3.5🤩🤩🤩
“Love Amid Lies”
Don’t You Forget About Me is book two in Naima Simone’s Love on the Radio series.

It follows the struggling reconciliation between teacher Lennon Ward and rehabbed rockstar King Sullivan. It’s about first loves, broken hearts, shattered dreams, and betrayal and lies.
The story began ten years prior when young love turns to simmering hate. King leaves Lennon without a word and begins his life as troubled rocker. Lennon is left alone to heal from her heartache because the two kept their love affair a secret. Present day, old secrets are revealed when King comes back to town and he and Lennon learn to love each other again as adults.
There is a lot of angst in this one and a bit of suspense surrounding the reason for their initial breakup. These two get hot and heavy when they finally do reconcile. There is definitely chemistry between the two but it took me a beat to get into it. There are lot of toxic feelings, mistrust, and dirty dealings in the storyline. It felt like that overshadowed the romance somewhat.
But King and Lennon do get their HEA with a sweet surprise in the end!
Read if you’re down with:
*Rockstar Romance
*Angst
*Betrayal & Lies
*Interracial Love

4.5 ★
TW: alcohol/drug abuse, toxic parent, gaslighting/manipulation/deception, mentions of parent death
This was such an enjoyable read! I don't typically gravitate toward non-epilogue-based novellas BUT something about this blurb & the tropes were speaking to me and I was NOT disappointed! I want a full-length novel of King & Lennon, please!!!!!!!!!

Childhood lovers > strangers > enemies > fwb > lovers pipeline supremacy!! Add in small town, single dad, rockstar, AND lots and lots of angst and mutual longing? Absolute masterpiece!!

You could feel the pain of King & Lennon's ten-year separation so vividly and when they hurt, I hurt. There were also sensitive descriptions surrounding addiction and mental health and it was very grounding and impactful. Throughout the whole story, I was just rooting for these two. This is the type of love you dream about fr. The email???? Swooning.
I do wish the conflict happened a bit differently or that there was a bit more story between the conflict/conflict resolution and the ending, but, it's a novella, so I get it.

I have definitely fallen in love with Naima Simone's storytelling and I will definitely be reading more by her because I really loved this!!

Huge thank you to NetGalley & Oliver Herber Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Being written by Naime Simone, I knew this book was going to be filled with the potent tension she excels in writing. But it was something else that I loved even more!

This is the story of Lennon and King. They were once lovers when she was in highschool, had planned to leave as soon as she finished but he just left town and never responded to her messages. Now he's a famous rock singer, an ex addict, a new father and back in their small town.

Both of them are equally lovely characters, strong, empathetic and charming. There are her friends and his friends all equally nice additions to the story. Their love is so full of heat, their encounters sizzling, there's that type of "can't leave without you" kind of love that I pretty much love :D

But what I absolutely adored about this book is Lennon's becoming, how she comes from the woman who, despite being hurt, tries to be close to her father, to the woman she chooses herself and asks for what she knows she deserves. That was pure beauty, and the way she talks to her father and even to King is a work of art: so much calm and empathy, yet so much strength. For this I loved this book and I feel it deserves all the brightest 5 stars.

I received a copy of this in order to offer my personal view on it.

Lennon Ward & King Sullivan had a secret romance ten years ago, or so they thought. Yet, King left Lennon on the night of her HS graduation without any notice considering the plan was to leave together. Unbeknownst to Lennon dark forces from her inner circle forced King’s solo departure ten years ago.

Now King, lead singer/writer of his rock group is back to settle down and raise his infant son away from the Hollywood glitz, paparazzi, and drugs that almost claimed his life. King is now 6 months sober, has a 9 month old son, and lots baggage from the last 10 years. Yet when he runs into Lennon again, it’s as if he never left…except for the hurt and disappointment he reads in her eyes.

While King and Lennon embark on another ‘clandestine’ relationship, the dark forces are back at work to destroy their budding new relationship.

Once the barrier is revealed, Lennon must decide if she can be with the one lied to her, King…but she also severs ties with the one who betrayed and hurt her the most instead of protecting and strengthening her when she was hurting the most.

I loved Lennon in this story, she’s strong, independent, determined, yet she’s still a daddy’s girl…until he (daddy, the judge and jury in this case) betrays her trust completely. I grew to love King, especially as he stood firm in his decision to let Lennon drive the tempo and depth of their current day relationship. There’s a fantastic happy ending for Lennon and King.

This was a short second chance romance and I gobbled it up.
King moves back to his hometown, after hitting rock bottom and picking himself up with the help of his friends/band mates. Lennon has never gotten over King, as he was her first love, but he broke her heart. The chemistry between King and Lennon was great. I would have like to have more flashbacks of how their relationship was the first time around, but because it's a novella I understood the need for brevity.
The friendships for both Mc's were so supportive and loving, I really appreciated that, especially because both of their home lives were not the best in different ways.
A nice story with some spice.

The storyline was actually a regular second chance romance but I liked the way the author has brought it out.

Lennon - The Female Character was love stuck with King (Hero) unfortunately due to a certain circumstance he had to leave her behind their hometown while she had countless dreams with him. I loved the way she overcame her toughest part of life and past her life my teaching at a School.

King - The Male Character was in a position to choose between the love of his life or his own brother. He took up the best choice and moved away from the town. He knew he should have never should have been apart from her and every ways he tried to pay for his mistake was actually cute.

The book actually contained everything it should possibly contain for a slow burn romance in just eleven chapters. Damn the book is a perfect mix of broken emotion, passion, love, affection, imperfections and family issues.

Tropes:-
Single Dad
Sunshine Heroine
Parent death
Small Town
Rehab

I really loved Lena (Lennon's best friend) I would have loved to see more about her in this book. Honestly I can't wait for the next book in this series.

Thanks to @netgalley and @naimasimoneauthor for giving me the ARC of this book.

I wish there was more. I wanted more depth in the story. We don’t get to see King and Lennon interact without sex or fighting. We don’t see why they like each other. Why the fell for each other. We see a little why Lennon and King are the way they are. I can’t really say much because I don’t want to give out spoilers. But more was needed.
Now I did like the overall story. I enjoyed my time reading this.

* I was give a copy of this book but this plays no part in how I felt or how I rated this book*

Can the rockstar get his girl or will the past come back to haunt him once more.... This book was so good - the tension, the heat, the secrets, the betrayals!!

Don’t you forget about me
By: Naima Simone

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Never should’ve been apart!

In the second book in the Love in the radio series we meet King and Lennon. And oh boy did they have a heart breaking story to tell. Her manipulative judge father at the literal head of the storm. The entire story you know the love these two share and the loss that neither deserved. It was amazing to see how they come back to one another. The author writing is flawless, and the words are so captivating, the plot had so many twists and turns and none that I was expecting, and many shockingly intimate I have become a huge fan of this author. The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some are quick witted story lines are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.

Authors Blurb: Whoever said be careful what you wish for had a serious gift for understatement.

As one of the world’s hugest musicians I’d seen and had it all. Sold out tours. Awards. Fame. Money. Women… And I’d almost lost it all. Epically.

Now I’m back home. A broken, burned out, desperate rock star…and a single father. I returned to give my son a family, stability. To figure out my life. But coming home meant seeing her.

The woman who was once my everything. Who made life in this too small town bearable. Who I loved with my whole heart…my whole body. But long held secrets forced me to leave nine years ago. Forced me to abandon her. And she’s never forgiven me.

Still…

I’ve never forgotten her or the heat between us that burned so hot we damn near went up in flames with it. And I want it again. And again. Even knowing the past will only tear us apart once more…

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really like Naima Simone’s writing and steamy scenes - Simone is a go-to author for me. So I think my problem with this was that it was too short! There wasn’t enough of it! I don’t think the depth of this book suited a novella/shorter story.

I really struggled to buy into the quick jump from hatred to full steam, particularly with very little dialogue reconnecting the leads after 10 years apart. I enjoyed it, and I loved the concept and tension between the characters. But it lacked a lot of the connecting scenes to help me invest.

I’d read an extended version of this!

I loved this journey for me..This was a good short romance. Something to read between those longer books. Although a shorter read Naima can put an entry story together that gives you a plot, some character development and a happy ending without focusing to much on thing or closin*the conflict.

This isn a second chance romance between King and Lennon whom had their love rippped from them unexpectantly

The The basic plot isn't too complicated so I enjoyed that the point wasn't lost and the romance was Sharpe. The sexy spicy scenes were hot fire.

King Sullivan burned his bridges with Lennon Ward and then burned out trying to forget her. The rockstar lifestyle nearly does him in until one of his past mistakes slaps him in the face with reality. His return home to Pike’s End places him in Lennon’s path again.

10 years ago, Lennon’s teenage heart was shattered when King, her secret boyfriend, disappeared after graduation without a word, leaving her behind to chase his dreams of being a rockstar.

As they rediscover their passion for each other is still just as strong can she forgive him when the truth behind his leaving comes to light?

We get to bear witness to the emotional roller coaster Lennon experiences with King’s return as we watch her grow into a strong determined woman who takes charge of her life and goes after all her heart desires.

I loved reading this story and the fun play on song titles for this series.

Don't You Forget About Me is a second chance romance involving King, a rockstar who has recently gotten out of rehab and has returned to his hometown ten years after he abruptly left it, and Lennon behind. Lennon is an elementary school teacher and at one time loved King more than anything, until he left her behind and broke her heart.

There was so much passion and fire between Lennon and King. They had ten years of unresolved issues and feelings and secrets. I struggled somewhat with how quickly Lennon moved beyond her anger and grief over the past and their relationship to get involved with King on a physical level. It didn't seem realistic given the depth of feelings and hurt. I did appreciate how much King seemed to have worked to turn his life around. I did think these two had some great chemstry and I could see them together. I just struggled with how quickly it happened.

This book was really fast-paced and/or it had a lot happening and it was shorter in length so it made it seemed somewhat hurried and maybe things didn't get the development they deserved. This was my first book by this author so I didn't quite know what to expect. It was engaging, I just think it wasn't completely realistic at times and it had maybe too much going on.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have no life experience to speak on this subject but are people really like this? Books would have you believe that someone you dated for 5 minutes in high school leaves you unable to ever truly move on a decade later... is that true? Because with most things it seems you can grow up and get past things and there’s no reason at all I can see that you would still be so hung up on someone you dated for I wanna say months or weeks back when you were 18 and now you are 28 with a fully functioning brain and you’ve never really moved on. It makes sense when teenagers are so hung up on that stuff but come on you are almost 30... Anywho I say all that to say I may have found another troupe that I hate. Nothing wrong with a second chance love but this type of thing feels nonsensical. At least to me who has never experienced such in real life. Still seems ridiculous...

So....

Obviously this is a book about a second chance love ten years and many obstacles later. King is a famous rockstar fresh out of rehab returning to the town he was desperate to escape from all his life. He’s got a baby son and his band mates decided to make the move with him cause family. Then there’s Lennon the woman left behind with a seriously unhealthy relationship with her father and a fairly recent break up from a relationship ship going nowhere. Ten years ago Lennon and King had a super secret relationship for reasons and he seemingly ditched her to move to LA and start a life of his own. Because this is in fact a romance of course there’s more to the story and the “secret” becomes obvious very quickly. Now King is back both him and Lennon are having feels cause romance.

Unnecessary secrets and lies are rather annoying to me too but that’s just me. Because you really could tell someone something even if you have to do the thing that’s going to hurt them. You could make them understand alas that takes way too much thinking for people in a romance. Another nonsense thing is why did King even come back to this town? There are small towns literally everywhere he could have gone anywhere. Instead he goes to a place he doesn’t like full of people who always looked down on him and know his whole family history. A town where his son would grow up potentially being treated the same way he was. But the answer of course is romance and really obviously because Lennon is there. Why did she never move away from this town she had been willing to leave once? Nonsense reasons.

I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance for so many reasons if there’s not something else going on some magic, supernatural, mystery or something else they are just nonsense to me. So much nonsense and predictability. Two chapters in I already know exactly how this would all go... romance comes with a stupid formula but people like it. So that said it was never going to be 5 stars for me. I wanted to read it because I haven’t read the author before but I had heard of her and seen her places so when I saw the arc I figured why not? It did seem like it could be interesting. And to be clear I don’t actually hate it, there’s a story of redemption and overcoming addiction and whatnot in there. I also didn’t hate the characters. But points off for predictability and nonsense. I still plan on reading other works by the author and this is the 2nd book in the series so I’ll check out the first too.

It is really impossible not to enjoy this wonderfully thrilling and captivating story. Sit comfortably, prepare your snacks and get sucked into this captivating story. I am suffering from the lack of sleep because I just had to read it at once.

Quick Summary: Second chance with a rocker

My Review: Don't You Forget About Me by Naima Simone was a love of a lifetime, second chance romance. It was about King, a small town guy turned rocker with a troubled past, and Lennon, the daughter of a judge who fell hard for a perceived bad boy.

From the beginning of this story, Lennon wears her heart on her sleeve. She is young and in love with King. She has given him all of her firsts. Almost immediately, she is faced with a harsh and brutal reality. Feeling betrayed and abandoned, she tries to live her life on her own terms. A decade of settling has left her empty. She longs for more.

Haunted by his past and chasing away his demons, King returns to his roots. Soon, he has an inevitable encounter with the only woman he has ever loved. Even with knowing he should stay away from her, he can't. With secrets existing between them, he knows his true desire can never be. Still, he longs for more.

My Final Say: This romance was a total vibe. In this love story, there was innocence, first love, hurt feelings, manipulations, dysfunctional relationships, betrayals, unconditional love, and forgiveness. Readers who enjoy a love that was meant to be type of story will swoon for this one.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Level: M
Status: Short but sweet 🍬

Other: A few editing problems were noted, however, it did not detract from the overall story. Also, I noticed that the cover of the book did not seem to totally match with the identifying traits associated with King. I love the cover, but the content read as a multicultural romance. I wish the cover would have depicted that.

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher, and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own and have not been influenced by the aforementioned in any way.

This wasn’t my favorite of her books. For being a novella, it was very angsty and there was so much in the way of secrets and anger and lying and betrayal and toxic father/daughter relationship and getting arrested and a judge who was abusing his power and a hero fresh out of rehab with a new baby. It was all too much. I did like the second chance romance aspect of it but I really hated Lennon’s dad and how he treated her, frankly, was a bit triggering for me. I just wish it had either been a full length book because there were so many issues that didn’t get the attention they deserved due to the space constraints of a novella or that there were slightly less issues overall, like maybe 1 or 2 less things. Regardless, this author is always a must read for me and despite my issues with this particular book, I read it in 1 sitting.

Content Notes: addiction, mention of rehab, toxic parental relationships, off page parental death, abuse of authority, abandonment;

Let me gather myself because this one really had my emotions all over the place. I loved this for me! Naima has this way of penning a romance that just has you so involved that you can't help but cheer for the HEA. But this couple had to earn it and along with finding themselves. Lennon, love her name, was in love with the "bad boy" of her small town. Her and King snuck around because her father controlled every second of her life as a teenager. Let's be honest, her dad tried to as an adult also. Lennon and King made an agreement to leave town after she graduated from high school. That's when King ghosted her for 10 years.
King comes back after getting rid of his own demons and ready to claim Lennon again. If only life would be that simple for our rock star. King and Lennon eventually find their HEA in each other but the work and reconnection is what really makes this book for me.
I loved every moment of this book.

Triggers: ghosting, controlling parent, death of a parent (Cancer), and substance abuse

Received book for review.
2nd chance. Single parent. Rock star pop
Lennon lost her first love when he left town without her on the far of her graduation. King had to leave for family. He didn’t tell Lennon anything, he just disappeared.
Her father is a judge and is obsessed with his image.
This book moves fast. Lennon has a lot of hurt but she doesn’t pull her punches. She’s done with other people making decisions for her. King is brutally honest. He has been through a lot in the last 10 years and has no time for games. He’s here to raise his son and maintain his sobriety.

2.5 Stars This was a very quick, easy second-chance romance about a struggling rock star and the woman he left behind. Ten years ago, Lennon was going to run away from her small hometown of Pike’s End, Washington, with her aspiring musician boyfriend, King, to LA, when he suddenly vanishes. Now, Lennon is still in Pike’s End, working as a teacher, when King returns to town to raise his infant son. Having achieved worldwide success with his band, King is now recovering from an overdose and time in rehab. He’s never forgotten the pain of leaving Lennon and can’t stay away when he sees her in town again.

This was a very quick read and is probably more of a novella than a novel. The quick pace was perfect though and kept the story interesting. I do wish we had learned a little bit more about who Lennon and King were in their ten years apart, especially Lennon since we don’t get a ton of info about what she’s done since he left other than become a teacher and have one significant relationship. The ending was sweet and just right for their second chance at happiness.