Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

A Witty, Cynical Rom-Com About the Business of Breaking Up

From the bestselling author of Better Than the Movies comes a sharp, sexy, and hilarious novel about two professional "objectors" who specialize in ruining weddings—until they find themselves in danger of ruining their own rules against falling in love.

Plot Overview

Sophie Steinbeck is stuck. Just before her nuptials, she discovers her fiancé has cheated yet again. She desperately wants to call it off, but because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she can't be the one to pull the plug. Her savior arrives in the form of Max, a professional objector whose job is to stand up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple usually wants to hear: "I object!"

Inspired by Max's modern-day heroism (saving people from wasting their lives), Sophie joins the business. The two love cynics become partners in crime, going from wedding to wedding to save the lovesick masses. But as they spend more time together, their physical chemistry goes off the charts. They dabble in a "hookup session" or two, convinced it is fine because love doesn't exist, and they definitely do not have feelings for each other.

The Twist

Everything changes when a groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but the target—his fiancée—is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with the ethics of hurting his ex, Sophie grapples with a terrifying realization: she may have fallen hard for her partner against crime.

Why Readers Love This Book

• Unique Premise: A fascinating look at the "anti-wedding" business.
• Top Tropes: Partners in crime, friends-with-benefits, forced proximity, and cynics-to-lovers.
• Lynn Painter's Signature Style: Fast-paced banter, laugh-out-loud situations, and swoon-worthy tension.

Product Details

• Title: Happily Never After
• Author: Lynn Painter
• Format: Paperback (1st Edition)
• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication Date: March 12, 2024
• ISBN-13: 9780593638019
• ISBN-10: 0593638018