Happily Never After

January 1, 2024

Sophie Steinbeck is at the altar about to say "I do" to her cheating boyfriend, Stuart Lauren, albeit begrudgingly, because she can't see any other way out of her situation. When their officiant asks the requisite question about anyone objecting to the union, a handsome stranger stands up to state his case: Stu has been unfaithful. Sophie later discovers that her best friend paid the handsome stranger, Max Parks, to object to the marriage, freeing Sophie from her predicament. It's an occasional gig for Max, and he enlists Sophie's help at the next wedding. The two agree to a platonic friendship as they work together, even though their chemistry is undeniable. Neither will admit that their romance is more than lust, but they are about to learn that love can find its way into the hearts of even its toughest critics. VERDICT A rom-com for the cynics, Painter's (The Love Wager) latest is peppered with sarcasm while the heat remains at a low sizzle. The supporting cast is equally funny and helps to round out an entertaining yarn that doesn't take itself too seriously.--Kara Kohn

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January 22, 2024
Painter (Betting on You) delivers a charmer of a rom-com with this lively tale of professional wedding objectors. When Sophie Steinbeck finds out her fiancé, Stuart, has been unfaithful, she wants to call the whole thing off—but her father-in-law to be is her father’s boss and she worries about the repercussions. Enter Max Parks, who gets paid to object at ill-fated weddings and who helps Sophie to call things off mid-ceremony without getting blamed for the relationship’s end. Both Sophie and Max have been burned by love, but when Sophie asks Max to show her the ropes of the hired objection gig, their attraction is undeniable. They agree to a purely physical relationship even as Max hopes feelings will grow. When Sophie is called to object at Max’s former girlfriend’s wedding, however, his instinct to protect his ex from heartbreak creates a huge rift between Max and Sophie. Will they be able to sort out their differences? Alternating between Sophie’s and Max’s perspectives, the zippy plot comes complete with a winning supporting cast, especially Sophie’s entertaining senior-citizen roommates and mischievous cats. Rom-com fans will find this scratches the itch.

Starred review from January 15, 2024
Two people who scorn love fall for each other while teaming up to help others escape doomed relationships. When Sophie Steinbeck finds out that her fiance, Stuart, is cheating on her before their wedding, she knows calling it off is the right thing to do. But her dad is employed by Stuart's father, and Sophie is convinced the boss is just cruel enough to fire her dad out of spite. The solution comes in the form of Max Parks, a wedding objector for hire--he shows up at the chapel and publicly accuses Stuart of infidelity. A drunken celebration following Sophie's non-wedding leads to a connection between her and Max, and when they decide to team up to help other wronged brides and grooms, sparks begin to fly between them. But with Sophie having just gone through a disastrous engagement, and Max still reeling from a heart-shattering breakup, neither one wants a relationship...right? Painter builds a foundation for entertaining rom-com antics, but none of the pieces hold together. Much of the dialogue, especially the banter between Max and Sophie, is more cringey than humorous. The wedding objector plot--by far the most striking aspect of the novel--moves to the background as the book shifts to a flimsy fake-dating scenario, and since neither Max nor Sophie really needs the money, there's little urgency to their finding new ceremonies to foil. In fact, there's little tension at all. Even when Max's ex-girlfriend reappears toward the end of the novel, it does little to add conflict. Readers who enjoy their rom-coms with a lot of spice won't be disappointed, but it's not enough to support an otherwise weak entry in the genre. Not worth the RSVP.

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