"Music plays. Dad appears. I walk with him, eyes fastened to the floor. When I look up, something is very wrong. There are three grooms."
reviews
Jan 10, 2012
Jennifer
rated it: 
From My Blog...[return][return][return]Deeply philosophical, sharp and witty, without a doubt Aidan Donnelley Rowley's book, Life After Yes, will be one of my top picks for the year. Reading Life After Yes is similar to spending time listening to your best friend, the one with all the wit, yet never realising they are witty, telling their story. I personally have a friend like this and I adore listening his stories so for me, Rowley's writing feels familiar and her characters quickly become frie
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Jun 07, 2010
Kristen
rated it: 
Although it features a cast of hot, wealthy people cavorting in and around New York City, Life After Yes is much more than your typical "chick lit" offering. For one, it isn't a fairy tale. In fact, Aidan Donnelley Rowley begins her story where many in the genre end: her protagonist Quinn has already "gotten" her Prince Charming (via his romantic proposal in Paris) and the rest of the story unfolds as a sort of Reality Ever After. In Quinn, Rowley offers us a wholly realistic
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Oct 21, 2011
Katie
rated it:
Life After Yes is a novel full of deeply philosophical anologies and life lessons. Although its cover and summary scream "Chick Lit", the subplots dig much deeper to make the reader analyze not just the main character, but themselves.
Aidan Donnelley Rowley does a beautiful and seamless job of interweaving profound moments into creating a wonderful plot line. The main character, Quinn, whose first name is truly Prudence, finds herself post 9/11 trying to understand the u More...
Aidan Donnelley Rowley does a beautiful and seamless job of interweaving profound moments into creating a wonderful plot line. The main character, Quinn, whose first name is truly Prudence, finds herself post 9/11 trying to understand the u More...
Apr 15, 2011
Yvann
rated it:
Summary: Prudence Quinn O'Malley, the protagonist of Life After Yes, is whisked off to Paris by her boyfriend for a romantic weekend and a proposal. Back in her New York lawyer life with a sparkly diamond on her hand, she has doubts about her future, her fiancé and herself. Her father, recently killed in the September 11 attacks, is very present in her memory and she desperately wishes for his wisdom as she navigates that rocky period between the giving of one ring and the giving of a second.
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Jun 06, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
Do you ever feel like a book comes into your life at a time when you really need it? It's like some force in the world told me that I needed to read Aidan Donnelley Rowley's book, Life After Yes, at this point in my life. The main character, Prudence (aka Quinn) recently lost her father in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and has now found herself newly engaged to her man, Sage (interesting name, btw!). I felt so deeply connected to Quinn's story; I could feel her ups and downs as she tries to figu
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Jun 02, 2010
Danielle
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Let me start off by saying that I have been reading Aidan's blog, http://www.ivyleagueinsecurities.com/, for about a year. She has been bookmarked from day one and I anticipate her daily blog post's, well not daily, but M-F. I have always enjoyed her posts, but they are only a couple hundred words and the topics differ. I knew she had written a book and no matter what, I was going to read it, but these days it seems that anyone and everyone is a "blogger," so expecting the world from a
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Jun 07, 2010
Martha
rated it: 
I started this book a little ambivalent. I thought it was going to be another Chick-lit/"Sex in the City" clone with New York girls perpetually dissatisfied with the mostly perfect lives.
Well, it was and it wasn't. Quinn/Prudence, our heroine is leads a somewhat "only in books" like. Great job, perfect boyfriend, great New York apartment, and no money worries what so ever. So, what's she got to complain about, right?
First off, she lost her beloved fat More...
Well, it was and it wasn't. Quinn/Prudence, our heroine is leads a somewhat "only in books" like. Great job, perfect boyfriend, great New York apartment, and no money worries what so ever. So, what's she got to complain about, right?
First off, she lost her beloved fat More...
Jun 04, 2010
BookGirl
rated it:
I was given an ARC of this novel by the publisher, Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins.
Life After Yes chronicles the emotions that overwhelm Prudence Quinn O’Malley, a 27 year-old Manhattan attorney, after she accepts her boyfriend Sage’s marriage proposal. Her anxieties about what her “yes” will mean for the rest of her life are played out amidst her struggle to reconcile the loss of her father a year earlier in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Along the way we meet More...
Life After Yes chronicles the emotions that overwhelm Prudence Quinn O’Malley, a 27 year-old Manhattan attorney, after she accepts her boyfriend Sage’s marriage proposal. Her anxieties about what her “yes” will mean for the rest of her life are played out amidst her struggle to reconcile the loss of her father a year earlier in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Along the way we meet More...
Jul 16, 2010
Jael
rated it:
After years together, he surprises you with a romantic getaway!! What are his intentions? Could this be the moment? Yes it is!! While in Paris he melts your heart with a romantic proposal!! You scream out "Yes!!" You're living in the moment. You are filled with euphoria!! Now what do you do? That's question haunting Prudence "Quinn" O'Malley in Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley.
Quinn is a young, modern Manhattan attorney struggling in the aftermath of the d More...
Quinn is a young, modern Manhattan attorney struggling in the aftermath of the d More...
Aug 07, 2010
Colleen
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Life After Yes is smart, literary chic-lit with all the right components: witty, imperfect characters, a dynamic backdrop and emotions that run the gammit. Anyone who reads this will find some of themselves in between the pages, whether that is good or bad. You cannot help but love the characters with all their flaws because they are all of us, living and surviving as best they can.
Prudence Quinn O'Malley is a smart, slightly self-absorbed Upper Westsider who works as a lawyer and d More...
Prudence Quinn O'Malley is a smart, slightly self-absorbed Upper Westsider who works as a lawyer and d More...
Apr 26, 2011
Ameena
rated it:
"Life After Yes" is a beautiful book full of love and heartbreak, betrayal and surprise. Basically, it is about real-life and I enjoyed it. The author, Aidan Donnelley Rowley, has a way with words and despite the book being fairly long I went through it in a flash.
So why only 4 stars? Well my main problem with this book was the unlikability of the main character. While I appreciated the realistic nature of Quinn, I didn't not appreciate that she had far too many flaws and v More...
So why only 4 stars? Well my main problem with this book was the unlikability of the main character. While I appreciated the realistic nature of Quinn, I didn't not appreciate that she had far too many flaws and v More...
Jan 27, 2011
Donna
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What did I think? I think you should read this book. I expected it to be typical "chick lit" and it was not. It will make you think, sometimes it will make you laugh because it's so real. This debut author is truly talented. "Life After Yes" has vividly drawn, real-world characters. Set in NYC shortly after 9/11 - it is the first novel in quite some time, that has made me think about what happiness really is, and how do we know when we've found it. Quinn, a lawyer in a
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May 31, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it: 
What happens the day after the wedding? Aidan Donnelley Rowley tries to answer that question in her debut novel,Life After Yes.
While everything around Quinn seems to be perfect, inside she is still struggling with the recent death of her father on September 11, 2001. As a New Yorker, she has been touched both as a daughter and an individual, and the impact of those events have left her questioning every decision she's ever made.
Quinn's an associate in a great law firm, starting to re More...
While everything around Quinn seems to be perfect, inside she is still struggling with the recent death of her father on September 11, 2001. As a New Yorker, she has been touched both as a daughter and an individual, and the impact of those events have left her questioning every decision she's ever made.
Quinn's an associate in a great law firm, starting to re More...
Dec 03, 2010
Meg - A Bookish Affair
rated it:
I had found this book through a recommend on a book blog. It tells the story of Quinn, a woman in her late 20s, who gets engaged to a wonderful man but then gets cold feet. The shadow of her dad who was killed in the WTC attacks in 2001 hangs over her still (the book takes place a year after 9/11). Quinn isn't sure how to feel about her impending marriage. Is Sage right for her? What will happen to her blossoming lawyer career.
It sounds like a real chick-lit-ish book, no? While I do da More...
It sounds like a real chick-lit-ish book, no? While I do da More...
Nov 03, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
A quick read by the debut author about an uptown rich girl who has everything she could ever want and still can't find happiness. She's lost her dad but this seems a blip in the grand scheme of things in the protagonist's life. Relatable because no one really knows true happiness at first, but at the same time I have a hard time relating to characters who are rich, well-off, and have no care in the world when it comes to money or where it goes. AT least the author acknowledges these things in he
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Sep 16, 2011
Angie
rated it:
One of the authors I read recommended Life After Yes: A Novel by Aidan Donnelley Rowley on her Twitter feed so I decided to check it out. I was pleased.
Life After Yes follows a young corporate lawyer through her post-engagement freak out. Rowley does a great job creating complex characters. We learn about their relationships with their parents, her drinking problem and the complexities of their relationships from side comments or nuanced references. Reading this novel felt like peel More...
Life After Yes follows a young corporate lawyer through her post-engagement freak out. Rowley does a great job creating complex characters. We learn about their relationships with their parents, her drinking problem and the complexities of their relationships from side comments or nuanced references. Reading this novel felt like peel More...
Feb 03, 2011
Brei
rated it:
Love this book! I've been reading her blog for a few months now and I knew I just had to read her book.
I really relate to Quinn. I haven't really connected with a character in a long time so it was nice to see pieces of myself in her. Quinn is so flawed but I like that about her. I've gotten so tired of characters that everything goes right. She's real. Life happens!
I feel that everyone has a friend like Kayla and know a guy like phelps or Sage.
It was nice to rea More...
I really relate to Quinn. I haven't really connected with a character in a long time so it was nice to see pieces of myself in her. Quinn is so flawed but I like that about her. I've gotten so tired of characters that everything goes right. She's real. Life happens!
I feel that everyone has a friend like Kayla and know a guy like phelps or Sage.
It was nice to rea More...
Aug 15, 2011
Margaret
rated it: 
no. no no no no no. I made it 100 pages in, and in all those pages, the only topics were weddings, engagements, men, relationships, and copious amounts of drinking to avoid real life. there is no depth. even the lawyer/career portions were full of generic stereotypes about women. I ha More...
May 25, 2011
Peyton
rated it:
Actually a 3.5, but the writing was too lovely to just give it 3.
I have to say, this book is COMPLETELY outside my usual genres; I'm a follower of the author's blog, and mostly picked it up in support of her. In general, I find this genre (dramatic contemporary fiction) to have a much more pessimistic view of reality than I am generally willing to take (I'm a realist with optimistic leanings, and PMS aside, I don't like to focus on the negative).
I love her writing style. More...
I have to say, this book is COMPLETELY outside my usual genres; I'm a follower of the author's blog, and mostly picked it up in support of her. In general, I find this genre (dramatic contemporary fiction) to have a much more pessimistic view of reality than I am generally willing to take (I'm a realist with optimistic leanings, and PMS aside, I don't like to focus on the negative).
I love her writing style. More...
Jun 03, 2010
Meg
rated it:
Every now and then, a novel like Aidan Donnelley Rowley’s Life After Yes finds its way into my life, and it’s moments when I’m reading a book like this — where I feel like my own face is reflected back at me — that I experience what I can only call literary magic.
Maybe it’s that Quinn is a mere two years older than me, grappling with mortality and love and “prudence,” with safety. Maybe it’s that the book is set and firmly ensconced in New York City — and I started it on the train ri More...
Maybe it’s that Quinn is a mere two years older than me, grappling with mortality and love and “prudence,” with safety. Maybe it’s that the book is set and firmly ensconced in New York City — and I started it on the train ri More...
May 10, 2011
Meg
rated it:
Aidan Donnelley Rowley is a good writer, so it's a shame that her talent produced this trite novel about attractive, wealthy, successful people living in Manhattan that is full of more cliches than actual substance.
I disliked all the characters, especially their pretentious, classic "chick-lit" novel names (Sage, Quinn, Avery, Phelps...), and found them all to be annoyingly self-centered. The novel means well - I think it is supposed to be about learning that everyone makes More...
I disliked all the characters, especially their pretentious, classic "chick-lit" novel names (Sage, Quinn, Avery, Phelps...), and found them all to be annoyingly self-centered. The novel means well - I think it is supposed to be about learning that everyone makes More...
Jul 20, 2010
Julia
rated it:
I liked this a lot more than I thought (and again, wish I could tack on a .5 to my reviews) but it was a lot sadder than I had expected. So, if you're looking for an uplifting read, this might not be it. My only problem with this book, which has been my problem with some books and movies recently is the discussion of the difficulty of committing to someone. I think it should be addressed that if it's that hard to stay monogamous then that's probably not the right person for you. Sheesh.
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Jun 19, 2010
Allison
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Witty, smart, and beautifully written, Life After Yes is a book that brings you back to a time in your life when you were struggling to define who you are. Quinn, the main character, takes you with her on her journey to discovering who she is, mistakes, flaws and all. You will cheer for her, yell at her, and in the end, hope that maybe things will turn out alright. That she'll find happiness, however fleeting and in the moment, in her life. In fact, I think that's what we are all searching for.
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Jun 14, 2010
Christine
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A good and compelling book by this first time novelist. Life After Yes is a witty, introspective story about one woman’s (Quinn O’Malley) struggle to discover what matters most in life. As I read, I was struck by how easily I could relate to this protagonist, her moods and her anxieties. Quinn feels familiar and the connection enriched my reading experience. I nodded my head while reading, and relished her introspective (if somewhat naive) thinking.
Rowley has a done a good job of di More...
Rowley has a done a good job of di More...
Jan 06, 2011
Jen
rated it:
I had been looking forward to reading this book from the moment I had heard about it, and it's didn't disappoint.
I was able to relate to each character. The book brought drama, tears, smiles and laughter. This book has so many touching moments it's hard not to fall in love with it! I loved Quinn's struggles with the past, present, and future. Definitely a must read!
I was able to relate to each character. The book brought drama, tears, smiles and laughter. This book has so many touching moments it's hard not to fall in love with it! I loved Quinn's struggles with the past, present, and future. Definitely a must read!
Aug 31, 2010
Laura
rated it:
I was fascinated by this hard working, hard drinking young woman, who was far more obsessed with looking good on her wedding day than she was with her groom.
Quinn's groom was a sweet mama's boy, but the book wasn't really about him. I had trouble keeping Quinn's friends straight, but the book wasn't about them either. All the supporting characters (her family, her coworkers, her personal trainer/therapist) were fun and worked well enough.
The odd thing about this book wa More...
Quinn's groom was a sweet mama's boy, but the book wasn't really about him. I had trouble keeping Quinn's friends straight, but the book wasn't about them either. All the supporting characters (her family, her coworkers, her personal trainer/therapist) were fun and worked well enough.
The odd thing about this book wa More...
Jul 21, 2010
Lauraleigh
rated it:
I related to the main character in this book because she's a young Manhattan attorney. Other than that, I think the only reason I couldn't put this book down is because I haven't actually finished a "pleasure" book in two years. Kudos to me.
Sep 08, 2011
Haley
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It's really odd that I chose to start reading this book the week of September 11th. The girls dad dies in the twin towers. Her dad was also a Michigan football player; fitting because, well, it's football season and you know GO BLUE :)
May 26, 2010
Nicki
rated it:
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the settings. I do not think I have a bad thing to say about this first novel by Aidan Donnelly Rowley. Read my full review at http://nickisnook.net/2010/05/18/yes-rev...
Aug 09, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
Talk about an unlikeable main character! It reminds me of a movie that's advertised as a romantic comedy that's neither romantic nor a comedy, a la "The Break Up.". I'm not sure why this couple stayed together.
