Once Upon a Broken Heart Series: Reading Order, Books, TV News
Some readers meet Jacks before they ever open a Once Upon a Broken Heart book — a character with an apple habit and a true-love mystery that follows him everywhere. The series that carries his story runs three books published between 2021 and 2023, with a companion volume scheduled for 2026, and this guide sorts the reading order, settles the spice question, and separates confirmed book facts from unverified adaptation claims.
Main books: 3 · Author: Stephanie Garber · Genre: Young adult fantasy romance · First book: 2021 · Last book: 2023
Quick snapshot
- The core story is a completed trilogy (Bookroo (book discovery database))
- The central pair is Evangeline Fox and Jacks, the Prince of Hearts (T.L. Branson (fantasy book order guide))
- Whether The Mirror of Infinite Endings is book four or a companion — catalogs disagree (Rising Shadow (speculative fiction database))
- The TV adaptation’s exact status; no network or release date confirmed (Caraval Fandom Wiki (fan-run database))
- Book one launched in 2021 (Romantasy Order (reading-order guide))
- The final book followed in 2023 (Barnes & Noble (bookseller catalog))
- The Mirror of Infinite Endings is listed for publication in 2026 (Apple Books (retail catalog))
- Reading guides slot the companion after A Curse for True Love (The Well Bookshop (bookseller series page))
Six facts, one pattern: the details readers argue about most — spice, book count, adaptation status — are cataloging questions, not story questions.
| Author | Stephanie Garber (Wikipedia (author biography)) |
| Number of books | 3 (Amazon (bookseller listing)) |
| First book | Once Upon a Broken Heart, 2021 (Publishers Weekly (publishing trade review)) |
| Last book | A Curse for True Love, 2023 (Penguin Random House (publisher catalog)) |
| Genre | Young adult fantasy romance (Goodreads (reader database)) |
| Setting | Caraval universe (T.L. Branson, fantasy book order guide) |
In what order should I read Once Upon a Broken Heart?
In short: publication order. Each book picks up where the previous one ends, so the spoiler-safe route is also the most natural one (Knowledge Compendium, book order reference).
What is the recommended reading order?
- Once Upon a Broken Heart (2021) — book one (Romantasy Order, reading-order guide)
- The Ballad of Never After (2022) — book two (The Well Bookshop, bookseller series page)
- A Curse for True Love (2023) — book three (Barnes & Noble, bookseller catalog)
The three titles form a single continuous narrative. Reading them out of order is the one move that reliably damages the experience, because each volume assumes you watched the previous one end.
Should I read Caraval first?
- Optional: Evangeline’s central story stands on its own (Fabled Romance (romance fiction database))
- Caraval first adds context about Jacks and the shared world (Knowledge Compendium, book order reference)
- Once Upon a Broken Heart is not Caraval book four (T.L. Branson, fantasy book order guide)
The honest trade-off: reading Caraval first gives Jacks a longer runway and makes his entrance in book one land differently. Skipping it leaves Evangeline’s story self-contained — you won’t be lost, just less forewarned about what Jacks is capable of.
Why this matters: the order doesn’t change the quality of the books — it changes the shape of Jacks. Readers who start with Caraval see a dangerous fate first; readers who start with Once Upon a Broken Heart see a mystery first.
Is Once Upon a Broken Heart a spicy series?
Short answer: it is romantic, tense, and occasionally devastating — but it is not explicit. The books are young adult fantasy romance, and their heat lives in the longing, not on the page (Goodreads, reader database).
What is the romance level?
- Reader consensus on r/YAlit: slow-burn tension, chemistry, and no open-door scenes (Reddit (reader community))
- The author frames the series as a fairytale romance (Stephanie Garber (official author site))
The romance plot is the plot. Evangeline’s feelings, Jacks’ motives, and the question of who can be trusted drive every volume; the physical heat is the last thing on the page.
How does the spice level compare to Caraval?
- Caraval sits in the same lane: young adult, emotionally charged, sexually restrained (Reddit, reader community)
If Caraval felt too tame for you, this will too. If Caraval’s romance was the reason you stayed, the spinoff gives you more of that exact feeling.
No official spice rating exists for the series. The confirmed signal is the category — young adult fantasy romance — so treat any “spice level” you see online as reader shorthand, not a publisher label.
The trade-off: readers looking for adult romantasy’s explicit payoff will feel teased; readers who want ache, chemistry, and a slow reveal will feel spoiled.
How many books does the Once Upon a Broken Heart series have?
Three main books. Store catalogs and series databases list the trilogy as a complete set (Amazon, bookseller listing), and there is no fourth novel in the main line.
Is there a 4th Once Upon a Broken Heart book?
- No fourth main novel has been announced (Fabled Romance, romance fiction database)
- Some catalogs list The Mirror of Infinite Endings as a fourth entry (Rising Shadow, speculative fiction database)
The discrepancy is a cataloging quirk, not a plot twist. The original Evangeline-and-Jacks story ends with A Curse for True Love; everything after that extends the franchise rather than continuing the central arc.
Are there any companion novellas?
A 2026 companion is in the catalog, but it does not continue the central trilogy. Completionists get a new artifact; new readers get a complete story either way.
Apple Books lists The Mirror of Infinite Endings for a 2026 release, and store guides place it after A Curse for True Love. Neither listing treats it as the next chapter of Evangeline’s arc — which is why “how many books” has two honest answers: three if you count the story, four if you count the shelf slots.
The pattern: “how many books” is the series’ most-asked question, and the confusion is almost entirely about whether a companion counts. The books themselves leave no doubt — three main novels, complete.
Is Once Upon a Broken Heart becoming a TV show?
Yes — with a heavy “in development” asterisk. The series was optioned for television development, according to the fan-run wiki that maintains the franchise timeline (Caraval Fandom Wiki, fan-run database). What doesn’t exist yet is the production side: no network, no cast, no release date.
Are they making a Ouabh movie?
- No movie has been announced; the reported project is a television series, and fan trackers document the option, not a film
The “Ouabh” spelling is fandom shorthand for the series title. When a headline says “Ouabh movie,” it is usually the TV news, loosely worded.
Who is adapting the series?
- No studio, streamer, or production company has been officially named (Stephanie Garber, official author site)
Until the author or a studio makes a public announcement, any casting or network rumor is speculation. The author’s official site remains the only confirmed channel for franchise news.
Of all the questions around the series, the adaptation is the one with the least verified information: no network, no cast, and no air date exist in any official record.
The implication: the books are the only canon available now. A development option is a promise, not a product — and options change hands, change formats, and occasionally disappear.
Who is Jack’s true love?
The trilogy’s answer is Evangeline Fox — a reveal the series builds toward from the first chapters, according to the fan wiki that tracks the series’ lore (Caraval Fandom Wiki, fan-run database).
What is Jack’s role in the series?
- Jacks is the Prince of Hearts, a Fate from the Caraval books (Penguin Random House, publisher catalog)
- In the spinoff, he becomes Evangeline’s central romantic counterpart (Publishers Weekly, publishing trade review)
He is the character the series constantly re-frames: at times the threat, at times the only honest person in the room. The books deliberately keep his allegiance — and his heart — in question until the final volume.
How does his love for Evangeline develop?
The Jacks–Evangeline dynamic is why reading order matters: their relationship builds scene by scene, and the payoff in A Curse for True Love assumes you watched it accumulate.
The short version, without spoilers: the trilogy turns “true love” from a fairytale promise into a complicated, earned claim. Jacks’ feelings start in strategy and end somewhere he did not expect — and the series makes you question both directions the entire way.
What this means: “true love” in this series has a name attached — Evangeline Fox — and the books spend three volumes proving the name means more than a fairytale label.
A simple 3-step reading plan
If the sections above feel like homework, here’s the short version.
- Start with the 2021 novel, Once Upon a Broken Heart (Publishers Weekly, publishing trade review)
- Continue with The Ballad of Never After, then A Curse for True Love — publication order, no skips
- Treat The Mirror of Infinite Endings as the bonus read once the core trilogy is done — it’s the 2026 companion, not book four
The plan is deliberately boring. The trilogy rewards patience, and the only wrong way in is to start with the second or third book and spoil yourself.
Timeline signal
Three publication dates, one pattern: a book per year, with the trilogy completed while the fandom was still catching its breath.
| 2021 | Once Upon a Broken Heart published (Romantasy Order, reading-order guide) |
| 2022 | The Ballad of Never After published (Goodreads, reader database) |
| 2023 | A Curse for True Love published (Penguin Random House, publisher catalog) |
The cadence matters for newcomers: the trilogy was released, completed, and wrapped within three years, so there is no waiting-for-the-finale problem. The next scheduled beat is the 2026 companion, not a fourth installment.
What’s confirmed vs. what’s still unclear
The series has a split personality: rock-solid on the book side, genuinely fuzzy on the franchise side.
Confirmed facts
- The series is a completed trilogy; all three main books are published (Wikipedia (Caraval series overview))
- The recommended reading order is publication order — see the reading-order section above (Knowledge Compendium (book order reference))
What’s unclear
- Whether The Mirror of Infinite Endings is book four or a companion (Rising Shadow, speculative fiction database)
- The TV adaptation’s future: no network, cast, or release date confirmed (Stephanie Garber, official author site)
- The spice level: no official rating exists, so “heat” is reader shorthand (Reddit, reader community)
The split is consistent: the settled items are publishing facts, and the open items are cataloging and development questions.
What the sources say
“The core Once Upon a Broken Heart story is a three-book trilogy: Once Upon a Broken Heart, The Ballad of Never After, and A Curse for True Love.”
— Bookroo (book discovery database)
“Some secondary databases count The Mirror of Infinite Endings as a fourth series entry, while other guides classify it as a companion.”
— Rising Shadow (speculative fiction database)
“The main trilogy is described as a continuous progressive narrative, making publication order the safest spoiler-minimizing order.”
— Knowledge Compendium (book order reference)
Agreement across the three is the same: the reading order and the completed trilogy are stable; the only real dispute is how to label the companion.
The takeaway
The Once Upon a Broken Heart series is a completed three-book fairytale romance with a clear reading order, a firm young-adult heat level, and one genuinely open question: what happens with the television adaptation. The companion volume lands in 2026, and the original trilogy will still be the entry point when it does. For readers new to the fandom, the decision is simple: start with book one and read in publication order, or you’ll meet Jacks after someone else already spoiled his secret.
Frequently asked questions
Did Apollo really love Evangeline?
The books leave Apollo’s feelings complicated on purpose. He believes Evangeline is tied to his destiny for much of the story, but the trilogy keeps asking how much of that belief is genuine love and how much is shaped by everything around it. A simple yes or no would undo one of the series’ best tensions.
Why does Jack eat apples in Once Upon a Broken Heart?
The apple is Jacks’ signature detail and one of the trilogy’s running mysteries. The books treat it as a clue to his nature as the Prince of Hearts, but they never explain it in a single line — the motif builds across all three volumes and connects to the larger reveals about who he is.
Is Evangeline mentioned in Caraval?
Evangeline’s story begins in Once Upon a Broken Heart; the Caraval books are where Jacks appears first. The link between the two series is Jacks, so if you’re hunting for her name in the earlier trilogy, the better approach is to follow him instead.
Is Caraval a LGBTQ book?
Neither series centers an LGBTQ romance. The main arcs in Caraval and in Once Upon a Broken Heart are straight fantasy-romance pairings, so readers looking for central queer representation in Garber’s universe should check fan discussions before picking up the books.
How spicy is Caraval?
Caraval is the same tier as Once Upon a Broken Heart: young adult romance with real chemistry and zero open-door scenes. The heat is in the tension and the near-misses, not in explicit payoffs.
The FAQ answers keep the same pattern: the core trilogy is complete, the heat is young adult, and the unresolved questions are about the franchise, not the story.
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