Title: Happy Ending
Author: Chloe Liese
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: April 14, 2026
From USA TODAY bestselling author Chloe Liese, a clever and heartwarming rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Annabel Monaghan about two best friends who must fake a relationship for their exes.
Thea and Alex have three things in common—they love food, they hate where they live, and they’re both divorced. Otherwise, they couldn’t be more different.
Thea’s never cooked a day in her life. Alex is a world-class chef. Alex resents feeling stuck in his hometown. Thea resents the town for not feeling more like home. Thea and her ex are in a contentious custody battle for their dog. Alex and his ex amicably coparent their daughter. Beyond a few friends in common, a couple small-world connections (welcome to life in a mid-size city), their lives look nothing alike. Fast forward two years, and they’re truly the best of friends. No one would ever know their friendship began as a lie…
Two years ago, their exes got together immediately following their divorces, and somehow, Thea and Alex found themselves spinning a spite-fueled story about being old friends and first loves. Two years later, what began as a ruse has grown into real friendship—just friendship, despite what friends and family seem to think. But when their exes invite them on a two-week, “two family” beach vacation—daughter and dog included—Alex and Thea start to wonder if this story they’ve spun might have gotten away from them, and if it’s led them to the last place they ever thought it could: a happy ending.
Is it a friends-to-lovers trope or a fake-dating trope? It’s a mix of both.
Thea is divorced. She was completely blindsided when her then-husband, Ethan, asked for a divorce instead of going to couples therapy. In the present, she shares custody of their dog, Argos, with him. Thea works at the Bookshop and loves her job.
Alex is a chef who is also divorced. He shares custody of his daughter, Mia, with his ex-wife, Jen.
Thea and Alex meet for the first time at the front door of Thea’s ex-husband’s house when they discover that Jen and Ethan are together. In that moment, they come up with a lie: they tell Ethan and Jen that they knew each other years earlier and have recently rekindled their relationship.
Two years later, Alex and Thea are now great friends. They are clearly perfect for each other, but neither wants to risk losing what they have by crossing the line. Then Jen invites them on a couples’ vacation that includes Mia and Argos.
Could this trip be the one where lines finally get crossed?
Happy Ending was a slow-burning romance with likable characters—except for Ethan, who was a total douche. I loved Argos and Mia.
Cliffhanger: No
3/5 Fangs
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