(Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: How to Say I Love You Out Loud, How to Keep Rolling After a Fall
Published by Macmillan on May 16th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Eating Disorders & Body Image, Romance, Social Themes, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
Chin up, Princess, or the crown will slip.
A theme park princess must put her life back together after her happily ever after falls apart in this contemporary YA romance from Karole Cozzo, author of How to Keep Rolling After a Fall and How to Say I Love You Out Loud.
Everything was supposed to be perfect. Alyssa has a job she loves, working as Cinderella at her favorite theme park; a fantastic group of friends; and a boyfriend who will no longer be long distance. But as the summer progresses, her prince becomes less charming and more distant, and Alyssa's perfect summer falls apart.
Forced to acknowledge that life is not always a fairy tale, Alyssa starts working to pull her herself back together. Fortunately, she doesn't have to do it alone. With her friend Miller's support, she's determined to prove that she's more than just a pretty princess. And with his help, maybe she's finally ready for something better than dreams. Maybe she's ready for something real.
If you follow my reviews, you know that I loved Karole Cozzo’s first two books… a lot. She’s quickly become an auto-buy author for me for so many reasons! Her books have so much depth and emotion and of course she never forgets the swoons! That said, I always stress when I pick up a favorite author’s new book because OMG what if this is the one book that doesn’t work for me? Thankfully that is definitely not the case here. I started this book thinking I’d read a couple chapters before bed and before I knew it, I was turning the last page. I just wanted to know more and more about Alyssa and her story!
In The Truth About Happily Ever After, Alyssa has a perfect summer ahead of her. She works as a Cinderella at her favorite theme park, and it’s not a job that she takes lightly. She is devoted to the character and the kids and families that she is entertaining. She also has a boyfriend who is finally no longer going to be long distance and she has a group of friends that she can count on!
Alyssa’s summer isn’t starting out as she had hoped though, things with her boyfriend are strained and when things with him end, she has to come to terms that things aren’t always going to be perfect, and she has to work hard to keep herself from falling into bad habits, and her friend Miller is there to help her find a stronger, better version of the Cinderella she’s always been.
Ugh… let me just start out by saying I wanted to punch Jake in the junk soooooo bad. Phew… I feel better getting that off my chest. Seriously though, I struggled with how much of a tool he was and how much Alyssa cared about him and how much effort she invested in him and how everything goes down with him… it took everything in me not to throw my book across the room.
BUT – once he’s no longer a factor and Alyssa starts mending her broken heart, I love that she starts to explore things that she might have missed out on had her summer gone just as she’d planned.
Like Miller. I loved loved loved Miller so much. He’s an amazing friend to Alyssa and I really liked the way things progress between them. He’s so sweet with her and he pushes her to be stronger and healthier and he will definitely make you swoon.
This story isn’t all fluff though. As always Cozzo weaves in some more serious themes here. Alyssa, through-out this story, is dealing with the expectations of her job and that means maintaining somewhat unrealistic expectations in weight and body sizes. I think Cozzo does a really good job of exploring these issues and doing it in a way that isn’t harmful. I especially loved that Miller didn’t just pretend it wasn’t happening and that he wasn’t concerned.
If you’re looking for a fun, sweet, charming read, definitely get this on your TBR and make sure you pick up a copy when it arrives on bookshelves.
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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