Review: One True Loves (Happily Ever Afters #2)

Title: One True Loves (Happily Ever Afters #2)
Author: Elise Bryant
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 4, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Lenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.

She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest. Her parents always remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring it out as they go—they have to be 110 percent prepared. But it’s a lot of pressure to be her ancestors’ wildest dreams when Lenore’s not even sure what her dreams are yet.

When her family embarks on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, her friend Tessa is sure Lenore’s in for a whirlwind romance. But Lenore knows that doesn’t happen in real life. At least not to girls like her.

Then she meets Alex Lee. After their parents bond over the Cupid Shuffle, she ends up stuck with him for the remainder of the cruise. He’s a hopeless romantic and a golden boy with a ten-year plan. In short, he’s irritating as hell.

But as they get to know each other during the picturesque stops across Europe, he may be able to help her find something else she’s been looking for, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself: love.

Review:

Lenore Bennett was a star artist at her school, trying all different forms of art. She’s set to go to NYU to study art history in the fall, but now she’s questioning if that’s the right major for her. After having her heart broken at prom, Lenore has given up on love. But when her and her family go on a Mediterranean cruise, she meets Alex Lee. They get off to a rocky start but their parents become close friends so they spend a lot of time together. Lenore wonders if she could find her one true love in Alex, but she’s wary of getting her heart broken again.

This book is the sequel to Happily Ever Afters. Most of it takes place during Lenore’s family vacation. This was a clever way of telling another character’s story while she is away from her best friend Tessa, the main character of Happily Ever Afters.

I like that the romances in these stories aren’t always an ideal relationship. Both Tessa and Lenore dated boys who made questionable comments, but they brushed them off at the time. A boy that Lenore dated made a racist comment to her, but she pretended like it didn’t happen. It’s easy to brush off a comment that makes you uncomfortable, to avoid a confrontation, especially if you care for the person. However, it’s important to stand up for yourself and remove yourself from any toxic situation or relationship. This is a side of high school relationships that I don’t see portrayed often in books, so I appreciated that it was addressed in this series.

One True Loves is the perfect summer romance story!

Thank you HCC Frenzy for providing a copy of this book.

What to read next:

Other books in the series:

• Happily Ever Afters

Have you read One True Loves? What did you think of it?