Three and a half stars.

Bella dreams of being a writer but the closest she's got is a job as receptionist at a publishing house. Back in the day she won best receptionist of the year (or some such title) in the firm four years running, but nowadays she's just going through the motions. Bella has been looking for 'The One', her own Prince Charming, for years with no luck, then two life-changing events (for her) make her decide to change her tune and have fun instead, which turns into a series of unfortunate one-night stands.

When an obnoxious client gets a small fortune advance on his new book, based on his posts about his awful dates on a site called B-Reader, Bella is intrigued enough to go onto B-Reader to see what's there and feels it is the ideal forum for her to try writing because you only post one chapter at a time, and what better source of material than her terrible dates - they are the stuff of fairy-tales, just not the good ones.

As Bella's readers climb ever higher her chapters take over her life, leading her to do things she would never normally do, like fall out with friends and take reckless risks (question is there any other kind of risk?). What the reader can see but Bella can't is that there is her own Prince Charming waiting in the wings, and he's not a fairy-tale.

It took me a while to get into this. Bella is very immature, despite her age, and has a lot of the 'me, me, me' vibe about her which didn't immediately endear her to me. But the book is genuinely funny, as are the situations that Bella gets into trying to increase her readership.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Not That Kind of Ever After by Luci Adams was a riotously fun read. I can’t believe that this is Adams’ debut novel. I’ll certainly look forward to reading whatever she writes next. 4.5 ⭐️

Once upon a time, in a flatshare south of the river, there lived an aspiring author named Bella Marble. Bella wants to be a writer, but finds herself stuck on the reception of a publishing house. More than anything though, Bella wants to find love. But when Bella’s life seems to change in the span of a week, she decides to ditch her own fairytale and sets out to write herself a new kind of happy ending. One that requires kissing (and then some!) a whole load of frogs… 

Not That Kind is written in the first person and so we quickly become aquatinted with our narrator, and protagonist, Bella. Bella is one of those characters who, though not especially likeable, is very easy and fun to read about. She is a humorous character who gets herself into some pretty wild situations. The issue, however, with Bella is that she is, in many ways, her own worst enemy. Though things around her are changing that are out of her control, the way she responds to them is very self centred and creates more problems for herself. That’s not to say I disliked her by any means, but rather I found myself a few times audible saying something along the lines of ‘oh no Bella c’mon!’. And yet she does go on a journey in the novel and comes out of it with a much healthier outlook.

I loved Adams’ satirical exploration of modern dating and the need to find external validation through the ‘likes’ of others; the latter of which ends up having a really negative impact on the way Bella comes to treat others. The fairytale theme and nods run throughout and the Mirror Mirror app Adams’ invents was particularly clever.

Whilst this is a story about love and sex, it’s also so much more. Running through its core is the importance of family, friendships and the stability that these bring. Bella’s patents, best friend Ellie and friend Marty (Ellie’s twin) were all great characters in their own right. I especially liked Marty and how he was always there for Bella, and I loved their bantering/mickey-taking friendship.

This story was so much fun. I loved the fairytale premise and all the little Disney Easter eggs running through it. This book had my laughing out loud and also cringing, and yet it left me with that warm feeling of a story well told. One that gave its main character a happy ending but also reaffirmed the importance of female friendships.

Thank you NetGally for the opportunity to review this book. It has been the loveliest weekend loosing myself in this easy peasy read.

Bella is a hopeless romantic, trying to find her Prince Charming. But while all her friends seem to be settling down and doing everything right, everything for Bella is just wrong.

I ate this book up, it is so relatable on so many levels. It is as predictable as the blurb suggests but there are enough surprises along the way to keep the pages turning. I loved the fairy tale writing, and even though, at times, I was confused to how someone gets to 29 and hasn’t figured out a few things, it is a heartwarming tale of all the different stories that we go through in our twenties.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review. I enjoyed this book, parts made me laugh out loud - I'm not sure the fairytale part was strong enough for the book to be based around - although the book is well written. Will look out for what the author does next.

In Not That Kind of Ever After, Luci Adams has written a witty and relatable story that ticks all the right boxes. Aspiring author, Bella Marble works in publishing and is desperate to find the one she's going to marry to create her happily ever after. After one bad date too many, she decides to write about her experiences and kiss as many frogs as she can. But most importantly she's going to have fun doing it.

Using fairytales as an inspiration, a whole host of interesting supporting characters in the shape of Bella's parents, flatmates, her best friend and best friend's twin brother, and various forms of social media it allows this novel to be fresh and current. The journey of the romance is sweet and full of playful banter, which I absolutely loved. All in all, this is a brilliant debut from an author I will definitely check out in the future.

A very humourous and satirical look at modern sex/dating, dating apps & hook ups. I was literally cringing at some points as Bella enjoys some pretty hilarious and outright awful encounters, yet underlying it all is a very sweet & surprising storyline about longstanding friendships and navigating growing up and growing apart.

Hmm this was interesting and the whole fairy tale premise had great potential, but I don’t know - it felt a little cluttered at times. The protagonist was a bit hard to like and root for at points, it was hard seeing the perfect love story was right there for her and she was ignoring it! I still enjoyed this though, and its happily ever after ❤️

Beyond excited to read, review, and acquire this. I love a beautiful romance story, but especially one with a London twist. Will be sharing full thoughts very soon.

Gloriously fun, romantic and feel-good, discover a 21st century London fairytale with an unforgettable twist

Once upon a time, in a flatshare south of the river, there lived an aspiring author named Bella Marble. Above all things, above her wish to be a writer, above absolutely anything and everything, Bella wants to find love.But one fateful week changes everything...

When her best friend moves in with the most boring ogre in history and her perfectly paired parents tell her their own love story is coming to an end, Bella's illusions of finding 'the one' shatters.

With the help of her very own knight in shining Armani, Bella ditches the fairytale and decides it's time to write herself a brand new kind of happy ending. And while London may be fresh out of Princes, it's got a surplus of frogs - and as Bella learns, kissing frogs can be extremely fun.