Reviewed for NetGalley:

I get what the book was trying to do. Two kids so in love, even the greatest of obstacles could not separate them.

Without spoiling, just didn’t work for me and how it was “overcome.”

Such a beautiful book you will love this if you loved You've reached Sam. this book was such an anticipated read for me this year and I can say the longing and heartbreak I felt throughout the story made the wait all the more worth it. You made need some tissues just a heads up btw.

4.5/5 stars

“Down to Earth”, the teenage version?! I’m in!

Ruby and Hart are in love. They have plans, a future, until they don’t. Hart drowns in a boating accident and Ruby is overcome with grief. What’s the point of life anymore when the one person you’ve shared everything with for practically your whole life is gone in an instant?

Hart ends up in the in-between five months after his death where he meets a Zendaya look alike angel who tells him she took his soul too soon and can have a second chance if they find him a body. Sounds easy enough, right? 🙄

Jameson Romanelli is an asshole with a sordid past and a drinking problem. Ruby hates him. He also happens to be in a coma. Unfortunately, he’s not going to make it. With Jameson being the only fitting body, Hart takes over. As he becomes Jameson, his only goal is to get Ruby back. How is he supposed to do that when he’s forbidden from telling her who he is and he loses his real memories with every passing day?

An angel Zendaya? Yes. I couldn’t stand her at first, but without giving too much away, she was the glue in this story. Nothing but love for that girl. 😇

Some things I didn’t like…

❤️Parts of this were discombobulated and sometimes hard to follow, but I didn’t care that much.

❤️“Hip” language felt forced at times.

❤️Not enough build up regarding Hart and Ruby’s love story before he became Jameson.

Those few tiny things didn’t deter me though and I absolutely loved this. It was gut wrenching and magical. I’d be lying if I said this book didn’t make me tear up. Okay, fine, I cried. Fully balled. This completely broke me. Happy? Read it.

“Hearts will burn before they break.”

Huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book. 🙌🏻

I find it interesting that Hart was transferred to the guy Ruby hated, and because of that, I expected more struggle. The biggest problem here was how would Hart tell Ruby he was in Jameson's body, and it focused on that, forgetting how Ruby couldn't stand Jameson.

The writing was good. It also had several fun and funny moments that I find this book very entertaining. Doesn't lack in descriptions too. In fact, it looks like the author was afraid to miss out the descriptions. There's this thing with Miriam that goes like this:

"Miriam takes a swig of wine, setting the glass down with “authority.” She’s a fortysomething three-time divorcee, with this golden skin and black hair that makes her stand out in a crowd."

I'd understand if this was the first time Miriam was mentioned, but it's not, so it looks so random. How about instead of like "This is my friend. She's 5'2, redhead. Size 28 pants. Had 3 boyfriends", just drop some descriptions that's relevant to the scene, or do it the first time they appear, like an introduction? Like, just natural? Say, on this scene we talk about her eye and hair color because we're dressing up? Or bring up her ex boyfriends next time when we talked about relationships. Like that. But of course, that's just my take. You do you. Still good, tho. Just baffled me.

This is told in Ruby and Hart's POV (with occational Lourdes). Thing is, the MCs sound very similar when it comes to narrating that it just looks like we're still reading the same POV, just with different events. (Am I making sense?) The difference is that Hart was frustrated most of the time and Ruby had trust issues.

The first scenes with our lovebirds were cute, very inlove, very teenager-y.. there's just.. not much? I wish there were more backstory, scenes, to make the readers attached to the MCs. I didn't feel much connection between characters. Not just between Ruby and Hart, also with George, Martin, Serena, etc.. On the plus side, we got straight away to the point, which is Hart's journey as Jameson and we got enough on that part. (Don't worry, because we got to see their tender love for each other but it was after Hart died, i just wish to see that BEFORE he died).

All in all, I liked it. It's not something that made me cry but I ALMOST cried because it's sad and you see their longing, Hart holding on to Ruby and her ladybugs memory, and I love the throwbacks whenever they remember some old memories.

Always Isn't Forever left me in tears. I loved this book so much, I definitely can see the comparison to You’ve Reached Sam this book is something that everyone should read.

This book was honestly so amazing, i really enjoyed every minute of it and didn’t want to put it down. It was happy, sad, funny, heartbreaking but ended in the best way possible. I can’t get over how much i loved this book. Hart and Ruby are literally the cutest and i am so glad it ended how it did for them both. I highly recommend reading, you will not regret it!

I had such high expectations to this book, especially since it was recommended to readers who liked You've Reach Sam. Honestly this fell short for me. While Hart and Ruby character where okay. I really dislike Lourde, and felt like there was something I didn't really fully understand from her.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review

2.75 stars

So cute and wholesome! The characters were really lovable and the writing was easy to follow. The only reason I’m giving this a 4.5 instead of a full 5 stars is because I felt like some of the supernatural stuff wasn’t explained very well or characters ignored the rules sometimes.

But this book was so sweet and I was definitely hooked from the beginning. The idea is unique and I was definitely rooting for Ruby to figure things out. The last few chapters had me smiling so wide! I loved it and I definitely won’t forget this book any time soon

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very emotional and it was definitely a rollercoaster ride. I cried many times while reading this and I wasn’t sure where the ending was going to go. I’m so glad I went into this book not knowing much about it because I feel like it definitely made it a better experience! If you enjoyed “You’ve Reached Sam” you would probably enjoy this book, although I felt this book was better.

I CHASED after the ARC of this book. It sounded utterly romantic and very interesting. All the reviews were saying how sad it was, and how it was so good.

I must ask - did we read the same book? How in the world was this book sad? How in the world was this good?

We were off to a great start, up until the ML died. Then it completely went off the rails.

- I get that the main character was going to inhabit the body of the rude guy... but honestly, the author built up the rude guy so horribly and one dimensional that there was no real enemies to lovers on the FL side. She is supposed to fall in love with the guy who was her enemy but we literally see a page of interaction with the two of them and we're supposed to accept that she dislikes him?
- As soon as the ML is given the choice to jump into the bad-boy's body, I started getting 'alert' bells. What about the bad-boy? Who was he? Where was his character development? Does he deserve character development? Why does the ML get a body of someone who basically can come back from the dead? The angel never really said that the guy was toast. Yet, if the ML jumps into the body he gets an entirely clean slate? Why? I don't understand?
- Which brings me to the FL - the love that the ML had for her was so lack-luster and full of 'tell'. We can never infer their love or obsession, it is literally shoved down our throats. At least the ML was trying to get her to - but with great difficulty - realize is him.

When she finally figures out who he is, their romance is still very lack luster and lack of real umpf. On top of that, the original soul of the guy never returns. It's like he just wanted to give up. Which made me wonder if the guy was depressed or something?

The whole thing was just really badly written and it just didn't sit right to me that at he very end of all this, he was rewarded the body and the life of his former enemy, the girl is going to be screwing said pretty boy (her boyfriend was a POC and the body he got placed in was a white boy with blonde hair), and their lives are all hunky-dory.

I felt nothing was gained or sacrificed. There have been other 'dead boyfriend returns from the dead' books, but I side eye this one.

If you want a book that will rip your heart out this one is for you! If you enjoyed You Reached Sam then you will definitely enjoy this book! The grief in this story was just so well written.

Can you imagine losing the love of your life, only to have them come back in another body and fight for their love against all odds? This star-crossed lovers' story, with its amazing cover and intriguingly promising plot, provides enough excitement to get invested in Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenia's journey. The book is easy to read with its short chapters, fast pacing, big mystery, and surprising twists that approach sensitive topics like grief, death, and therapy.

The story gives off vibes similar to You've Reached Sam, but with a different outcome. Although I didn't cry my eyes out, the mystery surrounding Hart's battle to reach Ruby in bad boy Jameson's body, as his memories slowly fade away, increases the pressure. Readers will be rooting for the soulmates to find their way back to each other. The book also includes spiritual elements, with an angel's touch.

For Hart, Ruby is his forever. Even though he's dead, his soul is still doing everything in its power to reach his soulmate. But can he win the war against divine intervention? Are they meant to be together forever?

The characterizations are excellent, and the plot is interesting enough to warrant a movie adaptation. Keep your napkins close and dive into this book blindly! You won't regret it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP/ Penguin Young Readers Group/ Razorbill for sharing a digital reviewer copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Can you imagine losing the love of your life, only to have them come back in another body and fight for their love against all odds? This star-crossed lovers' story, with its amazing cover and intriguingly promising plot, provides enough excitement to get invested in Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenia's journey. The book is easy to read with its short chapters, fast pacing, big mystery, and surprising twists that approach sensitive topics like grief, death, and therapy.

The story gives off vibes similar to You've Reached Sam, but with a different outcome. Although I didn't cry my eyes out, the mystery surrounding Hart's battle to reach Ruby in bad boy Jameson's body, as his memories slowly fade away, increases the pressure. Readers will be rooting for the soulmates to find their way back to each other. The book also includes spiritual elements, with an angel's touch.

For Hart, Ruby is his forever. Even though he's dead, his soul is still doing everything in its power to reach his soulmate. But can he win the war against divine intervention? Are they meant to be together forever?

The characterizations are excellent, and the plot is interesting enough to warrant a movie adaptation. Keep your napkins close and dive into this book blindly! You won't regret it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP/ Penguin Young Readers Group/ Razorbill for sharing a digital reviewer copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

4 stars!
This book totally blew me away. My expectations were not that high considering that I had not read the synopsis of the book before.
At first it reminded me a lot of "You've reached Sam" and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. But then, oh my God. I was in pure shock because, as I mentioned before, I had no idea what was happening in the book (That's the reason i recommend going in this without knowing anything). The writing style is so good & fast paced. ALSO we have different povs through chapters. I don't even think it's necessary to mention how much I cried ☹️ (both bad & good way)

I am sobbing. My heart exploded in my chest. I genuinely could not put this down. Loss, grief, and high emotions through the book.
A storytelling so genuine I feel like it could have been someone I knew.
This is a love story I will carry with me for a long time to come.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this! I can’t wait to search for other title from you!

I am at a loss for words with this book. The moment I read the blurb, I was drawn in and it did not disappoint! I went into it with the mind set that it would be similar to The In Between by Marc Klein or You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao but boy was I wrong! It is so different and I adore it so much!

J. C Cervantes sends you into the world of Ruby Armenta and Hart Augusto, two souls destined to be with one another. However, tragedy strikes and the two are ripped from one another, with the tragic death of Hart. But that doesn't mean their stories over. Hart finds himself in the body of another, his soul having been saved from drowning, and he now has to navigate this new life while being unable to tell the one person that he loves more than life itself that he's still here.

I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with the world of Always Isn't Forever, and there wasn't a single character that I disliked! It was so different to the other books that I've read in the past, and I would do anything to be able to read it for the first time again!

You feel as though you've figured everything out, but in the blink of an eye another plot twist is thrown into the works and it leaves you wanting more. I couldn't stop turning page after page until I reached the end! The blurb is only a fraction of the story you're about to embark on and all I can really say is, grab your tissues and buckle in for a journey you won't regret going on.

I will definitely be reading more J.C Cervantes in the future, that's for sure!

🌼 ARC REVIEW 🌼

4.5⭐️

Tropes / Key Points:
✨Sports Romance
✨Second Chance at Life and Love
✨Paranormal Circumstances
✨Multiple POV
✨Young Adult Romance
✨Soulmates
✨Small Town
✨POC Representation
✨HEA

Trigger Warnings:
✨ Grief
✨ Death
✨ Loss of a Loved One
✨ Therapy Sessions


This book would be perfect for fans of "You've Reached Sam". In fact, when reading the blurb when I requested this Arc book, its immediately what I thought of. This is a quaint young adult romance that pulls you in as you become invested in the two main characters.

I really enjoyed the authors writing and the pacing of the story. I think that it does very well at keeping you interested and moving throughout. There doesn't feel to be any slow points or moments where I felt this needs to be removed.

The development of the characters was probably the best part about the book. Not only do you get to see how the couple interacted before the accident, but you get to experience Ruby's grief and hesitation to let go of the boy she considered her soulmate. You get to walk through life with her five months later and watch how she interacts with others who have pulled away from her due to the accident. You get to feel alongside her as she starts to slowly heal, not realizing that the source of her love is only a few feet away. Hart/Jameson is the most interesting development to me personally. You get to see how he starts off strong with his memories and they slowly began to fade away. You see this transition from the character we know to a modified version of Jameson due to Hart's Soul's influence. You become invested in his mission to get the love of his life back, and root for him, despite the divine intervention telling him it can't happen.

I only have one complaint about the book and one part that feels unresolved.

My complaint is the random use of Spanish words scattered throughout. What I mean is, Hart is Latino which is great for representation and I do feel it was handled very well. The author does a great job at scattering in his heritage, even after he loses it by returning to the body of a white boy. (I laughed at a key scene involving this, honestly it was great.) But the part that feels jarring, or out of place to me, (as a non-POC) is that the author has the book in English, but randomly in the middle of a sentence there will be a word replaced with the Spanish Equivalent. Considering that I am not of this heritage, I do not know if this is how they actually speak, so if it is, please correct me and I will remove this immediately. But the random uses of the Spanish language felt off and unnatural. It felt like the author was trying to tell us that he was Latino instead of showing us that he was latino.

The part of the book that feels unresolved involves two very small chapters that you probably can't even consider chapters. The book, (at the time of this review) opens up with an excerpt from an Angel talking about love. You then see another excerpt from this angel when Hart dies, with only his time of death. I feel like these moments are meant to be Lourdes, the angel that is effectively the cause of this entire book, but we aren't clearly told this. If it is meant to be her, I feel like there should be a moment that tells us this, especially as we get a few chapters in her POV. As it stands, it just leaves me asking who was the "Celestial Angel" who had two small moments in the book.

Overall such a great read. I didn't sob like I did with 'You've Reached Sam' but it's because this book really does end up with a HEA. I did tear up at the end as it was a very wholesome and sweet book. I will recommend this to anyone who just feels like they need a small change of pace and a feel good story.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

I don’t even know where to start but to just say that I went into this book not expecting much and came out sad and blown away.
This book is very reminiscent of another popular book online…but for me personally, I think this book handled the themes much better. Is it a perfect book? I didn’t think so, but I loved the way it handled the topics of grief and tragedy with underlying backgrounds of religious themes thrown in.
It had some bittersweet and touching moments. My heart goes out to the ML T_T
Overall, I think this was a solid 3-stars book with that ending!!

Thank you netgallery for this ARC in exchange for a honest review!

I loved this book so much, it made me feel all kinds of emotions like hope, sadness, anger of happiness.

It’s written in a way that totally sucks you in the story. The only book I could compare it with is you’ve reached Sam. So if you liked that one definitely read always isn’t forever.

I got this advance e-copy from NetGalley thanks for that.

So 5 stars from me, it broke me in all kind of ways but I loved it!

Also posted it on goodreads and storygraph