So Much for the Fairy Tale

Falling Slowly #3

by Ava Andrews

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2026

Reviews

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Reader:

I could not put this book down I read it in one day! I could relate to Mandy in so many ways! This book truly showed that sometimes you miss what you had when it’s too late and sometimes you don’t know someone as well as you thought. I truly didn’t want the book to end I wanted to read more about Mandy’s healing journey.

Thank you for letting me be a ARC reader excited to read more!

[Heather Altundağ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story of a mom slowly getting her pink back. We follow our FMC on her journey of self discovery after 3 kids and 12 years of marriage. We see her revisit things of her past and how they impacted her choices of the present, and how everything is not how it always seems. We also see crossovers of characters from the other books in this series, which is nice to continue with their journeys as well. I did feel like the plot was a bit predictable with one of the characters, and with this being a shorter novel you don’t see as much character development. It’s more like you are living their day to day life. Overall, a good representation of the struggles of motherhood and marriage and how important it is to take time for yourself, self rediscovering. ☺️

[yue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book genuinely broke and slowly mended my heart in ways I wasn’t expecting. It is an emotional, messy, and frustrating rollercoaster about love, finding yourself again, the hard parts of motherhood, and second chances. I honestly did not expect the story to evolve the way it did. The big reveal completely shocked me and recontextualized the entire novel, making all those earlier scenes and arguments hit way harder in hindsight.

Ava Andrews beautifully captures the exhausting emotional labor of motherhood and the painful reality of losing your identity to marriage and family. Mandy’s journey to rediscover her passions and realize that it’s okay to just be herself outside of being a wife and mother was deeply moving. The characters are undeniably flawed and deeply human so they were relatable. I really appreciated Brandon's character development the whole story while his earlier gaslighting were painful to read, watching him finally step up, cut back on work, and form a real bond with his three boys after the separation gave him unexpected depth.

However, some of the characters' decisions were hard to digest. While I understood Mandy's need to leave, dropping the divorce news on Brandon completely out of nowhere felt unfair after twelve years of marriage. She also had a frustrating habit of stringing people along when she wasn't emotionally healed. My biggest issue, though, was the revelation that Mandy had cheated on Nathan with Brandon in the past. I hated that her friends tried to validate her betrayal. I strongly believe that if you are unhappy in a relationship, you should leave, not cheat.

Despite my frustrations with their choices, I cannot fault the writing. The story frustrated me precisely because it felt so incredibly real. This book is a powerful reminder that relationships take real, everyday effort and communication before things get too broken to fix. I am definitely interested in continuing with the rest of the Falling Slowly series.

Many thanks to Booksirens and Ava Andrews for allowing me advance access to this book. I’m leaving this review voluntarily, and all thoughts are my honest reaction to the story.

For full review : pagesofyue.com

[Jennifer Amaral · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels breathtakingly real in a way that slowly sneaks up on you and completely wrecks you emotionally 🥺🖤✨

Starting over after divorce?
Single mom rebuilding her life?
A romance that feels hopeful while everything else feels uncertain??

Yeah… this hit HARD.

What really stood out to me is how honest Mandy’s story feels. This isn’t a glamorous “fresh start” romance where everything magically falls into place the second she leaves her marriage.

It’s messy.
Exhausting.
Emotional.

And honestly??
That realism made the entire story feel so much more powerful.

Mandy was SUCH an easy character to root for.

You can feel how much of herself she lost over the years trying to keep everyone else happy, and watching her slowly rediscover who she is outside of being someone’s wife was incredibly emotional.

Especially because she’s not just thinking about herself anymore—she’s trying to hold everything together for her boys too.

Then Nathan enters the picture 👀🖤

And WOW.
The contrast between him and her past relationship is impossible not to notice.

He listens.
He pays attention.
He makes her feel seen in all the ways she’s been missing for years.

But what I loved most is that the story doesn’t pretend a new relationship automatically fixes old wounds.

Because even while falling for Nathan, Mandy is still carrying fear, doubt, guilt, and uncertainty about whether she’s really making the right choices.

And honestly??
That emotional conflict felt SO real.

The romance itself is soft, emotional, and layered with this quiet hopefulness that balances the heavier themes beautifully.

What really made this stand out for me though is how much the story focuses on self-worth and learning that surviving isn’t the same thing as truly living.

✨ If you love:
• emotional women’s fiction romance
• divorce/rebuilding life stories
• single mom FMCs
• healing and self-discovery
• realistic emotional romance

This one is tender, emotional, messy, and deeply human in the best possible way 🖤✨

[Holly Capps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandy’s story is one with which many women can relate. Finding herself in an unhappy marriage, Mandy makes the hardest decision of her life by choosing to put herself first and leaving the life she knew for over a decade. Learning to navigate her new life as a single mother of three rambunctious boys is harder than she could have ever imagined with so many challenges to face. As she and Brandon work to find their balance co-parenting and Brandon begins working on himself, Mandy’s former boyfriend, Nathan, comes back into the picture and makes her feel seen, really seen, for the first time in years. Mandy faces hard decisions as things progress and so many questions and feelings arise for her. Ava does a great job showcasing the struggles and internal battles Mandy fights as she works to find herself and decide what she wants her life to look like.

Favorite Quotes:
“You don’t have to do everything alone.”
“Sometimes the people who stay in your life aren’t the ones you expected…but they’re exactly the ones you need.”
“Maybe I didn’t lose her. Maybe she was just waiting for me to find my way back.”

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ava Andrews is back with book 3 in her Second Chance series and boy not only are the girls back but we see one trying to figure out her purpose. We have Mandy, stay at home mother of three, married with a great husband and burned out so to speak. Now normally Mandy is strong, can handle anything but have to say I loved how instead of just letting it be she takes charge. Only thing is that when she takes her life back it's in a time where dating is not so easy even for a woman who still great looking. I really felt for Mandy seeing her starting to feeling like she is undervalued was just heartbreaking. The thing is that she's a fighter and knows when enough is enough. Her friends were a hoot, guiding her and really showing her there is still life out there. Loved this series and have to say Ava Andrews really shows us all of Mandy and even started to like Brandon again. One thing for sure some exes are meant to stay in the past, loved it.

"I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own."

[Sarah Putrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely not your typical romance and is more about doing right for yourself. This was a book easily relatable also being a mother of three it is hard and overwhelming but worth every minute.

Mandy is struggling and overwhelmed for years now at the end of her patience for her husband who isn't there helping. She decides to leave her husband and live as a single mom as she's already been doing it on her own most of their marriage. Co-parenting is hard and finding a balance is challenging. Brandon actually starts to work on himself and Mandy starts dating her previous boyfriend. Nathan shows up in a way that Brandon has not throughout their marriage. We get a look into Mandy's life into her struggles, challenges and her finding herself.

Overall it was an interesting book filled with scenarios that are relatable. This isn't a sunshine book filled with romantic happy endings but self discovery, acceptance and hope for a better future.

[Nikala Cann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It took me a while to be invested in the story. Being a mom of three can definitely be mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting, and she was doing most of it on her own. I could tell right away this wasn’t going to be just another fluffy romance, which I was intrigued by. Mandy wasn’t all that likable in the beginning, in my opinion. She made some not so great decisions. Leaving was right for her, but she didn’t have much figured out and she seemed very avoidant of her feelings and conversations that needed to be had. In her friends’ attempts to help, she ended up in a situation she never should have been in. She figured it out in the end and I did enjoy the conclusion to her story. Overall, it was short and sweet and had a beautiful message to go along with it.

Voluntary review as an ARC reader.

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good. So real, so relatable. I felt this on a personal level. Mandy was right to question things, because while walking away felt easy, it rarely ever is. The questions, the doubts, the finding yourself and navigating a new life. Especially with children, it’s exhausting, it’s hard. And you don’t ashtrays feel like you’ve done your best. But you keep trying and you move forward. Nathan was such a breath of fresh air. He was night and day to her ex. He was the sunshine that she and her boys needed. I loved every minute it this story. And I genuinely loved how it felt like so much of what I went through in life. It brought a reality to a hard situation for many, and paints a rainbow at the end. ❤️

[Holly_Mac_Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Much for the Fairy Tail by Ava Andrews. This is definitely not your typical romance happily ever after. Mandy the MFC definitely gets her happy ending and what’s right for her. If you are looking for a good short book that relates to most mom’s life’s and the struggles we all go through this is definitely for you. While there is some small romance there is no spice. All and all it’s a good read and definitely gets you emotional.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Faye ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with good level of suspense and drama!

[Lindsey Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book totally sucked me in and I was hooked!

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! As moms, we get stuck in our heads about a lot and sometimes we need a fresh break and time to step back.