Happy After All

by Maisey Yates

When a romance author meets a mysterious stranger, love is the last thing she expects to find in a funny and heartfelt novel about second chances by a New York Times bestselling author.

A city girl leaves her life behind in LA to start over in a small town…

It’s a cliché, but it’s also Amelia Taylor’s life. And her new life as a romance novelist and motelier is going great—until Nathan Hart checks in.

Of course he’s disastrously handsome, thoroughly disagreeable, and seems to be set against Amelia on sight. Of course there’s smoldering tension between them that can’t be ignored. They’d make the perfect enemies to lovers story. It’s one of Amelia’s favorite tropes.

But the man in room 32 seems genuinely broken, and it’s going to take more than romance tropes and wishful thinking to get past his wounds. As a tentative friendship grows into a deeper connection, Amelia and Nathan both realize that facing each other’s painful secrets takes courage. Do they dare take the risk and hope it ends happily after all?

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Ebooks, Christmas

315 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2025

About the author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.

Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.

She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Reviews

[Christina Nastos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost Cute Story

Found this on Amazon First Reads. I tried so hard to get through it but failed epically.

Take away half the words and its a cute novella. It seems like the author just had to meet a word count.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded down. Yes, 100% what many other reviewers said - it is way too wordy & too spicy🌶️ also for my personal comfort level. But I kept reading because of the setting in the Coachella Valley where I lived during the pandemic and I did enjoy that aspect of it & felt it was authentic, and I also really liked the quirky motel & it’s feisty elderly residents. The town’s wildfire also kept me reading, so I just skimmed all the parts I didn’t care for. Overall it was an okay read for me.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Gosh, this one hit me in the feels more than I anticipated. At first, I thought it would be a cute rom-com, but it got much more emotional as it went on. I liked the story as a whole, but it was a bit too long and wordy for me. I enjoyed learning more about Amelia and Nathan’s back story, and by the end, I felt their connection.

Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 3 stars
Narrators: Stephanie Rose
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 9h 58m

[Aya ☕︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book, but… as you can see, it wasn’t exactly a wow for me.

One thing I did enjoy was that each chapter seemed to center around its own trope, which was a fun concept. But what didn’t work for me was the timeline—everything happened over just 10 to 15 days.

They fell in love, got to know each other deeply, and even became intimate all in less than two weeks. Ummmm… it just felt a bit too rushed and unrealistic for me.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝕯𝖔𝖔𝖗 𝕸𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

SKIP CHAPTER: 14, 19,21

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for the free eARC 💕💕

[MrsK · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just.
Too.
Many.
Words.

Jeez this was far too long winded with unnecessary waffle - internal musings overload.

DNF at 30%

[kitkat (semi-hiatus ♡︎) · Rating 2 out of 5]

✦ ✦ ✧ ✧ ✧
(2.5 rounded down)

UGH. i just finished this book, and still, idk what to think of it. the beginning made it seem like it was a cute hallmark style rom com, but it got DEEP by the end. it was just confession after confession, and too much trauma 🤧😭 rtc

also - we are on track with one book a day so far this year!! 🥰🥰

♬⋆.˚ now playing - peace - taylor swift
✧ “would it be enough if i could never give you peace?” ✧

~~~~~~~~~~~~

✧₊⁺ preread
it’s always a hit or miss with kindle unlimited 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

now playing - risk - gracie abrams
“you’re the risk, i’m gonna take it.” (less)

[Traci Westling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly Perfected Rom Com

THIS book Had it ALL! Quirky intrigue filled scenes with smart dialogue along with some intense grief-related angsty moments between Amelia & Nathan.This adds fuel
To the fire of the chemistry that’s building
Between them. The fact that both Amelia & Nathan are writers with hidden tragic pasts made this a page turner immediately!
Pairing all this with a handful of long term motel elderly residents that tend to meddle,
made this one of my most favorite reads by this author to date! The advice & wisdom shared from these characters was spot on…. The intense depth of wisdom/conversations coupled with the plot revelations make this
An absolute must read for anyone
looking for hope & a very HAPPY AFTER ALL delightful read!!

[Kathleen Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, CONTENT WARNING

This book is AMAZING. Profound, with a well defined world. There is a LOT of talk about grief, including the loss of spouse and loss of advanced pregnancy. Head’s up.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Felt like I was reading a fanfic lol the plot didn’t really flow together and there were so many unnecessary details…

[James McRay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m bowing out at 20 percent. Really, this is a great example of the single first-person POV written poorly. The first quarter of the book happens over three consecutive summers. The first summer, the MCs, Amelia and Nathan meet, and they are immediately antagonistic to each other for some contrived reasons. Jump to the next summer where Nathan is still standoffish toward Amelia, but despite them having like two actual interactions with each other, Amelia is certain the attraction is growing between them, and Nathan isn’t actually an a-hole because he treats the old ladies in the story with kindness, even though he’s still a jerk to her.

Jump forward to Summer #3. Still very little interaction between Nathan and Amelia, but she is sure that Nathan is a hero because he helps out when there is a fire in the small town. Finally, despite the total of maybe six conversations with Nathan over three years, Amelia decides to flat out make a pass at Nathan who flat out rejects her.

There is always the chance that things really start to turn around in the very next chapter where I quit, but if the author hasn’t done anything by the 20 percent mark to have my feelings turning around about the MMC—only through the FMC’s single POV, remember—then that’s a fail on her part and she’s lost me.

I’ve had zero luck with audiobooks. I should probably stick with music to fill the time when driving.

[Julie Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only way this could’ve gotten higher than a 1 star was if a sinkhole opened up and ate the motel. That did not happen, so alas, it’s a 1 for me.

[Aimee Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really dragged in the first half, and the relationship between Nathan and Amelia didn’t feel authentic to me. I really wanted to love them because the setting of a desert motel is so fun (think Schitts Creek).

I forced myself to finish this but would not recommend based on the pacing. Very slow for the first half then super fast the rest of the book.

[Cassie · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I’d stopped halfway when I wanted to, I might’ve given this 2 stars just for being soooo repetitive and slow moving (but the plot and characters were likable enough). I persisted, and suffered for it.

This book is very wordy. Every line of dialog is interrupted by paragraphs of random thoughts and tangents, so that once the dialog resumes it’s difficult to recall what the characters were originally talking about. The author also really loves sentence fragments (which I think can be used effectively, but that’s not the case here). She also gives her main character the same epiphanies every other chapter. And she sprinkles in spice at the most awkward places along the way…

“Nathan helps lift small children up to hang ornaments near the top. I like him. I like him so much. I’ve listened to his pain. I have licked him everywhere.” - actual quote that made it past editors

[Mikaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay don’t know if I’m alone on this one but I didn’t like it. Man can this author monologue, and not in a good way. It felt like there would be a monologue from one character, the next character would respond (of course) in a monologue format, then there would be 2 pages of internal dialogue from the FMC, then the conversation would continue with more monologues. It would take 10 pages to get through a conversation that would have been 2 minutes long.
The conversation style also didn’t feel natural and felt like it was following a very structured format. I honestly skimmed most of the book and still understood every plot point so a lot of it could have been cut
2/5 ⭐️ (the plot of the story I liked and it had some good potential otherwise it would have been 1 star for me)
2/5 🌶️

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, I was not prepared for how heavily emotional this story was going to be!! I was expecting a light, fluffy women's fiction/romcom but that is not what this book is. There is humor and a great cast of secondary characters but at its core this story is about two writers dealing with great losses and heavy grief who circle one another year after year as they both live/work at the same desert hotel. Somehow the connection they feel over their heavy hearts is an undeniable draw that they can't resist. Deeply moving, emotional and full of heart, this slow burn grabbed me from the start and didn't let go until the end. I especially liked how the FMC is a romance author who explores different tropes in each chapter. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

CW: death of a spouse from cancer, late-term miscarriage

[Jen (noelle w. ihli's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up.

i’m sorry but Amelia girl you monologue TOO MUCH holy fucking shit i caught myself skimming at some points saying “shuuuut uuuuupppp”

this could have been the perfect cutesy grumpy x sunshine romcom novella, but instead, we got way more words than we needed, with a relationship that felt insanely forced, bc they went literal YEARS without ever really interacting, and they knew they would be some great thing bc they thought the other was hot?

the idea was very cute, and i really did love the tropes being listed and the following chapter including it, that was unique (to me, bc i am still new at romances, i'm sure it probs exists somewhere else) and the setting was fun. i'd love to read about those old ladies lives for sure

[Heather Laskos · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all

I loved this books so much. The characters and setting were delightful. The long-term residents in a desert hotel, the owner who ran away from her life to heal and grow, and the recluse author who finds his way into her heart.

[joni ౨ৎ (semi-ia)]

🤍 ┆ʚ 𝐩𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 ‹𝟹
im adding like all my arcs bc i need to track them

[Courtney Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 30%.
You couldn’t pay me to care about this book

[Lisi Bee (Beth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia is a former scriptwriter and current romance author, and the new owner of the Pink Flamingo Hotel (home to a large number of elderly, long-term residents). She is estranged from her distant parents, and is reinventing herself in the California desert after leaving Los Angeles. Nathan is a distractingly handsome and standoffish hotel guest at the Pink Flamingo, he is stoic and tries to keep to himself despite the other residents' best efforts. Both are hiding pain and past secrets, but are reluctantly drawn to one another. (I get a Crusie/Mayer vibe from these two, albeit with softened edges.) I liked it, I thought this was going to be a quicker read but it was a more complex story than I expected. The book is written in a singular 1st-person POV from Amelia's perspective, which limits our ability to fully see Nathan's viewpoint. The story was written well but was a little dense and overall a little lighter on the dialogue for my liking. Sometimes it felt like two different books: one a little lighter and rom-commy, and the other a more somber literary fiction story. But I think that's reflective of Amelia's personal journey, so it works. Nathan sometimes felt like a secondary character, but I think that ties into this being Amelia's story as she's truly the main character here. There were points in the book that I wasn't sure how much I actually liked Nathan, as his moodiness without explanation was initially a significant issue between himself and Amelia (and it was a bit much for me too). That said, it was definitely representative of his mindset at various points, and as his backstory unfolded I eventually warmed up to him and found him to be more sympathetic.

There are deeper themes of sadness and grief (don't let the cheerful cover fool you, and definitely pay attention to content warnings), but there's a sweetness there too along with some humor. It's actually a nice change of pace to read a romance where so little is easy for the main characters, and it was rewarding to watch Nathan and Amelia open up to one another. It always feels a little meta when a main character is a writer, but the author weaves this very well into Amelia's identity and observations on life. The trope chapter headings were a nice touch and acted as guideposts for upcoming events in the story. There is a great cast of supporting characters, and the writing is both witty and thoughtful. If you're a fan of slow-burn, open-door romances with deeper themes and touches of humor, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for an ARC of this story, this was my objective review.

[corriature · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve finally gotten to a place where I enjoy reading about grief. I haven’t experienced all the grief this book talked about but I love seeing that it can take so many forms and so much good can come from doing it healthily!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how this was structure out

4.5 stars

I have read Maisey Yates for years and years with her category and cowboy romances and this was my foray into something different from her. This felt very much like a rom com that I have read in the past, but it did have some Maisey Yates staples like humor and exploration of heavier topics that enhance the romance.

What I really liked about this story was how the story that was told. It used the structure of what made a romance novel and translated into what was going on with Amelia’s current romance with Nathan. I thought it was very cleverly done. It would also add to the humor because of the tropes that were on display. It was just a fun element.

I really thought the antics at the hotel between the activities and residents were great. I laughed quite a few times. I liked how the residents pushed the Nathan and Amelia together.

Overall, I liked the romance. I thought that Nathan and Amelia had a solid connection. They could have conversations about writing since they were both were authors. They bonded over trauma of the past. They had developed a great sense of intimacy. I was a little iffy if he was in love with her like she was with him, but I did really like them together.

[alya adlina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

first of all i have a mixed feelings about this book. i liked it how it’s not only focusing on romance but theres also deeper themes such as grieving and sadness. the thing is, it was a bit too long and too much sex focused stuff. it could have been a bit better.

i like both of the main characters and how they working through their own issues. like i literally had no idea it would be an emotional read, i enjoyed the ride.

if you’re fan of slow burn romance, romance with deeper themes, and a bit of humour. do read this!!!

[Chantelle Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars (Kindle). Several friends + book influencers raved about this story, but it just didn't click for me. There were some great nuggets of phrases, emotions, + character development, but the origins of grief were repeated SO FREQUENTLY + often that it just felt like I was reading in a circle. With some heavy editing, this could be a very great story about grief + second chances at love. As it stands, I can't give it more stars than I have.

EDITED: I chose this as my Kindle December 1st Reads selection. I appreciate the opportunity to read this story, even if it wasn't all I hoped it would be.

[Stacy Grogan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The droning on made this unbearable, could not connect to the characters and honestly just didn't care. After 11 days, 20% was as far as I made it sadly!!!

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looked promising, with its self-aware definition of literary tropes before each chapter, but it honestly disappointed. It was *very* interspective, and not a lot happened during big chunks of dialogue - nobody moved, everyone just thought big thoughts aloud that they had been dwelling on internally for the previous chapter(s). The last 35 - 40% dragged on.

[Lidia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book, the first by this author that I have read. One thing only is sure it was a bit long and many of same internal musing again and again. I put four stars for the topics of loss and sorrow and how the author has developed the argument. It seems like fragments of my life are shattered and put in the plot...less naturally the fact that I live in Italy. At the beginning I thought it was a light romantic novel , then the tone changes, the protagonists became more introspettive and the dialogue more realistic and deep . Also if there's this continued report between the rules to write a romance and the real life. Same time I didn't know which book I was reading , like if the author didn't decide which genre writes. So I think that it was the writing that was missing of coerence and structure .

[Joee (booksandacupofjoee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this was pretty cute! I was kind of skeptical going in but I liked how it started and built up the relationship. It's not instant love. But I will say I could have done without the sex focused stuff but thankfully it got away from just being "sex driven" and had more depth which is what redeemed it for me.

I like that both of the main characters are working through their own issues. It made me teary eyed at one point... I went back and forth between the audio and Kindle both of which are good. I did like the audio quite a bit! The only thing that brought the rating down for me was just personal taste of not wanting all the sex stuff. It was a bit cheesy at times but not over the top.

[Shelby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this arc.

This one was really hard to get through. It was really wordy, and a lot of it seemed unnecessary. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and their relationship. There were a lot of time jumps in the beginning that I had a hard time with and by the end, it just didn't care at all.

[Callie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly have no clue how to rank this. Typed and deleted a lot of things. Glad I read it I think? But probably not everyone’s cup of tea. Wish it was a bit more concise. IDK. If anyone ends up reading this because of this review, I do not take responsibility for your enjoyment or lack thereof. 🫡