Happily Ever Afters
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3.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Jane the Virgin meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this charming debut romantic comedy filled with Black Girl Magic. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Nicola Yoon, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances.
Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.
When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just...gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.
But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Anyone who’s ever buckled under pressure will relate to Tessa Johnson, the 16-year-old hero of this heartfelt debut. All Tessa wants is to see a strong Black girl like herself represented in the kinds of romances she loves to read. So she decides to write her own—even if her only reader is her best friend, Caroline. But when Tessa’s work results in her acceptance to the creative-writing program in her town’s arts high school, the unexpected culture shock gets to her, and she totally shuts down. Elise Bryant’s debut novel sparkles with wit and energy and a wonderfully creative and proactive protagonist. And once Caroline comes up with a plan to beat her BFF’s writer’s block—a real-life fling with a cute classmate—Happily Ever Afters starts to cleverly resemble one of Tessa’s own love stories.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After moving to Long Beach, Calif., biracial Black junior and aspiring romance author Tessa Johnson, 16, enrolls in the creative writing conservatory at prestigious Chrysalis Academy. But even as her social life flourishes at the private art school—with new friends, including her supportive, blond baker neighbor Sam—she can't surmount a serious case of writer's block and imposter syndrome, brought on by her first encounter with workshop environments. To alleviate Tessa's fear of embarrassment and lack of romantic experience, childhood best friend Caroline Tibayan suggests Tessa create her own love story with Nico, a rich, popular white classmate. Anxious and self-conscious, Tessa knows that outsiders judge her older brother, who has athetoid cerebral palsy and cognitive impairment, and hold preconceptions about the siblings' biracial Black and white identity. Thus, as she grows closer to Nico and his friends, she can't help but notice their frequent insensitivity. Caught between pursuing a tale-worthy love and slowly losing herself, Tessa must learn to tell a story that's uniquely hers. Debut author Bryant creates a wholly genuine protagonist in Tessa; readers will surely root for her as she finds her voice. Ages 14–up.
