Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Happily Never After

Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

5 reviews

devilbunny6's review

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

The only likable characters were a couple of Baby Boomers who, for reasons, chose to live with the emotionally immature Gen Z FMC in her way too overpriced downtown Omaha apartment in order to help her make rent. Both MMC and FMC were the hottest two people on the planet and super fancy, yet super relatable because they had cats. They drank copious amounts of alcohol and ate a lot of pizza and ice cream. Oh, and they also made a crap ton of money busting up weddings.

Weird premise + annoying MCs = me wishing I could get a refund on this book. I’d enjoyed this authors Mr. Wrong Number series so I picked this up thinking it’d be a nice, fluffy read only to be filled with regret.

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lexiemoon321's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Did I manage to read this all in a couple of hours? Yes, I did.

Okay, I want to go ahead and get my only problem with the book: the romance between the two main characters just completely undermines what the book is trying to talk about: that love isn't real. But besides that...I liked it! If there is one thing that I have noticed with Lynn Painter is that she writes the most HILARIOUS banter. I think overall this was a really cute read and one that you can read in one sitting!

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whateves99's review

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Got me out of my reading slump and is SUCH a page turner

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theinstabookworm's review

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funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The idea of being an Objector is really fun. I loved the banter between Sophie and Max and the shenanigans they find themselves in as Objectors. I thought they had great chemistry. However, there was quite a bit of miscommunication, which frustrated me, because so much of their arguments and fights could have been avoided if they just *talked* to each other. I feel like they spent a lot of time denying their feelings for each other when all they had to do was be mature and communicate. I also found that there weren't as many Objector jobs in the second half of the book, and I wish there were more. I know wedding season fluctuates, and if that's the reason for less Objector jobs, then it makes sense and is accurate to the real world. But, I found myself wanting more of the Objector jobs. Not my favourite of Painter's, but not my least favourite either.

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amateur_bookworm's review

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My summary: On the eve of her wedding to Stuart, Sophie finds out he is a cheating scumbag and her best friend, Asha, hires The Objector to come to the wedding and protest the marriage. Max started his side hustle as The Objector to help a friend out and then it spread through word of mouth. After stopping Sophie’s wedding, Max comes up to the bridal suite later to get paid and ends up having some drinks with Sophie and Asha. Four months later, Max contacts Sophie to see if she’ll help him out at another wedding as The Objectress. Soon, Max and Sophie hit it off as they continue spoiling the wedding days of doomed couples. With neither of them wanting love or a relationship, it’s the perfect arrangement—until the feelings they have for each other say otherwise.

My thoughts: This is such a fun book! I have never read anything by Lynn Painter before this book and I really enjoyed her writing style. It’s witty and light-hearted yet there’s still a plot. I loved that Sophie’s roommates are very Golden Girls-reminiscent. I really adored this book and it is perfect except for ….. Maxxie, the nickname ruined it for me a little bit. But overall I loved it. It’s a short read and just really enjoyable. I’ll definitely be checking out some of Lynn Painter’s other books now.

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