A Chinese retelling of Cinderella if Cinderella was a badass thief with an enchanted ring and Prince Charming was a cunning and power-hungry heir to a kingdom swimming in treachery and greed.

Our protagonist, Yining is a young and skilled mind-reader who yearns to escape the clutches of her cruel step aunt, who tricks her way into the palace to retrieve the ring stolen from her—finding herself in the eyesight of the prince himself. I absolutely loved Yining’s fire and determination, she was fascinating, but not quite as so as Jin, advisor from a rival court to the palace, who she soon finds out is quite the worthy ally, with a hoard of secrets of his own. 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆…?

The storytelling was by far the shining star of Never Ever After, not for a long time have I felt like I was actually pulled into the pages of a book. Everything felt so real, fully immersing me in the sights and smells of the kingdom, with mouth-watering descriptions of sugared fruits and pastries and lush portrayals of palace courtyards and forests.

This series has a LOT of potential if this is anything to go by. This was my first book by Tan and I’m so excited to see where she takes this story next.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sharing an eARC!

𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐮𝐞 𝐋𝐲𝐧𝐧 𝐓𝐚𝐧
~ 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒖𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮-𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘀—𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗻é𝗲 𝗔𝗵𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗵, 𝗧𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗳𝗶, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗿.

This is Sue Lynn Tan's young adult debut and it was absolutely immaculate! Reading this book reminded me so much of the love I have to Tan's whimsical writing style and the plot and dynamic style of the Celestial Kingdom duology.

Yining the protagonist and female main character, is a orphan who is looking for a better life than the one of poverty and cruelty subjected by her step-aunt. She's a brave character from all the hardships she's gone through and she's going to put herself first every single time — not letting people control her and make decisions for her.

This book is heavy on politics and court intrigue over romance — which did not play a major role here. The intricate dynamics of relationships of the court, characters & poltics were very well woven and fledged out.

There's so many secrets and plot twists that are shocking at an understatement. Sue Lynn Tan cleverly plotted our the details and subtly hinted overshadowing of the dates and futures.

This was an amazing debut and I cannot wait for the next installment! This is an adventure packed with politics and schemes for fans of the Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

I have ARC read many of Tan's books and each one surprises me how it's always better than the last one and I don't think I can fall even more in love with the way an author writes. the descriptions pull you in, the story is immersive!

This was my first book by Sue Lynn Tan, and I'm truly impressed with what she delivered. I'm very excited about the sequel and will be diving into other books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Hodderscape for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this ARC read,
I have just finished reading this book and I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity.
The book is so beautifully and artistically written. It has so much gentleness and a real authenticity to the way the story grows and develops.
The main character is brave and extremely likeable. The supporting characters are complex and the story takes you on so many different paths you are unsure who to trust or who is hiding secrets.
There are unexpected twists and turns which sometimes changes your view on these characters.
The last few chapters are quite explosive and I flew through them.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this beautiful immersive fantasy novel.

WOW I loved this book. Having read one of Sue Lynn Tan's previous books I knew it would be great but this one was even better than I expected. I thought at first it was going to be similar to the previous trilogy but I liked the world building in this one more and also this felt like there were move twists that I wasn't expected. Cant wait for the next one

I quickly became a fan of this author when I read the Celestial Kingdom books and so I was incredibly excited to be approved for an early copy of this! And this book was everything that I've come to expect from the author's books - beautiful, flowing writing, well paced and with vibrant descriptions.

This book in particular read like a fairytale, which isn't all that surprising considering that it's inspired by Cinderella. However the Prince puts Yining in an impossible situation and soon the dream becomes a nightmare.

I'd gone into this book believing it to be a standalone so I was very confused by the ending at first, thinking that so many questions were left unanswered. But I checked and luckily this was just the first book! That's not to say that you couldn't read this book and be satisfied because it is an ending of sorts, but there is definitely more to the story.

This would have been 5⭐ for me but I couldn't stop thinking about what happened to Little Dragon and the Sun Dragon, both of which quite upset me so for that reason I'm slightly lowering to 4.75⭐

Other than that, I'm so excited to read the next book! As other reviewers have suggested, it's still unclear which MMC will be endgame but I'm really hoping for Jin, as I just don't think Zixin would ever be able to redeem himself in my eyes🤭🙈 Jin seems very alike to Yining and I believe them both to have good hearts.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Five Glorious Stars for Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan

Sue Lynn Tan has done it again! Never Ever After is a breathtakingly lyrical tale that had me hooked from the very first page. As someone who has thoroughly enjoyed all her previous works, I went into this one with high expectations—and it still managed to exceed them.

From the start, the setting is lush, atmospheric, and beautifully imagined. Tan has an unparalleled gift for world-building, effortlessly blending myth and magic into every scene. The female protagonist’s journey is compelling, her character arc unfolding with nuance and emotional depth. I found myself rooting for her from the beginning, captivated by her strength, vulnerability, and the quiet resilience that makes her so memorable.

And the love triangle? Heart-wrenching and deliciously complex. Tan never takes the easy route with relationships, and the romantic tension here adds another rich layer to an already immersive story.

It’s hard to believe I’m already counting the days for a sequel—especially since this gem hasn’t even been released yet! If you’re a fan of beautifully written fantasy with strong heroines, emotional depth, and slow-burning tension, Never Ever After is not to be missed

So my only major gripe here is that this is being described as a fantasy romance, and it really didn’t feel it. It felt much more like The Cruel Prince series - a political fantasy which had a romance in it. The romance seemed to be more prominent in the first 30% or so, and then it very much took a backseat. However I’m pretty sure it’s a trilogy? So maybe the romance will take centre stage in 2 and 3. But that isn’t a complaint about the book itself, and more the marketing.

The writing in this was gorgeous - it’s the first Sue Lynn Tann book I’ve read, and I think her others have just jumped up my TBR. It’s lyrical without being too flowery, and intricate without being too detailed.

There were a couple of twists/plot developments which I didn’t see coming, which was nice. There were a few false leads/hints to thrown off the scene which looking back feel obvious, but at the time I didn’t even notice them!

Character development is great - Yining realising that the palace isn’t all it’s made out to be is really well done, and the side characters move along nicely as well. There’s a F/F relationship among the side characters as well.

I’m really excited to see where this goes - I feel like it’s set up book 2 really nicely in every aspect, and I’ve honestly no idea what’s gonna happen next!

For fans of - The Cruel Prince, Once Upon A Broken Heart

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

Never Ever After is lush, gripping, and full of magic. From enchanted rings to secret identities, this book pulls you into a world where danger hides behind silk curtains—and no one is quite who they seem.

What impressed me most was the immersive storytelling. The world felt alive: opulent palaces, shadowy corridors, and mouthwatering festival scenes that made me want to step right in. And just when I thought I knew where things were headed—plot twist. This story never stops moving.

Yining is a standout heroine: clever, fierce, and just the right amount of reckless. Her dynamic with the prince is tense and intriguing, but it’s her growing bond with Jin—the rival court advisor dripping in secrets—that has me the most curious. There’s definite love triangle potential, which I'm desperately in need of.

A strong start to a new series that promises scheming royals, slow-burning tension, and plenty of surprises. I’ll be counting the days until the sequel.

I just finished Never Ever After and honestly... I loved it so much. It’s the kind of story that pulls you in quietly, then before you know it, you're completely lost in the world and staying up way too late reading “just one more chapter.”

I didn’t expect to fall so hard for Yining, but she’s such a brilliant main character—clever, bold, sarcastic, and deeply human. She’s not perfect, but that’s what makes her feel real. I was rooting for her from the very
The writing is just beautiful. There’s this almost lyrical quality to it, but it never feels overdone. Just enough magic and mystery, but also grounded in emotion and character.

I also loved how it played with the Cinderella idea but turned it completely on its head. It’s darker, sharper, and way more layered than I expected. The world was rich and immersive, and I was constantly highlighting lines I wanted to remember.

Honestly, if you enjoy fairytales with depth, complicated characters, and writing that feels like being wrapped in silk—read this. It stayed with me long after the last page. Can’t wait to see what happens next.All the stars.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you Netgalley and Hodderscape for an arc of one of my most anticipated read of the year.

Every time Sue Lynn Tan writes a new book, it end up being even better than the last.
I couldn't put my kindle down because I was so curious to know what will happen next.
The cinderella retelling Chinese edition was so well executed and gosh once again I love love love this love triangle.

The writing is as usual flawless and additive.

This book is for sure one of the best release of 2025!!!

I'm such a fan of Sue Lynn Tan's books and her writing. This story is no exception. This is a Cinderella inspired story intertwined with Chinese elements. with a female main character who is strong and will make those hard choices. The world building is so beautifully immersive and the writing is captivating. I always feel like I'm reading a fairytale but one with more complex elements and political intrigue.

I was so caught up in the story which had twists and turns. It was at time difficult to know who to trust because it felt like the characters all had their own agenda. I was surprised with certain parts and I honestly didn't see some things coming.

I flew through this book because I wanted to know what would happen next, The pacing felt good and it definitely ended with me wanting book 2. The characters were nicely fleshed out and you find out things about them, but I still want more. I just want more story and more of this world!! The romance was a nice sub plot without overtaking the story. I definitely have my fave but right now I'm unsure where it will go.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the eArc. I loved this one.