Their name? The objectors.
Their job? To break off weddings as hired.
Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.
When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that 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 doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”
During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.
The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.
And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.
My Review
I had to say I was intrigued when I read how Sophie and Max were going to meet – she hires Max to be the “objector” at her wedding because she doesn’t want to disappoint her dad by calling it off herself. When Max and Sophie strike an odd friendship, Sophie decides she wants to help with his business – helping people that were in the same situation as her be able to get out of a relationship that will ultimately end in extreme unhappiness or divorce. Max and Sophie both coin themselves as cynics, unable to believe in love, especially in the Objector line of work, but when they realize perhaps their feelings are no longer just professional, both have to decide how to proceed.
I love having a good rom com in my rotation, and Happily Never After did not disappoint. An engaging storyline, authentic characters, and plenty of giggles along the way, I was invested from the start. While it might be obvious that Sophie and Max will end up together, it was still a journey watching them overcome their doubts about love and relationships to get there. A few slow chapters here and there, but overall a solid read for your 2025 TBR.
