Your Best Happily Ever After: Loving God's Beautiful Story for Your Life

by Ginger Kolbaba

Cinderella. Snow White. Sleeping Beauty. Rapunzel. These beloved stories all conclude with, “. . .and they lived happily ever after.” We sigh, smile, and know there’s an amazing story of love, adventure, and redemption coming.
          We all yearn for a fairy tale life, but too often our existence feels less like the pages of a storybook and more like a bad reality TV show. From poisoned apples (sin) and Ugly Stepsisters (joy-stealers) to magic mirrors (real beauty is more than skin-deep) and glass slippers (God’s perfect calling for us), the truth is that as daughters of God, we can live the perfect story the Author has written for our lives—we can experience the happily ever after that He has penned for us, now, regardless of our circumstances!
          Writer, speaker, and surrogate fairy godmother Ginger Kolbaba offers encouragement, challenges, biblical insights, and a little humor on how God wants us to live and love our stories in the here and now.

Genres: Nonfiction

314 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2015

About the author

Ginger Kolbaba is on a journey to embrace joy in every moment. She doesn't always succeed (she's a recovering cynic, after all), but she loves to learn from the adventure of the pursuit. She loves a good laugh, a ready smile, a dog's smooch, great food (vegetarian, thanks), growing faith, and remembering that love is all-powerful. She also claims one of her greatest gifts is ranting (good-naturedly, of course).

An accomplished author, Ginger has written, ghostwritten, collaborated, or contributed to 30 books, including Your Best Happily Ever After.

Ginger also teaches and speaks across the country. She's appeared on national venues such as HLN's Nancy Grace, as well as Family Life Radio and Moody Radio's Midday Connection. A former professional editor of several award-winning national magazines, including Today's Christian Woman and Marriage Partnership, she continues editing for both individuals and major publishing houses.

When she isn't chained to her computer, Ginger enjoys spending time with her husband motorcycling through the countryside, visiting Yellowstone National Park, walking her Doberman, reading good books, and contemplating the deep meaning of life--as well as trying to figure out how to get her husband to give her a donkey or a duck for Christmas. She believes one of her greatest accomplishments would be dusting off her piano and treadmill and using them both--at least once this year.

Visit her at www.GingerKolbaba.com.

Reviews

[Chris Torretta]

What a wonderful way to look at things! This fabulous book takes life as we know it and flips it on its head. The author, Ginger Kolbaba, is able to introduce the fairytales that we all know and love, into our every day lives.

She uses Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytales also, not the Disney versions! Going through the different tales Ginger takes a story and applies biblical scripture to it. How they apply, how they relate to each other, and then shows how we can relate these beautiful tales to our own lives. But she also shows the downside of what can happen when we pursue the things that we shouldn’t.

Here’s the problem when we go extreme in our pursuit of the happily ever after: we go extreme in our pursuit.

Comparison is the death of joy.

There has been a lot of downing of the damsel in distress stuff in the media about fairytale princesses and how they are just looking for their knight in shining armor to save and protect them but yet Ginger adds another entire discussion about how strong these females are PRIOR to meeting them. Snow White may be a bit naive but she never complained. I mean this poor gal’s Step Mom tried to kill her! Cinderella had a household of people that took advantage of her and here again she never said a word against them! In so many of these tells we see remarkable women that are full of strength, perseverance, and courage. Ginger just reminds us how great it is to be like one of these ladies and even better to address life scripturally as Ruth did.

I have yet to read the full bible but reading the story of Ruth really resonated with me. I HAVE complained when times are hard though and I think that is what makes Ruth and all of these other women so special. They are always positive even in the most dire of circumstances.

With every page I gained new insight into myself and into the bible. I wound up reading this twice and I think I will read it again in upcoming months because different passages jump out at me. The entertwining of scripture with fairytales was a marvelous and very compelling idea. I will never look at many of these stories in the same way.

And my favorite part of the book was a letter to a friend. I want to memorize this and send it to everyone that has ever been through trauma or grief, or that has lost a loved one. Such poignant, beautiful thoughts and given at such a time when most do not even know what to say!

May you be surrounded by God’s tangible presence and feel overwhelmed by his peace and comfort. May you somehow, some way, experience the unexplainable calm and the joy that God pours out, and may you swim in its depths – even in the darkest hours.

This book made me smile and cry. Just the above sentence makes my eyes well up. The gratitude and love and peace that Ginger must feel is how she is trying to help all of us to feel. To remember that this is our very own fairytale and through God we can have that happily ever after.

Received from publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Alice Chittock]

We’re always told not to judge a book by its cover, but is it okay to judge one based on its title?
I think so, because that’s what I did with this book, and it definitiely paid off. I have never read anything quite like this book before!
I really love it when people are able to tell old truths in new and creative ways and that’s just what Ginger did: relating messages from the bible to different fairy tales Sleeping Beauty, The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella etc. It was fun and engaging, I kept on wanting to read just one ore chapter- but managed to pace myself pretty well- there was so much wisdom to take on board, and I didn’t want to miss a thing!
She made me think about new things, and things I had known for a while in a new way. It both encouraged and challenged me in my faith.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially girly girls. There is something it for women who have been Christians for years, and those who are just exploring the faith.
Thanks net galley for the review copy!

[Deborha Mitchell]

Happily Ever After Indeed!

This is a wonderful book filled with a lot of insight. Ginger Kolbaba takes age-old fairy tales and uses them in a practical and witty way. I learned a lot about myself and the way I live my God-given life throughout the pages of this book. I applaud Ginger for following God's call to write this....to help us modern-day women (and men as well) to take a long look at how we live our day to day life. She helps put everything into perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan on passing it along to someone else. (PS.....I now have a better appreciation of Disney for their re-writing of those fairy tales. Yikes! What were the Brothers Grimm thinking?!)



I was given a copy of this book by Barbour Publishing, Inc. for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to give a positive review.

[Delsie Konoske]

Your Best Happily Ever After: Loving God's Beautiful Story for Your Life / Ginger Kolbaba

Who doesn’t love fairy tales because of the happily ever after endings? But this book is so much more than the retelling of those stories. It is also an encouragement of how we can live happily ever after today due to God’s love and our surrender to Him on a daily basis and in every circumstance. I loved how Scripture verses were used to reinforce this concept.

At the end of each chapter, Your Best Happily Ever After also challenges the reader with thought provoking questions and insights.

I highly recommend this book, and will definitely read this book again.

It could also be used as a devotional or in a small group study.

[Britney]

“With a little encouragement from some fairy tales writers, along with some wise biblical authors, we can pursue a joy-filled life today.”

Your Best Happily Ever After is a delightful book! Ginger Kolbaba examines fairy tales, real-life stories, and scripture, and shares her thoughts on how we can experience a beautiful life story and enjoy happily ever after. I loved the humor and heart of this book, as well as the unique perspective the author offers. Life is not always a fairy tale, but we can strive for our own happy ending. Brimming with wit and wisdom, readers are sure to find insight and encouragement in this lovely little book. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

[Desarae]

I so enjoyed that this book tied two of my loves together....Jesus and the world of Disney and fairy tales.

On the whole, this book isn't a profound read, but it does offers a different perspective and approach to common struggles and truths, wrapped up in fairy tale terms, that helped me see new aspects to things I had let grow old and familiar. There *were* a couple "aha" connections moments because the analogy just clicked, especially the chapter about Sleeping Beauty and learning to rest. A sweet, enjoyable reminder of a book, I recommend it to any fellow Disney and fairy tale fans.

[Pamela Harrison]

I highly recommend this gem of a book. It is a tale of love—the tremendous love God has for you and me. Our Prince Charming is always there to come to our rescue when we need Him most. I smiled. I cried. I loved the witty writing style as well as the author’s serious discussions concerning how to live happily ever after.

In her book, Ginger Kolbaba uses humorous retellings of fairy tales, real-life stories from her own life and others, and problems faced by people in the Bible to make it clear we are not alone in our suffering. Challenges are part of life and many of those challenges could defeat us. The author discusses what makes us unhappy and challenges us to take certain actions in order to create joy in our lives in spite of our troubles.

Each chapter contains the following:
• A humorous title linked to a fairy tale
• A Bible passage related to the main idea
• A humorous retelling of a fairy tale
• “Embracing the Happy Life (questions to think about)
• “What’s In It For Me?” (actions to take)
• A statement of the chapter’s main idea
Some chapters also include a section titled “What the Bible Says.”

I love the clever way Kolbaba relates a fairy tale to the main idea of each chapter. The tales come from Hans Christian Anderson, the Grimm brothers’ originals, and Disney’s versions. The author’s sassy side comments place these beloved but antiquated fairy tales into a modern setting I could relate to.

When I read the author’s personal stories, I smiled because they are amusing, and I could be the person she is writing about. Poking fun at herself adds to the humor. For example, Kolbaba admits she is a Generation Xer, but like most women, adamantly refuses to reveal her age. She stresses over attending class reunions and confesses to becoming an ugly stepsister, green with envy, as she views posts on Facebook. Her female friends seem to live perfect lives in size 2 bodies.

Ginger Kolbaba is wise beyond her Gen Xer years. And her sense of humor: marvelous. Combine these with numerous Bible passages sprinkled throughout and you have a winning instruction book for living happily ever after. I plan to apply Kolbaba’s wise lessons to my life and recommend this book to my friends. (I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.)

[Katrina Epperson]

This title interested me.
I don't know why, maybe because we are attracted to happily ever afters from childhood. As children, little girls, we read fairy tales of happily ever after and watched all the princess movies, probably still do. Then as teenagers we have visions of our prince sweeping us off our feet and carrying us off into the sunset. Okay, then we wake up to reality which is not what we expected. Does that sound about right? To me at least it does. I must admit I was not prepared for what's inside the pages.

When the book arrived I was so impressed and shocked, because it was not what I had expected. Now that comment doesn't sound good, but far from it. It has a beautiful cover that reminds me that something good is about to come. I anxiously leaf through and see that the layout is easy to understand and not that long in length. As I usually read fiction about love and sometimes suspense this is not my usual read that I can get lost in.

Okay, so I finally opened the pages and was impressed with how well the author arranged her thoughts and was able to mix a lot humor in her writing. She opens her heart and in turn will open your heart to the greatest love story imaginable.

Some might describe this as a self-help or even motivational book, but for me it was like a friend sitting and having a conversation about some deep issues. The author puts a twist on fairy tales of old and how they can be applied today which she backs up with scripture. It's a fascinating new perspective. She gives us inventive ways to handle anything that may be coming between us and the happily ever after that God wants for all of us.

Would I recommend this book? Most certainly! In fact, about half way through this book I couldn't wait to pass it along to my daughter in college. I think it would benefit anyone, yes that includes men. A young woman looking for her perfect prince or that thinks she's just not good enough for a happily ever after. Any Christian or non believer that needs or wants a new perspective of life and life choices.

I received this book from Barbour Publishing for a honest review without bias or outside influences as stated above and I thank them for this wonderful opportunity.

[Mackenzie Carol]

Although I typically stick to fiction (except for devotionals of course) I took a chance on Your Best Happily Ever after, and I’m so glad I did. I read it as a devotional—which it sort of is in a way—and I absolutely loved Ginger’s comical way of putting things and all of the points she made about real-life happily ever afters. Choose to take a Sabbath rest. Don’t compare yourself with others. Don’t let grouchy people steal your joy. This book is chock full of wonderful advice for making your life the happiest it could possibly be, and the best part is, all of it really is doable! Ginger shows you reasonable things you can do to make your life the best that it can be, all in a humorous way that makes this book that much more enjoyable.
Something I really loved about the way Ginger put together this book was how she gives plenty of practical applications for every idea she presents. She even gives stories of how either she or someone she knew did—or didn’t—do as she suggests. As a side note, I loved her stories. They were funny and relatable and interesting, and I loved that aspect of this book. Many times non-fiction titles are boring, repetitive, and tiresome, but I fortunately did not find that to be the case with this one. Rather, I really loved all that I learned in the course of reading this book.
All in all, I enjoyed this book very much, and happily give it all five bookshelves. Even though, up until this point, I had never reviewed a non-fiction title, now I can say I have, and I am really glad I gave this book a chance. I would recommend it to anyone and am sure I will be reading it again in the future!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
(This review is from my blog, spreadinghisgrace.blogspot.com)

[Janka H.]

This one is a beauty between the books. Using the Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytales, the lovely authoress Ginger Kolbaba offers warmth and wisdom on the way of personal growth.
The voice is very feminine - by which I mean that Ms Kolbaba understands her fellow females, their unique female struggles and joys and is brave enough to admit her struggles and joys, too. Also she is obviously a loving person and she spreads the warmth through the pages of this refreshingly creative and rich book. Also it is a very intelligent book, much more smart and deep than I thought when registering the fairytale topic. Don´t judge the book by its cover, as they say.

There is a lot of Christian "self-help" books and I´ve read my share of them. And for me, this is one of the best female encouragement Christian books I´ve ever read. Witty and pretty (both in message and the visuals), sensitive and aiming at the female heart of the matter.
The authoress goes deep - yet she doesn´t make you feeling judges. She invites to go into your pain and struggles, but offers a perspective of growth that can enormously motivate - just precisely because she understands and wants to serve women to grow into what they are called to be.

If I should recommend a female friend to read a Christian book about the personal growth in personality and in faith this year, it would be this book.

[Connie Saunders]

For most of us, the words "Once upon a time" tell us that we are about to read a wonderful story that will always end with a happy ending. We know that no matter what happens in between, we will see the words "and they lived happily ever after" at the end. These stories, these beloved fairy tales, seem so real in our youth but as we mature, we soon learn that they do not apply to our real lives.

In this book, author Ginger Kolbaba relates that all of us can attain that "happily ever after" but we probably won't always be happy. Using Bible scripture and real life experiences, she shows us that even though happiness isn't always possible, we can always have joy in our lives.

Each chapter in this book is cleverly titled to remind us of a beloved fairy tale/character and Kolbaba includes thought provoking questions, idea starters and Bible scripture to help convey her message.

I loved being reminded of the enjoyment that beloved fairy tales have brought to my life and I am thankful that "happily ever after" is promised to all of us who believe and accept God's wonderful gift of grace. Ginger Kolbaba has written a wonderful book and I know that I will read it again!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

[Helen]

Your Best Happily Ever After really surprised me. Ginger Kolbaba uses fairy-tales and bible verses to point out that we are able to choose to be happy. I have never looked at the fairy-tales in the way described in the book so this was very enlightening for me. The author points out that Cinderella, Snow White , Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel did not have good childhoods but were able to treat others nicely, while being treated so poorly, and end up with a happy life in the end. I especially enjoyed her comments of Snow White putting up with the seven dwarfs. I also appreciate the use of bible verses to point out how we should live. The chapter that made me stop and think was about the importance of a day of rest and the great suggestions of how to establish a Sabbath day in our week.

I feel this would be a great book for a bible study each chapter ends with questions and suggestions.

I was given a copy of this book by Barbour Publishing, Inc. for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to give a positive review.

[Melanie Rigney]

What a great concept! As Ginger writes, we all have idiosyncratic dwarfs, wicked stepmothers and the like in our lives... but we also can have the best support ever in the Lord if we allow Him to come in. The writing style is fluid, conversational, and inviting; you'll wish you could just pull up a chair and have some coffee with the author and discuss. Beautiful blend of Scripture, personal stories, and contemplation points. In particular, I was struck by the nudges to stop dwelling on what's gone before. This page in particular is one I'll copy and put in my billfold: "Thank God that what we used to be isn't what we always have to be. We may be shaped by our past, but we aren't held in bondage to it." Amen, sister!

[Kristi]

Combining fairy tales, true stories and scripture, this book tells you how to live your best happily ever after. Not that "happily ever after" will be perfect but you can still be happy even with the "unperfectness" in life. This book is easy to read and I found doesn't necessarily need to be read from beginning to end as you can find and read chapters that apply to you at needed moments in life.

I liked the author's writing style and it made the book easy to read and enjoyable. This would be a nice book to have handy for those moments when encouragement and inspiration are needed.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review which I have given.

[Bhriv]

The author, Ginger Kolbaba uses a bit of humor and a lot of scripture to help us see that happily ever after doesn't mean that we get to wear the glass slipper or the fancy gowns in life, but where our true happiness comes from is from the Lord. The Lord God who is ever faithful through those less than glamorous times of our life. He is the one that will help us see the beauty in each moment. A true guide book for us to go to when we're having our moments that will direct us to the scripture that will ultimately bring the true happiness in our lives. I recommend this book. I was given this book by Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

[Debbie]

Fantastic book!!! A must read for anyone who wants to take their life to the next level. It's fun and it's informational. It's a whimsical balance of wisdom and entertainment. It will encourage you, strengthen your resolve and make you feel as though you can ride your own white horse into a happily-ever-after designed just for you.

To get a feel for this wonderful book - you must check out the book trailer a thttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQJCZ...

and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0X5L...

[Corey]

I really enjoyed this book!

While it can be applied at any stage of life, for me it was what I needed right now as I am in the stage of "new mom-new wife".

In those stages, we can get focused on how other mom/wives do things, what we aren't doing right, feeling judged, distractions, I mean really the list could go on and on.

And everything I had been dealing with and struggling with, she addressed!

I bought this book on a whim, but really I feel like God led me too it!

Loved loved loved it!

[Emily Kidd]

I saw this book on the sale rack at Mardels so I picked it up. The author's style of writing (like a teenager) grated on my nervous occasionally throughout the book, but that is also the reason I decided to buy the book in the first place. It was a quick read, but still a blessing. The part about not taking others' actions towards you personally was a revelation that has made me feel lighter and freer than I have for months. Thank you, God! And I must say, her analogies were most amusing.

[Meghan]

This is kind of everything I was needing at the moment. The author uses scriptures and puts them into fairy tales. It's kind of that perfect mix of practical (scriptures) and the fairy tales most girls dream of at some point.

**I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a review**

[Yvonne]

I came across this book while shopping at a discount store. I was intrigued by the title and even more so when I saw it was a “Christian” book. After completing the book I am so impressed by the writer who so wisely wove the thread of truth together with the simplicity of Disney characters to create an impressive theological blanket to wrap up in on a quiet afternoon.

[Orange]

Very good read. I like how the author use fairy tales characters and stories to relate to God's words. Love how she shares her real life experiences with people whom she met and links them with God's words.

[Yanaisse]

Funny and inspirational

[Susan Davis]

Wisdom Wrapped A Charming Book!
A guide on how to receive a happily ever after—now, despite the inevitable heartaches and trials. Through fairy tales, laced with Bible verses, sprinkled with Ginger’s wisdom and glittered with tears and laughter, this book makes you think. Long after you turned the last page.
Ginger writes about grief and loss, “We don’t need to chase after happiness when life is good. It’s in these dark moments the we need joy to chase after us and embrace us with fierceness. That’s the invitation: to let go and ask God to meet us in our pain. To remind us that he is there mourning with us. And that is enough.” This really touched me, and it’s true Jesus promised us we will have trials and tribulations. God never leaves us.
This book would make a fabulous bible study, there are thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter.

[Marigold Sunjewel]

I knew before selecting to read this book that it was not geared towards teens and young adults, but the fairytale-themed synopsis and this particular passage sold me:

“We can actually experience happily ever after right now. With a little encouragement from some fairy-tale writers, along with some wise biblical authors, we can pursue a joy-filled life today.”

It was very difficult for me to get invested into the book in the beginning, because the lack of page formatting on my Kindle was terribly frustrating, and the author was retelling well-known fairytales with example stories sprinkled in that really didn’t grab my attention. I don’t like to give up on reading a book until I’ve read at least read half of it, so I pressed on with hopes that the story would become more interesting and adaptable for younger readers. I’m so happy I did, because the author did hit upon a number of topics that were very relatable and helpful to audiences of all ages.

The first topic that really caught my attention explained toxic people, how to identify them, and why you should rid them from your life in order to be truly happy. Toxic people are sometimes not easily identifiable, so when you really begin to question what is hindering your true happiness, you may be shocked to realize that one of your good friends is toxic. Removing toxic people completely from your life may not be entirely possible (especially if you go to the same school, are relatives, etc.), but you can make changes to your lifestyle that will push them into a less dominant role in your life.

Another interesting topic discussed first impressions. Many of us judge a person or a thing (like a book, song, artwork, etc.) within a matter of seconds and don’t often lend them another opportunity to change your mind. Not everyone or everything will make an astounding first impression (yourself included), so by taking a forgiving approach to wipe the slate clean and start over allows you to possibly see the underlying beauty that is often missed.

“When we’re tired, unrested, and overscheduled, we become our own worst nightmare.” I could definitely relate to this topic and have often been unhappy because of lack of sleep and too much going on. For example, part of my workload is out of my control, because I can’t just not do homework assignments or not study for exams or else I’d fail my classes, but I do find that if I plan ahead and actually follow-through on my delegated study/homework time, I have more free time available to do things that make me happy – like sleep and read :-) We need to make happiness a priority so we don’t stand in the way of our own joy.

The section that will really strike a chord with younger readers discusses the use of social media and comparing ourselves to others. “Studies show time and time again that the more we use social media, the more lonely, disconnected, and unhappy we feel.” Mark Twain once said that comparison is the death of joy, and while most people appear to have perfect lives, the truth is that their lives are often just as damaged as our own. The author uses Cinderella’s story to explain that some of us are trying so desperately to fit into shoes we can’t possibly fill when there is a perfect pair for each of us just waiting to be used. In other words, God has a unique plan for all of us, but it’s our job to listen to His call and use our talents for the good of others; this will bring true happiness.

Conclusions:
Although it had a rough start, I was pleasantly surprised by how the author used certain fairytales to explain relatable topics in our everyday lives that hinder our happiness. I think older audiences will get more out of this book, but there are some topics that young people can understand and use in their lives to begin the path to true happiness.