Kristin BillerbeckCritiques

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Very fun to see Ashley return. Always enjoy Kristin's fun yet insightful outlook on life.

At first the High school drama was a little more than I could keep up with. In the first few pages I couldn't keep straight all the characters. However, upon reading more I found this to be very well-written for the teenager. It follows closely with the everyday language they are used to and the fast change of topics common to a teenager telling a story.

This story chronicles the senior year of Daisy Crispin. A middle-class girl at a rich kids christian prep school. It is about Daisy finding out what really matters in her life and who really matters. All in all this is a classic coming of age story about a young girl caught in the throes of High school drama. As she sorts through crushes and mishaps, longing to be noticed, and following her dreams a beautiful story of God's plan unfolds.

In the end the story shows how following God is the right way and that things truly do work out for the best.

This was a great novel - really. I was surprised - but pleasantly so.

Thank you Revell for this review copy.

Available July 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

A story about first loves and ties that bind. After public humiliation beautiful Katie McKenna has deteremined that she will lead a life of safety - even in matters of love. She takes the stance that practical, steady, depedable love is better than love that makes the heart skip a beat. Little does she know that her predicatable, dependable, bland life is about to be turned on its head when her handsome ex-boyfriend dances back into her life. She had packed away the passion of her youth into a box in the back of heart and moved into a cookie cutter life and a love-less engagement made out of the practicallity of steadiness and dependability. All the while justifying that she was holding true to "love is a choice" biblical standard. Her fiance is Dexter - a graduate of MIT. He is bland and boring - and worse yet unkind and unforgiving. Luc - the dashing ex is now a multimillionaire and he has his eyes set on making things right with Katie. This book is a sweet story of facing past mistakes and humiliation and learning what forgiveness and love are. It is about learning not to be defined by the things that happen in our lives but defining our lives by those beliefs we hold dear - operating in Christ.

The only thing that bothered me - and this may seem silly - is the cover. I could not stand the fact that in the book Katie is a red-haired, green-eyed irish girl yet the book cover shows a brunette dark-eyed lady.

Thank you B&B Communications for this review copy.

Our hilarious, smart and complicated protagonist, Dr. Maggie McGuire is the author a book called The Science of Bliss. She is not a shrink – she is thoroughly a scientist, her book is researched and based on empirical data. We first meet her after a breakup with her fiancé, as she hiding out in her pitiful excuse for an apartment in grubby clothes, binge-watching sappy movies and binge-eating gelato – and apparently feeling like a fraud in light of her well researched and successful book.

This could have gone the way of all the usual breakup tales, but author Billerbeck doesn’t take the expected way of laying it all on the pathetic, traitorous boyfriend. She reveals, gradually (as she works through her own issues, egged on by a fellow shipmate’s comment that smart girls aren’t capable of happiness), that Maggie and her issues are a whole lot more complicated than you might expect, and those reasons turn into a bit of an epiphany – for both Maggie, and maybe even for the reader.

If you’ve ever been through a bad breakup, Maggie’s character is thoroughly relatable in her misery. Honestly, the woman is a hot mess, and she owns it, and every bit of her crazy – and it all makes for a delightfully fun read. She’s clumsy, self-deprecating at times and funny smart at others, fellow passengers on the boat enter her life and push her out of her comfort zone, and into revealing some pretty deep truths and closely held secrets.

There is a great balance here between the fun, the funny, awkwardness and grief, and the author does a wonderful job at making Maggie a fully human character and not a caricature. Supporting characters are equally delightful, a bit maddening, and quite honestly, you may find yourself googling “cruise vacations” by the end of it all. I was not expecting to find a light Christian element to the book, but it added to the complexity that is Maggie the scientist, and even if this isn’t your thing, do not let it dissuade you, because it fits into the storyline in its own way.

As I mentioned above, while I couldn’t put this book down, I struggled to slow down my reading, since I had fallen in love with the characters and didn’t want the story to end. This is a book with a lot of heart and honesty. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a book with a little bit of everything.

Author Kristen Billerbeck has written more than thirty novels, and I don’t know how this could be my first encounter with her but it definitely won’t be my last.

I was provided a copy of the book to read for review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amanda*
Belinda**
Collette*
Danielle/

Amazing! This book really had me thinking about life and the choices that we make in the pursuit of happiness. Sometimes we just have to stop in our busyness and take a look around to make sure we don't miss out on the important things such as friendship, love, and of course happiness. That sometimes we miss out on what's right in front of us because we don't even bother to look and enjoy what we have.

First of all I just have to say Kristen Billerbeck is one of my all time favorite authors, I love her humor as well as her faith that comes through in her books.

The book has four different authors bringing to life back into Smitten, Vt. which had become a dying town. The lumber mill had closed and with no hope of another industry taking its place, leaving the townspeople thinking there is no hope for Smitten. Four friends come up with a plan to turn Smitten, VT into a honeymoon destination.

Four awesome authors write a quarter of the book, and they are individually focusing on one of the four characters in the story. Each story is intertwined with the other, the four sections give you a better picture of the four best friends. And little do they know their own lives will be touched by a love of their own

I really enjoyed this book and would read it again, these ladies really pulled this off, four different authors pulling together an amazing story of romance and bringing a small town of Smitten, Vt. Into your world, even for a short time. Sit back in a quiet place and let them take you into their story of Smitten, love and bringing a town and their residents back to life.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers (booksneeze.com) as part of their book review bloggers program.

Four friends from Summer camp decide to wait for God's leading for their marriage partners, at least from the time the story starts.

Scientist, Dr. Maggie Magguire's life has been turned upside down. Recently dumped by her fiancee, the author of a book on happiness. Maggie spends her days sitting on her sofa eating gelato and watching romance movies until her friends come to the rescue and book her as a guest speaker on a "New Year, New You" cruise to Mexico.

Maggie fears she is unqualified because she can't find happiness herself. Then she runs into a handsome stranger who insists that smart women can't be happy, this makes Maggie determined to prove him wrong.

I enjoyed this book, it was fun, witty and full of suspense. The characters were believable and interesting.
The writer proves that if we listen to God and follow our hearts, happiness will follow.

This is a wonderful book that is hard to put down.

"1 out of 5 stars. I must be a part of the group of people who have misunderstood this book since I just didn't like it at all. I dunno, I mean the message of the book was good. And don't get me wrong I have read some Christian fiction books before and there were a few that I did like. But this one..."

Read more of this review and a TEASER here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-was-i-thinking-perfectly...

I really wanted to like this book. It sounded great from the cover information provided. The main character annoyed me with her childishness in the very first chapter. Then I was really put off when she started to bash senior citizens, by referring to "unfortunate Hawaiian shirts" as well as "clothing that looked like it came from her father's closet." My husband and I love to cruise, and yes, we wear those Hawaiian shirts, just like lots of other adults who have the money and time to cruise the islands. She also made some crack about whether it was a seniors singles cruise. These kinds of wise cracks remind me of stand up comedians and TV show hosts who dish on everyone and everything. I am sorry to say I did not finish the book. It was obviously intended for someone much younger than I am. This was an Early Reviewers book that I received for an honest review.

A perfect beach read! The best way to describe this rom-com is as chick-lit. There is enough romance to stir your heart, but no heat to make you blush. There is enough drama to make you fear for friendships, but not so much you cringe or hate any characters. Barely a love triangle that feels more realistic but still dreamy. Just enough Christianity in there to let you know the characters have faith, but not so much to offend anyone. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and will read more by Kristin Billerbeck!

I am thankful to have received a complimentary copy of the book which does not influence this voluntary review.

What better setting for a chick-lit book than a singles’ cruise! Kristen Billerbeck certainly takes off on the right boat here in the Theory of Happily Ever After.

Each chapter starts with a quote from Maggie’s own book, The Science of Bliss. Yet, of course, Maggie can’t find bliss herself. Her friends feel the need to drag her on a cruise to restart her work and social lives.

Maggie seems unable to pull herself out of her own swamp of despair and live by her own advice. That was just irritating. Maybe I am beyond the Chick-lit genre.

The ending glosses over the hard feelings that have been building. Yes, people forgive. However, sometimes it takes a while for the feelings to catch up with reality and sometimes relationships change because of issues, even forgiven ones.

“The church is simply people, Maggie. Flawed and sometimes just plain wrong when they make their own rules.” Haley says this to comfort Maggie. While Maggie needed to realize the humanity of the people in the church, I would hope that she would find the God of the Church very real, and another congregation better showing His love. Church was mentioned a lot, but God Himself didn’t seem so important in the characters’ daily lives.

This book might work well for twenty-something singles who want a light read. I gratefully received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher. This in no way influences my review, which I am voluntarily leaving.

Several of my favorite authors come together to each write a novella to complete the captivating story in Smitten. Through each novella you gain more insight into the town of Smitten, although each story could stand alone. The central theme is "love is in the air" and follows a group of four friends who each find love in their own story. I was looking forward to seeing how each author represented their character and relationship. Two of the stories followed a similar path which I found a little disappointing. But even with that hiccup, I would recommend this book for an easy read on the beach, poolside or in a cozy chair.

Maggie, a scientist, has written a popular book on the science of being happy, but her recent romantic breakup has done a miserable number on her. When her friends drag her along to be the guest speaker on a singles' cruise, maybe it'll help bring Maggie out of the dumps in The Theory of Happily Ever After by author Kristin Billerbeck.

I found the premise of this novel interesting, and I don't come across many contemporary romances and chick-lit-ish tales with heroines who are doctors or scientists. The first quarter of this book is light reading with a lot of humor but also some serious life issues sprinkled in.

However, a couple jokes are rehashed far too many times, with repeated references to gelato and Hallmark movies, along with Maggie's bunch of disparaging inner barbs about her ex's new woman. Plus, I usually can only take so much of a heroine who seems as down on herself as Maggie does, besides how down she is on her ex, as her constant thoughts and mentions of him indicate.

And, in all honesty, as much as I love romantic stories, I think I'm finding I can only take the romance genre in smaller, more concise doses these days, for the most part. Some of the scenes here dragged for me as I waited for the story to move on, and I eventually decided not to continue.

Still, from what I've read, I can see how this novel might be right down another ChristFic romance fan's alley.
__________
Revell provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

Chick Lit has become less rare than a decade ago, but it’s still around. It’s been a few years since Kristen Billerbeck gave us her brand of chick lit, so learning she had a new book coming out, just in time for summer vacations, had me excited.

The concept of The Theory of Happily Ever After is interesting. A scientist who wrote a best-selling book about happiness based on research who is anything but happy dragged on a cruise by her two best friends? What could go wrong?

Well, it turns out plenty can go wrong, including a lot of drama. I mean, Maggie has some just plain bad luck on the ship. But she’s got her best friends with her and the attention of two good looking men.
There were a few laugh aloud moments but I saw the potential for a few more than were missed. The biggest missed opportunity in this book was development of some of the supporting characters. One of

Maggie’s friend’s starts acting like a middle school mean girl while the other bosses them around. In fact, more often than not, Maggie’s friends come across more bossy than concerned or supportive.
And then there’s the whole issue with the rehashing of about five topics continuously throughout the stories. I mean, I get it, Maggie likes Hallmark movies (for the same reason most of us like Hallmark movies, by the way).

While there were some aspects of this book that could have been better examined by leaving out a mention or two (or ten) of aforesaid Hallmark movies, there is a strong theme of finding what brings you happiness, of not letting others decide what you want in life, and of grieving loss instead of burying it.

Over all, The Theory of Happily Ever After had some high points and some low points for me which equals an average read. It also left a few unanswered questions about Maggie’s friends which makes me wonder if we’ll be seeing them again in future books.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

I had no idea when I got this book it was written by the same author that wrote "What a Girl Wants" which is one of my favorite movies. When I found that out I had high hopes.

I read this one over the course of the weekend. It did keep me reading, hoping it would get better and it never did.

The lead character came across as weak and whiny rather than slightly flawed and strong underneath. I never did like her, not even at the end. Especially not when she was wearing a Princess costume and zip-lining across a cruise ship. The whole time I was hoping she would buck up and become charming and lovable but that didn't happen.

The male characters were better, but I was much more interested in the one she didn't pick than the one she did. He had the most depth of them all.

The book was a funny read, it really was, but it just never came together for me. So sad.

I received an advance reader's copy of this book from LibraryThing, although I did not manage to read it before the book came out. The cruise ship setting attracted me since I took a cruise a couple of years ago. The story line is clever--a PhD in happiness has been dumped by her fiance and coerced by her friends onto the cruise ship where she is to present a talk on happiness. The problem I saw with the book is that the plot moves very slowly. Maggie Maguire, the main character, spends a lot of her time reflecting on the same issues again and again. For someone who is supposed to be so smart, she comes across as amazingly obtuse. The book has a happy ending and is a decent way to spend time while relaxing at the beach. Although published by a Christian publisher, any Christian aspects of the book are extremely minimal. Recommended, with a few reservations.

Maggie is quite a smart young woman.She thinks she has it all figured out about what it takes to be happy. All her scientific facts don't prepare her for a big breakup with her fiance. She sure didn't see that coming. How embarrassing for her to be an author who is suppose to be an expert on happiness. Now what can she do to fix her life?

To the rescue is her two best friends. What a plan they have for Maggie. I'm not sure that the idea of a cruise is what she needs but off they go. The characters are fun to know and I liked how the author showed how we can laugh at ourselves and be okay with our mistakes. Can Maggie find true happiness on a cruise? Will she be able to open her heart to a new romance?

The story is fun with a great theme of trusting God and finding true happiness in Him.

I received a coy of this book from Revell Publishing. The review is my own opinion.

2.5 stars ⭐️

I had a love/hate relationship with this book to be completely honest. I think my biggest issue with this book were the characters, unfortunately I felt like most of them were flat and irritating. The main character Maggie complains through the whole book and I mean the whole entire book about her life and has this woe is me attitude that in the beginning was fine but after a while was so repetitive that I simply didn’t care anymore. Her friends were horrible and couldn’t even see why they were her best friends, they literally had no redeeming qualities about them. Sam was the only character that I kinda cared about and even he wasn’t a spectacular character.

I did like the overall premise of the story and her friends bringing her on a singles cruise to get over a recent breakup but what I wanted to be a fun/light hearted read ended up being more of a headache then anything.


Also this book is listed as Christian Fiction and while I didn’t know that when I started reading it, I felt like God and the references were literally thrown in randomly to be classified as a Christian Fiction book. I honestly don’t even think God or faith was mentioned until 3/4 of the way through the book, so personally it felt like an afterthought and a totally confusing one at that.

Overall this book was just way too problematic for me to really enjoy. I thought I would fly through it and instead I trudged though it.

I did receive this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.½

Maggie is supposed to be a happiness expert, she’s written a bestselling scientific novel based on her research on that very topic, but she can’t seem to find happiness or put her life back together after being dumped by her fiancé. So, when Maggie is forced by her best friends and publicist to speak on a singles cruise about her upcoming book on resilience, the last thing she expects is to begin feeling for another passenger. The falling, fire and fight that follow are on par for the Hallmark Romance movies Maggie so desperately craved post-breakup.

This book appealed to me after having recently experienced my first cruise (albeit not a singles cruise). I connected to the dining experiences, on board bars and constant shows/activities portrayed within. However, the seemingly forced placed Christian references detracted from the reading experience and lead characters as they are portrayed were disappointing at best. The females were jealous and “boy obsessed,” while the men were focused on their desire to help. The supporting characters too, felt forced with wildly random interjections of Maggie’s ex-fiancé, the surrounding family drama and the work stressors all of which combined to weakly fit into the book’s underlying story. What I hoped would be a beachy read was met with poorly timed phone calls, fires and familial background.

For the full review, visit: https://fortheloveofthepageblog.wordpress.com/

*Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When you figure out that these women have been college friends, and are there for one another, and they also work for our main character Dr. Maggie.
Be ready for some great laugh out loud moments, and for some big bombshells being dropped, as we go for a wonderful, rather luxurious, and kidnapped cruise. You can see there is a lot going on here, with giving speeches and ending up in a fire, to choking, and they all meld into this story.
Cruising with friends and a bit of romance, what could go wrong? You will soon be quickly page turning to see how our Dr.’s life is going to continue after this sudden vacation.

I received this book through the Publisher Revell and their Blogger Program, and was not required to give a positive review.

To put it plain and simple—The Theory of Happily Ever After, by Kristin Billerbeck, is So. Much. Fun. It’s been quite a while since a book has made me laugh this much. The wit is superb, yet doesn’t take away the depth of its meaningful spiritual message.

Dr. Maggie Maguire is a unique and intriguing character. She is the author of a successful book revealing the science behind happiness, yet her tumultuous love life makes her feel like a fraud. Who is she to tell anyone anything about happiness when she’s reduced herself to a broken-hearted, gelato-eating, cat-stealing, cheesy-movie-watching couch potato?

Maggie’s two best friends, Haley and Kathleen, secretly book her on a singles cruise where she learns that she must give a speech on her scientific happiness theory. That’s when things go completely awry. Two men show interest in her when she doesn’t want or trust the attention, her publisher has looming expectations, she’s lying to her parents, and her ex is determined to dump a second helping of misery on her plate.

This book is an entertaining rom-com that’s sure to penetrate your heart while offering plenty of high jinks and giggles.

I was blessed to receive a complimentary copy from Revell.