Poppy Alexander’s new book, Storybook Ending, follows Imogen, a children’s book author, is pregnant and in the midst of a move to the countryside when her husband unexpectedly passes away. Imogen wants to make a fresh start and a good life for her baby so she decides to go ahead with the move. For those familiar with Poppy Alexander’s The Littlest Library, Imogen’s new home is in Middlemass. I loved Middlemass so I was excited to be returning to the quaint and charming little village. I knew the residents there would take good care of Imogen and her baby.

After a rough start, particularly in terms of dealing with her gruff neighbor Gabriel, Imogen soon settles in to life in Middlemass. Gabriel reminded me a bit of Luke from Gilmore Girls, grumpy as heck on the outside, but would do absolutely anything he could to help someone he cared about. It becomes pretty clear early on that Gabriel cares about Imogen. I loved their scenes together, and especially all of the small things here and there Gabriel would do to make Imogen’s life a little easier.

There’s a bit of drama throughout the story surrounding Imogen’s home that kept things interesting, but overall I’d consider Storybook Ending to be a heartwarming, feel good story about finding yourself and your path forward after grief and loss, and about second chances, especially when it comes to love.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

This story had great potential! A young widow who discovers she is pregnant after her husband's death (and suspects he has a secret life...) While there is a twist in what that secret is, the direction of Imogene's feelings toward her deceased husband gave me whiplash. Then there is the grumpy neighbor, Zach. The push and pull, and romantic tension were there, but I just didn't feel a genuine connection with our couple. I enjoyed our eventual happily ever after just like my sappy, romantic heart would hope for, I just didn't truly buy the whole love story.

3 stars

Storybook Ending is a sweet romance story about a woman who recently becomes a widow and has a new home. She is trying to figure out how she will be able to provide for herself in the future when she gets a shock, she is pregnant. Just when things are starting to look up she gets kicked back down. And instead of fighting for her new life and another chance at love, she ends up running scared. Will her old and new friends let this stand or will they intervene for her own good? Read Storybook Ending to find out.
I loved the overall story and several of the characters, but I didn’t love the female protagonist. She was quick to jump to conclusions at times. I also thought it was odd that right after losing her husband and moving to a new place, she is kissing a total stranger.

This was a lovely cozy read with a likable main character and a delightful English village setting. Plus, how can I resist a place called the Dower Cottage. It sounds like it came straight out of an Agatha Christie. The last little bit has not been kind to Imogen. After a not quite successful marriage ends with her being left a widow she finds herself the owner of a little cottage her husband had bought just before he died.
Imogen has a lot to sort out. She still has to figure out her feelings about her marriage, figure out how she's going to earn enough money to live on, and just how she fits into life in a small village. Along with that she has a few new neighbors to make friends with - including her neighbor Gabriel who manages to fascinate her and annoy her all at once.
But this isn't all cozy garden parties and country walks. A major problem is looming over Imogen's head connected to Gabriel and Imogen finds herself more conflicted. I do like books involving characters figuring out what they want out of life and this had that in spades. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and also really liked the writing style. This is the second book I've read from this author and the second one I've really enjoyed.

Poppy Alexander spins a charming yarn with sympathetic characters, a well crafted plot line and great dialogue. A perfect weekend read.

Imogen meets Gabriel when she moves to the country after losing her husband. Given their pasts and what they have happening now, will they have a chance at being together?

I absolutely adored The Litllest Library so I jumped at the opportunity to read Storybook Ending, I mean, who doesn’t love a happily ever after?
Imogene is a children’s author who decides to the countryside with her husband but he is killed tragically soon thereafter. She decides to go ahead and move into the cottage alone except for her cat to keep her company. She soon discovers that her husband left her with a surprise before he died-she’s pregnant and so she finds herself even more determined to make a good life for herself in the country but she can’t seem to shake her brooding neighbor Gabriel m who she can’t decide if is a friend or foe, especially once she realizes that he is the lord of the local manor house and has the power to take back her home when it needs a lot of repairs and leave her broke and homeless. And for some reason, he seems determined to do just that, and despite that, Imogene finds herself drawn to him and in her darkest time, Gabriel may just be her saving grace.
Such a cozy and enjoyable read and that cover 😍😍 I am definitely a fan of this author.
Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Storybook Ending isn't really a romance. It's more about starting over, creating a new life in an unfamiliar environment when life throws you a big curveball, and discovering strengths that you didn't know you had.

I kind of loved Imogen, a rather whimsical and wispy young woman, who married a buttoned down lawyer and was kind of floating through her own life until he died unexpectedly in an accident, just as they had completed the sale of their London townhome and were about to move into a cottage in the country. For the first time in her life, Imo has to step up and actually run her own life, especially when she finds out she's pregnant. She finds unexpected strength and depth in herself and is able to meet these big challenges, even as life keeps trying to knock her down again.

The romance with her neighbor is rather rushed and undeveloped and to me, wasn't really the point of the book. I preferred when the story focused on the other characters, on life in a small English village, and on Imo herself. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I simply adored this book. I loved the characters. I love the small knit community and Imogen’s starting over.

Imogen's husband dies unexpectedly ... just after he concluded purchasing a home in the country.

I had previously read 25 days til Christmas by Poppy Alexander and felt that I needed a break after reading some other books with "heavier" content. Storybook Ending was a nice and easy little romance. Nice characters and fairly straightforward plot. There was definitely one twist that was unexpected (to me).

I was glad to have the opportunity to read this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Paperbook for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Storybook Ending in exchange for an honest review. 352 pages. Publication date is Aug 20, 2024

I really really wanted to like this book. I loved the premise and the idea, but the execution just wasn't for me. It felt very bland and boring and that the main character was just reacting to things that happened to her. You also didn't have a lot of internal narrative going on so as a reader I could never tell what she was thinking. Was she happy about the baby? What emotions did she feel around it? How did she feel about anything? It felt like she was going through life in a numb state, and I don't think it was written on purpose. There was random POV's without warning, and I couldn't tell time in here. One minute she was finding out she was pregnant and the next she had a bump? No scene of her seeing herself pop and the feelings that came with it now that she could see she was pregnant with her dead husband's baby, a husband who may or may not be faithful to her? It felt like a chore to read and I was rooting so hard for the book and story in general. But overall it just wasn't my cup of tea.

This book was a charming little gem of a read. Amazing detail of the english countryside, fabulous friendships and delightful romance that will tug on your heartstrings. A wonderfully entertaining story with characters that are true, funny and heartwarming. I immediately wanted to be friends with Imogen. I loved every page including the darling book cover.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

Previously I had read and enjoyed [book:The Littlest Library|58986627] by Poppy Alexander, so I was happy to pick this one up to try it. Storybook ending says "happily ever after" to me, so I was hoping for that type of book.

Description:
In her books she can write “happily ever after”— but real life? That’s another matter…

For children’s book author Imogen, an idyllic life in the English countryside seems like the perfect fit for her and her husband. But when tragedy strikes, Imogen is left widowed, and finds herself moving into Storybook Cottage alone with only her monstrously narcissistic cat for company.

After discovering she is pregnant, Imogen grows determined to embrace a new start in Middlemass, with its duckpond, cricket matches and village fêtes. The only thing Imogen can’t seem to shake is her neighbor—a brooding, artisan blacksmith named Gabriel—who she can’t quite decide is friend or foe. That is until she realizes, thanks to an arcane clause in her deeds, that Gabriel— not just an artist, but lord of the local manor house— has the power to take her home and leave her completely broke.

Devastatingly, he seems keen to do exactly that. Yet, Imogen finds herself drawn to him nonetheless. And in her darkest hour, Gabriel may just be the bright spot to save Imogen in more ways than one.

My Thoughts:
Overall this was a charming book and I enjoyed it. Yes, Imogen went through some hardship for sure with the death of her husband, a baby on the way, a new home in the country, and then a difficult obstacle with the new home arises as well. The blacksmith neighbor was both irritating and intiguing. There was something about him that Imogen found attractive. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys happily ever after type books.

Thanks to Avong and Harper Voyager through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Storybook Ending by Poppy Alexander is a heartwarming tale.
I absolutely loved the writing and was happy with the ending.
This is such a sweet, light-hearted story with the best characters.

Thank You NetGalley and Avon for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book was fine. I honestly didn’t have any strong feelings one way or another toward it. Essentially, I simply didn’t feel any real connection to much of the story and therefore never got truly invested in it.

The main feeling I had while reading was sympathy for Imogen in the loss and confusion she faced and having to sort the unexpectedness of life on her own. I did enjoy her finding her place in the small community she landed it, most especially in her friendships with Genny and Simon.

As far as the romance plot, it fell almost entirely flat for me. I felt like there was a lot of development missing to get from meeting to “I love him” and so many non-conversations in favor of assumptions. Imogen and Gideon barely spent any real time together that allowed for actual feelings to grow between them in my mind. I think I would have felt more invested in the book as a whole if the romance hadn’t even been in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mostly enjoyable read. Not really enemies to lovers but more grumpy to puppy dog. The friendships were really nice in this book. Everything was handled well. My only complaint is that the main character seemed to just forget she had a cat sometimes. Despite that cat turning into the inspiration for her new career.

My arc was provided by the publisher.

From heartbreak to romance, this book will give you all the feels. I definitely grabbed this based on the cover and it did not disappoint.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Simply delightful! Imogen is a charming character that you can‘t help but fall in love with completely. She is going through a lot, recently widowed, so much change and worry dropped upon her but she finds herself in a quaint cottage in the most lovely village filled with kind people and starts to find her way. That is all I‘ll share, spoilers, but I really enjoyed this and highly recommend! Releases on August 20th.

I LOVED this cozy fall read! It was such a delight getting to stay in the English countryside with Imogen in her cozy little cottage. I loved the fun cast of characters she met in Middlemass and the descriptions of the town and everything in it were the best vibes. I also loved watching Imogen come into her own. She had a great journey and it was super fun to read about. This is the perfect book for fall! I truly think it is the best cozy book that I have read. You do not want to miss out on reading it.