“The future is a fluid thing, Susie. Little is definite. We’re born and therefore one day we’ll die. That’s unavoidable. As for everything in between…Just do your best, dear. That’s all any of us can do,” (Scott 55-56).
After Susie’s beloved aunt dies she is given her house and is excited to start renovating it. But when she opens the door to find Lars, her ex’s best friend who witnessed their embarrassing public breakup six months before, Susie isn’t feeling as excited. But the house needs work done and Susie can’t afford to be picky. As Lars begins work he finds a divorce certificate in the walls dated ten years in the future with both of their names on it. Curious and confused about how such an item ended up in the drywall, Susie and Lars try to go on with their lives. But there’s a spark between them, but is it even worth pursuing if their relationship is doomed from the start?
Here I am, trying to add some variety to my reading list by trying out a romance.
It was okay.
I don’t expect much from romances. Most of the time the love interests annoy me too much to actually enjoy the story, but luckily that wasn’t the case for End of Story. Susie and Lars are both charming and complimentary protagonists in their own ways. I enjoyed seeing them get more comfortable with one another and both adjust their lives to fit the other in it. It was surprisingly healthy which in the few romances I’ve read I was shocked to see. The dialogue in general was very well-written and the book itself was easy to get through. But the characters themselves were surprisingly flat. A bit of depth was given to Susie and Lars but even then they felt a bit cookie cutter thin, still fun to follow but really just two protagonists realizing they like each other.
And the plot with the divorce certificate was just weird. Spoilers ahead, but it’s never really explained how or why it got in the wall. It was clearly just a plot point to get the characters together, but it almost would have been funnier if it was fake and placed there then to just have it literally disappear into the cosmos.
My copy of End of Story also included the novella prequel Beginning of the End which really wasn’t needed. It basically just gives a look into Susie and her ex’s relationship, her Aunt Susan, and plot points that are referenced in the actual book. Weirdly enough her brother had a different name in the novella versus the actually novel. I was reading an ARC so I don’t know if the final print of the book included the novella, but it was a weird and ultimately useless thing to include, let alone write.
If you like romance then you’ll probably like End of Story. It’s cute, it’s fluffy, it’s a romance. It didn’t make me want to read all the romances in the world, but it was cute.
Publication: February 14 2023
Publisher: Graydon House
Pages: 320 (Paperback, ARC)
Source: Owned
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
When Susie Bowen inherits a charming fixer-upper from her aunt, she’s excited to start living her best HGTV life. But when she opens the door to find that her contractor is none other than her ex’s best friend, Lars—the same man who witnessed their humiliating public breakup six months ago—she isn’t exactly eager to have anyone around whose alliance is with the enemy. But, beggars can’t be choosers and the sooner the repairs are done, the sooner she can get back to embracing singledom.
Things go from awkward to unbelievable when Lars discovers a divorce certificate hidden in a wall and dated ten years in the future—with both their names on it. It couldn’t possibly be real…could it? As Susie and Lars work to unravel the document’s origins, the impossibility of a spark between them suddenly doesn’t seem so far-fetched. But would a relationship between them be doomed before it’s even begun?
Sarah O'Connor 