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Book Reviews, Young Adult · January 4, 2021

Review | Happily Ever Afters

Book Review - Happily Ever Afters

Summary: Happily Ever Afters

In Happily Ever Afters, Tessa Johnson and her family have moved into a new neighborhood, hoping for a fresh start. Tessa will be attending a high school for the arts where she can have dedicated writing classes and be surrounded by other creative kids. Her brother Miles, has disabilities due to a form of cerebral palsy and Tessa looks after him a lot of the time. Tessa also enjoys creating love stories, which her best friend Caroline (and only Caroline so far) reads and enjoys.

As Tessa starts at the new school, she reluctantly cultivates a relationship with Sam, the culinary arts kid who lives next door to her and drives her to school (and also brings her baked goods!), but also with a couple of the other kids. But when Tessa attends her first creative writing workshop, she develops a crush on Nic, a guy in her class, as well as a major case of writer’s block mostly due to her severe anxiety around sharing her work with others. All of a sudden, the wonderful experience at her school (where she’s finally not the token Black person) is under strain — until Caroline encourages her to try living out a love story for some inspiration.


The Good

Tessa is a pretty likable character for the most part. I could relate deeply to her anxiety — and honestly, reading about her anxiety and all the negative ways it was affecting her life, triggered my anxiety. Still, I haven’t read many YA books with a Black female writer character. This book also explores several serious issues. Tessa is biracial, so there is mention of her mom learning to do her hair as well as other unique experiences that author Elise Bryant could draw on from her experience as a Black-presenting biracial woman.

Another important theme is Tessa’s feelings about her brother, Miles, as well how other people’s response to Miles affects her. I’m sure readers will leave educated about how to sensitively navigate encounters with disabled people. Friendships play a significant role in this book, and I particularly enjoyed Tessa’s friendship with Caroline, and how they worked through their issues to find a way to be there for each other.

Finally, there’s a love triangle in this book, and let me just say, Tessa makes several frustrating decisions about her love life. I was very much Team Sam from the beginning, but I also understood how at 16, it can be hard to recognize what is truly important in a relationship. It was heartwarming to have a wholesome male love interest, much like Milo in Kristina Forest’s Now That I’ve Found You. Bonus points? There are a ton of baked treats in this book and many mentions of baking, planning to bake, and eating baked treats.


Overall: Happily Ever Afters

Elise Bryant’s debut YA novel, Happily Ever Afters is one young Black girl’s quest for a happily ever after. Featuring a flawed, but likable protagonist, and an even more lovable love interest, this book is great for those who like some “meat” on their fun YA. Although the slow-burn friends to lovers romance is a major part of the plot, this book also tackles disability, family dynamics, race, friendship, anxiety, and the struggles of being a young writer. Ultimately, this was a strong debut, and I look forward to reading whatever Elise writes next.


Buy This Book

Happily Ever Afters - elise bryant
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Don’t miss my interview with Elise tomorrow! We’re talking all about her book, her writing journey, and her love for baked goods.

More YA Reviews

  • I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest
  • Far from Normal by Becky Wallace
  • The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais

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Posted In: Book Reviews, Young Adult · Tagged: black authors, books with writer protagonists, disability, Female friendships, love triangle

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Comments

  1. [email protected] says

    January 4, 2021 at 11:59 am

    I was also team Sam right there with you. I really appreciated the exploration of the family dynamic and loved her relationship with her brother.

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      January 5, 2021 at 10:47 am

      Same!!

      Reply

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🏡 The Parent Trap meets The Holiday 🏡 🏴 🏡 The Parent Trap meets The Holiday 🏡 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 In The House Swap, tweens Allie and Sage are forced together when their families plan to swap houses goes awry. Allie is a British girl living in the countryside and preparing to be a spy when she grows up. She’s also the (overlooked, she feels) middle child, stuck between a teen brother and a talkative little sister. 

🇺🇸 Sage is an only child in sunny California, growing up with parents who seem to be growing apart. She gets more worried when she discovers that only her mom will be coming with her to the English countryside. Both girls realize that they have more in common than they think and decide to help each other — Ally with Sage’s parents and Sage with being Allie’s friend.

🏄‍♀️ The House Swap is a cozy, charming middle grade book about family (history & secrets), new friendships, and navigating parental divorce. Reminiscent of the beloved movie, The Holiday, this middle grade book is perfect for anyone looking for a feel-good reading experience with a touch of history, family drama, and characters you can root for.
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Books mentioned:

A SKY FULL OF SONG by @susanlynnmeyer 
FAR OUT by @annebustard 
THE SECRET DIARY OF MONA HASAN by @salmahwrites 
IT AIN’T SO AWFUL, FALAFEL by Firoozeh Dumas
A PLACE TO HANG THE MOON by @kealbus 
STEALING MT. RUSHMORE by @daphnekalmar 
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You’ll see there’s a few extra in the cover picture too! 😉 What’s your favorite middle grade historical fiction? And do you particularly like them?
🏊‍♀️ Aniana is a child of Dominican paren 🏊‍♀️ Aniana is a child of Dominican parents growing up on Galveston, an island in the state of Texas. Her mom has undiagnosed PTSD from the death of her (Aniana’s mother’s) brother years ago in a storm back in their home country, so she doesn’t want her daughter near the water. Aniana’s father wants his daughter to pursue her passion and takes her to swim meets without her mother’s knowledge. 

🦴 But when Aniana wakes up one day with painfully swollen joints and other weird symptoms after swimming, their secret is exposed, and Aniana is faced with a new diagnosis that may threaten the one sport she loves.

🏝️ Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a tender, moving middle grade verse novel about disability, sports, family trauma, and standing up for your dreams. 

❤️This verse novel is excellently written and painfully honest about the challenges of bridging the culture and communication gap when a parent has unresolved emotional trauma. Ani does a fantastic job of standing up for her goals, and the ending is very satisfying.
Which middle grade authors are your auto-buys? I h Which middle grade authors are your auto-buys? I have so many that I’m making this a series! So excited to spotlight more of my favorites 🥰❤️
If you’re big on graphic novels like I am, here If you’re big on graphic novels like I am, here are 3 exceptional MG options to put on your TBR this year 😍

Books mentioned:

HOOPS by @tavaresbooks 
FOUR EYES by @thirdrex 
DOODLES FROM THE BOOGIE DOWN by @stephguez 

Books shown in montage in order of appearance:
SUNNY MAKES A SPLASH
ALLERGIC
HOOPS
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Atinuke is a British- Nigerian author of chapter books and picture books who spent her formative years in Nigeria. Her stories are whimsical but realistic and focus more on the character and their family than they do on locale. I love her storytelling and I love that more kids are getting to see Nigeria through the eyes of her characters.
Middle grade books written in a unique format can Middle grade books written in a unique format can be hit or miss for some. Here are 3 (+1) of my favorite unique format stories done right!

Books mentioned:

WHAT HAPPENED TO RACHEL RILEY by @claireswinarski 
ANNIE’S LIFE IN LISTS by @kristinmahoneybooks 
LASAGNA MEANS I LOVE YOU by @kloshaughnessy 
THE NIGHT DIARY (which is written in letters in her diary to her deceased mom — voiceovers are hard!) by @veerawrites 

Do you love any stories written in multiple/unique formats? I’d love to hear!
🫁 the first own voices cystic fibrosis novel ✨

🐬 centers young Penny, a middle schooler with cystic fibrosis. Penny has to take digestive enzymes and do her breathing treatments to help her lungs get rid of mucus that affects her breathing. While her CF case is relatively mild-moderate, she still struggles with being chronically ill. 

🚤 One day a dolphin shows up in the lake near their house and Penny feels a strong connection with the animal. It turns out the dolphin (who Penny names Rose) is also sick and needs to return to her pod to get better. Penny may be the only one who can help the scientists take Rose back. But can she do that, when she feels so drawn to the animal?

🫁 No Matter the Distance is a beautiful middle grade verse novel about living with cystic fibrosis and finding belonging in community. Also starring an adorable dolphin and warm family dynamics, this book will appeal to kids who love animals, books about sisters, and stories about chronic illness and disability.
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