Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A great, thrilling read, which will keep you entertained throughout. A good one sitting read, get the nibbles ready, close the door, and read!

What starts off as a pretty predictable thriller, soon changed direction and I’m still not sure what my thoughts on it are! I think it was great to see an author being so bold with their ideas but did it work… I still can’t decide!

While I was initially unsure of this novel as the first few chapters were just ok, the pace quickly picked up and the author began delving more deeply into the characters after about 6 chapters and from that point forward I was hooked. It still wasn’t a top 5 mystery of the year for me, but still an ultimately well executed and creative novel and I’m glad I stuck with it.

Thank you Random House Vintage UK and NetGalley for the ARC of this book and apologies for the delay in reading but work got in the way!
This book reminded me of Louise Doughty in parts. It was a good story, with good characters and I liked the way it was written. A very promising debut, and I would like to read more by this author.

Happy Ever After is an entertaining psychological thriller that focuses on Naomi and her husband Charlie. They have a baby, Prue, but Naomi is evidently feeling a little bored with her life and ends up doing something very stupid with someone who turns out to be nothing like what they seem.

The characters were not likable for me – I struggled to identify or empathise with the demanding Naomi, though I felt sorry for her at times, and her husband Charlie was irritating in his own way! Despite this, I wanted to know exactly who certain characters really were, and there are sections of the book which seem to feature teenagers talking, and it added an extra sense of mystery – I wanted to know who these people were ands how they related to the story.

There were lots of predictable elements to this book, and some you could see coming a mile off, but despite this I found myself racing through it. There are certainly parts which felt unrealistic, but then again, that just adds to the entertainment value.

Naomi has plenty of faults, but at the end of the day I wanted to know what would happen to her and her family, so I kept reading on, and the book certainly provided entertainment, so I’d recommend it if you fancy something easy and fun to read.

A promising debut, put me in mind of Louise Doughty in parts.. Quite promising, I would seek out more books by this author .Recommended.

Naomi is desperate for baby number 2 but it isn't happening then a chance encounter with a dad at the nursery may have granted her wish. She isn't sure though and then he disappears. Where is he and could he try to take away her happy ending?

This was an interesting story but I struggled to follow at times. It jumps around a lot and took a while to figure out who everyone was. I got there in the end but it slowed the story down. I also wasn't keen on the various articles slotted in. I found they affected the flow of the story. Naomi is not the most likeable but I did warm to her by the end. She does some questionable things but much of her reasoning is logical. The ending was well done though with a couple of clever twists thrown in to the mix. A good thriller just requires some following.

I found that Happy Ever After got of to a bit of a slow start and didn't necessarily have me hooked right away but as the plot twisted I found myself compelled to get to the end.

Quite an enthralling thriller, plenty of twists to hold your interest, but it didn't quite do it for me. Still a great debut with a fabulous cover.

Very enjoyable read. I like it when I find a new author and will be looking forward to reading more by this one. It’s an interesting tale and the characters are believable as well as intriguing. 4/5.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book
I stuggled to get into the plot and felt it took a while to get going
as suspence books go it was ok - but just ok
the characters were not very likable across the board so I struggled to find any sympathy for them
overall - average

What a wonderfully gripping read, I couldn't put it down. Loved it from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from this author

Reminded me of another book I reviewed on Netgalley in its unlikeable main characters, drawn out story and how it lacks what I have come to expect from a thriller, even a domestic one.
Sadly I didn't even finish this one, so it could've have an incredible ending which salvaged the whole thing. Maybe one day I'll go back and find out but I doubt it.

Happy Ever After by C. C. MacDonald is a lesson in never having an affair! Because things could come back to haunt you, big time! As the main character Naomi found out when she cheated on her husband Charlie.

Yes she is having a bad time, they're trying to conceive because they want a second child, and it's not going very well. They're exhausted, and the stress of it all is getting on top of them. So when Naomi meets the stranger she names 'The Lumberjack', a man with his own child and they begin to go on some 'play dates', Naomi starts to feel like a real woman again. And then she makes the mistake of sleeping with him and he suddenly disappears. Seemingly he has just walked into her life and then straight out of it. Angry she wants answers, and tries to track him down.

Then, as if that's not enough, she discovers she is pregnant, and not only that but strange things keep happening around her. Someone is entering their house and moving things. It's not until something is added that she realises the extremity of her mistake (as if getting pregnant by another man is not big enough). Someone - and we all know who - knows her secret, and now she is terrified what he is going to do with that knowledge, and just how 'The Lumberjack' found out. He must have known all along and is now messing with her. But exactly how much does he know?

The first half was quite a slow read for me, I almost gave up, but then not only did it pick up, but I raced through it, desperate to discover the truth for myself. What I thought was going to be a predictable story, twisted and turned all over the place, with an outcome that made perfect sense, and one I did not see coming!

I would like to thank #CCMacDonald, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #VintagePublishing for an ARC of #HappyEverAfter in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting premise that sadly failed in delivery. I really struggled with this book and whilst the title may be HAPPY EVER AFTER, it left me feeling anything but.

Naomi and Charlie are struggling to conceive their second child. Their sex life is timed to temperatures and ovulation charts whilst in the midst of their perfect life with their beautiful daughter and their lovely home, they begin to drift apart.

One day when taking daughter Prue to nursery, Naomi meets one of the other parents, who she refers to as "the lumberjack", and instantly there is a connection. She soon learns his name is Sean and they got for coffee together and Sean invites her to bring Prue to swimming lessons. But after the swim, Naomi makes a mistake.

Then Sean seemingly disappears. She tries contacting him but there is no reply. He appears to have vanished into thin air. Who was he? Is there more to him than meets the eye?

As Naomi tries to settle back into the normality of life, she discovers she is pregnant...at last. And that's when strange things begin to happen.

Things in the house are moved around, items turn up that don't belong to them, noises in the loft, the front door left wide open, Charlie is constantly away and she can't sleep. Naomi is going out of her mind, becoming tired carrying the baby and feeling as if she can't cope. What is going on?

It appears somebody knows her secret.

And then she meets Charlie's friend Sal. It's him and he is as gorgeous as ever...

A somewhat bizarre book, HAPPY EVER AFTER is complex, confusing and convoluted. What made it even harder was the totally unlikable characters. Naomi always appeared to be griping or moaning about something. She is completely dissatisfied with life and decides she wants more instead of being content with what she had. She is irritating, self obsessed and I couldn't stand her. I didn't much like Charlie either. Added to that a demanding child ("spoon, spoon, spoooooon!!"), and I felt like tearing my own hair out.

HAPPY EVER AFTER is anything but. It is slow moving, despite the short snappy chapters that were all about Naomi and her need for something more. And the writing? Husband with two flat floury baps for an arse"...really? What the hell?

A sadly boring and convoluted story about an unlikable couple and their perfect lives that is just too mundane for some. HAPPY EVER AFTER did nothing for me but long for my next book. I couldn't finish it as it was going nowhere.

Definitely not the addictive thriller it was billed as.

I would like to thank #CCMacDonald, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #VintagePublishing for an ARC of #HappyEverAfter in exchange for an honest review.

There's a few issues with this book - part of it is that you really have to persevere with it. The first half is really slow and has some really questionable areas, but most of it gets tied up and resolved in the other half.
The thriller is pretty solid once it settles down though, and the main character is a pretty solid anti-hero.
A solid book.

I found this book a bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t for me. I wasn’t hooked and instead found myself counting the pages until the end. Disappointing.

This starts out as your garden variety drama them slowly morphs into something entirely more interesting and suspenseful.
So the first half of this was slow and plodding and Initially, I was worried this was going to be a DNF but it surprisingly managed to pick up and then took off in the second half.
It then became much more interesting and I wanted to finish just to discover what the heck was occurring.
So character-wise nobody was very likeable here not Naomi herself or her husband Charlie or even her new dad friend Sean.
Everyone seemed to be out for themselves and working to there own individual agendas.
So let's start with Naomi she controlling and judgemental especially in regards to her husband Charlie.
If things don't go her way or seem out of her control she plays the blame game and even her not getting pregnant to her schedule is something she punishes her husband for in passive-aggressive ways belittling him whatever chance she gets.
On the surface, her husband charlie seems the nicer and more reasonable of the two.
A man put upon and overshadowed by his controlling spouse but if you look beneath that surface he is actually not that nice of an individual either and as this progresses it becomes apparent that Charlie is actually rather shallow placing importance on things and stuff and appearances.
These two are actually a match made in heaven.
Then add Sean into the mix he is the wrecking ball that has entered their life a shadow from the past that wants to destroy there picture perfect illusion and he is the question mark hanging over everything.
So I did find the timeframe here somewhat confusing initially, though it did start to become clearer as this progressed.
Also nobody actually really redeems themselves here though I was happy with the resolutions we eventually arrived at everyone involved with this was still as bloody horrible at the finish line as they were at the start.
This was well written just initially rather slow and the second half of this is much better than the first.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Happy Ever After.

Wow I loved this book. It grabbed me from the outset and kept me page turning late into the night. A great set of characters and an intriguing plot. What’s not to like!