Ever After

Ever After is a book about family, friendship, love, and betrayal. This novel written by Barbara Murphy mainly showcases the life of four ladies, best friends since childhood, each struggling with their own issues in their personal lives.

Ever After is Barbara Murphy’s third book which she released in 2022 with Glass Spider Publishing.

Book Review: Ever After by Barbara Murphy

Nora, Tiffany, Lidiya, and Reeva, each came from different backgrounds, had different upbringings, had their own goals and aspirations, and dealt with their own problems.

Setting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story is set in a tight-knit suburb of Dublin, called Horseshoe Bay in Ireland, where the four friends work and reside with their families. The four friends were each other’s support in all the ups and downs they faced in their personal lives. They planned a getaway vacation to Florida with their family only to get trapped with new problems with the onset of a tragedy that ended up ruining their friendship.

Plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nora, a hard-working woman, a loving wife, and a mother has a strong case of OCD, this sometimes becomes the reason for troubles in the house. Her relationship seems perfect to her which in reality is far from that. Lydia, a product of toxic parenting, is undergoing therapy due to her mother’s ways of treating her since childhood. Her marriage didn’t work out either but she found real love all over again long after her separation.

Tiffany is a strong-headed, successful woman, excellent at her work. She has her own insecurities, constantly trying to deal with her mental health issues. Her husband had always been her support but her marriage also started falling apart due to her attitude of not accepting her problem or any help for her mental condition.

Reeva, who joined the group much later, had become an orphan at a very young age. She had her own set of secrets and inner personality which she hid from her friends and family. She had a secure life with a happy family and a decent job. Yet she wasn’t content in her marriage; she had a lover whom she could only miss as she didn’t want to leave her secure life.

Each dealing with their own issues, the friends have many conflicting thoughts about disagreements with each other, but still, the women try to stick with each other. They planned a vacation to Florida to clear their heads, but little did they know that a life-changing tragedy was waiting for them over there which turned their worlds upside-down and ruined their friendship.

Writing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story is a good read with simple language which is easy to read and understand. The storytelling format is very nicely executed making it easy to consume so much information with ease.

Theme ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The book revolves around family drama, friendship, mental health issues, parenting, marital issues, and personal dilemmas of people. It is about the many phases in the life of a person, their choices, and decisions. The story unfolds with many twists and turns, revealing truths and unfolding mysteries in the end.

Reasons to Add this book to your TBR

The book has a lot to show and tell about the problems every person goes through, and the action they take. It shows us how everyone’s point of view about the same particular thing differs and how the reason behind this is what they have experienced in their life while growing up. The four friends each have their own story and each story forces us to think and understand that life is not black and white neither is any person good or bad.

Ever After is a twisted story, full of drama and mystery. A life story of four homes that changed with a tragedy. Find out what happened in this, Barbara Murphy’s novel, grab your book now.

About the Author: Barbara Murphy

Barbara Francesca Murphy was born in the 70s in Austria. Even as a child she wrote stories and entered writing competitions. She graduated from high school in the United States, then studied Tourism and Hotel management, and moved to Ireland in 1994 where she has been living since.

Second Chances is her first published book. Her second novel Lucina’s Letters was published in March 2022 and her third book Ever After in November 2022.