When I first heard of Always isn’t Forever, it was described as “perfect for fans of ‘You’ve Reached Sam’,” which initially made me a little wary of it. I was not a big fan of “You’ve Reached Sam” I felt that it did not live up to the hype or my expectations of what I was hoping it to be. However, I did love the idea presented in “You’ve Reached Sam”, of second-chance goodbyes, of a love pressing past the boundaries of even death to get that goodbye. So I decided I wanted to give Always isn’t Forever a chance, and I put my request in on Netgalley. When I was approved, I started reading it almost immediately, excited to give it a try.

Not only did the plot draw me in, but so did the beauty of the writing, and the many layers to the story. The love between Ruby and Hart, the grief Ruby feels, and Hart’s desperation to keep as many memories as he can before it is too late. The way despite the messiness of it all, in some way they still know each other. I know that if I were to read it again, which is likely considering my adoration for it, I know I would notice more layers and hidden meanings, (especially in the Hart/Jameson chapters).

This book begs the question what makes up the love we have for a person? Is it the memories we made with them? Or is it something deeper? Is it something that would make you recognize them even if they were in a different body?

I absolutely loved this book, and enjoyed so much of it. This book had me sobbing and laughing. It is a book I will think about for a long time. Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the digital arc!

Hart and Ruby were best friends and soulmates in this young adult romance. Hart dies in a tragic boating accident and somehow comes back in the body of the town's bad boy, Jameson. Fighting to continue remembering and keeping Ruby in his life, he tries to get closer to Ruby, who can't stand Jameson. It's an interesting tale of life, death, and afterlife.

This book sent me into an emotional rollercoaster. The love story between Ruby and Hart is truly wonderful and heartbreaking at times. Hart's fate is just tragic and he does finally get a second chance. The only complain I had was that I really wanted them to spend more time together and it was a little complicated to know how a soul, spirit and heart works in the book lore.


If you want a heartwarming and second-chance(different body same spirit?) romance this book is for you!

3.5 stars

I don't mean for it to sound harsh, but this is the better version of You've Reached Sam - it's more of what I expected You've Reached Sam to be. I didn't find it as emotional as I was expecting it to, but I think that was more of my personal circumstances than the emotional impact of the book. So much of this book is about grief, coming to terms with losing someone, learning how to let go when you didn't get to say goodbye, and I think it was a really beautiful story.

My biggest struggle was with the ending - it's difficult to explain without spoiling it, but it just felt very convenient. The problem that the book had been dealing with the whole time, was just able to be conveniently solved? I would've preferred if the ending had been more bittersweet and had been continued with how the plot was going. I feel like it would have made the whole story much more meaningful. It basically rendered the entire story beforehand pretty much meaningless, and it was really frustrating.

Overall, it was a really beautiful, youthful outlook on grief and could've been so important in the YA genre, but I feel that the ending went in the wrong direction for this kind of story.

thank you to netgalley and penguin group for providing me with an arc of thsi book in exchange for an honestly review

2⭐️

this book started out great for me but somewhere in the middle it lost its appeal. as a huge fan of “you’ve reached sam” i was more than excited when i received this arc in hopes that it would be at least half as great. sadly, not everything goes the way we want it to.

my biggest problem with this book was the body swapping thing that happens. i understand that this was a second chance at life story but i couldn’t stop thinking about the other dude that also died. this was a huge ick.

i’m devastated that i couldn’t enjoy the rest of it.

I really enjoyed this story, It was a bit of a slow start for me but then it began to pick up and I became more invested in Hart/Jameson and Ruby’s lives. I liked the different character perspectives, including Lourdes. A solid effort from J.C. Cervantes.

Tears tears and more tears

Wanted the book off of the cover alone and it didn't disappoint. Their relationship was just too cute they were amazing characters. The grief was very well written and it had me in tears

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't love about this book, but it maintained a middle-of-the-road position for me throughout my reading of it. It wasn't fantastic, and it wasn't terrible. The title attempts profoundness but doesn't really mean anything.

Ruby (16/17) and Hart (17/18) have been friends since they were children, and their relationship evolved naturally from there. Hart was generally good and very thoughtful. Even after dying, he had a kind of laser focus on Ruby, which is what drove him to accept the offer of living out his life in Jameson's body. (Btw, it's never explained why Jameson's spirit passed on even though his body was okay.) Ruby's personality didn't come across as definitely as Hart's, in my opinion. She loves Hart, she wants to travel, she freed ladybugs when she was six. And that pretty much sums her up. She was grieving--I get that. But I don't feel like she was developed very well.

There wasn't a whole lot to the story: Hart dies, inexplicably gets a second chance in a different body, and tries to win Ruby back. Ruby has to learn to live differently than she had planned. Lots of things were never explained, and the reason given was basically "I don't know--that's just the way things are." Or something along that line.

I'm sure some readers will love this book, but it failed to impress me. I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it.

Note: Some swearing, including a handful of f words.

1.5 stars
Ahh I don’t know where to start really… the positives? I really liked the cover, the premise of the story seemed interesting; Hart dies and he negotiates with an angel to take the body of another guy who's in a coma and about to die. However, the body he takes on is someone they don’t really like.

However, even though the book did seem interesting I was finding it hard to concentrate and really get into the book. The book was also advertising for people who enjoyed “You’ve reached Sam” and as someone who has read it and was crying nonstop…lets just say I was massively let down lol and no I do not agree with those who are saying it's better than you’ve reached Sam because it isn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin group young readers group for this ARC!

I knew I was going to love this book based on the cover alone, and I was so freaking right. It was so good, so emotional and I was just utterly invested in the story.

Idk why I've been gravitating towards YA contemporaries that I know (for a fact) are going to wreck me, but I am, and this book is no exception. While it has a happy ending, the journey getting their is fraught with pain and heavy emotions and even though I was prepared based on the synopsis, I wasn't ready for THAT PART. Ruby and Hart are so perfect and I loved them together so much. I loved the journey they go on together.

I'm obsessed. I loved this so much and if I could, I'd wipe it from my mind, so I could read it again for the first time.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 stars

I’d like to thank the author for providing me with a free e- copy of this book in return for an honest review.
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.
 I cried for a significant portion of this book, the grief was written really well, I felt like I was going through it myself. I did appreciate the direction the plot took and that it was more than Ruby just tried to move on. It made for a very intriguing storyline. I can't recommend this book enough.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙔𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙅.𝘾. 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙔𝘼 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙖𝙢.

I read 𝗙𝗹𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗲 by this author last year and enjoyed it so much, so I was excited to pick this one up. I also saw it being compared to 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗺 - I just knew this was going to be an emotional read… and it definitely had its moments.

It’s best to go into this one not knowing much, other than it’s sad and deals with themes of grief and death. This is a YA story, but it’s so impactful and didn’t feel too juvenile. There is also a magical realism sort of element to it, which I actually enjoyed.

Ruby + Hart have my whole heart, I was rooting for them to find their happily ever after. There’s so much character development in this author’s stories that I am picking up on - and I am loving it! The writing style is also impactful and beautiful at the same time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. At times it definitely was emotional, but I liked the magical realism vibes. Grief was such a major theme in this book, but the romance aspect sort of overturns that and lightens up the story. This was an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Grief, Death, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Toxic Relationship

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of always isn't forever. This was such a cute and heart felt story. Definitely for those who enjoyed you've reached sam.

I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to others it was different and fun to read

This was a heartbreaking story with a silver lining. I hope to read more by this author and see where her careers go from here.

Ruby and Hart have been together, ever since they were little. It's the summer before their senior year and they are planning their future. Unfortunately, tragedy happens and Ruby is left to face a future without Hart but just can't move on. In walks Jameson...someone Ruby can't stand yet there is something about him.

This book flowed so well for me and I found that I couldn't put it down. It leaves the reader wishing for a love like Ruby and Harts. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good clean romance with a little paranormal thrown in.

Another heartbreaking book about young love and heartbreak. I don't want to go to much into it, because I don't want to spoil it.

I will say this, I felt this heartbreak. I felt every bit of Ruby's grief in this book. It hit me like a ton of bricks to be honest. This was an emotional ride and it instilled my believe in soul mates, true love etc. Also, it brought upon the old saying "True love never really dies"

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

The story gives off vibes similar to You've Reached Sam, but with a different outcome, this was done really well.
This book surprised me by being quite emotional, and it was undoubtedly an emotional ride. With its brief chapters, quick pacing, significant mystery, and unexpected turns, the entire book is simple to read. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

This was a very wholesome book- I really enjoyed both Hart and Ruby, how they grew up together and the moments inbetween. Their romance was really cute and wholesome, the connection was really there, it's easy why and how much they love each other. The portrayal of grief and healing was raw and moving, and I'm glad Ruby has a strong support system such as her mom, Gabi, Serena and George. The supernatural element surprised me a bit, but I like how it adds to the story whether logic or just push to move the story forward. The writing can feel a bit young and there's just something that didn't click with me that didn't make this a 5 star read, but overall it's a solid story!

I had a hard time getting into this book and relating to the characters. I’ll definitely make sure to give this book a try in the future I can be a very moody reader