Companion to the Selection Series (The Selection Novella)

I'm probably a little biased since I own all of Kiera Cass's books (sometimes in print and ebook). This is a collection of the novella length companion books to the Selection series -- The Queen, The Prince, The Guard, and The Favorite. I enjoyed the additional illustrations to go along with the novellas. There are also sneak peeks to what I assume are future companion novellas Celeste and The Maid. I agree with the other reviewer that said the "After the One" scene is adorable and well worth the read. The $10 price tag for a beautiful, illustrated hardback book is a bargain if you're considering buyin the novellas individually at $2.99 a piece.

I liked how this book offered different povs of characters I was curious about, and answered questions that weren't really explored in the other books. It was interesting to reread the scenes that correspond to this book so I can tell what both characters were thinking. My favorite one was Celeste's scenes because she's largely misunderstood and I liked seeing things from her perspective. <spoiler> Its so sad how she died right after realizing that she could get so much more out of life! </spoiler> My least favorite was Queen Amberly's because even though she's one of my favorite characters and it was cool to see her as a teenager, it was really sad how even back them King clarkson was a huge manipulative jerk and she always tried to see the best in him. It was just kind depressing.

Wonderful book with all the novellas in one place plus the extra content. The art work is absolutely beautiful and the map details is a wonderful touch to really get an idea of how the country is set.

Not sure why I thought this was going to be another installment in the series. Just a heads up...it's not. Happily Ever After is a compilation of all the novellas and bonus scenes/epilogues in The Selection series and if you are up-to-date with reading the series then you have already read most of these. Die hard fans will likely love this one-stop shop for all the extras but I could have done without it. Don't mind me, just a little disgruntled. I should have read the synopsis first. Lesson learned.

The Prince (with the two bonus chapters):
★★★★☆
Novella #0.5. This is basically the first 1/3 of The Selection from Prince Maxon's point of view. I liked that it showed the stressors Maxon has to deal with, his relationship with his parents, and his personal thoughts about the selection process and the girls.

The Guard:
★★★☆☆
The Guard is a novella (#2.5) in author Kiera Cass's The Selection series. In the series, the female lead is America Singer who is torn between two loves in her life, Maxon and Aspen. Maxon's perspective is shared in the novella The Prince, and Aspen's perspective is shared in this novella. I have enjoyed the series overall and although I thought The Prince novella was unnecessary, it was interesting being inside Maxon's head. However, after reading The Guard, I almost wish I wasn't exposed to Aspen's point-of-view. There's a difference between a man being in love and a boy being in love and Aspen appears to be the latter. There's nothing necessarily wrong with this. Actually, there's a certain type of sweetness to being oblivious to everything except your heart's desire. But America is no longer a girl who has this luxury. She has grown and has been exposed to the complexities in her world and her eyes are now on more pressing matters. I've been Team Maxon since book one and that hasn't changed for me, especially after reading this book.

The Queen:
★★★★☆
The Queen is a prequel novella (#0.4) in Kiera Cass's young adult, dystopian series titled: The Selection Series. This short story features Maxon's father and mother, King Clarkson and Queen Amberly, and includes the story of how they met through their generation's selection process. I think most readers don't like King Clarkson in The Selection Series, so I was curious if he would be portrayed any differently during his younger years as prince. The answer is...Nope. I have to admit though, Ms. Cass was much more subtle in her character development of Clarkson, but his need to control and his hard-handed threats are still shown through his interactions with others in this prequel. The cycle of violence rings loud and clear within the portrait of this royal family, but any suggestion that Clarkson is a victim rang on deaf ears with me. Amberly is the perfect little submissive, which is something I didn't really view her as in the series, but maybe I just forgot. Through Amberly's point of view, the two of them have a very promising future together, and they may very well be just what each other needs. The Queen gives quite a bit of insight into these two characters, and when compared to the series, does a great job of reinforcing the fairytale aspect of Maxon and America's love story. This novella is a wonderful addition to the series and I would recommend it to fans.

The Favorite:
★★★☆☆
The Favorite is a novella (#2.6) in Kiera Cass's young adult, dystopia series titled The Selection. This short-story was a refreshing addition from Marlee's point of view. The characters in this series are great, but sometimes it's nice to read a new perspective...and see a new love story. If you have read the series then you know that Marlee falls in love with a guard: Carter and when discovered, they are caned as punishment. But Marlee's POV provides insight into a beautiful bond between two people that gets them through the hard times. I found the novella rather choppy and it didn't flow well in my opinion but the content was good. Three stars.

Three scenes from Celeste’s POV:
★★★☆☆
Wow, so Celeste isn't the cold-hearted b*itch I thought she was. She's still a stuck-up snob who will do anything to be first but she is a bit complex like we all are. Can't say I like her character but I didn't mind reading these few scenes from her perspective.

Lucy’s scene (bonus scene from The One):
★★☆☆☆
This is a tiny little scene from the maid Lucy's perspective. If this was a deleted scene collecting dust, then I see why Ms. Cass wanted to eventually offer it to readers but I certainly wouldn't have sought out Happily Ever After just for this.

The bonus epilogue:
★★☆☆☆
Another tiny piece that gives fans a peek of their favorite characters' after the ending of The One. Again, it didn't really do anything for me but I'm sure there are some fans out there that will just squeal with joy at any little bit that extends the story for them.

This book is simply wonderful. I really enjoyed getting to see the Selection story from different points of view. Another thing this book has that I really enjoyed were some illustrations as well as a map. Being able to see these characters and the places they came from was something you don't get in many "grown up" books.

The hardest one to read was The Queen. This is a prequel novella meaning it comes before The Selection. Knowing the kind of man King Clarkson ends up being is almost heartbreaking. Cass wrote a note at the beginning of the novella about it, and I think that helped me understand a bit but it was still rough.

The Prince gave you Maxon's point of view for the first part of the Selection. It was interesting to read about the things he was stressing about. The first meeting between America and him was pretty funny.

The Guard is Aspen's story. It's all about how he goes from being a part of America's love triangle to becoming the man he becomes. This was probably my least favorite of the novellas, but still gave more of the story and was enjoyable overall.

The Favorite is Marlee's point of view. She is the favorite in the selection before she makes a choice and has to suffer the repercussions. I honestly loved reading about her story. The love that she and the guard share is just beautiful. It's easy to see why Maxon wanted to help them out and why they remain a part of Maxon and America's lives.

You get three scenes from Celeste's point of view. I found them interesting and they definitely gave more depth to her character. However, they didn't help me like her any more.

There is also a bonus chapter from Lucy's point of view. I like seeing how "the help" sees things, gives you more of a real view of people. This just added to my love of America.

This book concluded with After The One, basically a "where are they now." Just a glimpse of the final four and where they are now. I found it interesting to see where the other princess hopefuls ended up.

Happily ever after is a really good companion to The Section series. I felt like it really added to the love I already have for this series. I love that authors are starting to give us more of the other characters stories.

"For the first time maybe ever, it didn't matter if I looked beautiful or not. I felt it."

It’s funny to think that, all those years ago when first novel to the series, The Selection was announced I had no idea I would end up so consumed by this series. Truthfully I had no idea I would even like it slightly based on how it was marketed as a mix between The Hunger Games and The Bachelor. I mean… come on.

I was intrigued, though, and that alone sparked just enough curiosity in me to pick up that first book.

I’ve been hooked ever since. And years later, fans like me have been treated to an expansion of the series and now a brand spanking new (and absolutely stunning) hardcover companion novel. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling positively spoiled!

Kiera Cass has an incredible talent and a colorful way of expressing her characters emotions. In writing so simple, she conveys complexities of emotions and the turmoil of love that is trying and unexpected. It’s easy to get invested in the lives of her characters and their world of intrigue, glamour, royalty and danger.

The Selection is the sort of fluffy story you read in one sitting and think about it for days and days afterwards because it hooks you in ways you can’t imagine. It feels good to read it. So I was more than thrilled to get inside the head of a variety of characters outside of America (and Eadlyn) and hopped on the chance to do so.

Which leads us to our latest release: a companion full of bright and vivid novellas from characters we’d otherwise not had the chance to have narrate. In other words, it’s a blast.

In Happily Ever After, readers are treated to several of these novellas that take place before, during and after the series. We’ve got a bunch to read into, familiar pieces and new ones, and are also able to see some delicious artwork featured within each story. And did I mention a little snippet of what the girls were up to post-Selection?

Oh yes, that includes Maxon and America after their wedding.

Kiera works her magic in each story, and while I loved every single one of them, there were some standouts for me. I don’t want to spoil my readers who haven’t had the chance to score this gem, but my personal favorites were from the point of view of Queen Amberly (before she was queen, of course), Marlee, and Celeste.

I think that in merging these views, and in Amberly’s case through generations, it was a really smart and delightful move. Amberly in particular was fun to read because she is sweet as can be, a real gentle soul, who is determined to do good. We see a glimpse, though, of what was ultimately the seed of doom for her relationship with the king.

We all know Clarkson is/was an abusive pile of scum, and we can see that forming in Amberly’s story, but I think in the shadows of this story we understand the hows and the whys when it came down to his controlling nature. Which is good and startling and I really liked seeing the contrast there between his selection and Maxon’s and of course the family dynamics.

Amberly has always been likable and warm and seeing her in her younger years was a blast. I’m still very sad about the loss of her in The One. But having her voice in her own short story as well as a glimpse of her in Maxon’s narration was like greeting an old friend and I totally dig it.

Onto Marlee and Celeste.

Marlee has always been a favorite of mine so seeing her point of view from that part of The Elite was interesting and very heartbreaking. She’s a genuine, warm and loving soul and it was fun seeing her fall in love despite herself. What strikes me as beautiful about Marlee is her strength, her forgiveness and her ability to love.

It was no fun reading that scene again, especially from another point of view, but it was so necessary to showcase that level of strength she and her love have for one another. There was this beautiful sense of calm and caring to both of them in spite of their pain and humiliation and the fact that they were so protective over one another and selfless is beautiful.

I mean, talk about an excellent endgame–right?

And now, everyone’s favorite bad girl with a surprising heart of gold and the ability to change. See, I started the series absolutely despising Celeste’s attitude like most readers.

But by the time The One came out, I saw the changes and the insecurity and eventually the warmth radiate from her. Seeing Celeste open up was a treat and seeing that expanded in this gem, I feel all the more pleased and upset with her endgame. I liked her redemption arc, I liked that Kiera painted something vivid and real in Celeste that may not have made her endearing to everyone but definitely made her real.

I think we all came to understand her actions more and although some weren’t all that forgivable, she made an extremely fortunate amount of changes to herself.

In her story, its bittersweet–we see her from the start of The Selection; beautiful, determined and her claws more than ready, to the transformation she makes by The One. Celeste is highly flawed and by the time she makes peace with a lot of things and makes an effort to grow, and connects with America in a way that will make hearts warm, it’s too late.

And that really, really sucks. Honestly, her death will always hurt some part of my soul. But in her story, in her thoughts leading up to her last moments, I can’t help but to feel happy that at least she found some peace and made the effort to change even if she didn’t get the chance to do more on her own.

That being said, there are many stories to explore within Happily Ever After and will leaves fans feeling more fulfilled than ever. It’s a real treat, perfect for any fan this holiday season, and is absolutely amongst my favorites of the year. If you loved the original run of the series, you’ll find yourself intrigued by these expansions and won’t regret picking up a copy immediately.

Right now. Immediately. I’m just going to throw my wallet at Kiera in advance from now on, I think.

I really enjoyed being back in this world. Having read the five novels in the series back to back, I decided to take a break and came back to this one a month later, but immediately I started reading it, I was transported back to a royal kingdom with characters I knew and loved. I read a story a day and binged the bonus materials almost as soon as I opened the book and would really recommend reading it this way!

My favourite story of the four was The Queen, it gave great insight into the character of The Queen but it also gave me a great insight into the whole selection competition! The only one I wasn't as keen on was The Guard (I left it until last) but this wasn't because of the plot or the writing, it was just because I wasn't as big of a fan of Aspen throughout the books and although the author puts a forward about how this story will get you to see Aspen in a new light, I still wasn't sold on him-sorry!

One of my favourite things about this book was the illustrations. I loved the fact that there were drawings spread throughout the book, some before a short story and some throughout the novellas too. They really brought the stories to life and made me think back to when I was reading illustrated books when I was younger, bring back pictures in all books I say! I also really loved the 'Where are they now' section, although I had forgotten about a few of the characters mentioned!

Overall I really enjoyed this read and would love some more selection stories to tie in with the final two books, if that could be arranged please? I think I would recommend reading these in the order they were intended, so if you haven't started the selection series yet, grab yourself a copy of this to read alongside!

After completing the first three books in The Selection series, I decided to pick up this bind-up of all the novellas and bonus content that goes along with the original trilogy. Happily Ever After should definitely be read after the first three books, and if you haven’t read them I would not read my review here today. I will be sharing my non-spoiler thoughts on each novella and story included, but there will be spoilers for the original trilogy. Because this is a bind-up, I will share my thoughts on each section individually, and give a star rating for each section.

The Queen | ★★

My biggest disappointment in Happily Ever After is The Queen. I absolutely loved the character of Amberly in The Selection, and this story definitely tainted her. The Queen takes place during Clarkson’s selection, and I liked seeing what another selection was like. It was also really interesting to learn more about Clarkson’s parents, and Honduragua where Amberly is from originally. However, I was extremely disturbed with the ending of this novella. I don’t want to spoil it, but it goes with one of the themes that really disappointed me with The Selection as a whole, and that is how women are viewed. It’s such a shame that women are seen as submissive to men in this world, and I think it’s quite damaging considering these books are geared towards young adults.

The Prince | ★★★

Thankfully, Happily Ever After improved immensely after the first novella. The Prince is from Maxon’s perspective and takes place right before his selection begins, and continues through him meeting all the girls. I liked reading from Maxon’s point-of-view, as I sometimes questioned his intentions in the original trilogy. I was disappointed that most of this novella is basically just a rewrite of scenes in The Selection. That felt like a cop-out to me, as it didn’t add too much to the story. I also felt like we weren’t fully in Maxon’s head, but skimming the surface of his emotions. Nonetheless, I did enjoy this novella, it just wasn’t amazing.

The Guard | ★★★★

I was really excited to read The Guard, which is from Aspen’s point-of-view. This novella has a lot of original content, which I really appreciate. I also loved how we got to learn a lot more about the palace in this novella, as we follow Aspen and some of the other guards and maids. Plus, I was happy to delve into Aspen’s mind to see if he had good intentions. I do wish Cass tapped into Aspen’s emotions a bit more, but this was a solid novella.

The Favorite | ★★★★★

My favorite novella in Happily Ever After happens to be The Favorite, which is from Marlee’s perspective. This novella takes place right after Halloween, when Marlee is caught with Carter, and sharse about the couple’s life together in the palace. I absolutely loved learning more about their relationship and what went on behind the scenes. This novella is nearly all original content, and while it was quite cheesy, I just loved it.

Scenes from Celeste | ★★★★★

I was also eager to learn more about Celeste. She had such an about face in The One, and I found it quite unbelievable that she would change character so quickly. These scenes really helped me understand Celeste as a person. The scenes are quite sad, in a way, considering her ultimate demise, but they are very enjoyable and add a lot to the overall plot.

The Maid | ★★★★ 1/2

The Maid is a short story from Lucy’s perspective, and begins on the plane ride home from Carolina after America’s father dies. Surprisingly, we learn a lot about Aspen in this story, which I wasn’t expecting. I did like learning more about Lucy and Aspen’s relationship. Of course, it was a bit cheesy, but I’m letting that slide because this book is called Happily Ever After! I deducted a half-star because the story does lack believability.

After the One | ★★★★★

After the One is a short story that takes place two years after the end of The One. It is written from America’s point-of-view, and takes place during a birthday party for Maxon. This is the most adorable story ever, and while I could predict the ending of it, I still loved it a lot. I think this story sets up the next two books in the series well, and I’m excited to continue on with The Heir next!

Where are They Now? | ★★★★ 1/2

Where are They Now? checks in with the three other Elite and shares how they end up in life. I thought it was really interesting to see how being in the selection affected their lives. I felt like this was Cass’s chance to include more diversity into the series, and while she did do one thing that surprised me, I wish she went for it a bit more. Nonetheless, I felt satisfied with these scenes for the most part.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed Happily Ever After. I don’t think it is necessary to read this book, but if you are a big fan of The Selection, or if you’re curious about what happened to the characters, I highly recommend it! I really loved learning more about Illéa, and I loved the map and illustrations included in this book. I’m so glad I decided to give it a read!

*This review originally posted on Adventures in Polishland

This is a collection of short stories from the view of secondary characters. Most of these are based off of the original Selection books, just from their point of view. The only exception would be the story of the queen Amberly and how she went through her Selection process.
Admittedly it was hard to read Amberly's story since it has to do with the beginning stages of a very controlling and at times abusive relationship. Personally I think she was way too kind for him.
The other stories all came from the one that stole my heart. I loved getting to revisit America's story and see it from the others perspective.
The only thing I would say I was missing was exactly how Aspen and Lucy got together. In Aspen's story he is still head over heels in love with American; and in Lucy's story their relationship is already established and they just need to break the news to America. It would be nice to see the progression.
I loved how Kiera chose the most important part of each of their stories to elaborate on. Seeing Maxon when he falls for America, Marlee's relationship and going through the caning, we even get to see Celeste's turning point and how she has real debate inside herself about her actions.
Overall, this was a great addition to the collection!

Happily Ever After is a compilation of novellas in the Selection series! The first story is about Queen Amberly and her story of falling in love with King Clarkson and why he is the way he is. The second story is all about Maxon and what he is going though as the girls arrive. The third story is Apsen's story and how he is dealing with watching America fall in love with Maxon but at the same time have feelings for Aspen. The last story is all about Marlee and her forbidden love and what happened to them after the canning. It also has a guide to where some of the other girls are and a few other bonus scenes that will make you fall more in love with the Selection series.

I really enjoyed reading this book that gives you a deeper insight about the Selection series. It made me understand why King Clarkson is the way he is even though he is still a royal jerk. I believe that Marlee's story was my favorite out of all of them and it was kinda cool to read the bonus stories in there as well. It was fun to read this series and I can only hope that there will be another series like this coming from Kiera Cass in the future!

Thank You to Kiera Cass for having all the novella's in one book with other bonus stories that made me fall even more in love with the Selection series!!

I borrowed this book from my local Public Library!

I really enjoyed this compilation. I wish I could have remembered more details about The Selection, The Elite, and The One though. That would have helped connect the dots when reading. I loved the pictures throughout this book. Here are some impressions of the individual novellas.

The Queen (The Selection #0.4)
It's another selection with Maxon's father as the prince, and Queen Amberly as one of the candidates. I loved this story. Amberly is so sweet and selfless, and she's been in love with the prince her whole life practically. She witnesses an event that helps her understand Clarkson more. He is rough and kind of mean, but she's good for him. Clarkson is so different than Maxon during the Selection, so cold and non physical. That was interesting to read. After also reading The Heir, I was impressed with Kiera Cass' ability to write three very different Selections.

5 stars

The Prince (The Selection #0.5)
I loved being inside Maxon's head before the Selection. He's so nervous. It was so cute. Reading his reaction to America yelling at him in the garden was so fun. There's some sad back story on Maxon as well. He was so isolated. There isn't really anything new in this story since it follows the beginning of The Selection, but it's an enjoyable read.

4 stars

The Guard (The Selection #2.5)
I never really liked Aspen. I'm not exactly sure why. He loves America. Why do I fault him for trying to hold on to that? I don't know. I enjoyed seeing the servant perspective on the Marlee and Woodwork scandal. And I gained some insight into the king and Maxon as well. Mostly though this story didn't make me feel any differently toward Aspen. I still felt kind of sorry for him for holding out hope for America to choose him.

3 stars

The Favorite (The Selection #2.6)
I love Marlee. She was always my favorite, even more than America. This story is so sweet. I really enjoyed the flash backs to Marlee and Carter's early romance. I loved seeing the kindness Maxon showed them. It was especially nice to read after knowing what happens with them all in The Heir.

4 stars

Scenes from Celeste
There are three scenes from Celeste's POV at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the Selection. It was fun to read about her transformation from her POV. She was so miserable in the beginning, and she ends up so sure of herself and so happy in the end. Once again this story showed how wonderful Maxon is.

3 stars (only because it's not really a complete story)

The Maid
This story tells of an encounter between Lucy and Aspen which would have happened during The One. I am so happy that Aspen gets to find love again and that that Lucy found someone to love. This is a sweet little addition to the series.

3 stars

After the One
This short story takes place 2 years after their marriage. America has planned a birthday party for Maxon. Everyone is there. It's so fun to see Maxon and Aspen as friends. I knew that happened since I read The Heir, but it was nice to read an exchange of friendship earlier on in their lives. America's birthday gift for Maxon is perfect. This story was great!

4 stars

Where They Are Now
Kiera Cass has given a quick update on Kriss, Natalie, and Elise and where they ended up. I didn't remember enough about them to care very much. I could have done without this addition. I would have liked to know more of what happened to Celeste though. Am I forgetting something? Was she mentioned in The Heir?

3 stars

http://www.momsradius.com/2015/12/book-review-happily-ever-after-ya.html

This book had everything I loved about the first three, plus the fact that it was told from so many different angles.

I was so happy for every single character. It really felt like they all found their own “happily ever after.” Some plot lines I had been expecting, and some really surprised me-in the best way.

I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it!

I would say to read it after reading the first three novels, though.

I thought it was so cool that Cass wrote these novellas and short stories from each character’s point of view. And I really appreciated that she put them all into this one lovely book. It was neat as the reader to get to see a little bit more of some of the other character’s thoughts and lives.

The Prince:
"Because I could do this. I could do it well. I had to. I had to prove, finally, that I could lead, make decisions.”

I really wanted to read this book to see the whole first book from Maxon's perspective and to see how he really felt about the whole selection process. While you can tell in the first book that he was overwhelmed and didn't really know how to handle things, you never really got to see what he was feeling.
In this novella you get to see what he really feels about the selection, how he feels about becoming king one day and how his relationship with his father is strained because his father doesn't trust him enough, or think that he will do a good enough job. You also get to see who he started to fall for and what he liked about them.
I really enjoyed seeing it from his perspective and actual getting to see him interact with his mom and how his mom will support him and knows that he can do it. His father seems rather controlling especially when it comes to choosing the girls and who he should choose to make the country appear better.
While I wanted to like his friend that was a girl from before I just couldn't for some reason, I think it was because we really didn't get to know much about her besides the fact that she was his childhood friend who loved him and wanted him to break tradition and try to force his father's hand into doing something that could cause a revolution potentially.
I have the queen which, I am going to read next and then after that, I'm going to read the Elite. This is such a fun and quick series and it's just nice to read in between other books.

3.5

This one left me feeling indifferent. I liked the extra background it provided on characters, what happened to those who left the Selection, and the map but it just wasn’t anything overly special. \

It didn’t leave me feeling overly giddy like some of the others have and some of the stories I had already read like The Prince, The Guard, and the epilogue to The One.

There were two stories (The Guard and The Maid) that were basically about my least favorite character, Aspen. I ended up skipping a re-read of The Guard because I just can’t stand him as a character.

I liked The Queen and how it gave us so much more we did not know about Clarkson and Amberly. In The Queen, Clarkson isn’t just the jerk dad that pushes people around. He actually has moments where he’s a cute little prince in love with a girl and we also learn a little more about why he might be the way he was in the Selection series. The Queen was probably my favorite in this collection. The Favorite was nice and I loved that we got to see how kind Maxon was to Marlee and Carter behind the scenes, whereas in the Selection series we are only given almost a tiny glimpse.

I liked this but it definitely wasn’t my favorite in the series.

Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass is a companion to The Selection series and should only be read after you have read the series. It fills in some gaps and answers some questions about some of the main characters in the series, and retells events from different perspectives. It gives background about Queen Amberly and Maxon. Shares perspectives from Aspen, Marlee, and Celeste. It gives more details about Marlee and Carter woodwork’s story and Lucy and Aspen’s romance. It gives closure on what happened with Kris, Elise, and Natalie after The Selection was over and they lost.

This was not as good as the books in the series but I still enjoyed reading it. It seemed kind of like dessert—a nice final touch but not really necessary. I devoured the series and enjoyed it immensely so was glad when I discovered this book which gave me a little more.

For fans of The Selection Series, this book is a must read. With insights not revealed in the main novels, Happily Ever After gives a lot of detail that was missing throughout the original novels.
I liked the integration of the different stories occurring along with the selection. Happily Ever After provides some groundwork.. Offering a glimpse into Amberly and Maxon's lives. I found the brief author notes that began the novellas distracting though. Almost like being led towards the story, not allowing it to unfold organically. I really doubt think the illustrations added anything either. In fact, the drawings were meager at best, lacking detail and life. Cass could have omitted both and still had a book to push.
As with the rest of the fan base, I am awaiting my turn to book 5 and the conclusion of the series. I have reserved judgment as a whole until after that installment is under my belt.
But, all in all, Happily Ever After provides the best distraction waiting for the last book to be released. No doubt fans will consume it happily.

Happily Ever After is a collection of novellas, with some beautiful sketches. I flew through this as I didn't realize it contained two novellas I have already read. The Queen was about Queen Amberly, and Clarkson, when Amberly was going through the Selection process. This book also contained The Prince and The Guard from Selection stories. There is a short novella for Celeste, whose character was a bit evil, but really redeems herself, and a Novella from America's maid Lucy's point of view. We get a little information of what happens with Maxom and America after The One and where some of the other Selection contestants are now. It was a fun read and makes a great companion to the Selection series.

If you're going to read the novellas, buy this, not the individual ones. It has introductions before each one from the author, illustrations, scenes from a few others like Celeste and Lucy, and MOST IMPORTANTLY a little snippet called "After 'The One,'" which is really the only glimpse you'll get into America and Maxon's life together, since the last 2 books in the series are entirely from the perspective of her daughter. Honestly, the novellas aren't stunning or terribly revealing, but if you love the series enough to read all 5 books, you'll want to know what's in them. Also, just so you know the order, this can be read as soon as you finish "The One." There's really no big spoilers.

This isn't a really long review because these were just short stories. But, I'm glad that she included a story about the queen and even Marlee. I wondered about the queen because she was mainly left in the background and I was very surprised about her ending in The One. This gives me more insight on her and what her relationship was like with Clarkson.

Marlee's story was sweet, too. I think, once you hear Marlee's side, you can understand why she did what she did. She was simply following her heart and that is what is most important.

All in all, all of the short stories left me satisfied with their endings.

I started this series by reading the novellas The Queen and The Prince. Once I started reading The Selection I was very glad I did. The Queen is Queen Amberly's story (the current Queen in The Selection) and gives us much insight into her character. Learning about her made me love her even more while reading The Selection. The Prince is written from Prince Maxon's point of view. While a few of the scenes overlap in The Selection, I don't think it gave away anything crucial. If anything, it enhanced my view of Prince Maxon. I feel like I understood him better going into The Selection and was grateful for that. The Selection is written solely from Lady America's viewpoint and therefore the novellas definitely added the much needed insight into the other characters.
**Update**
I read all of the novellas for The Selection Series in this book. There are some excellent illustrations and extras in this book. If you are as obsessed as I am about this series, I recommend this edition.

I recommend reading The Queen and The Prince BEFORE The Selection. The Guard AFTER The Elite. And the rest AFTER The One. There is also an excellent map of Illéa

I feel like all of these extra stories added to the depth of the series. They give us a glimpse into the hearts and minds of the other characters. This helped me appreciate those characters more as I look back and think of the story as a whole.

I only read from The Favorite on because I had already read The Queen, The Prince and The Guard. I probably enjoyed The Favorite and After The One the most. You also get scenes from Celeste, The Maid and a Where Are They Now? plus some sketches scattered throughout. There is also a sneak peek at The Siren but I'm not a huge fan of sneak peeks so I didn't read it. I guess if you're a fan of the series and collecting the books it's a nice addition to have but not necessary.

Not worth buying. Hardly anything new worth knowing. Falsely advertised to make you think you're getting NEW stories, when really all you get is bits and pieces from the original books from another point of view. And also, can I just say that writing a story about the love story between Amberley and Clarkson was the worst idea ever?! Sure, we all love AMBERLEY, but why on earth would I want to read a love story between a sweet, innocent young woman and a horrible tyrant who beats his son?! It kills me that she married such an awful man...I don't want to read about how it happened! Bad idea, Kiera.

I was so surprised at how much I loved the four novellas! Their POVs were so enriching, especially that of the Queen’s. I would have given the collection five stars, if not for the Where Are They Now sections of the Elite. They were so short that I couldn't connect and felt it would have been perfect to have wrapped up with After The One. Truly, a must-read for all The Selection fans.

I am not normally a fan of novellas, but this one worked. I like some of the stories more than others. I do feel all of them were great additions to the story and for our characters. I liked seeing the in between story from the original series, and also where our characters are after the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this.

Okay, this book is pretty much all the novellas in one plus more! I couldn't have asked for more! I loved reading the different girls where are they now stories. I do say, that even though it wasn't in this novella I liked Camille. Especially towards the end when she finally softened up and I was up when she died. But not all stories have happy endings. This mash up of all the different character tales won't disappoint!

Getting to learn the background stories really helped to fill in blanks. I love how romantic and supercalifragalisticexpealadocious these stories are and seriously recommend these stories. Some stuff isn't appropriate for kids, so I saay this book is for people 11+. Maxon and the other guys have their flair and frankly, I was shocked when I found out that Aspen and one of America's maids were a pair. These stories were pretty and I especially loved the one when America tells Maxon that she's pregnant.

***SPOILERS***
There are two more books in this series, but I won't be reading them. I can't take it anymore. This book had so much potential to fill in gaps, and all it did was show things from another persons perspective. Hardly any new material, mostly rehashed conversations.

Here was an opportunity for the author to have shown us how Aspen fell in love with Lucy, how Lucy fell in love with Aspen, what happened on Halloween night between Marlee, and Conor. The scenes she chose to rewrite are a waste of time, adding nothing new, and painfully boring because of it. And good heavens, enough with the "giggling", and "crying"! That's all any female (and most the men for that matter) ever do!

The lack of any real character development in this entire series is disappointing, especially given the audience it's written for; girls of that age need to believe there's more to life than snagging a man, and looking pretty. And frankly, despite America's protests otherwise, that's all she seems to be good for.

Beautiful book.

And to those who didn't notice before, this is a companion to the selection series which contains short stories from various characters found throughout the series so it doesn't go on with the main series as such, it's just bonus added information that I still found well worth the money and absolutely gorgeous!

Kiera Cass is one of the most amazing authors that have ever lived. In her side series, it is amazing how much that she showed the voices of each of her charaters. You could go to any section of the book and start reading without checking who the narrator is, and know automatically who is talking. It's incredible. I can tell it's a good book when I start to feel the things that the characters feel. This book had me so emotional that I was sobbing at the sad parts and cheering at the good parts. I don't know how she did it, but this series is so good that you'll cry when it ends. I would recommend this book to those who have read and enjoyed the main The Selection series.

The stories were good but it took me a while to understand what was going on. Very different from the stories I am use to. Once I got into it I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed reading about all the other girls and how their lives turned out. Wonderful and exciting, The younger generation will appreciate this type of story more than my generation. Well worth the time to read this!

This was a great look into the lives and thoughts of different characters! While some of the characters in the books were easy to love, others were not, but this book made you understand them all a little better. You were able to understand the actions of the characters through their narration and see their feelings that drive them to respond in that way. This was a great read!

this book gave me the closure I needed! i personally love Keira Cass, but The Heir and The Crown just weren't my favorite books. Seeing the same storyline in other people's point of views was absolutely amazing. Also, the pictures are breathtaking, and I would pay extra just for the bonus scene after the one!

Best book of the entire series! I loved every second, especially the story of Queen Amberly. Each of these stories added so much to each of the characters. I definite must read for anyone reading this series.

This book is so amazing because it explains the behind-the-scenes of the entire selection. And you get to see inside most of the characters mines know what they were thinking and how some of the things happened you were planning on happening

The entire Selection series is absolutely wonderful. I particularly enjoyed this book because it answered all the questions about the characters I didn't even think to ask. It really filled in and rounded out the series.

I loved this! It was absolutely adorable with all the charm and love of our characters from before. Our wonderful author did it again. She made me fall in love with the characters all over again. ?

Not what I thought this was going to be...I thought when I preordered this book for my Kindle this book was going to have the next book in the series after The Heir...however after being charged ten dollars for a book that doesn't have it, I want my money back!!! I've already read the first four books in the series along with the side books....I do not need this book nor want it!