What happens after happily ever after? This sun-soaked romance will sweep you off your feet
Ready to be whisked off for a summer romance in France? Oui think so
“There are so many stories that end with happily ever after, and I just thought, but what about after that?” says Hannah Luckett, author of one of my favourite books this year. Her debut explores what happens when Ava’s romantic ending is abruptly cut short, forcing her out of grief and back into romantic rural France.
We were lucky enough to sit down with Hannah to hear more about the book, her writing process, and what else is in the pipeline for this brilliant new author.
Fans of Emily Henry and other feel-good, character-led romances, get your sunglasses on and a glass of wine ready. After Ever After is one of the best reads of the month. You won’t want to put it down.
After Ever After by Hannah Luckett
As we get into the interview with Hannah, be prepared for some spoilers. If you’re yet to read the book, I suggest you keep this tab open and come back once you’ve been whisked off to France.
Three years since the sudden death of her beloved husband Etienne Grenaud, and the end of her life in the beautiful French village of Monpazier, 30-year-old Ava is at a loose end. Now back in London, she spends most of her time with her semi-regular hookup Archie and working on the unfinished draft of her book: The Grief Diary. But when her editor tells her to head back to Monpazier to focus on finishing the book, Ava finds herself learning how to navigate life back in the small town without Etienne.
Ava struggles to come to terms with her feelings towards the town, especially after the arrival of Etienne's estranged brother, Florian, which digs up resentment from the past. But with the support of new friends, including her octogenarian landlady, Ava rediscovers the person she was before her husband, and finds out what her life could look like, After Ever After.
What was the writing process for After Ever After like?
Every writer has their own process, and I think you’ll fall in love with Hannah’s. Hers begins in a very romantic, almost cinematic way. “I used to go to Monpazier because it’s where my family lived. I loved the area and it’s always been a special place for me. I’d take friends, boyfriends, family there, and I don’t think many people know about it,” she says.
The book really started, she admits, in a café in a square in Monpazier. “A handsome waiter smiled at me and I just knew that had to be Etienne. In that moment, I could imagine why someone would up and leave everything behind to live a life like that.”
Over the next ten years, the novel evolved through many twists and turns, incorporating grief and loss into a beautiful second-chance romance. “There are so many people who find themselves single when they’re a little bit older and think they won’t love again, but I’ve seen their happiness and I love that. I wanted Ava’s second chance not just to be a deeper, more healthy love, because you want different things when you’re older, but also an opportunity for her to find herself and her strength in a new way.”
What changed over the writing process for After Ever After?
One of the biggest changes Hannah highlights is the introduction of a character readers may already recognise and grow to love: The American.
Inspired by larger-than-life figures like Iris Apfel, this unnamed character acts as a kind of “20/20 hindsight” voice in the story, offering blunt, no-nonsense guidance that Ava doesn’t yet have for herself. Despite arriving later in the drafting process, Luckett says she quickly became indispensable.
“People are always surprised she came later, because she’s such an important part of the book,” she says. “She’s funny and a great touchstone for Ava to bounce off. I didn’t have a name for her for a long time, and I thought my editor would tell me to stop being silly, but they loved it too. It became a fun in-joke we all shared.”
Hannah also reveals a deeper, more personal connection between herself and Ava in the writing process itself. “This came a bit later,” she explains. “I needed a reason for Ava to go and process what she was feeling, and it made sense. I’d been reading grief journeys on Instagram and was so struck by how raw and vulnerable people are on them. I knew it had to go into the book.”
That shared thread even shaped how she worked. “It also meant that if I had writer’s block, I’d do what Ava would do and vice versa. It felt like we were writing together, like I had someone in the trenches with me.”
Hannah, very modestly, adds that much of the first draft was written in snatched moments while her newborn slept.
Do you have a favourite part of After Ever After?
Hannah explains that she was initially nervous to write about a setting that was so personal to her, but readers have been really supportive. "I wanted to capture the charm of the French lifestyle and the way in which it's special and different to places like Bordeaux and, so far, the readers have said that I do!"
You're bound to love all the book, but we all have our favourite parts. While Hannah says it was incredibly special to recreate the beauty of Monpazier for readers, two scenes stand out above the rest.
“One of my favourites is when she’s in Fabian’s house, seeing his art,” she says. “It had so many different forms, and she was there for different reasons, but that moment felt perfect.”
The scene clearly stayed with her through multiple drafts, particularly the moment in Florian’s studio where Ava sees his striking sculpture. It's an anchor point in the story that never quite changed.
Her second favourite unfolds by the river, in what she describes as a “fake beach” inspired by Castillonnès. “I loved bringing the four characters together and the tension of the love triangle,” she adds, drawn to the charged dynamic between Archie and Florian.
We love your book, but which books do you love?
Hannah is full of recommendations, and happily, they’re all perfect for readers who love After Ever After.
Ultimately, this may be Hannah’s first novel, but it already reads like the beginning of something much bigger: the first chapter, rather than the final word.
She’s hinted that more books in a similar vein are on the horizon, so consider this your invitation to treat the wait as the literary equivalent of a long French summer: slow, sun-soaked, and savoured.
And if this debut is anything to go by, good things don’t just come to those who wait they arrive à point, like a perfectly timed verre de rosé.
