Book Review: Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Quinn has just gotten engaged – on a whirlwind trip to Paris no less – to her boyfriend Sage. She has a big diamond ring on her finger – so why isn’t she giddy? Does her lack of enthusiasm mean she shouldn’t get married? Is she allowed to have doubts about a happily ever after?

I don’t read a lot of “chick lit” but when I read a review of this at S Krishna Reads and she called it “quite literary” and recommended it, I commented that I would put it on my wishlist. And not 24 hours later, I had a review copy offer (which I accepted).

Quinn is a high powered career girl, a typical type for chick-lit, but she avoids the clichés of the genre – no discernable shoe fetish at least – and feels like a real person. It doesn’t take the typical plot path of the genre either – it definitely kept me guessing to whether Quinn and Sage would end up staying together or not.

The novel deals with weightier themes too – such as dealing with loss, taking responsibility, and finding true happiness – and does so with a light touch. There were a lot of relationship truths that made me smile. Such as “The one who holds the tickets is the caretaker, the protector, the adult.” (Guess who holds the tickets when Daniel and I travel?) And hey, you gotta love a book that quotes Charlotte’s Web!

LIFE AFTER YES is available in paperback now. Find out more about it at the author’s website.