I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Title: Happy Ever… After
Author: Seb Earl
Released: 22 November 2018
Goodreads: link here
Rating: ★
When Emily wakes up in the middle of her bed, shaking and sweating from yet another nightmare, she knows it will not stop easily. The sexual assault she suffered eight years ago has left an enduring mark on her mind.
In the immediate aftermath, she moved back to live with her parents and, since then, they have happily provided sanctuary. But at what price? Emily is not free, and her inner doubt and anger are increasing their stronghold over her life.
Thrust into action by her best friend, Sarah, Emily finally finds the courage to move out and start a new life on her own. She soon meets Olivier, a charming French man.
As she realises how her future happiness depends on her ability to face the past, Emily begins the slow, and at times painful, journey to finding inner peace.
But can she truly put her ordeal behind her? And is everything exactly as it appears?
I loved the premise of this book – the idea that eight years after a scarring event a young woman finally starts to find ways to heal sounded like a beautiful idea. Unfortunately I had a lot of issues with this book.
My main problem was the writing style of the book. I found the writing too choppy, and it didn’t flow very well. Furthermore, for me, this book broke the number one golden rule of writing – show don’t tell. For example, take a look at the following passage:
He bent over and discovered a coat at his feet. He picked it up and returned it to its rightful owner, who apologised flatly and promised to be more careful and not to disturb him again. He assured her that there was no problem and wished that she enjoy the film. The lights went off. He sat back comfortably in his seat and took Emily’s hand in his. The film was about to start.
Here, the author simply tells the reader about the conversation between the two, instead of showcasing it. Although doing this once or twice throughout a book would be passable, this occurs many times throughout the book, where we are simply described the conversation instead of being able to witness it.
My second main issue with this book was the main character, Emily. To me, she was an extremely unlikable character. She came across as very whiny, as she always managed to find some problem with every little thing. Furthermore, she blamed her anger issues on her sexual assault, but I found her constant outbursts to be very rude and annoying, and I don’t think her sexual abuse is an acceptable excuse for how she acts sometimes. This makes it very difficult for me to feel for her during her struggles.
Her blood was boiling. If he had been in the room right now, she would have slapped him.
For example, this is how she reacts when her boyfriend sends her several text messages over the course of a few hours, worried because she isn’t replying. To me, I feel like her response is quite unjustified.
Another thing that bothered me about Emily was her views towards marriage. It’s perfectly reasonable for her to not want to get married herself, but throughout the book she makes constant references to the idea that women become men’s property as soon as they get married, which is a very backward idea to have in this age.
The image of her mother popped up. She would be so proud if Emily were getting married. But proud of what? What was there to be so satisfied with when a woman signed her life away, becoming a man’s asset?
Why must we all get married? What does a woman gain from becoming a man’s property? If my cousin has no ambition other than to cook her husband’s dinner every evening, fine, that’s her choice. Why must I be the same? It’s their goal, all of them, to marry me off as soon as possible. ‘Emily, why are you still single?’ ‘Emily, you must be so lonely.’ No! I am fine as I am, leave me alone. I don’t need some guy to dictate my life, to tell me what to wear, what to think.
Also, despite all of these references that she makes towards not needing a man, she seems to have no qualms about jumping into a relationship with Olivier towards the beginning of the book.
The issue of Emily’s sexual assault is also not as prominent in the book as I thought it would. The whole point of the story is to show her recovering and healing from the incident, but apart from her angry outbursts, the incident doesn’t seem to hold her back in anyway with Olivier which is what I would have expected after experiencing such a heartbreaking event. Furthermore, her and Olivier never even discuss the issue of the sexual assault, which I found a little bit odd. Despite this, Emily still credits Olivier for playing a part in her healing process.
He had been an important catalyst – without him, she might not have been able to renew herself.
However, despite the issues that I had with this book there were still a few parts that I did enjoy.
There is a side plot that involves Emily’s neighbour and her grumpy son which I particularly enjoyed reading. Additionally, I did really like the conclusion of this book. Everything was all tied up, and I felt like it was a satisfying end to the book.
She had evolved, from a little caterpillar to a butterfly, but the world around her had remained the same. At that moment, she felt more confident than ever before.
I wish I could have enjoyed the other aspects of the novel as well, but unfortunately on the whole this book just didn’t do it for me.
Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!
Meg Reads 