This novel beautifully explores themes of love, loss, and the complexities of moving on.

Cervantes has a gift for creating relatable characters that tug at your heartstrings. the premise of the story and the emotional writing interested me right away. I loved the way the narrative delves into the nuances of relationships and the impact they leave behind.

The writing is poignant and lyrical, capturing both the joy and pain of love in such a heartfelt way. I found myself highlighting so many beautiful passages that resonated with me.

While I really enjoyed the story, I felt that the pacing could have been a bit smoother in some parts, where I found myself skimming pages or having to reread a passage.

This was alright but not really for me. Overall I kind of just slugged through it to finish it. The concept was interesting though!

Oof! Sometimes you just need a book that’s going to rip your heart out then glue it back together. This book did just that! Be aware that if you are a book crier this one will have you crying tears of heartbreak, joy, and sadness.

We start with Hart and Ruby a couple of high school kids who went from friends to lovers and love and know each other and the deepest levels. We are introduced to them a few days before “the end” and you know something is coming you just don’t know from where or for who. We get to see the love and joy that Ruby and Hart have together and then you’re hit with it. What you know has been coming for a few chapters.

Hart takes on an extra shift on the boat he and Ruby work on and despite Ruby’s pleas to not go he ends up going anyway. Through a series of events Hart ends up overboard saving the owners child at the expense of his own life.

Then we jump five months ahead. Ruby is a shell of herself. Her friends have drifted away and she can’t bring herself to find joy in anything she did before. Especially when every memory has a piece of Hart in it. Unbeknownst to her a hitch in the universe is about to turn her world upside down and she has to decide if she will allow herself to move forward and on or allow herself to be pulled under by the grief.

This is such a great story filled with so much love, not just romantic love but family and friendship through the toughest of times. It’s about letting go and learning to find a way forward even if it breaks your heart. It’s also about never giving up and that true love can even make the universe bend to its will.

Ruby and Hart have loved each other since they were children. But in a bid to make more money for their sailboat, Hart dies in a tragic accident. But due to divine intervention Hart gets a second chance in the body of bad boy Jameson. Now Hart has little time to find his way back to Ruby.

Younger me as a teen would honestly have frothed this book about soul mates who met as children! And I think many people will LOVE this book. But unfortunately for me I think I was the wrong age for this youthful soulmates story and found it too young for my preferred taste. If you love YA and soulmates you’ll love this!

Thank you sooo much for the arc, NetGalley. This book is going to break my heart ❤️ and I can't wait to read it heheheheh💓💓💓💓💓

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of Always Isn’t Forever in exchange for an honest review!

This book delivered! I was excited when this book was recommended to those of fans of You’ve Reached Sam, because I really enjoyed that book and I’m happy to say that I enjoyed this one too. Always Isn’t Forever follows two teens, Ruby and Hart, who are madly in love. A terrible boating accident cuts Hart’s life short, leaving Ruby heartbroken and alone. Lourdes, an angel gives Hart the opportunity to come back in another body. This body happens to be Jameson’s, the local bad boy who Ruby can’t stand. Hart is given the opportunity to take over Jameson’s body, while still maintaining his own thoughts and memories for a limited time, in order to see his one true love again.

All around, the characters were extremely well written. I loved both Hart and Ruby and think that the author did such a great job creating this love story. You can’t help but find yourself rooting for Hart and Ruby to find each other and beat the odds, after Hart takes over Jameson’s body and tries to win Ruby over. Lourdes was also an extremely well written character. We got to see her develop over the course of the book, making personal sacrifices in order to give Hart and Ruby the chance to find each other. What also was important to me was that each of the characters meant something to this story. Quite often authors will write characters just to fill space, but in this story, each of the characters introduced meant something, and that’s something that I really appreciated.

I also enjoyed the alternating chapters between Ruby and Hart/Jameson. I’m a big fan of reading the story from two different perspectives and I think the author did a great job creating unique mindsets for each character. I also really enjoyed how the chapters were so short. I find that this keeps me engaged more and I’m not flipping through to see how many pages I have left before I can take a break.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. I can’t say enough great things about it.

This book made me cry much like Cervantes other book "You've reached Sam" Read with a box of tissues!!

This was such a beautiful book. i recommended it to all my friends. wowowow just wow im so amazed. Thank you netgalley for the arc btw

A huge thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for giving me the chance to read Always Isn't Forever by J. C. Cervantes in exchange for my honest review.

What to say about this incredible romance first ?
The fact that is a second chance romance ? That is has a rare trope -that of reincarnated lovers- that I simply can't get enough of ? That it shows dealing with the loss of a loved one and the healing process of slowly moving on but also how hard and how easy it is to hold on to love ?This book has it ALL!
After reading this beautiful story of Hart and Ruby, I can see why many compare it to the also reader favourite "You've reached Sam".
I cried ,I laughed and loved all in the same book and it was glorious!

Unfortunately a DNF for me, I thought the premise was incredible but the writing didn’t draw me in in the end.

I liked this one. I originally wanted to read it because it said it had you’ve reached Sam vibes, and it does, but at the same time it has a unique twist. I loved the plot, the world, and the main characters. I laughed and I cried.

At first, this book really grabbed my attention, but as I got further into it, the pace slowed and it started to feel repetitive. The focus on themes of death and loss was clear from the beginning, but by the time I was 70 percent through, the tone hadn't shifted and it all felt a bit too heavy and bleak.

*Disclaimer I have received a free copy of this book and it will not affect my thoughts or feelings towards it.*

Oh my god where do I even begin with this book!!! This book literally changed my entire brain when it came to love! This book was just flawless from start to end. The book starts off a little cheesy but after a short part one, part two grabs your heart strings and never lets go! Hart was such a likeable character and it always so amazing to see his passion and determination to fight all the cosmic for the love he truly believed defied it all. Ruby was another character who I enjoyed seeing life through their eyes. I felt every pain she was going through and understood where her anger and frustration came from. All I wanted for her was to be able to reach a inner peace and find love again. Both of these characters go through amazing arcs and come out better than before. Every supporting character in this story feels so unique and fleshed out I almost wished we got more time with them. Ruby's sister and Lourdes were some of the best supporting characters I have ever read and work so great as a foil to the MC they are attached to. I could not tell you how many times these characters had me laughing on one page and then the next feeling like crying! The worldbuilding and the pacing were awesome and I felt like the magical elements and rules made sense and did not distract the text from the message and heart it has inside of it. Overall this book was a perfect 5 stars in my eyes and really has me wondering what the power of true love can do for someone in their life.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was unique and very fun to read. It kept me anxiously waiting! Very well done. The only thing that kept it from getting a 5 star was how the main female character acted at times.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one. I can definitely see the appeal but I think it just wasn’t for me. I do think that the cover is stunning

I am definitely not someone who is in the genre of magical realism very often, but this book captured my attention right away.

This book has an immense amount of angst, grief and sadness. I was expecting this after reading the synopsis, so this was good to know ahead of time for sure.

The main characters and their development made this entire book for me. Ruby and Hart’s connection was unlike any other that I had read before. The writing style celebrates their love for each other in a way that still reflects grief after what happened to Hart.

Overall, I would absolutely give this author another chance! I really enjoyed the writing and the dialogue.

This book broke me in so many ways. It was such a good read about love and grief. Truly one to remember

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OK I knew immediately by looking at this cover that this book was going to make me feel some kind of way and it did not disappoint me. I had ALL the feelings while reading about Hart and Ruby. The flashes to their childhood and how strong their friendship was just cemented the feels and then when Hart came back as Jameson and getting to see their love all over again? Guh. I loved it.

I haven't read anything by this author before, but I'm very eager to see what else they put out in the future!

I DNF-ed this one & attempted to come back to it later, but continued to find it surprisingly hard to get invested. While I thought the premise was interesting and was immediately intrigued by the description, the exposition of the plot wasn't particularly compelling. Personally, I think this story would've been served well by a stronger hook and more engaging character voices, but I sincerely hope it's found a home with readers elsewhere.