Book Summary: 

Twentysomething Abigail Gardner’s life is circling the drain. Her parents are dead, her “like a brother” is in love with her, and her nascent career as an art teacher was fully squashed by an unfortunate viral incident involving sophomores and Spanx.

But just as that whirlpool feels poised to suck her down completely, she’s granted a second chance: she lands a teaching job at Excelsior Primm, one of Philadelphia’s oldest and most prestigious preparatory academies. Only problem is, instead of teaching art she’ll be stuck teaching her least favorite subject—literature—and her least favorite theme: tragedy.

Tired of being stuck in her own tragic tale, Abigail starts rewriting every sad ending she can get her hands on, in and out of the classroom. To her surprise, her life soon starts to resemble the fairy tales she adores—great job, hot guy, a career gaining recognition. But when an unexpected plot twist threatens to derail her happy ending, Abigail begins to realize why these conclusions are so hard to come by.

My Review:

Reading Courtney Deane’s acknowledgment page, you quickly deduce that this is a book of therapy. Having gone through the early loss of her own parents, you soon realize that the grieving, frustration, anger, and resentment presented by Abigail are those of the author, making the story more relatable in many ways. We all process grief and find release in various methods, and “When Happily Ever After Fails” was Courtney’s.

As many would say, the only guarantee in life is death—something Shakespeare articulated in several of the classic tragedies Abigail grew up with. Daughter of a literary genius and coveted among his peers and the world at large, Abigail never believed she could outgrow the impact of his shadow until he left the world too soon after losing his battle with ALS. She might have overcome it had her mother fully stepped into the role of caregiver and nurturer, but unfortunately, she did not, and Abigail found herself sorrowfully saying goodbye to another parent. Having experienced tragedy, loss, depression, and pain so early, it’s no wonder she can’t possibly fathom subjecting the young minds in her classroom to the same ideals as she begins her new job at Excelsior Primm. While she knew she only obtained the job because of the influence of her late father (especially since a certain viral video wasn’t helping her employment chances), she decided to use the opportunity to move away from the abyss they were doomed to stare into due to the reading list and present her class with a challenge: what if the tales we loved didn’t end with death, heartbreak, and sorrow? What if we could give them the endings they deserved?

Inspired by the enthusiasm of her classroom (and somehow roped into helping the drama teacher), she convinces the principal to put on “Romeo and Juliet” but with a twist that is sure to get the community talking. When she finds out the success of the play equals the tenure of her job, Abigail finds herself rewriting her own history along with one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. The problem is, happily ever afters are only in fiction, right?

As a coming-of-age “chick lit” book, I enjoyed watching the evolution of Abigail’s character. A constant back and forth, we watched her flourish in some areas while shrinking in others. Along her journey, we had the honor of meeting an array of secondary characters, each imparting wisdom and perspective that kept her on the right path. We also witnessed these same characters not achieve what may have been perceived as their happily ever after, from Mrs. Chang grieving the shift to empty nesting, Mitch’s loss of family, the children’s loss of a loved one, even Quinn’s loss of the only woman he thought was right for him. We are reminded throughout the story that happily ever after is not real, but happiness can be found in moments, and making the most of those moments is how we build memories, character, and connections.

The recurring theme in this book was Abigail’s consistent feeling of loss, whether it was her childhood, opportunities, or validation. We constantly witnessed her, in her head, go back to the voids created by the untimely deaths of her parents—not only their absence but the ghostly presence people typically tried to provide by heaping praise in their honor, which did more harm than good. We saw that despite what she grew to have, the idea of losing anything made her spiral. She ran when she was initially embarrassed at her old job, and she ran again when Mitch died, overwhelmed by the idea that death does nothing but take, forgetting everything that she received. That is why her closing speech is so beautiful: she realizes the importance of living and not focusing on losing, being in the moment instead of wondering what if, or what could have been.

The loss of Mitch was heartbreaking. You didn’t realize how much you grew to like that grumpy man until he started to pull away and was suddenly gone. He was the bridge to so many important moments in his short time with Abigail. From being the reason she went out with Nate in the first place, to how much he contributed to the play, to her meeting his daughter and realizing that not everything plays out like a fairy tale. What was wonderful was how Abigail taught the children to perceive tragedy and loss and how that translated when they lost someone close to them.

While intimacy was not the focus of the story, the budding relationship between Nate and Abigail was endearing. There were moments you weren’t sure if you wanted to like or loathe Nate, but as the story progressed, you realized how good of a man he really was and how much you appreciated his support, love, and admiration towards Abigail.

As Courtney’s debut novel, “When Happily Ever After Fails” gave me a mental workout I can’t even begin to describe. The challenge of perspective and perception, the notion of making the most and letting go, and driving home the idea of appreciating the moments life has to offer, no matter how minuscule, is what is going to make her an author to watch.