual advantage. Feelings develop, much to everyone’s chagrin but mine. Nope, I was jubilant as I devoured every single page.


Final Thoughts
Max and Sophie are a delightful pair. Sassy, snarky, open to a challenge, these two characters are a breath of fresh air. Not to mention that Lynn Painter uses some of my most favorite tropes. Between the fierce independent woman, the wildly entertaining side characters, and the emphatic way that these two idiots vehemently deny they’re in love with each other, I was putty in Lynn Painter’s more than capable hands.

“Happily Never After” is waiting at the alter for you, and I promise I will not object if you decide that it’s one of your favorite romances of the year.

𝙃𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙉𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙮 𝙇𝙮𝙣𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★★★

I absolutely LOVED every second of reading this sweet, sweet story! I truly could not get enough of Sophie and Max! From the moment we met Max as Sophie’s hero/wedding objector and he saved her from marrying her cheating ex, I knew they were destined to have some serious chemistry.

I adored all of the banter between the two of them and more than anything, I fell in love with how amazing Sophie was! From always speaking her mind without hesitation, to her humor, to how fun she was and her outlook on life, it was so inspiring and refreshing. It was nice to actually have characters in a book that didn’t hide everything and they actually had easy conversations!

Larry and Rose, Sophie’s roommates, have to be my absolute favorite side characters! I need a Larry in my everyday life. He was such a fun character and I adored his personality and his friendship with Sophie.

I loved that Max was a wedding objector to try and help people out of bad situations. Sophie going along and helping him out on some of his wedding jobs was a perfect match. The time the two characters spent together and developed their friendship was my favorite as their chemistry was palpable. When things started warming up and they became friends with benefits it was pure magic and I just couldn’t get enough!

Painter delivers another fun romcom that totally hits the spot!

Lynn Painter became a must-read author for me in 2023 after reading The Love Wager because I adored her writing, the story pacing and the chemistry of her characters. That’s why Happily Never After became one of my most anticipated new romance books of 2024 and its fun storyline did not disappoint.

What happens when one person who doesn’t believe in love and another person who hates love and relationships meet and fall for one another? Well, you get one fun story that has you hooked until the very end.

I absolutely loved how Sophie and Max meet. Max is hired to object at Sophie’s wedding because she finds out that her fiancé has cheated on her again and she can’t call off the wedding herself given that her father works for her fiance’s father.

So Max gets her out of her nuptials by objecting and that night they end up drinking together and Sophie notes that she could have a lot of fun objecting at weddings too. When Max gets another wedding gig that he could use her help on they reconnect and the rest is history.

The whole business about objecting at weddings was such a fun hook to the story and it was super cute to see them at work. Of course, the entire need for them to object only solidifies their respective attitudes toward love and marriage and yet hanging out together only fuels their attraction and chemistry together.

Turns out that they use this to their advantage – pretending to be more than just friends for her boss’s sake (as she wants a promotion and needs to demonstrate better work/life balance) and her his parent’s sake as his dad won’t retire and they won’t move to Florida until they think he’s “settled.”
So throw in some fake dating and some hot chemistry and a shared belief about love never being enough and you’ve got two people who are just really fun and easy to root for.

While their back stories aren’t long as to why they don’t believe in love, I didn’t need them to be. The focus was more on seeing how these two really fit one another and if they could just get over their “no-relationship” hang-ups they could really be happy together since they already are.

Throw in some geriatric roommates for some comic relief and a much-needed heart to heart and the novel was an easy read that I really enjoyed.
I think this would be a light, fun summer read since it has the focus on weddings but I recommend it for any time of year.


*Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.