Title: Happily and Madly
Author: Alexis Bass
Publication: May 21, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Genre: YA Fiction, Thriller/Suspense
Pages: 345
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Maris Brown has been told two things about her destiny:
1. She will fall happily and madly in love.
2. She could be dead before she turns eighteen.
The summer before that fateful birthday, Maris is in the wealthy beach town of Cross Cove with her estranged father and his new family–and the infamous Duvals. Since the youngest member of the Duval family, Edison, is back from college and back in the arms of Maris’s new stepsister, her summer looks to be a long string of lazy days on the Duval’s lush beach.
But Edison is hiding something. And the more Maris learns about him, the more she’s given signs that she should stay as far away from him as possible. As wrong as it is, Maris is drawn to him. Around Edison, she feels truly alive and she’s not willing to give that up. Even if it means a collision course with destiny.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Happily and Madly stuck out to me because it sounded like a nice summer read with some excitement mixed in with the thriller and suspense angles. I had never heard of Alexis Bass before, but I was intrigued after reading the synopsis for her book.
I will start by saying I really wanted to like this book. It sounded interesting. Even a bit unique compared to the stories that seem to have a little bit in common the more and more you read. Unfortunately I struggled with this book from the beginning. Right out the gate the reason for Maris being with her dad and his “new family” is confusing and she jumps between why she is there and their family orientation and her as a child. It moves very quickly so even though she is explaining it, it was confusing and rushed. Then right after that we are thrown in to a higher intensity moment when she meets Edison. It was again very rushed and didn’t really make much sense. As I continued to read, I couldn’t quite bring myself to like any of the characters.
The writing is pretty good, and the idea behind the entire plot of the story would be great, but I feel like it was a bit all over the place. It’s rare, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish the book in full. Leaving a little mystery for the reader is always a draw, but the way the story moved left me confused and having to go back and reread to see if I had missed something.
I wanted to like it more and I always like to give an author the benefit of the doubt. I won’t like every book, but I may like her next or a previous one, so I plan to pick out another Alexis Bass book and give it another try. Unfortunately, this one fell short for me. I recommend you try it out and see if you enjoy it more than I did.
STAR RATING: 1/5
Pick up your copy of Happily and Madly by Alexis Bass on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and check your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. You can also check out more from author Alexis Bass on her website HERE.
