Cover Image: After Happily Ever After

After Happily Ever After

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Maggie is in her forties, has been married for twenty years, and is the mother to a teenage daughter. But she wants more from her life than cleaning up after her family and making sure dinner is on the table on time. She’s always had a great relationship with her dad, but after his health starts to deteriorate, she realizes that he won’t always be there for her. Anxious and worried, she begins to bump into a younger (and incredibly attractive) younger man who seems to be interested in her. Is he the excitement Maggie has been waiting for?

This work is largely told from Maggie’s point of view. There are a few chapters told from her husband’s and her dad’s points of view interspersed throughout the book. While I disliked this at first, it added a great deal of insight into Maggie’s story and struggles. It turned the story from being one-sided and biased into a well-rounded view of what was actually occurring. I believe that having the multiple points of view strengthened the work.

The characters were well written overall. They had unique voices, and even the secondary characters had some good development. I felt that Michael’s character was a little unbalanced – the shift that happened with his character was sudden and seemed a bit unrealistic to me. Maggie was honestly a delight – she was one of the most relatable protagonists I’ve run across. Her sense of humor was perfect, and her flaws were incorporated well.

I listened to the audiobook version of this work. The narrator did an excellent job with the different characters’ voices and was able to realistically convey emotions.

This was an easy story to listen to, and I absolutely enjoyed it. I recommend this work for anyone who is interested in family drama, family relationships, dealing with aging parents, romance, and overcoming marital problems.

I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I’m only a few years younger than the main character and I hated her. I couldn’t deal with all her complaining and lack of appreciation for how good and easy her life was. How she behaved was embarrassing. This was just a mediocre/cardboard midlife crisis story. I tried to push through but gave up at 44% when the husband starting having his own midlife crisis.

I also didn’t like that the narrator wasn’t changed for other chapters. The narrator is fine (she sounds like Brêne brown) but her voice doesn’t change at all when she’s reading chapters narrated by the husband or her father, which makes it confusing. There needs to be a male narrator

Was this review helpful?

It was a surprise audio for me from Netgalley and Blackstone publising. I loved the cover and I was approved.

It was a great entertaining book for woman after 40 when the life change and suddenly you are a littlw older and those in 20s can be your dougters. It is hard sometimes but the life goes on and we have to accept.

I laught but also wanted to stop this our lady that felt so lonly in this world. I can complitely understand her, I am almoat there so it made me think what I have done in my life and I am always sad I have not done a little more for my career but kids are my priority and I couls not have both. So I am ok. I hoped all the way she would listen also her mind and not just her heart and depresion feeings.

I really love the end. Talking and discusing problems can resolve any reationahip

Was this review helpful?