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A review by momwithareadingproblem
Happily Ever After by Kelly Oram
5.0
Happily Ever After by Kelly Oram is a perfect follow-up to her [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560], picking up about a week later. I’ve read [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560] more times than I can count and have multiple copies (my original Kindle copy, a paperback copy, even an Audible copy which I highly recommend). Seriously as I write this, I want to go back and read it. Brian and Ella are two of my all-time favorite characters and their relationship is another favorite of mine. Happily Ever After is the sequel I didn’t know I wanted or needed. [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560] pretty much ends on a high note and suggests that the couple gets their HEA, but as the title of the sequel suggests this book is their HEA and how they achieve it. Honestly I loved it, but then again I’ve yet to read anything by Kelly Oram I didn’t enjoy.
Ella is a hard pill to swallow in this book. She was in a really dark place at the end of [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560]. She had just exited an intensive, inpatient therapy program to overcome her depression, and I thought the author does a great job of bringing those insecurities and doubts about Ella to light in the sequel. It was present in the first book but is fleshed out better here. It’s been a year since her mother died and she is struggling, she’s never had a chance to fully grieve. Ella is still recovering herself and now she has a support system and people on her side. It’s amazing to read her growth.
Brian is Brian *swoon* He is self-centered, a little too Hollywood at times, but ALWAYS and I do mean always there for Ella when she needs him. He puts her needs first, showing her and telling her constantly how much he loves her. It’s sweet, a little over the top, but done in such a way as to be believable. I love how he loves her!
The plot is simple really. It’s about these two people who we fell in love with building a relationship. A real, long-lasting, all-consuming, loving relationship. Something Ella desperately needs as her life at home with her dad and step-family falls apart. While this book focuses on Ella and Brian (and I did love that), I missed the familial relationships and themes explored during the first book. It’s present here, but not to the extent it was in [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560]. I missed that.
Overall, I loved this book! It made me laugh, cry and swoon. I cheered Ella and Brian on and yelled at them through my kindle when they were being stupid. I do think it needs to be noted that while the first book is a mature YA, this book is new adult with some mild language and a few steamy scenes, so I don’t recommend this to anyone under 18. If you enjoyed [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560] or you’re looking for a light romantic read, I highly recommend you get your copy ASAP!
Ella is a hard pill to swallow in this book. She was in a really dark place at the end of [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560]. She had just exited an intensive, inpatient therapy program to overcome her depression, and I thought the author does a great job of bringing those insecurities and doubts about Ella to light in the sequel. It was present in the first book but is fleshed out better here. It’s been a year since her mother died and she is struggling, she’s never had a chance to fully grieve. Ella is still recovering herself and now she has a support system and people on her side. It’s amazing to read her growth.
Brian is Brian *swoon* He is self-centered, a little too Hollywood at times, but ALWAYS and I do mean always there for Ella when she needs him. He puts her needs first, showing her and telling her constantly how much he loves her. It’s sweet, a little over the top, but done in such a way as to be believable. I love how he loves her!
The plot is simple really. It’s about these two people who we fell in love with building a relationship. A real, long-lasting, all-consuming, loving relationship. Something Ella desperately needs as her life at home with her dad and step-family falls apart. While this book focuses on Ella and Brian (and I did love that), I missed the familial relationships and themes explored during the first book. It’s present here, but not to the extent it was in [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560]. I missed that.
Overall, I loved this book! It made me laugh, cry and swoon. I cheered Ella and Brian on and yelled at them through my kindle when they were being stupid. I do think it needs to be noted that while the first book is a mature YA, this book is new adult with some mild language and a few steamy scenes, so I don’t recommend this to anyone under 18. If you enjoyed [b:Cinder & Ella|35001687|Cinder & Ella (Cinder & Ella, #1)|Kelly Oram|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493341478s/35001687.jpg|42254560] or you’re looking for a light romantic read, I highly recommend you get your copy ASAP!