Emily Ever After

Hired within a month of each other, we met while working as editorial assistants at Random House. We quickly learned that we had more in common than our jobs. We were both Christians, trying to live out our faiths and make it in New York. Over lunch in the corporate cafeteria, we decided to write about our triumphs, struggles, and, most importantly, our journey. Emily Ever After is, in many ways, our story. It is also a modern retelling of the biblical story of Esther.

Emily Hinton needs out. She dreams of sophisticated people, love, and Louis Vuitton. When she lands a dream-job at the world famous publishing house Morrow and Sons, she knows she is finally on her way. She packs her bags and sets out for Manhattan, where she will fit in even if it kills her.

She quickly becomes friends with the girls at work and begins to learn a thing or two about how things are done in Manhattan. She soon attracts the attention of the handsome Bennett, who, according to her friends, is a goody-goody who attends church every Sunday. What her friends regard as a tragic waste is just what Emily has been looking for, and she is soon swept into a whirlwind romance. An overnight visit to his parents’ house and a seemingly idle flirtation with one of her colleagues, however, give her second thoughts about what Bennett really wants. Her uncertainly about her feelings escalates even more when one of the hometown boys she left behind reappears in her life. Emily’s life at the office is also becoming more complicated: an ambitious editor is breaking all the rules to publish a controversial book that demeans everything Emily believes in. Will she stand up for what is right and risk losing it all?

Balancing her passion for the glitz and glamour of New York with her determination to live by her morals turns out to be more difficult than Emily ever imagined. Her roundabout quest for happiness will endear her to anyone who has ever dreamed of making it big and faced more than a few pitfalls along the way.

“A classic story wrapped in the sweetness and comedy of chick lit.”
— Relevant

“Wickedly funny, but moral at the core.”
— Publisher’s Weekly

“Dayton and Vanderbilt’s charming offering will appeal to readers looking for a wholesome heroine navigating big-city life.”
— Booklist

“With her relatable mistakes, questions, and regrets, Emily proves to be a refreshingly real chick lit heroine.”
— Today’s Christian Woman

“Frank, witty, and funny.”
— School Library Journal

“Peppered with gentle humor and edgy dialogue, the authors excel at getting under the surface to the heart of Emily’s struggles... Readers will thoroughly enjoy walking alongside this young adult woman as she learns to accept herself in a unaccepting, unsupportive environment.”
— faithfulreader.com