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Happily Never After
Their name? The objectors.
Their job? To break off weddings as hired.
Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”
During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.
Their job? To break off weddings as hired.
Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”
During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 12, 2024
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June 3, 2024
i woke up happy today with a new perspective on life. what caused this new revelation is a book, which may be surprising to many of you out there. wait, let me hold in my sobs. okay, it was...lynn painter's new wattpad release! this public manual on sexual manipulation chronicles the romance of two shitheads: sophie had a douche cheat on her. max saves her by objecting at their wedding. now they object at everyone's weddings wherever they go, and earn so much money while doing so, they could clone each other but hopefully with better personalities because no one wants more of these idiots walking the earth.
my one problem is (i've got so many more in long organized lists): there are doctors and nurses that SAVE LIVES, and these two go and say ONE WORD at a wedding and earn 10k! the flight, expenses, all that crap PAID FOR. lynn, i don't think that's how jobs work.
i don't think i have the right to say that statement, because in order to finish this book, i had to be extremely jobless as well. i actually cancelled a class for this shit. granted, it was a lecture on plant stimulation in clay, but i still skipped like, something that cost me money in order to read this. that's a new level of giving no fucks.
i assume lynn walks around her admittedly grand house, comes up with an idea, then immediately publishes it. because i can't stomach how an established author creates this shit without it being a money grab. lynn is publishing actual drafts that need so much editing, i could do it and this book would turn out better! I COULD DO IT. i failed english, but i do have a better understanding of healthy relationships than lynn does, so that works out in my advantage.
speaking of healthy relationships, let's talk about one that is so unhealthy, it'll make you read dark romances where that main guy kills like 90 people and holds his love interest hostage..then realize that maybe max, one of our main characters, turns you off more than him. i wouldn't judge you for that. i would definitely say the same. nay, i am saying the same. i would rather marry ghostface than cross paths with max on a random tuesday.
maxxie - lynn, darling. i want you to walk up to the people in your life and ask them for advice on the nickname thing. in your recent book, someone was nicknamed bay. by her stepfather. please, for the love of god, think on these names.
okay, maxxie is a millionaire billionaire. but even billions of dollars isn't worth his manipulation, toxicity, and just extraordinary amount of dumbness max possesses. here are some quotes, um, that describes his quirky lil' hot bod.
he had that i-know-carnal-secrets look about him. i assume he also had that i-know-jeffrey-dahmer look too.
i knew she was buzzed, and i didn't care. i wasn't going to do anything but kiss her. sophie had to pry his hands off of her and, while DRUNK, had a clearer mind by deciding to go to sleep.
take a shower together, have sex in the shower, have sex in the elevator, take a bath together..spend an entire night together, have sex on my kitchen counter, have sex on my kitchen table, have sex on my balcony.. this needs no explanation. hopefully the entire night thing on that list is actually a secret youtube challenge where sophie ends up winning millions of dollars after going through with the whole shebang, because otherwise i don't understand the appeal of any of these items. i don't think max would care though, as he's probably tired out from making this list.
let me just say that, after saying the above quote, max decides to tell sophie that he doesn't want to do the friends with benefits thing. HE WANTS TO GET TO KNOW HER. sir. not a single activity on that list of yours had even a slim chance of you getting to look at sophie's face or talk with her. think about that. i will also keep thinking..about my decision to read this book and then proceed to spend actual time writing up a review for it. or whatever you would call this.
sophie - well, she didn't make me become physically uncomfortable upon saying her name! but she is..get ready for it..not like other girls. (squeals) i know! she's..how do i say this...different. she wears plaid shirts. boom. watch out for your boyfriends, people. they may be stolen by this five four" goddess.
"i do. his name is nick, he's a sagittarius, and he makes me feel things i've never felt for another man." it's okay, sophie! i would marry a car too if i was presented with the option of either it or max!
"and no one is going to come after a girl who's barely five feet tall and speaking the truth." "i'm five four", for the record." (that's average height but okay)
sophie is very weird. she is very short. she is abnormally attracted to a car, and she wears plaid shirts. not the oversized kind- the kind that tie up above your stomach, which max so wonderfully pointed out. sophie also says this when kissing max- that it's like KISSING HERSELF. and she LOVES that. sophie wants to "take control" of her sexual behavior, and likes the fact that she is the only one doing the kissing. therefore, sophie is making out. with herself. just- i literally threw my kindle when reading that. the worst part was that lynn really thought she was doing something! oh, and don't worry, dear reader. sophie takes the same attitude when it's time to be "so wonderfully right inside him."
THE SMUT. OH MY GOD- THE SMUT. i hated it so, so much. it may be the worst smut i have ever read! they crested. they moaned. they crawled. clawed. and screamed in a way that made me want to scream "LET ME HAVE MY FUCKING DIGNITY, LYNN!" there was wet suction of things, shattering, bolts, and so many usages of the word fuck. i'm forever scarred.
plot - zilch. lynn's crappy writing didn't help. and her obvious anguish to get the entire task of storyboarding over with is SO apparent throughout this book! god, she wasn't even trying! that's what makes me the most furious. max and sophie just flew everywhere for free and acted like goddamn heroes. i'll tell you who's a hero. me. for finishing "happily never after" even when sophie ogled max's calvin klein boxers for literal hours. i'm also a hero for stomaching the third-act breakup, a signature lynn painter™ exclusive that has made millions of readers cry in absolute despair. i am one of these millions, and i know i always say this, but it seemed like lynn only wanted to write the smut. but she knew that that wasn't her forte, so she inserted a bunch of shit from character.ai.
from the wild misogyny to the creepy vibes of literally everyone in this book, lynn has knocked it out of the park by beating me to death. i am dead, rip me, but that's fine because it's better to be in heaven (hopefully), than be in a world where "happily never after" exists.
---
UPDATE: i know i'm updating this WAY too much, but here. we object!
---------
pre-review: lynn writes like a man, a man with raging hormones that deludes himself into believing that he isn't on the sex offender list. lynn also writes like max, so make of that what you will.
review to come.
the arc gods were JOKING when they gave me this, i think it’s already released but welcome to march (adira’s version) where i rant to you about supporting lynn’s hobby (writing books) and then read them myself!
my one problem is (i've got so many more in long organized lists): there are doctors and nurses that SAVE LIVES, and these two go and say ONE WORD at a wedding and earn 10k! the flight, expenses, all that crap PAID FOR. lynn, i don't think that's how jobs work.
i don't think i have the right to say that statement, because in order to finish this book, i had to be extremely jobless as well. i actually cancelled a class for this shit. granted, it was a lecture on plant stimulation in clay, but i still skipped like, something that cost me money in order to read this. that's a new level of giving no fucks.
i assume lynn walks around her admittedly grand house, comes up with an idea, then immediately publishes it. because i can't stomach how an established author creates this shit without it being a money grab. lynn is publishing actual drafts that need so much editing, i could do it and this book would turn out better! I COULD DO IT. i failed english, but i do have a better understanding of healthy relationships than lynn does, so that works out in my advantage.
speaking of healthy relationships, let's talk about one that is so unhealthy, it'll make you read dark romances where that main guy kills like 90 people and holds his love interest hostage..then realize that maybe max, one of our main characters, turns you off more than him. i wouldn't judge you for that. i would definitely say the same. nay, i am saying the same. i would rather marry ghostface than cross paths with max on a random tuesday.
maxxie - lynn, darling. i want you to walk up to the people in your life and ask them for advice on the nickname thing. in your recent book, someone was nicknamed bay. by her stepfather. please, for the love of god, think on these names.
okay, maxxie is a millionaire billionaire. but even billions of dollars isn't worth his manipulation, toxicity, and just extraordinary amount of dumbness max possesses. here are some quotes, um, that describes his quirky lil' hot bod.
he had that i-know-carnal-secrets look about him. i assume he also had that i-know-jeffrey-dahmer look too.
i knew she was buzzed, and i didn't care. i wasn't going to do anything but kiss her. sophie had to pry his hands off of her and, while DRUNK, had a clearer mind by deciding to go to sleep.
take a shower together, have sex in the shower, have sex in the elevator, take a bath together..spend an entire night together, have sex on my kitchen counter, have sex on my kitchen table, have sex on my balcony.. this needs no explanation. hopefully the entire night thing on that list is actually a secret youtube challenge where sophie ends up winning millions of dollars after going through with the whole shebang, because otherwise i don't understand the appeal of any of these items. i don't think max would care though, as he's probably tired out from making this list.
let me just say that, after saying the above quote, max decides to tell sophie that he doesn't want to do the friends with benefits thing. HE WANTS TO GET TO KNOW HER. sir. not a single activity on that list of yours had even a slim chance of you getting to look at sophie's face or talk with her. think about that. i will also keep thinking..about my decision to read this book and then proceed to spend actual time writing up a review for it. or whatever you would call this.
sophie - well, she didn't make me become physically uncomfortable upon saying her name! but she is..get ready for it..not like other girls. (squeals) i know! she's..how do i say this...different. she wears plaid shirts. boom. watch out for your boyfriends, people. they may be stolen by this five four" goddess.
"i do. his name is nick, he's a sagittarius, and he makes me feel things i've never felt for another man." it's okay, sophie! i would marry a car too if i was presented with the option of either it or max!
"and no one is going to come after a girl who's barely five feet tall and speaking the truth." "i'm five four", for the record." (that's average height but okay)
sophie is very weird. she is very short. she is abnormally attracted to a car, and she wears plaid shirts. not the oversized kind- the kind that tie up above your stomach, which max so wonderfully pointed out. sophie also says this when kissing max- that it's like KISSING HERSELF. and she LOVES that. sophie wants to "take control" of her sexual behavior, and likes the fact that she is the only one doing the kissing. therefore, sophie is making out. with herself. just- i literally threw my kindle when reading that. the worst part was that lynn really thought she was doing something! oh, and don't worry, dear reader. sophie takes the same attitude when it's time to be "so wonderfully right inside him."
THE SMUT. OH MY GOD- THE SMUT. i hated it so, so much. it may be the worst smut i have ever read! they crested. they moaned. they crawled. clawed. and screamed in a way that made me want to scream "LET ME HAVE MY FUCKING DIGNITY, LYNN!" there was wet suction of things, shattering, bolts, and so many usages of the word fuck. i'm forever scarred.
plot - zilch. lynn's crappy writing didn't help. and her obvious anguish to get the entire task of storyboarding over with is SO apparent throughout this book! god, she wasn't even trying! that's what makes me the most furious. max and sophie just flew everywhere for free and acted like goddamn heroes. i'll tell you who's a hero. me. for finishing "happily never after" even when sophie ogled max's calvin klein boxers for literal hours. i'm also a hero for stomaching the third-act breakup, a signature lynn painter™ exclusive that has made millions of readers cry in absolute despair. i am one of these millions, and i know i always say this, but it seemed like lynn only wanted to write the smut. but she knew that that wasn't her forte, so she inserted a bunch of shit from character.ai.
from the wild misogyny to the creepy vibes of literally everyone in this book, lynn has knocked it out of the park by beating me to death. i am dead, rip me, but that's fine because it's better to be in heaven (hopefully), than be in a world where "happily never after" exists.
---
UPDATE: i know i'm updating this WAY too much, but here. we object!
---------
pre-review: lynn writes like a man, a man with raging hormones that deludes himself into believing that he isn't on the sex offender list. lynn also writes like max, so make of that what you will.
review to come.
the arc gods were JOKING when they gave me this, i think it’s already released but welcome to march (adira’s version) where i rant to you about supporting lynn’s hobby (writing books) and then read them myself!
January 21, 2025
Happily Never After" : A Rom-Com Rollercoaster of Love, Laughter, and Anti-Wedding Antics!
My rating: Highly deserved five stars
Lynn Painter's latest romantic comedy, "Happily Never After," takes readers on a delightful journey filled with love, laughter, and unexpected twists. The novel introduces us to Sophie Steinbeck, a bride-to-be faced with the ultimate dilemma: marrying a cheating fiancé to save her father's job or breaking free.
Enter Max, a charming professional objector who, with a touch of modern-day heroism, disrupts Sophie's wedding, saving her from a hapless fate. As the two love cynics navigate the aftermath, they embark on an unusual partnership as "objectors," saving other couples from the clutches of ill-fated marriages.
Painter's engaging rom-com boasts a fresh and original premise, offering compelling main characters, including Sophie and her lively roommates, Rose and Larry. The perfect blend of heart and steam, coupled with short, momentum-building chapters, creates an irresistible reading experience that keeps readers rooting for Sophie's shot at a happy ending.
The narrative unfolds as Sophie and Max, initially "just friends," find themselves entangled in a web of feelings that challenges their anti-love stance. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and readers will find themselves laughing at Sophie's antics and cheering for Max.
As the story unfolds, a wedding objection job throws a curveball, forcing Max and Sophie to confront their feelings and question their commitment to avoiding love. Painter skillfully weaves depth into the narrative without veering into overwhelming territory, ensuring a balance between humor and heartfelt moments.
While the chemistry between Sophie and Max shines, Painter introduces a fresh take on the rom-com genre, injecting depth without sacrificing the book's overall lighthearted tone. The witty banter, quick pace, and the unexpected acknowledgment of a real book club in the author's note make "Happily Never After" a must-read for romantics seeking a contemporary love story with a touch of spice.
Overall, this book is a fun, engaging read that captivates with its original premise, well-developed characters, and a perfect blend of romance and comedy. Highly recommended for those in search of a modern love story that defies expectations and delivers on the promise of a happily ever after.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this addictive book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions. 🎈❤️
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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My rating: Highly deserved five stars
Lynn Painter's latest romantic comedy, "Happily Never After," takes readers on a delightful journey filled with love, laughter, and unexpected twists. The novel introduces us to Sophie Steinbeck, a bride-to-be faced with the ultimate dilemma: marrying a cheating fiancé to save her father's job or breaking free.
Enter Max, a charming professional objector who, with a touch of modern-day heroism, disrupts Sophie's wedding, saving her from a hapless fate. As the two love cynics navigate the aftermath, they embark on an unusual partnership as "objectors," saving other couples from the clutches of ill-fated marriages.
Painter's engaging rom-com boasts a fresh and original premise, offering compelling main characters, including Sophie and her lively roommates, Rose and Larry. The perfect blend of heart and steam, coupled with short, momentum-building chapters, creates an irresistible reading experience that keeps readers rooting for Sophie's shot at a happy ending.
The narrative unfolds as Sophie and Max, initially "just friends," find themselves entangled in a web of feelings that challenges their anti-love stance. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and readers will find themselves laughing at Sophie's antics and cheering for Max.
As the story unfolds, a wedding objection job throws a curveball, forcing Max and Sophie to confront their feelings and question their commitment to avoiding love. Painter skillfully weaves depth into the narrative without veering into overwhelming territory, ensuring a balance between humor and heartfelt moments.
While the chemistry between Sophie and Max shines, Painter introduces a fresh take on the rom-com genre, injecting depth without sacrificing the book's overall lighthearted tone. The witty banter, quick pace, and the unexpected acknowledgment of a real book club in the author's note make "Happily Never After" a must-read for romantics seeking a contemporary love story with a touch of spice.
Overall, this book is a fun, engaging read that captivates with its original premise, well-developed characters, and a perfect blend of romance and comedy. Highly recommended for those in search of a modern love story that defies expectations and delivers on the promise of a happily ever after.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this addictive book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions. 🎈❤️
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
July 10, 2024
writing: basic | plot: we can't be serious | ending: BOOOOO!!!!
my opinion
Buckle in because this book had me fucked up. I considered this the tiebreaker as I STRUGGLED with The Love Wager but loved Mr. Wrong Number. I wish I had never read this. Great premise though. Enjoy that positive nugget because that's all you're getting. I don't want to say Lynn Painter is out of touch because I don't know her like that but this book had STRONG 2004 energy and someone should've staged an intervention before it got to print.
Let's talk about lil miss pick me's (Sophie) personal conflict. So you're telling me that to receive a promotion to VP of HR (key word: HR), she has to prove to her boss (the current VP of HR), that she's over her ex-fiance whom she works with and has a life outside of work by posting pics of her and Max living la vida loca. Again, this is for a position within HR. H. R. Human resources. The people responsible for establishing and enforcing professional boundaries in a workplace. I'm not sure what the fuck is HR-approved about your boss needing you to post proof of you and your new mans on your PERSONAL Instagram to get a WORK promotion?????????????????? Help.
Speaking of work: who's idea was it in big 2024 to make the MMC a nepo baby???? Oh he's stressed about getting "promoted" to CEO (he's barely 30 btw) at work aka his dad's company? And the only way to get your father to retire so you can reach the final level of being a nepo baby is to fake date so your mom feels safe 'n secure that you're "taken care of"?????? *thousand-yard stare*
Ok next. The alleged romance between Pick Me and Nepo Baby. So of course things get physical rather quickly which okay fine, but what lost me completely was when Sophie said imagine how mind-blowing it would be to have self-centric sex and not worry about the other person's thought and desires. WELP. Thanks for setting feminism back 2 centuries with that one. Have men NOT been having self-centric sex and only worrying about their own thoughts and desires? And have we, as women, NOT collectively decided this is absolute garbagio????? If you don't care who the fuck is attached to that ding dong then go find a glory hole.
Sadly the physical stuff did get worser when Max said I knew she was buzzed and I didn't care. before nearly kissing her?????????????????????????? You know who does care? THE LAW. (unfortunately it doesn't, but for the sake of this joke, let's pretend it does)
Anyways, let me wrap this up with the most heinous quote that not even a lobotomy could remove from the recesses of my mind: Warm brown eyes, with a hundred shades of freshly baked cookies speckled inside. ChatGPT, is that you?
pros & cons
pros: cool premise
cons: WHACK execution... read above lol
__
Check out my YouTube
my opinion
Buckle in because this book had me fucked up. I considered this the tiebreaker as I STRUGGLED with The Love Wager but loved Mr. Wrong Number. I wish I had never read this. Great premise though. Enjoy that positive nugget because that's all you're getting. I don't want to say Lynn Painter is out of touch because I don't know her like that but this book had STRONG 2004 energy and someone should've staged an intervention before it got to print.
Let's talk about lil miss pick me's (Sophie) personal conflict. So you're telling me that to receive a promotion to VP of HR (key word: HR), she has to prove to her boss (the current VP of HR), that she's over her ex-fiance whom she works with and has a life outside of work by posting pics of her and Max living la vida loca. Again, this is for a position within HR. H. R. Human resources. The people responsible for establishing and enforcing professional boundaries in a workplace. I'm not sure what the fuck is HR-approved about your boss needing you to post proof of you and your new mans on your PERSONAL Instagram to get a WORK promotion?????????????????? Help.
Speaking of work: who's idea was it in big 2024 to make the MMC a nepo baby???? Oh he's stressed about getting "promoted" to CEO (he's barely 30 btw) at work aka his dad's company? And the only way to get your father to retire so you can reach the final level of being a nepo baby is to fake date so your mom feels safe 'n secure that you're "taken care of"?????? *thousand-yard stare*
Ok next. The alleged romance between Pick Me and Nepo Baby. So of course things get physical rather quickly which okay fine, but what lost me completely was when Sophie said imagine how mind-blowing it would be to have self-centric sex and not worry about the other person's thought and desires. WELP. Thanks for setting feminism back 2 centuries with that one. Have men NOT been having self-centric sex and only worrying about their own thoughts and desires? And have we, as women, NOT collectively decided this is absolute garbagio????? If you don't care who the fuck is attached to that ding dong then go find a glory hole.
Sadly the physical stuff did get worser when Max said I knew she was buzzed and I didn't care. before nearly kissing her?????????????????????????? You know who does care? THE LAW. (unfortunately it doesn't, but for the sake of this joke, let's pretend it does)
Anyways, let me wrap this up with the most heinous quote that not even a lobotomy could remove from the recesses of my mind: Warm brown eyes, with a hundred shades of freshly baked cookies speckled inside. ChatGPT, is that you?
pros & cons
pros: cool premise
cons: WHACK execution... read above lol
__
Check out my YouTube
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August 11, 2024
We are gathered here today for the union of Lynn Painter’s Happily Never After and the reviews of goodreaders but before we begin there is something I need to say.
I object.
Now before anyone starts throwing hands, I do have to say I love me some love and I enjoy some fluffy adorableness and Painter is great at these elements. Her YA books like Better Than the Movies or The Do-Over are total delights. They felt genuine within their own context, which Happily Never After never manages to achieve. Admittedly, Painter comes swinging with a clever and cute premise of wedding objectors who are rescuing people from engagements they can’t get out of without further ruining their lives and it was off to a strong start. Unfortunately, the story never quite finds a groove and glides along feeling rather thinly built without adequate narrative tension to have much to grip onto, reading like it went direct from the draft folder to the publisher and print to fulfill contract duties and deadlines.
And yes, as always I should have just listened to adira (you can read her incredible review here) but you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes and that prize is a disappointing read. But I do not object alone so meet the Goodreads Objectors (and read adira’s review!)
But first, a positive: I do like how Painter tends to pair people where their names form a name familiar to romance fans (Better than the Movies adds up to Elizabeth Bennet, The Do-Over adds up to Nick Hornby) here she would have been Sophie Lauren if Max didn’t object to their wedding, which makes for a fun joke that she would have to hear jokes about it not quite being Sophia Loren. A sign the marriage was a bad idea. Clever, Painter, I like it. Anyways…
I don’t really see how people can enjoy “hate reading,” which I promise this wasn’t, because I just don’t enjoy being disappointed by a book. This was a shame because I initially really enjoyed these characters before character development got shoved aside for sex scenes and we see that tension and titillation aren’t as interchangeable as one would hope with the latter not amounting to much without enough of the former in the narrative. Painter introduces us to Max and says he ‘looked like Henry Cavill’s stunt double or something, but with darker hair and more intense eyes’ and I said OH I AM LISTENING NOW but the initially charming Max eventually descends into being the flag bearer for the Red Flag Parade. But I’m glad he likes Sophie because she is pretty charming and the whole beginning where they rant about being anti-love is pretty great. Painter is pretty funny, and I will say the banter and humor worked well for me, plus I can’t help but giggle at lines like this:
I liked Sophie but, get this all, shes not like other girls because shes…into her car and job and wears flannel shirts well (Max should maybe check out Michigan if that’s his thing). I did enjoy her being an objector at weddings which is a nice role-reversal from how its typically depicted as a man or Shrek running in yelling ‘I object,’ but that entire plotline more or less vanishes as a fake dating plot comes racing into the narrative wearing a more dramatic white dress and steals the entire show.
Which is the issue here. Things just sort of wander around and banter with each other but nothing has much drive and even Max’s Ex-girlfriend plot is sort of hurriedly pushed through the narrative without there being much tension in the story. There’s so many different tropes and parts that, given the proper attention, could have made a sweet treat of a read but instead came all mashed together like when a child “helps” you bake. The rationalities for things were just too silly at times as well and none of the side characters are included enough to really pull much weight. Which makes the fake dating part feel rather flimsy and tacked on, with the reasoning being that Max wants his parents to think he is settled down so they will retire and leave him the company which is…just sort of shitty? Can Max not take care of himself and needs a woman to do it, is that the implication? Not awesome.
The wedding objections were for people in need and Painter really wants you to know its not some shitty anti-love statement but the scenarios she constructs are kind of eye-rolling. Sophie not wanting to call off her wedding because her fiance’s dad is her dad’s boss and he’s “just a mean guy” was like…okay whatever, BUT the next wedding is so ham-fisted and weird where the poor kindergarten teacher groom who fosters pets with disabilities sees texts that his super redneck fiance mocks him as her sexting kink in her affairs and its just…turned cartoonish. What makes Paiters’s YAs work is there tends to be a heavier, more serious narrative subplot that gives enough weight to hold the sweetness from floating off into oblivion but that was lacking here. And the Objecting could have easily been used to make a statement on why it is hard for women to leave abusive relationships because of the danger in puts them in, or something else since i guess thats a bit heavy for a romcom, but it all just fell a bit flat and lacked any friction.
Nothing felt genuine. I did love the surprise twist that Sophie’s roomates were bickering senior citizens so she could afford the apartment her ex-fiance lived in before she moved in. But also, why could he afford it on his own but she can’t when she’s his literal boss? Is this a statement on the gender pay gap? The narrative pushed each other out of the way, nothing really flowed and everyone felt a little cartoonishly immature. Her YAs work because she does teenagers well, but her adult novels just feel like teenagers with a lot of money and sex scenes.
I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this one, and Happily Never After is still pretty cute maybe I just have a bad attitude but I’m fine with my spite and my tears, and my beers and my candles. It just never quite came together for me and while I’m not opposed to sex scenes this one seemed like it tried to use friction in the sheets to compensate from the utter lack of friction in the plot and it just didn't work. But by all means, still give this a shot, the banter is cute, it is lighthearted fun and I’ll probably still read more Lynn Painter in the future.
2.5/5
I object.
Now before anyone starts throwing hands, I do have to say I love me some love and I enjoy some fluffy adorableness and Painter is great at these elements. Her YA books like Better Than the Movies or The Do-Over are total delights. They felt genuine within their own context, which Happily Never After never manages to achieve. Admittedly, Painter comes swinging with a clever and cute premise of wedding objectors who are rescuing people from engagements they can’t get out of without further ruining their lives and it was off to a strong start. Unfortunately, the story never quite finds a groove and glides along feeling rather thinly built without adequate narrative tension to have much to grip onto, reading like it went direct from the draft folder to the publisher and print to fulfill contract duties and deadlines.
And yes, as always I should have just listened to adira (you can read her incredible review here) but you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes and that prize is a disappointing read. But I do not object alone so meet the Goodreads Objectors (and read adira’s review!)
But first, a positive: I do like how Painter tends to pair people where their names form a name familiar to romance fans (Better than the Movies adds up to Elizabeth Bennet, The Do-Over adds up to Nick Hornby) here she would have been Sophie Lauren if Max didn’t object to their wedding, which makes for a fun joke that she would have to hear jokes about it not quite being Sophia Loren. A sign the marriage was a bad idea. Clever, Painter, I like it. Anyways…
I don’t really see how people can enjoy “hate reading,” which I promise this wasn’t, because I just don’t enjoy being disappointed by a book. This was a shame because I initially really enjoyed these characters before character development got shoved aside for sex scenes and we see that tension and titillation aren’t as interchangeable as one would hope with the latter not amounting to much without enough of the former in the narrative. Painter introduces us to Max and says he ‘looked like Henry Cavill’s stunt double or something, but with darker hair and more intense eyes’ and I said OH I AM LISTENING NOW but the initially charming Max eventually descends into being the flag bearer for the Red Flag Parade. But I’m glad he likes Sophie because she is pretty charming and the whole beginning where they rant about being anti-love is pretty great. Painter is pretty funny, and I will say the banter and humor worked well for me, plus I can’t help but giggle at lines like this:
‘but when I saw the bride pull her arm back and launch that snack cake off the balcony like a professional quarterback, I decided to stick around for another minute.’
I liked Sophie but, get this all, shes not like other girls because shes…into her car and job and wears flannel shirts well (Max should maybe check out Michigan if that’s his thing). I did enjoy her being an objector at weddings which is a nice role-reversal from how its typically depicted as a man or Shrek running in yelling ‘I object,’ but that entire plotline more or less vanishes as a fake dating plot comes racing into the narrative wearing a more dramatic white dress and steals the entire show.
Which is the issue here. Things just sort of wander around and banter with each other but nothing has much drive and even Max’s Ex-girlfriend plot is sort of hurriedly pushed through the narrative without there being much tension in the story. There’s so many different tropes and parts that, given the proper attention, could have made a sweet treat of a read but instead came all mashed together like when a child “helps” you bake. The rationalities for things were just too silly at times as well and none of the side characters are included enough to really pull much weight. Which makes the fake dating part feel rather flimsy and tacked on, with the reasoning being that Max wants his parents to think he is settled down so they will retire and leave him the company which is…just sort of shitty? Can Max not take care of himself and needs a woman to do it, is that the implication? Not awesome.
The wedding objections were for people in need and Painter really wants you to know its not some shitty anti-love statement but the scenarios she constructs are kind of eye-rolling. Sophie not wanting to call off her wedding because her fiance’s dad is her dad’s boss and he’s “just a mean guy” was like…okay whatever, BUT the next wedding is so ham-fisted and weird where the poor kindergarten teacher groom who fosters pets with disabilities sees texts that his super redneck fiance mocks him as her sexting kink in her affairs and its just…turned cartoonish. What makes Paiters’s YAs work is there tends to be a heavier, more serious narrative subplot that gives enough weight to hold the sweetness from floating off into oblivion but that was lacking here. And the Objecting could have easily been used to make a statement on why it is hard for women to leave abusive relationships because of the danger in puts them in, or something else since i guess thats a bit heavy for a romcom, but it all just fell a bit flat and lacked any friction.
Nothing felt genuine. I did love the surprise twist that Sophie’s roomates were bickering senior citizens so she could afford the apartment her ex-fiance lived in before she moved in. But also, why could he afford it on his own but she can’t when she’s his literal boss? Is this a statement on the gender pay gap? The narrative pushed each other out of the way, nothing really flowed and everyone felt a little cartoonishly immature. Her YAs work because she does teenagers well, but her adult novels just feel like teenagers with a lot of money and sex scenes.
I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this one, and Happily Never After is still pretty cute maybe I just have a bad attitude but I’m fine with my spite and my tears, and my beers and my candles. It just never quite came together for me and while I’m not opposed to sex scenes this one seemed like it tried to use friction in the sheets to compensate from the utter lack of friction in the plot and it just didn't work. But by all means, still give this a shot, the banter is cute, it is lighthearted fun and I’ll probably still read more Lynn Painter in the future.
2.5/5
May 12, 2024
4.75 ⭐️ My favorite Lynn Painter story! I ATE this up!!
"Fuck love and relationships, I just want to be with you because you're my goddamn favorite person."
Synopsis:
Sophie and Max meet when she hires him to be the objector at her own wedding. Months later, Max asks Sophie to join him as an objector at another wedding, and from there, they form a partnership. Both are anti-love and anti-relationship, but as Sophia and Max's friendship blossoms and chemistry sizzles, will they be able to deny their feelings for one another?
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ romantic comedy
✨ he runs his family construction business and a professional wedding objector
✨ she's an HR director who hires him to object at her wedding since her fiance cheated
✨ "let's be wedding objectors together"
✨ they are both cynics and very anti-relationship
✨ "we're just friends"
✨ idiots to lovers
✨ insane chemistry
✨ he falls first
✨ amazing banter
✨ calling each other by their last name
✨ open communication 👏
✨ 2/5 🌶️ (open door but not explicit)
✨ "good girl"
✨ hilarious, nosey geriatric roommates
✨ working with an ex
✨ dual pov
✨ adorable epilogue
My Thoughts:
Happily Never After is a wonderful low-stakes romantic comedy filled with laughter, love, and spice. The premise is incredibly original, the pacing is phenomenal, and the characters have depth and are extremely lovable. I was entertained every step of the way and never wanted this story to end.
Here are some of the highlights:
The very first few sentences. "The moment my dad raised my veil, kissed my cheek, and handed me off to Stuart, I wanted to throw up. No - first, I wanted to punch my groom right in his besotted smile. Then I wanted to vomit." Like, how can you not be instantly hooked by this???
Max and Sophie individually. I absolutely adore them. I love how Sophie is a strong independent woman with amazing aspirations who is also witty, fun, and generous. And I love how Max is passionate, charming, easy-going, thoughtful, family oriented, and kind. I found them to be incredibly relatable and was constantly rooting for them.
The 'idiots/friends-to-lovers romance. From the get-go, Max and Sophie instantly connect and have insane chemistry, explosive sexual tension, and witty banter. But what I love most is how they develop a friendship before things turn romantic. The 'just friends' trope can be hard to write convincingly but Lynn Painter did this perfectly. Since Max and Sophie both have an aversion to love, it makes sense why they would be comfortable being just friends. By focusing on the friendship aspect of things, they built a solid foundation for a relationship without even realizing it. It was beautiful seeing two people who have closed themselves off from love slowly fall for each other without even realizing it. Theirs is the best idiots-to-lovers story I've ever read.
Some other things I loved about their relationship:
- Their open communication. They both always say what they're thinking and are on the same page.
- Their banter was simply phenomenal. I laughed so hard.
- Max calls Sophie 'sunshine'
- Max and Sophie call each other by their last names: Steinbeck and Parks.
- They can be 100% themselves without judgment.
- They see the best in each other. 🫶
- Max is always hyping Sophie up and encouraging her in regards to her career.
Just FYI, there are a few non graphic, open-door sex scenes that will definitely leave you hot and bothered.
The wedding objection premise. I've never heard of a professional wedding objector but I think it's brilliant! There's a lot of pressure with weddings, so if you don't have the balls to call yours off, why not hire someone to object for you? It's brilliant. And I LOVED every single wedding objection scene. But my absolute favorite was the redneck wedding. 😂 I've reread it a few times because it was just so comical.
Sophie’s geriatric roommates, Larry and Rose. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't sure how these two would fit into this story when they were first introduced, but by the end I LOVED them. Larry are Rose are fucking hysterical (especially when they give Max shit) and their relationship with Sophie was sweet. I wish Lynn Painter would write an entire story about these two finding love because I'd buy it in a heartbeat!
The only reason this isn't a perfect 5-stars . .
There was some ex drama I didn't love that was the main conflict at the end. HOWEVER, it does make sense with the story and was resolved quickly. This is a personal issue, but I just don't like when people still care about their ex and say they 'always will'. I just don't really understand this. It gives me the ick.
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC and Berkley Romance for providing an early finished copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
My Favorite Quotes:
*Possible Spoilers* - Read at your own risk!
"You're very weird, Sophie."
"I know," she said, lifting her chin just a little, daring me to pass judgment.
"I like it."
_______
She'd been a beautiful bride and a hot businesswoman, but the plaid shirt, jeans, and boots? Yeah, that shit worked for her.
_______
"Shut up and drive, Parks."
"Shut up and ride, Steinbeck."
_______
"Have you been stalking me, Miss Steinbeck?
"I wouldn't say stalking. More like investigating."
_______
He was wearing nothing special - black button-down shirt, faded jeans, square-toed boots - but he wore nothing special well.
_______
"I don't know you well, but I know that Sophie Steinbeck should only ever be laughing."
_______
"You are also so fucking sexy that it might just kill me."
_______
"You consume me, Soph, every single part of me, and I like it. . . Somehow you've become my center , and God help me, it feels right."
_______
"You have to get hurt to get to the good stuff."
_______
"I'm not in love but also kind of in love with you, Soph."
"I'm not in love but also kind of in love with you, too, Max."
_______
"I've never seen your bed."
"That's funny, because in my head, you've logged a lot of hours there."
_______
There was literally nothing in our life that I would ever object to ever again.
_______
"Fuck love and relationships, I just want to be with you because you're my goddamn favorite person."
Synopsis:
Sophie and Max meet when she hires him to be the objector at her own wedding. Months later, Max asks Sophie to join him as an objector at another wedding, and from there, they form a partnership. Both are anti-love and anti-relationship, but as Sophia and Max's friendship blossoms and chemistry sizzles, will they be able to deny their feelings for one another?
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ romantic comedy
✨ he runs his family construction business and a professional wedding objector
✨ she's an HR director who hires him to object at her wedding since her fiance cheated
✨ "let's be wedding objectors together"
✨ they are both cynics and very anti-relationship
✨ "we're just friends"
✨ idiots to lovers
✨ insane chemistry
✨ he falls first
✨ amazing banter
✨ calling each other by their last name
✨ open communication 👏
✨ 2/5 🌶️ (open door but not explicit)
✨ "good girl"
✨ hilarious, nosey geriatric roommates
✨ working with an ex
✨ dual pov
✨ adorable epilogue
My Thoughts:
Happily Never After is a wonderful low-stakes romantic comedy filled with laughter, love, and spice. The premise is incredibly original, the pacing is phenomenal, and the characters have depth and are extremely lovable. I was entertained every step of the way and never wanted this story to end.
Here are some of the highlights:
The very first few sentences. "The moment my dad raised my veil, kissed my cheek, and handed me off to Stuart, I wanted to throw up. No - first, I wanted to punch my groom right in his besotted smile. Then I wanted to vomit." Like, how can you not be instantly hooked by this???
Max and Sophie individually. I absolutely adore them. I love how Sophie is a strong independent woman with amazing aspirations who is also witty, fun, and generous. And I love how Max is passionate, charming, easy-going, thoughtful, family oriented, and kind. I found them to be incredibly relatable and was constantly rooting for them.
The 'idiots/friends-to-lovers romance. From the get-go, Max and Sophie instantly connect and have insane chemistry, explosive sexual tension, and witty banter. But what I love most is how they develop a friendship before things turn romantic. The 'just friends' trope can be hard to write convincingly but Lynn Painter did this perfectly. Since Max and Sophie both have an aversion to love, it makes sense why they would be comfortable being just friends. By focusing on the friendship aspect of things, they built a solid foundation for a relationship without even realizing it. It was beautiful seeing two people who have closed themselves off from love slowly fall for each other without even realizing it. Theirs is the best idiots-to-lovers story I've ever read.
Some other things I loved about their relationship:
- Their open communication. They both always say what they're thinking and are on the same page.
- Their banter was simply phenomenal. I laughed so hard.
- Max calls Sophie 'sunshine'
- Max and Sophie call each other by their last names: Steinbeck and Parks.
- They can be 100% themselves without judgment.
- They see the best in each other. 🫶
- Max is always hyping Sophie up and encouraging her in regards to her career.
Just FYI, there are a few non graphic, open-door sex scenes that will definitely leave you hot and bothered.
The wedding objection premise. I've never heard of a professional wedding objector but I think it's brilliant! There's a lot of pressure with weddings, so if you don't have the balls to call yours off, why not hire someone to object for you? It's brilliant. And I LOVED every single wedding objection scene. But my absolute favorite was the redneck wedding. 😂 I've reread it a few times because it was just so comical.
Sophie’s geriatric roommates, Larry and Rose. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't sure how these two would fit into this story when they were first introduced, but by the end I LOVED them. Larry are Rose are fucking hysterical (especially when they give Max shit) and their relationship with Sophie was sweet. I wish Lynn Painter would write an entire story about these two finding love because I'd buy it in a heartbeat!
The only reason this isn't a perfect 5-stars . .
There was some ex drama I didn't love that was the main conflict at the end. HOWEVER, it does make sense with the story and was resolved quickly. This is a personal issue, but I just don't like when people still care about their ex and say they 'always will'. I just don't really understand this. It gives me the ick.
Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC and Berkley Romance for providing an early finished copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
My Favorite Quotes:
*Possible Spoilers* - Read at your own risk!
"You're very weird, Sophie."
"I know," she said, lifting her chin just a little, daring me to pass judgment.
"I like it."
_______
She'd been a beautiful bride and a hot businesswoman, but the plaid shirt, jeans, and boots? Yeah, that shit worked for her.
_______
"Shut up and drive, Parks."
"Shut up and ride, Steinbeck."
_______
"Have you been stalking me, Miss Steinbeck?
"I wouldn't say stalking. More like investigating."
_______
He was wearing nothing special - black button-down shirt, faded jeans, square-toed boots - but he wore nothing special well.
_______
"I don't know you well, but I know that Sophie Steinbeck should only ever be laughing."
_______
"You are also so fucking sexy that it might just kill me."
_______
"You consume me, Soph, every single part of me, and I like it. . . Somehow you've become my center , and God help me, it feels right."
_______
"You have to get hurt to get to the good stuff."
_______
"I'm not in love but also kind of in love with you, Soph."
"I'm not in love but also kind of in love with you, too, Max."
_______
"I've never seen your bed."
"That's funny, because in my head, you've logged a lot of hours there."
_______
There was literally nothing in our life that I would ever object to ever again.
_______
September 15, 2024
4.5 ✨
Excuse me, this book was so freaking adorable and the chemistry between the characters was crazy! I ate this up in one sitting. I believe Lynn Painter is becoming a must read author for me because I have loved everything I have read of hers so far.
❤️*:･ﾟ✧What to Expect*:･ﾟ✧❤️
❤️Friends to Lovers
❤️Fake Dating
❤️He Falls First and Falls Harder
❤️Romantic Comedy
❤️Dual POV
❤️Crazy Chemistry
Our Fmc, Sophie, has found out her fiance is cheating a few days before her wedding but doesn't know what to do since her father works for her fiance's father. Worried that if she cancels the wedding it might have consequences for her dad, she does the only logical thing one can do. Hires an OBJECTOR. Yes thats right someone who comes and objects during the middle of the wedding and Max is the man for the job. After Max saves Sophie from her cheating fiance, they party afterwards joking that she would be a good OBJECTRESS and months down the road he comes to her with a favor to do just that. We follow the characters as they go from strangers to friends and potentially something more. The chemistry between these two are what make this story everything that it is. I absolutely love and adore Max and Sophie!
❤️*:･ﾟ✧Favorite Quotes*:･ﾟ✧❤️
✨❤️TBR jar prompt↬Book under 300 pages❤️✨
I love Lynn Painter so let's go!!!
“Her smile was like a power switch that controlled the brightness of my universe all of a sudden, and it was exhilarating and terrifying , all at the same time.”
Excuse me, this book was so freaking adorable and the chemistry between the characters was crazy! I ate this up in one sitting. I believe Lynn Painter is becoming a must read author for me because I have loved everything I have read of hers so far.
❤️*:･ﾟ✧What to Expect*:･ﾟ✧❤️
❤️Friends to Lovers
❤️Fake Dating
❤️He Falls First and Falls Harder
❤️Romantic Comedy
❤️Dual POV
❤️Crazy Chemistry
Our Fmc, Sophie, has found out her fiance is cheating a few days before her wedding but doesn't know what to do since her father works for her fiance's father. Worried that if she cancels the wedding it might have consequences for her dad, she does the only logical thing one can do. Hires an OBJECTOR. Yes thats right someone who comes and objects during the middle of the wedding and Max is the man for the job. After Max saves Sophie from her cheating fiance, they party afterwards joking that she would be a good OBJECTRESS and months down the road he comes to her with a favor to do just that. We follow the characters as they go from strangers to friends and potentially something more. The chemistry between these two are what make this story everything that it is. I absolutely love and adore Max and Sophie!
❤️*:･ﾟ✧Favorite Quotes*:･ﾟ✧❤️
“I knew without a doubt that I could kiss him forever and never lose a single butterfly.”
"Will you be my friend, Sophie?"
"A thousand times yes, Maxxie."
“You consume me, Soph, every single part of me and I like it … Somehow you’ve become my center, and God help me, it feels right.”
✨❤️TBR jar prompt↬Book under 300 pages❤️✨
I love Lynn Painter so let's go!!!
December 7, 2025
This was a really cute, fast read. The idea of there being objectors you can hire for weddings was a great storyline and there was a lot of fun scenes there.
I LOVED Max, though I was a little perturbed by a certain decision of his toward the end, so I would have to agree with Sophie on that a bit, but overall he was amazing.
I really liked Sophie to start but was having issues with her once she was obviously developing feelings but then just excused them away at every opportunity, and while I'm all for making sure you're taking care of yourself in a relationship and making sure your needs are being met, I think she kinda crossed the line into being actually selfish and had a total disregard to his feelings.
But I blew through this one and enjoyed it.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
I LOVED Max, though I was a little perturbed by a certain decision of his toward the end, so I would have to agree with Sophie on that a bit, but overall he was amazing.
I really liked Sophie to start but was having issues with her once she was obviously developing feelings but then just excused them away at every opportunity, and while I'm all for making sure you're taking care of yourself in a relationship and making sure your needs are being met, I think she kinda crossed the line into being actually selfish and had a total disregard to his feelings.
But I blew through this one and enjoyed it.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
March 13, 2024
Chemistry class is over and Lynn Painter has aced it once again!
Sophie Steinbeck and Max Parks meet when she hears about him through her best friend and pays him to object to her wedding to cheating fiance Stuart. You know the part … “If anyone has any reason why these two should not be wed” … that one. Max is the one that says “I do!”, and the bride-to-be Sophie can now say “I don’t!” without her dad having to repay the cost of the cancelled wedding.
Thus starts one of the weirdest, funniest, most playful, complicated, endearing friendships between two people who’ve sworn off love and relationships that I’ve had the pleasure of reading! Sophie is particularly committed to the idea that romantic “love” is a made-up idea that doesn’t exist in reality. After both have had their hearts broken, they’re not falling for that nonsense again!
Their solution? To become friends and co-objectors to others’ doomed weddings! It’s a side gig that allows them to spare other bride or grooms-to-be the pain of marrying someone who hasn’t been faithful to them. They also figure out that if they post pictures on social media that make it LOOK like they’re together, it will help Sophie achieve a promotion she wants, and will get Max’s parents off his back. It’s win-win for them, right? If only those pesky feelings would go away …
While they double down on the idea that love and relationships are for fools, their burgeoning friendship may have other ideas. I mean … they’re both smart, highly successful, attractive, funny people who might also be two of the most snarkastic characters I’ve encountered in a book! I had so many good laughs from these two, as well as Sophie’s hilariously sassy elderly roommates, Larry and Rose. The first chapter at Sophie’s wedding alone was worth the read!
The heart and soul of this book and what I loved most is Sophie and Max’s friendship. Romance is always fun, but their banter and interactions as FRIENDS were what really made the book for me. Having said that, the chemistry I spoke of at the start of my review? WOW. I needed a minute to bring my heart rate back down! It’s open-door but not overly explicit. If you don’t want to hear about “sexy fun time”, though, you’ll need to skip some spots. I’ll also warn that most of the major characters have occasional potty mouths, but Max is exceptionally fond of the f-bomb. It doesn’t phase me much, but it is excessive at times.
If you enjoy snarky, sarcastic humor and a fun friends to lovers story, this is a winner! This is my third book by Painter, and I’ve loved all of them. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
★★★★ ½
Thanks to Berkley Publishing, NetGalley and author Lynn Painter for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s out now.
Sophie Steinbeck and Max Parks meet when she hears about him through her best friend and pays him to object to her wedding to cheating fiance Stuart. You know the part … “If anyone has any reason why these two should not be wed” … that one. Max is the one that says “I do!”, and the bride-to-be Sophie can now say “I don’t!” without her dad having to repay the cost of the cancelled wedding.
Thus starts one of the weirdest, funniest, most playful, complicated, endearing friendships between two people who’ve sworn off love and relationships that I’ve had the pleasure of reading! Sophie is particularly committed to the idea that romantic “love” is a made-up idea that doesn’t exist in reality. After both have had their hearts broken, they’re not falling for that nonsense again!
Their solution? To become friends and co-objectors to others’ doomed weddings! It’s a side gig that allows them to spare other bride or grooms-to-be the pain of marrying someone who hasn’t been faithful to them. They also figure out that if they post pictures on social media that make it LOOK like they’re together, it will help Sophie achieve a promotion she wants, and will get Max’s parents off his back. It’s win-win for them, right? If only those pesky feelings would go away …
While they double down on the idea that love and relationships are for fools, their burgeoning friendship may have other ideas. I mean … they’re both smart, highly successful, attractive, funny people who might also be two of the most snarkastic characters I’ve encountered in a book! I had so many good laughs from these two, as well as Sophie’s hilariously sassy elderly roommates, Larry and Rose. The first chapter at Sophie’s wedding alone was worth the read!
The heart and soul of this book and what I loved most is Sophie and Max’s friendship. Romance is always fun, but their banter and interactions as FRIENDS were what really made the book for me. Having said that, the chemistry I spoke of at the start of my review? WOW. I needed a minute to bring my heart rate back down! It’s open-door but not overly explicit. If you don’t want to hear about “sexy fun time”, though, you’ll need to skip some spots. I’ll also warn that most of the major characters have occasional potty mouths, but Max is exceptionally fond of the f-bomb. It doesn’t phase me much, but it is excessive at times.
If you enjoy snarky, sarcastic humor and a fun friends to lovers story, this is a winner! This is my third book by Painter, and I’ve loved all of them. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
★★★★ ½
Thanks to Berkley Publishing, NetGalley and author Lynn Painter for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s out now.
August 7, 2024
🌟🌟4.25 Stars!🌟🌟
It's no secret that I love Lynn Painter books. And she has delivered another banger! Ever see the movie Wedding Crashers? This is a lighter and more romantic version, in my opinion.
The story opens up with a hilarious scene as an objector stands up and stops a wedding!
╰┈➤ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂
Our FMC, Sophie is trying to figure out how to get out of her wedding. A few days prior to the wedding, she sees her fiancé, Stuart's, phone and realized he was cheating on her. Her father works for Stuart's father and she's afraid he'll be fired if she cancels the wedding.
Her best friend, Asha, comes up with the idea of hiring an objector. She knew of a college friend of her cousin's that had previously helped out another friend by objecting at that wedding. LOL - I mean. This is rom-com GOLD.
Months later Max contacts Sophie to help him out and to be an objector at his friend's wedding- they end up having so much fun and chemistry 'objecting' together that they decide to take on this little side job for fun, as well as to offer this great and much needed service.
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses.
As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
╰┈➤ 𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
It's honestly no surprise at all that I fell in love with this book from page one. The characters had me screaming. So funny, the chemistry between them was fantastic. The banter was chefs kiss!
I really loved that both of the main characters are skeptics/non believers when it comes to love and romance. It's refreshing when the two don't fall head over heals by page 10.
The two roommates that Sophie has are hysterical- also odd for sure, not often that you roommate with two elderly people lol.
I do wish that the families were a little more involved in the story - but overall it was a slam dunk for me and I highly recommend if you're in the mood for something quick, light and LOL funny.
It's no secret that I love Lynn Painter books. And she has delivered another banger! Ever see the movie Wedding Crashers? This is a lighter and more romantic version, in my opinion.
The story opens up with a hilarious scene as an objector stands up and stops a wedding!
╰┈➤ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂
Our FMC, Sophie is trying to figure out how to get out of her wedding. A few days prior to the wedding, she sees her fiancé, Stuart's, phone and realized he was cheating on her. Her father works for Stuart's father and she's afraid he'll be fired if she cancels the wedding.
Her best friend, Asha, comes up with the idea of hiring an objector. She knew of a college friend of her cousin's that had previously helped out another friend by objecting at that wedding. LOL - I mean. This is rom-com GOLD.
Months later Max contacts Sophie to help him out and to be an objector at his friend's wedding- they end up having so much fun and chemistry 'objecting' together that they decide to take on this little side job for fun, as well as to offer this great and much needed service.
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses.
As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
╰┈➤ 𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼
It's honestly no surprise at all that I fell in love with this book from page one. The characters had me screaming. So funny, the chemistry between them was fantastic. The banter was chefs kiss!
I really loved that both of the main characters are skeptics/non believers when it comes to love and romance. It's refreshing when the two don't fall head over heals by page 10.
The two roommates that Sophie has are hysterical- also odd for sure, not often that you roommate with two elderly people lol.
I do wish that the families were a little more involved in the story - but overall it was a slam dunk for me and I highly recommend if you're in the mood for something quick, light and LOL funny.
April 30, 2024
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Lynn Painter for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 3.12!!**
Speak now or forever hold your peace...
We all know those words, and many a movie has the long lost love coming out of the woodwork at the last moment to declare their undying love for the bride or groom to be BEFORE they tie the knot with the 'wrong' person.
But what if you could HIRE a certain someone to deliver that protestation...and save someone from marrying a no-good, cheating scoundrel?
It turns out you can...and these folks are known as professional "Objectors." The concept sounds a bit crazy to Sophie Steinbeck...until she has one such Objector shows up at her OWN wedding to stop her from marrying her co-worker and fiance Stuart, whose father ALSO just so happens to be Sophie's father's boss. (Ah, the tangled web of nepotism.) Although Sophie is crushed to learn about Stuart's philandering ways, she is fascinated by Max's Objector job, and after tossing back a couple of tequila shots in the bridal suite, the two have some laughs and commiserate about how love isn't real, etc. etc. The more Sophie learns about the 'job' the more she thinks it might be for her...but is there something about Max's twinkling eyes that is the TRUE reason she's invested?
Their qualms aside, Sophie decides to take the plunge with Max...at least, in business...and the two set out to Break Up Some Weddings. But the more time they spend together, the more they notice their deep attraction to one another...and it starts to become difficult to ignore the connection. With two friends that have sworn off love, though, a kiss here or there couldn't hurt, right? They also add an extra layer to the situation-ship (of sorts) by playing into the facade by posting photos that look couple-y on Instagram and allowing their parents to get excited about the possibility of the future grandbabies (one that isn't even SUPPOSED to come to fruition, mind you!)
But as their physical entanglements continue, the question of whether feelings really ARE involved comes to the forefront when the wedding Sophie is asked to object at next is the wedding of the Max's ex...the one who broke his heart and made him swear off love in the FIRST place...and Max finds himself desperate to stop Sophie from intervening. Does this reluctance PROVE he still have feelings for his ex? Or have Max and Sophie haphazardly stumbled into the relationship they were so DETERMINED to avoid after all?
Lynn Painter is one of those authors I've seen mentioned over and over by trusted book friends and reviewers, and I'd heard that her books were witty and fun, with snarky banter and spice, and of COURSE I wanted to give one a try. I also loved the idea of the professional wedding objector being a new 'career' for our female lead (especially because traditionally it seems like MEN are the ones swooping in to break up unions before they even get started) and thought it would be entertaining to see the trajectory of this venture play out, with Sophie using different tactics and maybe having lots of fun stories to tell along the way....all with a side of very-predictable-but-very-fun romance of her own with Max to help complete the tale.
But what I got was something that relied very little on the premise...and a lot more on the two (somewhat annoying) MCs obsession with each others' bodies, their supposed 'done with love' attitude that was hardly present, LOTS of random profanity on every page...and a subpar plot that left me sighing, rolling my eyes, and ready for the 'wedding' to be OVER.
None of these issues were present for the first few chapters: I actually LIKED the beginning, the set up with Max purposely crashing the wedding, even the liquor-fueled hangout between Sophie and Max at the start and hoped that this initial meetup (I don't think in this case I can call it a meetcute!) would over time blossom into something deep, interesting, and REAL. But when these characters met up for a second time, and Max couldn't stop talking about Sophie's red lips mentally OVER and OVER...red FLAGS started popping up for me...and never really let up from then on.
For one thing, it was hard for ANY of these characters (except maybe Sophie's parents?) to go a full page without dropping f bombs and other profanities, usually randomly, during whatever they were discussing. I'm far from a stickler when it comes to profanity (unless my son is around!) but ALL of these people used this type of language the way others casually drop the word 'like' in every sentence, and it just got to be distracting. Perhaps the worst abusers of this (surprisingly enough) were Sophie's elderly roommates, Larry and Rose, who also were not really charming to me in any fashion. Larry seemed pretty hung up (read: obsessed) with how much Max looked like a certain famous movie star, and there was hardly enough about Rose to even make her memorable to me a week after finishing this one...so that says enough right there.
I also ran into another issue that sometimes pops up for me when I'm reading a romance book that ALWAYS takes me out of the experience: Max's chapters didn't sound like they were written by a guy, and felt SO much like Sophie's that I occasionally forgot who was talking. This is always hard for me, because so many authors (two of my faves, Emily Henry and Sarah Hogle come to mind) have such a defined set of characters, I never have this issue, and I'm not sure what the secret sauce is.... all I know is that it was missing here. I also felt like we got far too involved with both sets of parents in ways that didn't really benefit the plot, and getting to see more into Sophie and Max's SOULS would have been far more interesting. I feel like things stayed surface level with these two for SO long that it was hard to see anything meaningful develop (other than some forced drama at the end to allow Max to be the rescuer) and I didn't find that enough to endear me to the relationship.
And by the way, let's just call it like it is: this is a friends with benefits situation. I find it funny that these two, as blunt and as 'done with love' as they both claim to be, didn't just have that conversation from the beginning and CALL it out. And OF COURSE that situation will get complicated: it ALWAYS does. Even outside the confines of fiction, when two people who are WILDLY attracted to each other decide to participate in that kind of interaction, things will continue to become more complicated UNLESS the two agree to be only hook up buds until they decide to no longer be hook up buds (and we all know THAT wasn't going to happen!) There was really only one direction this was going to go, and although I'm okay with a predictable romance, it still is more fun or emotionally charged if it isn't a COMPLETELY foregone conclusion...and this one had foregone conclusion written all over it. 🤦♀️
The last thing that made this one so difficult for me to truly enjoy was the nature of the situation-ship itself...and the lusty, doe eyed way these two interacted from start to finish. I've already mentioned Max's obsession with Sophie's red lips (which was more than a bit OTT) but with her fascination with his rock hard abs etc., Sophie was hardly better. I'm okay with a certain level of this in a romance novel: played the right way it CAN be spicy and fun. But for me, it was so overdone, the open doors were WAY too open for my liking, and all of the chatter about their Instagram posting had me rolling my eyes too, not to mention hearing all about their nights out drinking, etc.
...By the time I was done with this one? Let's just say I felt every BIT of my 37 years! 👵
There's a reason I am somewhat choosy when it comes to romance books, and it has more to do with me as a reader than some of the fantastic authors in the genre. Much like I was before I met my husband, I'm ALWAYS looking for the perfect match. But as much as I hate to be the Outlier when it comes to this Painter read?
I think it's safe to say you can put me down as an "Objector."
3 stars
Speak now or forever hold your peace...
We all know those words, and many a movie has the long lost love coming out of the woodwork at the last moment to declare their undying love for the bride or groom to be BEFORE they tie the knot with the 'wrong' person.
But what if you could HIRE a certain someone to deliver that protestation...and save someone from marrying a no-good, cheating scoundrel?
It turns out you can...and these folks are known as professional "Objectors." The concept sounds a bit crazy to Sophie Steinbeck...until she has one such Objector shows up at her OWN wedding to stop her from marrying her co-worker and fiance Stuart, whose father ALSO just so happens to be Sophie's father's boss. (Ah, the tangled web of nepotism.) Although Sophie is crushed to learn about Stuart's philandering ways, she is fascinated by Max's Objector job, and after tossing back a couple of tequila shots in the bridal suite, the two have some laughs and commiserate about how love isn't real, etc. etc. The more Sophie learns about the 'job' the more she thinks it might be for her...but is there something about Max's twinkling eyes that is the TRUE reason she's invested?
Their qualms aside, Sophie decides to take the plunge with Max...at least, in business...and the two set out to Break Up Some Weddings. But the more time they spend together, the more they notice their deep attraction to one another...and it starts to become difficult to ignore the connection. With two friends that have sworn off love, though, a kiss here or there couldn't hurt, right? They also add an extra layer to the situation-ship (of sorts) by playing into the facade by posting photos that look couple-y on Instagram and allowing their parents to get excited about the possibility of the future grandbabies (one that isn't even SUPPOSED to come to fruition, mind you!)
But as their physical entanglements continue, the question of whether feelings really ARE involved comes to the forefront when the wedding Sophie is asked to object at next is the wedding of the Max's ex...the one who broke his heart and made him swear off love in the FIRST place...and Max finds himself desperate to stop Sophie from intervening. Does this reluctance PROVE he still have feelings for his ex? Or have Max and Sophie haphazardly stumbled into the relationship they were so DETERMINED to avoid after all?
Lynn Painter is one of those authors I've seen mentioned over and over by trusted book friends and reviewers, and I'd heard that her books were witty and fun, with snarky banter and spice, and of COURSE I wanted to give one a try. I also loved the idea of the professional wedding objector being a new 'career' for our female lead (especially because traditionally it seems like MEN are the ones swooping in to break up unions before they even get started) and thought it would be entertaining to see the trajectory of this venture play out, with Sophie using different tactics and maybe having lots of fun stories to tell along the way....all with a side of very-predictable-but-very-fun romance of her own with Max to help complete the tale.
But what I got was something that relied very little on the premise...and a lot more on the two (somewhat annoying) MCs obsession with each others' bodies, their supposed 'done with love' attitude that was hardly present, LOTS of random profanity on every page...and a subpar plot that left me sighing, rolling my eyes, and ready for the 'wedding' to be OVER.
None of these issues were present for the first few chapters: I actually LIKED the beginning, the set up with Max purposely crashing the wedding, even the liquor-fueled hangout between Sophie and Max at the start and hoped that this initial meetup (I don't think in this case I can call it a meetcute!) would over time blossom into something deep, interesting, and REAL. But when these characters met up for a second time, and Max couldn't stop talking about Sophie's red lips mentally OVER and OVER...red FLAGS started popping up for me...and never really let up from then on.
For one thing, it was hard for ANY of these characters (except maybe Sophie's parents?) to go a full page without dropping f bombs and other profanities, usually randomly, during whatever they were discussing. I'm far from a stickler when it comes to profanity (unless my son is around!) but ALL of these people used this type of language the way others casually drop the word 'like' in every sentence, and it just got to be distracting. Perhaps the worst abusers of this (surprisingly enough) were Sophie's elderly roommates, Larry and Rose, who also were not really charming to me in any fashion. Larry seemed pretty hung up (read: obsessed) with how much Max looked like a certain famous movie star, and there was hardly enough about Rose to even make her memorable to me a week after finishing this one...so that says enough right there.
I also ran into another issue that sometimes pops up for me when I'm reading a romance book that ALWAYS takes me out of the experience: Max's chapters didn't sound like they were written by a guy, and felt SO much like Sophie's that I occasionally forgot who was talking. This is always hard for me, because so many authors (two of my faves, Emily Henry and Sarah Hogle come to mind) have such a defined set of characters, I never have this issue, and I'm not sure what the secret sauce is.... all I know is that it was missing here. I also felt like we got far too involved with both sets of parents in ways that didn't really benefit the plot, and getting to see more into Sophie and Max's SOULS would have been far more interesting. I feel like things stayed surface level with these two for SO long that it was hard to see anything meaningful develop (other than some forced drama at the end to allow Max to be the rescuer) and I didn't find that enough to endear me to the relationship.
And by the way, let's just call it like it is: this is a friends with benefits situation. I find it funny that these two, as blunt and as 'done with love' as they both claim to be, didn't just have that conversation from the beginning and CALL it out. And OF COURSE that situation will get complicated: it ALWAYS does. Even outside the confines of fiction, when two people who are WILDLY attracted to each other decide to participate in that kind of interaction, things will continue to become more complicated UNLESS the two agree to be only hook up buds until they decide to no longer be hook up buds (and we all know THAT wasn't going to happen!) There was really only one direction this was going to go, and although I'm okay with a predictable romance, it still is more fun or emotionally charged if it isn't a COMPLETELY foregone conclusion...and this one had foregone conclusion written all over it. 🤦♀️
The last thing that made this one so difficult for me to truly enjoy was the nature of the situation-ship itself...and the lusty, doe eyed way these two interacted from start to finish. I've already mentioned Max's obsession with Sophie's red lips (which was more than a bit OTT) but with her fascination with his rock hard abs etc., Sophie was hardly better. I'm okay with a certain level of this in a romance novel: played the right way it CAN be spicy and fun. But for me, it was so overdone, the open doors were WAY too open for my liking, and all of the chatter about their Instagram posting had me rolling my eyes too, not to mention hearing all about their nights out drinking, etc.
...By the time I was done with this one? Let's just say I felt every BIT of my 37 years! 👵
There's a reason I am somewhat choosy when it comes to romance books, and it has more to do with me as a reader than some of the fantastic authors in the genre. Much like I was before I met my husband, I'm ALWAYS looking for the perfect match. But as much as I hate to be the Outlier when it comes to this Painter read?
I think it's safe to say you can put me down as an "Objector."
3 stars
April 28, 2024
Holy fucking Calvin Klein boxer briefs, good God almighty.
Man, healthy relationships are so sexy 🥵
***
👰🏻𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗡𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 - 𝗟𝗬𝗡𝗡 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥👰🏻
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🅽🅰/🅰
★𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙰𝙻𝙾𝙽𝙴
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 - 𝙲𝙷𝙸𝙲𝙺𝙻𝙸𝚃 - 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙼𝙿𝙾𝚁𝙰𝚁𝚈 - 𝙷𝚄𝙼𝙾𝚁
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝙳𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙱𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂 - 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙴𝙴𝚁 𝙵𝙾𝙲𝚄𝚂𝙴𝙳 𝙵𝙼𝙲 - 𝙵𝙼𝙲 𝙸𝚂 𝙲𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙲 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙳𝙾𝙴𝚂𝙽'𝚃 𝙱𝙴𝙻𝙸𝙴𝚅𝙴 𝙸𝙽 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴 - 𝙼𝙼𝙲 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝙶𝙾𝙻𝙳𝙴𝙽 𝚁𝙴𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚁 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙶𝚈 - 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙳 𝙾𝙵 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙴𝙳 𝙶𝚁𝚄𝙼𝙿𝚈𝚡𝚂𝚄𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙴 - 𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝙱𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙵𝙸𝚃𝚂 - 𝙵𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝚂𝙸𝚃𝚄𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿 - 𝙵𝙰𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙸𝚃 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙽𝙴𝚃 - 𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝙴𝚃 𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 - 𝙼𝚄𝚃𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶
★𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘:
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥👥👥/𝟱
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼½/𝟱 (𝙶𝚁𝙴𝙰𝚃 𝙳𝙸𝙰𝙻𝙾𝙶𝚄𝙴𝚂)
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜📜/𝟱
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: 💀/𝟱 (𝙲𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 (𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙱𝙴𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙴𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙲𝚂) - 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙾𝚁 𝙰𝙲𝚃𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 - 𝙱𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝙳 𝙴𝚇𝙴𝚂)
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌻🌻🌻½/𝟱
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌹🌹🌹🌹/𝟱 (𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙼𝚄𝙽𝙸𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙸𝚂 𝙷𝙾𝚃)
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ❌
★𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝙵/𝙼
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧/𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🔥🔥🔥½/𝟱 (𝙺𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶 - - 𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙿𝙸𝚅 𝚂𝙴𝚇 - 𝙾𝚁𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝙴𝚇)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🚒🚒🚒🚒/𝟱 (𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙼𝙸𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁 𝚂𝙴𝚇)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 💣💣💣/𝟱
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐🤐½/𝟱 (𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴 - 𝙴𝚇𝙿𝙻𝙸𝙲𝙸𝚃 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝙸𝚃𝚄𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂)
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 💔💔/𝟱
★𝗧𝗬𝗣𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚:
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘:
★𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚: 🎶𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁 - 𝚃𝙰𝚈𝙻𝙾𝚁 𝚂𝚆𝙸𝙵𝚃🎶
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
***I always try to be as objective as I can with my ratings for DARK THEMES & TRIGGER WARNINGS, SMUT TECHNICAL CONTENT/INTENSITY, SMUT QUANTITY, ROMANCE QUANTITY, ANGST LEVEL, ENEMIES-TO-LOVERSNESS; the ratings for CHARACTERS, WRITING, PLOT, WORLD BUILDING, SETTING, SMUT QUALITY, ROMANCE QUALITY, are instead tied to my own subjective reading experience and final opinion of the book.
I have literally nothing bad to say about this book.
It was a total page-turner filled with humor, amazing dialogues, sexy scenes and the cutest romance ever.
And two main characters who brought communicating to the next level and were both the paper embodiement of "do I wanna be them or do I wanna be with them?".
I'm not giving it five full stars because it lacked a certain depth and because some situations were a tad too absurd to let them slide, but overall I found myself completely satisfied by this feel-good story and loved how it was packed with all the best feelings.
May 14, 2024
Okay so I feel like anything Lynn Painter writes is an automatic 5 stars at this point because she is such a huge author for me. If y'all know me, y'all know that Love Wager was one of my favorites by her. I think this beat that by a good bit just because I LOVED the mc's wayyy more. I laughed, got choked up, and had an all around great time.
February 16, 2025
3.25 stars!
the quote above says it all - what a cute read!
i have to say, i always enjoy lynn painter’s books and this was no exception. it was funny, fast paced, and the characters had me laughing out loud multiple times. i ate it up!
now, i think this ended up being fluffier than i expected - i thought there would be more drama and angst but a lot of it was resolved fairly quickly and easily and i wish we’d gotten more emotional depth. for two people who don’t want a relationship and debate the merits and truths about love, i thought it would delve deeper but ah, it was okay.
overall, i would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a fun, easy, banter filled rom-com! you won’t be disappointed.
.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.
꒰ pre-read. ꒱
i’ve loved everything i’ve read by lynn painter so far, so i’m super happy this came thru from my library! i have high hopes that i’ll love this one too. 🤍🌸
“It sounds more like a rom-com plot than an actual thing that will produce results.”
the quote above says it all - what a cute read!
i have to say, i always enjoy lynn painter’s books and this was no exception. it was funny, fast paced, and the characters had me laughing out loud multiple times. i ate it up!
now, i think this ended up being fluffier than i expected - i thought there would be more drama and angst but a lot of it was resolved fairly quickly and easily and i wish we’d gotten more emotional depth. for two people who don’t want a relationship and debate the merits and truths about love, i thought it would delve deeper but ah, it was okay.
overall, i would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a fun, easy, banter filled rom-com! you won’t be disappointed.
.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.
꒰ pre-read. ꒱
i’ve loved everything i’ve read by lynn painter so far, so i’m super happy this came thru from my library! i have high hopes that i’ll love this one too. 🤍🌸
May 7, 2024
I want to bleach the last 20% of this book out of my brain so bad. 😭
May 19, 2024
"I'm not in love but also kind of in love with you, Soph.
I'm not in love bust also kind of in love with you, too Max."
This book was so good! This is a romance about second chances, finding yourself, finding love and friendship. Happily Never After follows Sophie Steinbeck who is about to get married but found out that her fiance has cheated on her but she can't stop the wedding because her fiancé's dad is her dad's boss. Thankfully, a professional objector objects to her wedding and is able to stop the wedding. Sophie quickly becomes friends with Max, the Objector and they help people who want out of their wedding. They eventually realize they have great chemistry, but will that be enough for Sophie, a cynic to take the chance at a relationship?
I became invested in the plot and the characters from the very beginning. The pacing was well done and the plot kept me interested the entire book. The writing was easy to follow and engaging. I felt several emotions while reading this book, I laughed, I smiled and I cried. The characters were complex and well crafted. I really liked Sophie, she is determined, a cynic, hardworking, ambitious, outgoing and smart. Although, there was one scene near the end in which she didn't listen to Max and made a decision I didn't agree with. Sophie's character development was well done, I enjoyed watching her grow and realize that love does exist. I loved Max, he is charming, kind, smart, ambitious, handsome, funny and outgoing. I loved how sweet Max was to Sophie, he let her be herself and made sure to listen to her. Also I loved that he wore glasses (so hot). I really liked the side characters especially Larry, and Rose. The chemistry and tension between Sophie and Max was amazing! I loved the banter between them, it made me giggle so much! The development of Sophie and Max's relationship was well done. I'm glad that it took time for them to fall for each other and I liked that they were friends first. I loved that they understood each other and could relate to each other in many ways. There were several romantic scenes that had me giggling and blushing. My only critique is there was an argument near the end of the book that I didn't agree with. The ending was so sweet and I'm glad it ended on a happy note.
I recommend this book to anyone who love romance, amazing chemistry between the main characters, great characters, and an engaging plot.
I'm not in love bust also kind of in love with you, too Max."
This book was so good! This is a romance about second chances, finding yourself, finding love and friendship. Happily Never After follows Sophie Steinbeck who is about to get married but found out that her fiance has cheated on her but she can't stop the wedding because her fiancé's dad is her dad's boss. Thankfully, a professional objector objects to her wedding and is able to stop the wedding. Sophie quickly becomes friends with Max, the Objector and they help people who want out of their wedding. They eventually realize they have great chemistry, but will that be enough for Sophie, a cynic to take the chance at a relationship?
I became invested in the plot and the characters from the very beginning. The pacing was well done and the plot kept me interested the entire book. The writing was easy to follow and engaging. I felt several emotions while reading this book, I laughed, I smiled and I cried. The characters were complex and well crafted. I really liked Sophie, she is determined, a cynic, hardworking, ambitious, outgoing and smart. Although, there was one scene near the end in which she didn't listen to Max and made a decision I didn't agree with. Sophie's character development was well done, I enjoyed watching her grow and realize that love does exist. I loved Max, he is charming, kind, smart, ambitious, handsome, funny and outgoing. I loved how sweet Max was to Sophie, he let her be herself and made sure to listen to her. Also I loved that he wore glasses (so hot). I really liked the side characters especially Larry, and Rose. The chemistry and tension between Sophie and Max was amazing! I loved the banter between them, it made me giggle so much! The development of Sophie and Max's relationship was well done. I'm glad that it took time for them to fall for each other and I liked that they were friends first. I loved that they understood each other and could relate to each other in many ways. There were several romantic scenes that had me giggling and blushing. My only critique is there was an argument near the end of the book that I didn't agree with. The ending was so sweet and I'm glad it ended on a happy note.
I recommend this book to anyone who love romance, amazing chemistry between the main characters, great characters, and an engaging plot.
March 20, 2024
happily never after by lynn painter ~~ four stars (with no objections😉)
ahhh I loved this book🥰 It’s not a secret I eat up anything Lynn writes, even ones with some of my least favorite tropes?? Like who knew I could like time capsules if Lynn wrote about it?? Not I (the do-over) or betting, which i absolutely hate (betting on you). This one tho? I instantly knew objecting at weddings was gonna be a vibe for me🫡
Sophie Steinbeck,our female protagonist is a hard headed, true love doesn’t exist kinda woman. Especially after she found out her fiancé,dirtbag Stuart, was cheating on her mere days before her wedding. She doesn’t want to call off the wedding though because her soon to be father-in-law would definitely fire her father. Her best friend, Asha, comes up with the idea of hiring an objector, or ‘the objector’ if you will. [enter max; the objector] Max Parker; professional objector and Soph’s hero. After the wedding our grumpy protagonist has to go collect his money, which leads him to witnessing the ex-bride throwing twinkle’s at cheater’s car. He decides to stay a while and Sophie learns all about his objecting life, she half joking/half drunk says she would like to be an objector too👀
Several months later, Max calls her up with a proposition. To join him objecting another wedding!! They then form a partnership, as their friendship blossoms they learn they could both benefit from some “fake-dating” to convince people they have a good personal life for themselves. Unfortunately for the two cynics the chemistry between them might be sizzling for real, can they admit they are falling in ”I’m not in love with you but also kinda in love with you”??
ahhh I loved this book🥰 It’s not a secret I eat up anything Lynn writes, even ones with some of my least favorite tropes?? Like who knew I could like time capsules if Lynn wrote about it?? Not I (the do-over) or betting, which i absolutely hate (betting on you). This one tho? I instantly knew objecting at weddings was gonna be a vibe for me🫡
Sophie Steinbeck,our female protagonist is a hard headed, true love doesn’t exist kinda woman. Especially after she found out her fiancé,
Several months later, Max calls her up with a proposition. To join him objecting another wedding!! They then form a partnership, as their friendship blossoms they learn they could both benefit from some “fake-dating” to convince people they have a good personal life for themselves. Unfortunately for the two cynics the chemistry between them might be sizzling for real, can they admit they are falling in ”I’m not in love with you but also kinda in love with you”??
September 19, 2024
Definitely fluff, but also the fmc was annoying with how cynical she was about love. And the 'kissing myself' / other stuff myself was weird.
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I need some fluff and heard this would do the trick.
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I need some fluff and heard this would do the trick.
April 2, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5, Romance)
If you’re looking for a light, sweet, & sexy romance, LOOK NO FURTHER. I just had so much fun reading this book. Our love interests communicated clearly! Lots of swoon-worthy dialogue! The leading man looks like Henry Cavill! What more can I say!?
Sophie Steinback was supposed to marry a total D-bag, but she couldn’t call off the wedding (long story!), so she hired a guy to object at the wedding. Are you still with me?! Well, this guy and she hit it off AS FRIENDS (👀), and, long story short, they decide to be wedding objectors together. It’s not as convoluted as it sounds!
I thought the premise was fun and refreshing. There’s some fake dating, but not in the way we’re used to seeing. I loved that the leading woman was a badass career woman who knew what she wanted! Also, her roommates were the stars of the show for me. It’s not a B.R.A.D., but it is open door in a way that is not…overly detailed? Basically, B.R.A.D. and non-B.R.A.D. Lovers will be happy (I think!). I am new to this author and am officially a fan, so tell me what to read next from her!
Best paired with a Sweet Sunrise Mocktail by The Speckled Palate (swipe for recipe!!) 🌅!!!
If you’re looking for a light, sweet, & sexy romance, LOOK NO FURTHER. I just had so much fun reading this book. Our love interests communicated clearly! Lots of swoon-worthy dialogue! The leading man looks like Henry Cavill! What more can I say!?
Sophie Steinback was supposed to marry a total D-bag, but she couldn’t call off the wedding (long story!), so she hired a guy to object at the wedding. Are you still with me?! Well, this guy and she hit it off AS FRIENDS (👀), and, long story short, they decide to be wedding objectors together. It’s not as convoluted as it sounds!
I thought the premise was fun and refreshing. There’s some fake dating, but not in the way we’re used to seeing. I loved that the leading woman was a badass career woman who knew what she wanted! Also, her roommates were the stars of the show for me. It’s not a B.R.A.D., but it is open door in a way that is not…overly detailed? Basically, B.R.A.D. and non-B.R.A.D. Lovers will be happy (I think!). I am new to this author and am officially a fan, so tell me what to read next from her!
Best paired with a Sweet Sunrise Mocktail by The Speckled Palate (swipe for recipe!!) 🌅!!!
August 4, 2024
the bottom line I love love this book. Maybe because the idea of love cynics working together to crash weddings and finding love at the same time just makes me so dizzy and happy for them, or for the fact that the characters are relatable, it deserves 4.5 stars!
~~ It felt like my interest in her was getting out of hand, but I had no plans to dial it back. I just liked her too much.” ~~
ps, life update: I did recommend my friend (future wedding objector here) this book. But he is not much of reader, so oh wells.
@chevreads
4.5 stars
pre read ˖⋆࿐໋⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ ﾟ｡
so yesterday my classmate shouted "I OBJECT!" in chem class so I am going to honour him by reading this book.
omg I’m loving this book, snarky humor always gets more brownie points
~~ It felt like my interest in her was getting out of hand, but I had no plans to dial it back. I just liked her too much.” ~~
ps, life update: I did recommend my friend (future wedding objector here) this book. But he is not much of reader, so oh wells.
@chevreads
4.5 stars
pre read ˖⋆࿐໋⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ ﾟ｡
so yesterday my classmate shouted "I OBJECT!" in chem class so I am going to honour him by reading this book.
omg I’m loving this book, snarky humor always gets more brownie points
March 7, 2024
Just days before Sophie is set to marry Stuart she see's a provocative text from another woman on his phone, nude picture included. Devastated by her new knowledge she sets to right this wrong in spectacular fashion by having an Objector in the pews on the day of her wedding. When the time arrives and the priest asks if anyone knows of any reason why they shouldn't be married, Max, the Objector, will call Stuart out on his cheating in front of everyone thereby giving Sophie the out she desperately needs.
When Max arrives at the bridal suite to collect his fee he finds Sophie and her best friend drunk as can be and decides to join them. Many drinks and many laughs later they finally depart ways.
Until months later when Max texts Sophie to see if she can help him with Objecting at the next wedding he has lined up. From here they become quite chummy with one another but as Sophie insists to everyone that will listen she does NOT believe in love and has no desire to be in a relationship with anyone, not even the hot as can be Max. Can he convince her otherwise? You'll have to read this to find out.
I've enjoyed previous books from Painter in the past so I was thrilled to get an arc approval for her latest. The banter, the chemistry, the humor is all here and I loved that. So much. One of my favorite parts of this novel - Sophie's septuagenarian roommates Larry and Rose. Those two were a hoot! I wish we could have an entire book about them and their shenanigan's in the future.
But, a couple of things didn't work out quite as well for me this time around.
First of all, the swearing. Listen, I drop f-bombs too and I'll never be accused of being a pearl clutcher in the face of, let's say, colorful language, but this was a little over the top. It started to ruin the banter I had been enjoying so much. Joking around together is one thing but when your having a deep conversation it just seems like maybe that isn't the time and place for multiple f-bombs.
Sophie's adversity to love started to become grating because it was all she ever talked about when it was quite obvious that she was in deep with her feelings for Max. I kind of wanted her to just shut up and grow up.
Four or five pages describing a kissing scene became redundant after four or five times of it and while the doors weren't left wide open they were open a little further than I prefer, but that is definitely a me thing.
My quibbles aside, there is plenty to love here and I think rom-com fans are going to devour this with a smile on their face. Painter is definitely proficient in giving a reader heart palpitations and isn't that why we all read this genre? 3 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my complimentary copy.
When Max arrives at the bridal suite to collect his fee he finds Sophie and her best friend drunk as can be and decides to join them. Many drinks and many laughs later they finally depart ways.
Until months later when Max texts Sophie to see if she can help him with Objecting at the next wedding he has lined up. From here they become quite chummy with one another but as Sophie insists to everyone that will listen she does NOT believe in love and has no desire to be in a relationship with anyone, not even the hot as can be Max. Can he convince her otherwise? You'll have to read this to find out.
I've enjoyed previous books from Painter in the past so I was thrilled to get an arc approval for her latest. The banter, the chemistry, the humor is all here and I loved that. So much. One of my favorite parts of this novel - Sophie's septuagenarian roommates Larry and Rose. Those two were a hoot! I wish we could have an entire book about them and their shenanigan's in the future.
But, a couple of things didn't work out quite as well for me this time around.
First of all, the swearing. Listen, I drop f-bombs too and I'll never be accused of being a pearl clutcher in the face of, let's say, colorful language, but this was a little over the top. It started to ruin the banter I had been enjoying so much. Joking around together is one thing but when your having a deep conversation it just seems like maybe that isn't the time and place for multiple f-bombs.
Sophie's adversity to love started to become grating because it was all she ever talked about when it was quite obvious that she was in deep with her feelings for Max. I kind of wanted her to just shut up and grow up.
Four or five pages describing a kissing scene became redundant after four or five times of it and while the doors weren't left wide open they were open a little further than I prefer, but that is definitely a me thing.
My quibbles aside, there is plenty to love here and I think rom-com fans are going to devour this with a smile on their face. Painter is definitely proficient in giving a reader heart palpitations and isn't that why we all read this genre? 3 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my complimentary copy.
March 30, 2024
When Sophie finds out her fiancé has cheated on her, again, Max is hired to object at their wedding. Sophie thinks calling it off herself jeopardizes her dad’s career, so Max is the ideal solution.
Max reaches out to Sophie after that night, offering her the chance to join him as an objectress at upcoming weddings. At first Sophie is opposed but given the payouts being offered and her plans for her future now that she’s not getting married, she finds the offer hard to refuse.
The two form a friendship and take on splitting up weddings together for unhappy couples. Of course, spending so much time together, Max and Sophie begin to bond despite both swearing off love. How long can they keep this up before real feelings get in the way?
Happily Never After was predictable but a solid romcom — Cute, funny and modern, with entertaining dialogue. The physical chemistry became a little much at times, but I ended up liking both characters and enjoyed this story a lot.
Max reaches out to Sophie after that night, offering her the chance to join him as an objectress at upcoming weddings. At first Sophie is opposed but given the payouts being offered and her plans for her future now that she’s not getting married, she finds the offer hard to refuse.
The two form a friendship and take on splitting up weddings together for unhappy couples. Of course, spending so much time together, Max and Sophie begin to bond despite both swearing off love. How long can they keep this up before real feelings get in the way?
Happily Never After was predictable but a solid romcom — Cute, funny and modern, with entertaining dialogue. The physical chemistry became a little much at times, but I ended up liking both characters and enjoyed this story a lot.
July 12, 2025
lynn painter why
March 21, 2024
I picked this up because the premise sounded interesting, and it didn't disappoint. It's a light and fun read with a bit different take on romance, since it's something neither of the main characters believe in or are looking for.
Max is wonderful. Loved him. Sophie made me want to shake her a couple times, but there are a lot of things I really liked about her. I loved their friendship, and their interactions and the banter were excellent. Sophie's roomates are pretty great, too. They are so not what I initally expected.
This was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style and the humor.
Max is wonderful. Loved him. Sophie made me want to shake her a couple times, but there are a lot of things I really liked about her. I loved their friendship, and their interactions and the banter were excellent. Sophie's roomates are pretty great, too. They are so not what I initally expected.
This was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed her writing style and the humor.
July 9, 2024
6/5 ⭐️ THIS IS A BANGER! AND I KNOW BANGERS!
***SPOILERS***
Why was this book so good? Like, every single thing about it was just so, UGGH!! I think the whole concept of them both not wanting a relationship, and instead finding a very… intimate friendship between them was just so interesting. Obviously they ended up in a relationship.
I actually think Max changed something in my brain chemistry a little bit. He was so obsessed with Sophie’s lips. Like, okay Mr. Bridgerton😘.
“𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒈𝒚𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.”
Fuck. That’s a man right there
These character were actually something else. I loved Sophie’s personality and how she wasn’t afraid to speak to Max about topics that would be uncomfortable for most people. Their chemistry was just so good
The way they were so free with each other actually kind of made me want to kms
"𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒚." 🤰🤰🤰
Then when they finally got down, they got DOWN!
"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆, 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒌, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆."
"𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓."
"𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖."
HOLY SHET!!! AND THEN THEY DID IT AGAIN THE NEXT MORNING!
𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒆, 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆. 🧎♀️➡️🧎♀️➡️🧎♀️➡️
And then that whole situation with his ex just pushed it over the edge.
"𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕, 𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆." 𝑰 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒋𝒂𝒘 𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰'𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅. "𝑰 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒓, 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒖𝒏, 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒎𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕."
Me when? Just kidding… no for real?
Then she told him to leave and he was like,
"𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖?"
That shit hurt
And, Sophie had a little 10 things I hate about you moment—
— "𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒉, 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒉-𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒙 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 ���𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉. 𝑨𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑰 𝒑𝒖𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒘 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓."
I also know that Larry is my spirit animal.
This quote from him made me love him—
— "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆. 𝑰𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏, 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆? 𝑰'𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝑯𝑨𝑴 𝒐𝒏 𝑹𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝑹𝒖𝒔𝒔'𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆."
I really love that “you silly little asshole” I’ve never heard that before so it made me laugh
Anyways, I fell in FUCKRAH with this book 💕
Definition of “FUCKRAH”: Friendship, Undeniable Chemistry, Kinship, Respect, Admiration, Happiness
𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅:
"𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕. 𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑯𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆. 𝑫𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆."
“𝑰𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕.”
"𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅."
"𝑩𝒖𝒕, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒊𝒕, 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒊𝒕—𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔? 𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔, 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖."
“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒚.”
"𝒀"𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝑭𝑼𝑪𝑲𝑹𝑨𝑯 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕, 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚."
"𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒌, 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝑭𝑼𝑪𝑲𝑹𝑨𝑯 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌."
***SPOILERS***
Why was this book so good? Like, every single thing about it was just so, UGGH!! I think the whole concept of them both not wanting a relationship, and instead finding a very… intimate friendship between them was just so interesting. Obviously they ended up in a relationship.
I actually think Max changed something in my brain chemistry a little bit. He was so obsessed with Sophie’s lips. Like, okay Mr. Bridgerton😘.
“𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒈𝒚𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.”
Fuck. That’s a man right there
These character were actually something else. I loved Sophie’s personality and how she wasn’t afraid to speak to Max about topics that would be uncomfortable for most people. Their chemistry was just so good
The way they were so free with each other actually kind of made me want to kms
"𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒃𝒆𝒓, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒚." 🤰🤰🤰
Then when they finally got down, they got DOWN!
"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆, 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒌, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆."
"𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓."
"𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖."
HOLY SHET!!! AND THEN THEY DID IT AGAIN THE NEXT MORNING!
𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒅𝒆, 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆. 🧎♀️➡️🧎♀️➡️🧎♀️➡️
And then that whole situation with his ex just pushed it over the edge.
"𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕, 𝒆𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆." 𝑰 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒋𝒂𝒘 𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰'𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅. "𝑰 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒓, 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒖𝒏, 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒎𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕."
Me when? Just kidding… no for real?
Then she told him to leave and he was like,
"𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖?"
That shit hurt
And, Sophie had a little 10 things I hate about you moment—
— "𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒉, 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒉-𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒙 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 ���𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉. 𝑨𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑰 𝒑𝒖𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒘 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓."
I also know that Larry is my spirit animal.
This quote from him made me love him—
— "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆. 𝑰𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒏, 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆? 𝑰'𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝑯𝑨𝑴 𝒐𝒏 𝑹𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝑹𝒖𝒔𝒔'𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒆."
I really love that “you silly little asshole” I’ve never heard that before so it made me laugh
Anyways, I fell in FUCKRAH with this book 💕
Definition of “FUCKRAH”: Friendship, Undeniable Chemistry, Kinship, Respect, Admiration, Happiness
𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅:
"𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕. 𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑯𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆. 𝑫𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆."
“𝑰𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕.”
"𝑾𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅."
"𝑩𝒖𝒕, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒊𝒕, 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒊𝒕—𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔? 𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔, 𝑰 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒂𝒎𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖."
“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒚.”
"𝒀"𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝑭𝑼𝑪𝑲𝑹𝑨𝑯 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕, 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚."
"𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒌, 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝑭𝑼𝑪𝑲𝑹𝑨𝑯 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌."
October 13, 2024
This rom-com had me giggling the entire book! 😂
I don't know about you, but as soon as I saw “wedding objectors,” I was like, nahhh no way this will work But Lynn Painter really pulled it off! The book literally kicks off with Max getting “hired” to object at Sophie’s wedding—if that doesn’t hook you, then what will? 👀
The chemistry between Max and Sophie was delicious because of how unique their personalities were. You’ve got laid-back Max cynical, doesn’t believe in love, super down-to-earth, and cares too much for others. Then there’s Sophie, another nonbeliever of love who thrives on bullet-point presentations and isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind ❤️. It gives that vibe of strong personality and soft and i rarely see that in books, I was able to relate a ton with Sophie.
“𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒈𝒚𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.”
The way their feelings develop through genuine friendship (plus obvsss major attraction) was EVERYTHING. 😍 And the tension? Off the charts! Yes, it’s a little spicier, but I was all about those kissing scenes. Seriously, what is it about Lynn Painter’s kissing scenes that make them so amazing 🔥?
Anywayyy, read this one! It’s funny, cute, and obviously delivers a perfect Happily Ever After. 💕
Tropes
💍Romantic Comedy
💍Friends to Lovers
💍He Falls First
💍Witty Banter
💍Fake Dating-ish
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ my libby hold for "nothing like the movies" is taking so long so I decided to start this one instead 😏
I don't know about you, but as soon as I saw “wedding objectors,” I was like, nahhh no way this will work But Lynn Painter really pulled it off! The book literally kicks off with Max getting “hired” to object at Sophie’s wedding—if that doesn’t hook you, then what will? 👀
The chemistry between Max and Sophie was delicious because of how unique their personalities were. You’ve got laid-back Max cynical, doesn’t believe in love, super down-to-earth, and cares too much for others. Then there’s Sophie, another nonbeliever of love who thrives on bullet-point presentations and isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind ❤️. It gives that vibe of strong personality and soft and i rarely see that in books, I was able to relate a ton with Sophie.
“𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒈𝒚𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝑺𝒐𝒑𝒉, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.”
The way their feelings develop through genuine friendship (plus obvsss major attraction) was EVERYTHING. 😍 And the tension? Off the charts! Yes, it’s a little spicier, but I was all about those kissing scenes. Seriously, what is it about Lynn Painter’s kissing scenes that make them so amazing 🔥?
Anywayyy, read this one! It’s funny, cute, and obviously delivers a perfect Happily Ever After. 💕
Tropes
💍Romantic Comedy
💍Friends to Lovers
💍He Falls First
💍Witty Banter
💍Fake Dating-ish
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ my libby hold for "nothing like the movies" is taking so long so I decided to start this one instead 😏
April 17, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
February 24, 2024
4 stars
Happily Never After was such a fun, easy-to-read romance. I loved the friends-to-lovers/fake dating aspect and the banter between Sophie and Max.
Sophie and Max meet at Sophie’s wedding where he’s an objector. It’s a bit of a side job and much needed for Sophie. She’s so thankful for Max’s help and with time they become friends. Sophie wants in on the ‘objectors’ gig and they become a team. They also find hanging out beneficial for Sophie’s job and getting Max’s parents off his back.
With all this time they spend together, it’s normal that feelings start to happen. The problem is Sophie doesn’t believe in love. Can Max change her mind? This one had me chuckling and smiling more times than I can count. Max and Sophie had great chemistry and an even greater friendship. And her roommate/bestie Larry made the book for me. Such a fun read!
Happily Never After was such a fun, easy-to-read romance. I loved the friends-to-lovers/fake dating aspect and the banter between Sophie and Max.
Sophie and Max meet at Sophie’s wedding where he’s an objector. It’s a bit of a side job and much needed for Sophie. She’s so thankful for Max’s help and with time they become friends. Sophie wants in on the ‘objectors’ gig and they become a team. They also find hanging out beneficial for Sophie’s job and getting Max’s parents off his back.
With all this time they spend together, it’s normal that feelings start to happen. The problem is Sophie doesn’t believe in love. Can Max change her mind? This one had me chuckling and smiling more times than I can count. Max and Sophie had great chemistry and an even greater friendship. And her roommate/bestie Larry made the book for me. Such a fun read!
anticipated
February 4, 2024it's not a ya
trust me when i say that No One is more disappointed than me.
trust me when i say that No One is more disappointed than me.
October 3, 2024
3 Stars
Despite having a premise that made me fairly annoyed/uncomfortable, my first foray into the world of Lynn Painter stories went pleasantly well.
The biggest strength here, for me, was the banter and the overall humorous tone shared between the main characters, Max and Sophie. The way they met and the way they then proceeded to connect, all involving being professional objectors at weddings (cringe), may not have been ideal for me, but there’s no denying that the chemistry between these two, in all phases of their evolving relationship, was pretty damn great.
I really liked Max, despite his role as an objector. He was kind and warm and family oriented, quick to wit and really easy-going, who just came across as a really solid and decent man. And I loved that HE FELL FIRST, guys, because his awe and adoration, as he grew to love Sophie, was all things tender and warm and supportive and playful—and fully accepting that she was a stubborn hot mess who was determined to keep him in the friend zone, despite that scorching chemistry I mentioned.
On the other hand, I perhaps didn’t end up liking Sophie as much, in comparison. At the beginning I enjoyed the hell out of her sassy, bold, take-no-crap-from-men personality, and her competitive nature was quite infectious and oftentimes hilarious in the antics it led to. However, I simply found her overall stance/motives/behaviour throughout the story to be too aggressive, avoidant, and, by the end, wildly immature. It’s either that, or I’m just super over her brand of the relationship phobic character in my romance reading. The ones who can’t/refuse to catch feelings because they’ve been hurt before, so they’re determined to be sad and angry and alone forever, even if it hurts them more and starts hurting those who love them. Yep, I’m over that. So, Sophie was a hard sell for me, especially with her actions towards the end and her less than ideal “big speech” of redemption, that left me anything but sold on the idea that these two crazy kids would make it long-term—which, umm… isn’t the reflection I wanted to be feeling at the end of a rom-com.
Overall, though, I was pretty happy with the writing and the banter, and the way “big feelings” blended well with the fun, light-hearted tone of the story, keeping it squarely in the easy, upbeat realm of rom-com storytelling. I especially appreciated the handful of big laughs I had while reading this, because I’m always about chasing joy to my full ability.
This may not have ultimately worked for me as a love story, but I appreciated the friends-to-lovers/slight fake-relationship tropes at play and the smattering of steamy scenes (I didn’t know to expect from this author). I can also say, I enjoyed the whole vibe enough to keep my book schedule open for more Lynn Painter reading experiences in my future, which that alone is a win!
*************************************
Audio Edition:
I had to return my library borrow back when I was only halfway through (sooooo annoying) and in my desperate state, I decided to use an audible credit to get the audiobook so I could keep reading (listening) without a longer, pesky wait.
This was kismet on my part, because I ended up really enjoying the dual narration, performed by two new-to-me voice actors, Helen Laser and Sean Patrick Hopkins. They brought these characters to life in a big way. I absolutely loved the humour and cheekiness they instilled in Max and Sophie, giving me some good belly laughs with their pitch-perfect delivery.
Despite having a premise that made me fairly annoyed/uncomfortable, my first foray into the world of Lynn Painter stories went pleasantly well.
The biggest strength here, for me, was the banter and the overall humorous tone shared between the main characters, Max and Sophie. The way they met and the way they then proceeded to connect, all involving being professional objectors at weddings (cringe), may not have been ideal for me, but there’s no denying that the chemistry between these two, in all phases of their evolving relationship, was pretty damn great.
I really liked Max, despite his role as an objector. He was kind and warm and family oriented, quick to wit and really easy-going, who just came across as a really solid and decent man. And I loved that HE FELL FIRST, guys, because his awe and adoration, as he grew to love Sophie, was all things tender and warm and supportive and playful—and fully accepting that she was a stubborn hot mess who was determined to keep him in the friend zone, despite that scorching chemistry I mentioned.
On the other hand, I perhaps didn’t end up liking Sophie as much, in comparison. At the beginning I enjoyed the hell out of her sassy, bold, take-no-crap-from-men personality, and her competitive nature was quite infectious and oftentimes hilarious in the antics it led to. However, I simply found her overall stance/motives/behaviour throughout the story to be too aggressive, avoidant, and, by the end, wildly immature. It’s either that, or I’m just super over her brand of the relationship phobic character in my romance reading. The ones who can’t/refuse to catch feelings because they’ve been hurt before, so they’re determined to be sad and angry and alone forever, even if it hurts them more and starts hurting those who love them. Yep, I’m over that. So, Sophie was a hard sell for me, especially with her actions towards the end and her less than ideal “big speech” of redemption, that left me anything but sold on the idea that these two crazy kids would make it long-term—which, umm… isn’t the reflection I wanted to be feeling at the end of a rom-com.
Overall, though, I was pretty happy with the writing and the banter, and the way “big feelings” blended well with the fun, light-hearted tone of the story, keeping it squarely in the easy, upbeat realm of rom-com storytelling. I especially appreciated the handful of big laughs I had while reading this, because I’m always about chasing joy to my full ability.
This may not have ultimately worked for me as a love story, but I appreciated the friends-to-lovers/slight fake-relationship tropes at play and the smattering of steamy scenes (I didn’t know to expect from this author). I can also say, I enjoyed the whole vibe enough to keep my book schedule open for more Lynn Painter reading experiences in my future, which that alone is a win!
*************************************
Audio Edition:
I had to return my library borrow back when I was only halfway through (sooooo annoying) and in my desperate state, I decided to use an audible credit to get the audiobook so I could keep reading (listening) without a longer, pesky wait.
This was kismet on my part, because I ended up really enjoying the dual narration, performed by two new-to-me voice actors, Helen Laser and Sean Patrick Hopkins. They brought these characters to life in a big way. I absolutely loved the humour and cheekiness they instilled in Max and Sophie, giving me some good belly laughs with their pitch-perfect delivery.
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