After Happily Ever After by Leslie A. Rasmussen
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

After Happily Ever After by Leslie A. Rasmussen is a story about the realities of life and marriage during the middle age years. It’s a kaleidoscope view into life after the happily ever after.

My Overview

Fast forward twenty years, AKA the after happily ever after, when everyday life has become mundane and the sparkle has fizzled. That, is what this story is about. It’s about the reality of life when everyone has settled into the routine and starts taking each other for granted. It’s about those unexpected situations that add extra strain to family life and dynamics.

This story tackles a lot, and does it well:

  • marriage
  • parenting
  • aging parents
  • assisted living
  • family dynamics

Maggie Dolan has been a stay-at-home mom to her daughter Gia, for seventeen years. She quit her job in publishing to stay home, but time flies and Gia will now be going to college soon. Her husband, Jim, is a psychologist who isn’t content with his life or career. Her father is in assisted living, her mother is as judgmental as she’s always been, and her relationship with her brother is strained. Clearly, Maggie’s life has derailed from the happy life she once had.

Life is an emotional roller coaster for Maggie, and she maintained her witty sense of humor and snarky personality throughout. The rest of the characters are well-developed and relatable characters, and I enjoyed what they all offered. For the most part, this story was entertaining but it definitely contains various layers based serious themes and situations.

I didn’t always agree with the choices Maggie made, but appreciated what she was dealing with. There were many times I wanted to tell her to stay away from the hot guy at the gym 🫣. I’m glad she had a best friend who was willing to point out to her when she was getting off course.

Ever wish characters from different books could meet each other? While listening to this audiobook, I kept thinking Maggie should meet Jen Dixon from the Class Mom series. They’re both witty and snarky moms, in the same season of life … they’d get along great 😆.

My Recommendation

Ah, the happily ever after. That moment when you’ve found the perfect partner, and figure it’s all smooth sailing from there. What could go wrong, right? Obviously, a lot will change and go wrong, and Leslie A. Rasmussen has summed it all perfectly in this witty story.

I’m hopeful for more books by this author, since I enjoyed her humor and storytelling style. The audiobook is beautifully narrated, and I highly recommend it.

Have you read this book yet?