Customer Reviews

So Much For My Happy Ending

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's always nice when you find a book that is better than you expect it to be. I had wavered back and forth for months over whether I wanted to read this book. While I sounded like a great character study, I still wasn't sure.

I think many readers will have the same response to some of April's early decisions as I did, namely, why would you marry someone you hardly knew? After agreeing to marry Tad, April quickly looses control of her life because she consistently cedes her decision-making powers to Tad. It becomes clear even before their marriage that they really don't know each other, and that Tad is over-the-top.

However, once they are married, April's reactions begin to make more sense to me. She struggles with how to handle the relationship as Tad's actions and reactions spiral out of control. Particularly, now that they are married, April has to figure out how to deal with a man that she'd walk away from if she were only dating him.

It is interesting watching April's character grow and develop throughout the book, and I think Davis ended the book in a way that all readers will find satisfying.

April Silverperson (yes, Silverperson, her mother changed it from Silverman) knew that it probably wasn't a good idea to marry Tad Showers after only three months. But, on the other hand, he is gorgeous, smart, and endlessly dotes on her. Her grandmother Bobe, her best friends Caleb and Allie, and even her mother (who doesn't believe in the "institution of marriage") are happy for her. Then why does she feel that something is a little bit off?

After the whirlwind engagement, and the perfect wedding, (at the Ritz) Tad and April spend their honeymoon in Spain, where the party is...most definitely over. But, when they get home, things are seemingly normal. They go out for dinner and drinks almost every night, but where is the money coming from? When April discovers some secrets about Tad, she realizes that there were a few red flags that she had ignored before.

This book reminds you that if something seems perfect, then it probably isn't. How far will you really go to make it work with the one you love?
I really liked it because the story was original and witty. There were times that I knew what was going to happen before it did, but it didn't ruin the book for me. There were also a couple of typos, which was frustrating, but all in all, I really enjoyed the book, and was staying up late into the night reading, because I wanted to see what was going to happen next.

It takes talent to make something scary, funny, and uplifting all at the same time, but Kyra Davis manages to do just that in her newest book, So Much For My Happy Ending. This is definitely not a "just for fun" Sophie Katz mystery. I know quite a bit about Bi-polar illness and Kyra manages to capture that condition and the confusion and distress of those whose loved ones are afflicted with poignancy and compassion. At the same time she keeps a lightness of spirit and her heroine, April, has a sassy strength that is delightful. The supporting cast is quirky and fun and essential to the movement of the story. In Kyra's books no one is ever an island. I truly enjoyed Kyra's first two books, but this one has a lot more meat. It took me on a bit of a harrowing ride, but it was tempered with humor and a strong life force. It was a satisfying read all around.

I muddled through "Sex, Murder, and a Double Latte" with the feeling that this author had better writing (or at least, characterization) ahead. And this book proved I was right. Kyra Davis dealt with some serious issues in an accessible book with impressively maturing writing skills -- I look forward to her future work.

As a 28 year old, single woman, whom has a lot of her stuff together except for the guy, I really identified with April's character. People (that are usually married) tell me all of the time "There more to life than relationships/marriage," "The right guy will come along when you least expect it!" and a whole host of other crap. However, this book really opened my eyes to the potentially darker side of marriage. How well can you really know someone else before you marry them? Or yourself for that matter? And how much do you "owe" the person you're with? Although this book is fiction, I think the underlying message that meshing your life with another person's is not simple provides an actual illustration of those cliche statements, and for the first time, really got me to rethink some of my desires.

Great book. I recommend it for all single women who think that marriage could possibly solve a lot of their problems.

I read so many chick lit books with the same old plot and happy ending that this one really stood out for its realism. I think a lot of girls find themselves in a situation where they get caught up in a relationship and begin making bad decisions and ignore their instincts. The consequences are as real and as painful as Kyra Davis describes. I was captivated by the story and found myself laughing as the main character tried to find humor in her situation.

April Silverperson is thrilled when Tad Showers proposes, even though it will make her name sound like a joke. He seems too good to be true, and it takes no longer than the honeymoon for her to realize he is. Tad's life is a lie, he's financially irresponsible on a criminal level, and emotionally unstable. April feels her life going down the drain and has to make tough choices to keep from imploding with the stranger she married.

**** If I had to sum up this book in one word, intense would be the one chosen. Gritty realism is lightened just enough by touches of humor. Though I have no way of knowing how true to life the portrayals are, it feels one hundred percent accurrate. This is not a light or fun read, but it is profound. ****

While the stars twinkle above the Golden Gate Bridge, Tad Showers tells April Silverperson that he loves her and wants to marry her though they are only dating for three months. April reciprocates his feelings and has waited two decades to change her last name as no one should be called Silverperson, but to become April Showers is a cruel joke of fate. Still she accepts as she feels safe and protected when she is with Tad.

Nothing goes right with the wedding that she thought would be a small personal affair without her mother attending for some enigmatic reason that only mom understands; instead half of the city shows up for the nuptials. At Dawson where she works, her boss insists that she needs no time off for a wedding, honeymoon, or the rainbow test. Worse, April finds she prefers spending time with musician Jeremiah Ramano than with Tad. Then there is mom messing up again. However, the final straw is Tad who lied about his childhood, has bipolar disorder that is controllable when he takes his medication, and has other sociopath issues that leave April frightened and worried instead of safe and contented.

SO MUCH FOR MY HAPPY ENDING is a deep character study that is told from the perspective of a beleaguered April who struggles to cope with her bipolar disorder husband especially as his lies and his extreme behavior swings surface at a time she is attracted to someone else. The story line is driven by April, a wonderful protagonist, who provides a deep a look inside a person's soul. Kyra Davis provides her audience with a powerful insight into living with someone suffering with a mental disorder though Tad assists her in making her choice too easy at the end.

Harriet Klausner

I expected a light read with maybe a bit of intrigue, and was pleased to find so much more. Kyra Davis did an EXCELLENT job writing a story that is both accessible and provocative. This was both a romance and a story about a woman who needed to save herself. I empathized with April Silverperson, it was easy to see how she fell in love with someone who could be so charming and romantic.

I also thought that the story was very realistic. I have been emotionally close to individuals with bi-polar disorder, and I thought that April's experiences with Tad's behavior, and her reactions, were very realistic. They were right on point for a kind, caring person who didn't really know what was going on with her fiance/husband. I think this is KD's best novel yet. Not too serious to read over the weekend, and not so light as to be passed off as a fluffy romance. Great balance, and my kind of novel.

Let me start with that I have enjoyed this book a lot. It was well written and appealing.
I liked the growth April experienced.

But.
The story is not only about April, it's also about a serious disease, bipolarity.
Bipolarity is complex, people who are suffering with this are complex. Tads character was displayed as being either ultra-good or ultra-bad, nothing in between, in a short amount of time.
Whatever illness people have, they cannot be displayed this one-sided. I would have liked it if this was more covered in the story.
Some of the symptoms are spending sprees, hyper and low moods, sexual splurges; they are all covered, but the latter two in minor detail. You could have missed it as symptoms and just written on account of Tad just being an ass.
Tad was not an ass, Tad was seriously ill.
Maybe if Davis had explained more about the disease, it would have raised some understanding for Tad, and for people who are suffering with bipolarity,.
Now the message was "someone who is bipolar is an absolute monster".
It's not that black and white, but maybe covering such a topic is not fit for a chicklit.