The Theory of Happily Ever After ~ Review

The Theory of Happily Ever After
By Kristin Billerbeck

I will start off by saying that this is the first book by Kristin Billerbeck that I have ever read, so I can't compare this work with her previous works. The premise of this story sounded interesting happiness expert dumped by her now ex-fiancé and expected to give a talk about happiness. O'kay sounds like a potential disaster in the making or one of the Hallmark movies that people seem to love watching while I read away. 

Imagine my surprise when the happiness expert Dr. Maggie Maguire is a Hallmark movie addict - nothing like wallowing in your grief and disillusionment while binging out on the Hallmark Channel. Well, at least that seems to be the foreseeable future for Maggie until her 2 bffs crash in on her fantasy reality and spring a cruise on her. Worse than the cruise is the fact that it is a singles cruise and one that she is FEATURED GUEST SPEAKER! Where is the nearest exit????

How anyone just dumped can be expected to help anyone find their own happiness is beyond Maggie's comprehension. But Haley and Kathleen are sure she just needed to get out of her apartment and find a new interest in life.

But the cruise is anything but relaxing and Maggie is making first impressions that won't soon be forgotten - unfortunately. With one disaster after another, she is soon at her breaking point. And the secret she has been keeping for years is weighing her down even further. 

Can Maggie find a new her with the New Year, New You cruise she finds herself on? Or will she allow her data and her life to be at odds with one another? 

I have to admit I had trouble getting into this book - don't ask me why because I honestly don't know. The first few chapters just seemed to drag for me but the writing and the characters weren't the problem as I was able to eventually get into the story and then the pages seemed to slip by faster. Maggie is a mess but as the story unfolds one can understand why she finds herself as broken over her breakup as she is. And then there is a little episode with a zip line which I can say with absolute certainty I would never do - nope, no way, nada, not happening. But it did add an interesting visual moment to the story that was unexpected. Overall this was an enjoyable story that fans of contemporary romance will want to add to their summer to-be-read list. This isn't a light read as there are a few serious moments but it isn't heavy reading in any way. 

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher Revell through their blogger program and no expectations of a positive review were expected. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:
According to Dr. Maggie Maguire, happiness is serious--serious science, that is. But science can't always account for life's anomalies, like why her fiancé dumped her for a silk-scarf acrobat and how the breakup sent Maggie spiraling into an extended ice cream-fueled chick flick binge.

Concerned that she might never pull herself out of this nosedive, Maggie's friends book her as a speaker on a "New Year, New You" cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. Maggie wonders if she's qualified to teach others about happiness when she can't muster up any for herself. But when a handsome stranger on board insists that smart women can't ever be happy, Maggie sets out to prove him wrong. Along the way she may discover that happiness has far less to do with the head than with the heart.

Filled with unforgettable characters, snappy dialogue, and touching romance, The Theory of Happily Ever After shows that the search for happiness may be futile--because sometimes happiness is already out there searching for you.