This book was a solid 4 star read.

This book is a closed door, second chance contemporary romance novel that has two Jewish main characters, the majority of characters in this book are queer (Including the MMC Levi who is demi), and a FMC who has severe anxiety.

I liked this book a lot, and there were so many good aspects. The representation was all beautifully done. I loved all of these side characters. I didn't know that this was part of a series of interconnected standalones when I picked it up, so the beginning I felt a little lost but I was able to figure things out pretty quickly. I do believe this book would be better if you read the first book in the series first. I loved the couple that the first book was about so I want to go back an read that, but I do have all the spoilers for the first book now. If you are interested in this book I highly recommend reading the first book in this series before jumping into this one.

I loved the relationship between our two MCs. Levi and Hannah were great together and I felt like they had a lot of chemistry. Some of their conflict felt a little forced, but it didn't ruin the book for me. I felt like the reasons they weren't together anymore were very childish, but I guess that was kind of the point. They grew up and learned and discovered that relationships take work and you can't always be selfish in relationships.

I will say that I feel like this cover doesn't fit the story. I went in to this book expecting a rom-com and that wasn't what this book was. It was a lot heavier that I was anticipating. This cover is so light and fun and exciting, but the book was very emotional and not light hearted.

I would recommend this book, but just know what you are getting into before you pick it up.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC*

I received this ARC free from the publisher via NetGalley.

For Never & Always by Helena Greer is a closed-door romance about childhood friends-to-lovers and their second chance at love. Levi left Carrigan's Christmasland, which was his home (or prison, in his eyes) for his whole life, leaving behind his one great love, Hannah, in search of himself. Now the celebrity chef is back 4 years later to come home and get his girl back, if Hannah can get past her bitterness.

I really enjoyed Season of Love and was excited to see Hannah and Levi's story, especially with Levi finding his identity in demisexuality which I felt was a great representation. Their love felt real because there was a lot of hard emotions and work to be done, it didn't come easy. I also appreicate these characters being in their 30s showing that it's not too late to find yourself or love after your 20s. I do think you need to read the first book to fully understand the nuances and background involved especially with all the side characters. I wouldn't necessarily call this a stand-alone.

I loved Season of Love last year, so I was thrilled to read this and find out what happens for Hannah and Levi. This is a second chance romance AND marriage in crisis trope which is a super angsty, but stellar combo! The pining and love the main characters have for each other is there from the first page, but there's angst, resentment, anger, and grief that they have to work through to stay together.

Thoughts:
• Eyeliner wearing, moody, demisexual hero! He comes out as demi in this book and that whole convo is really sweet.
• I love that they pined for YEARS before they ever got together. Flashback chapters included.
• The author made the mentor and idol from the first book a much more complicated and destructive character in this book. (She dies before the first book, so she cannot speak for her past behaviors in either book!) Basically, the woman that Hannah idolized and took care of, is the same woman that treated Levi like he was worthless and constantly told him that he was not good enough for Hannah. His treatment by this person was scarring for him, as it started when he was still a boy. This was sad and complicated, but I thought it was an interesting choice and applaud the author for going there.
• On the other hand, this conflict sets up a scene that almost soured the whole book for me. The way Hannah treats him when he admits what it was like for him to be around the mentor/aunt figure in their life was truly awful.
• Ultimately, we get more conflict than examples of ways that this couple is going to work together. As a romance novel reader, you never want to question whether or not the characters belong together, even when they have their doubts! But it was on my mind a lot.
• This is a book to be patient with. The characters are messy! There was a lot to love about it, but I cannot deny I had really mixed feelings overall! I still recommend.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Forever for this eARC

3,5 * – This book was sweet, but also a little forgettable for me.

I enjoyed the relationship between the leads, but I do think their personal issues, while very realistic, sometimes made the pacing of this book suffer a bit. I really do appreciate seeing characters trying to overcome their traumas, going to therapy and having open conversations about their needs and desires, but I feel like the amount of times it happened made the story a bit repetitive. Again: it IS realistic – these issues don’t go away that easily! – but I fear the book ended up going in circles. There was also a lot of miscommunication, which made the story even more frustrating. Additionally, there were A LOT of side characters, to the point where it was difficult to keep up, so that also made this book harder to get through.

As I mentioned, though, the romance was sweet enough. I overall enjoyed the characters, but what I REALLY LOVED was the representation! Seeing Jewish characters is always really nice, but my favourite part was definitely the ace-spec rep! As an asexual person, I’m always looking for more representation, since it is so rare, so I always love seeing ace-spec characters, and I hope to see more of this kind of representation in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever Grand Publishing for this eARC!

I wanted to love this story, not to say. I didn’t enjoy it but I didn’t *love* it. This was full of potential but I found it incredibly confusing most of the time and therefore hard to connect with the story. But what I understood, I liked! Definitely an interesting book.

I've got a soft spot for second chance romances, and this book totally nailed it. The story weaves through the stages of childhood best friends, lovers, estranged, and then back to lovers. Each phase is beautifully crafted, with most of the book focusing on their second chance at love. The author sprinkles in flashbacks that perfectly complement the present-day storyline.

What stood out for me was the demisexual representation in the book. The author does a fantastic job of exploring the character's journey of confusion, self-discovery, and the following conversations once they open up about their identity. It feels real and is handled with a lot of sensitivity.

The mental health aspects of this story are another highlight. Both main characters go through significant personal growth and healing. Their journey is not just about finding love again but also about self-discovery and dealing with their mental health challenges. The ending is just the cherry on top – a happily ever after that's mindful of their past struggles and growth. It's a beautiful wrap-up to a story that's as much about healing as it is about romance.

Thank you to Forever for the eARC!

I went into this expecting to like it, not in an overhyped way just like okay I’m a romance lover and these are premises I enjoy. This ended up not being for me and I will explain why, but I do think it’s for someone and I know there are other reviewers who enjoyed this.

So some positives: I was hooked from the start. This starts at what almost feels like the middle of a story and I found not fault with that at all. I love plot and backstory that slowly reveals itself with purpose as the story goes along so I had no issue with the first part of this. I trusted I’d have questions answered about their past and they were. The flashback chapters all tied together.

Another thing I loved was reading a second chance romance where one character is already determined to get the other one back and fully acknowledging that they still love them. I feel like you don’t see that as often and you usually have to wait for characters to have inner realizations. Both of these characters are pretty self attuned, it’s more their external communication that is the issue.

We start off with this chaos of events and emotions and unfortunately from then on the momentum is so soon lost. They talk so much without really even speaking. It’s not even a miscommunication trope, it’s zero understanding and just repetition of the same quick conversations. There’s more I could say, but I am attempting to hold back spoilers especially for an ARC. Second chance romance is when the love interests get exactly that, a chance to build something new and better or healthier. They seem the same as when he first left four years ago. It was actually kind of off putting to met Levi from a distance and connect with him and then the way he speaks to people comes out quite rudely at times and I’m like this doesn’t seem like the same guy that is inner monologuing I was really rooting for you at first. But he barely has self awareness of that and doesn’t feel the need to change.

Some other hang ups I had with the writing were how certain characters reacted and how quickly scenes progressed. Tension wasn’t built or described, it was only blunt descriptors of things like “he started crying” after a bit of dialogue. In some ways it felt like a tell not show but also more just like characters plotted out to do certain things and not real emotions that could be felt by the reader. This could have been due to the third person usage but I will say I’ve felt tension packed, gripping third person so that can’t be the only reason.

The major positives of this are of course the queer and Jewish rep. The found family was great. The whole setting and family business is so charming and described well. There is also a bit of humor that I enjoyed. Like I mentioned at the top, this is for someone and a lot of love went into this, it’s just not for me.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC! I appreciate the opportunity.

What a sweet and swoony second chance romance from Helena Greer!

It was an absolute delight to be back at Carrigan's Christmasland, and this book feels like it's got holiday vibes despite taking place in spring and summer as Carrigan's All Year rolls out.

This book is not at lighthearted as its beautiful cover would have you believe. Hannah and Levi Blue have a lot of uncomfy growth to endure as they process grief and years of drama that grew them far apart while deciding if they can make forever work. But Greer fills this story with so much swoony hope it's hard not to fall for both prickly Levi and anxious Hannah.

Read if you love:
- second chance romance
- angsty romance
- grumpy/grumpy
- demisexual rep
- panic disorders /anxiety & agoraphobia rep
- magical Jewish Christmas tree farm in small town Advent in the Adirondacks (upstate NY)
- a cat named Kringle
- a big cast of queer found family

I also love nothing more than a romance book full of adults in therapy, processing their childhood and lifetime trauma so they can show up for those they love as their best selves. At times, Hannah and Levi Blue's drama and shenanigans felt like it was coming from people maybe a decade younger--in their mid 20s rather than 30s. However, I think the story does a good job of showing how both Blue and Hannah had emotionally stunted youth due to harmful choices by the adults in their lives. This book is a love letter to breaking the chains of generational grief and trauma and becoming who YOU want to be for yourself and those you love.

Thanks to Read Forever for the ARC!

Greer's nuanced look at an imploding marriage is striking take on second chance romance and queer love. Hannah is a self described control freak and swears to herself to remain stationary after having not been given a choice as a child. Levi longs to escape where he and Hannah grew up because of a woman who verbally berated him and ignored him. When they converge back together it's and explosive battle to see who will come out the victor of their relationship, but there is no victor and it takes understanding and care for the couple to be able to puzzle out their relationship.

The friendships in this book are wonderful and also show change and growth throughout. Overall, the book has a good handle on the need for communication in relationships, and if that isn't possible, there is no shame in getting/asking for help. This is a fade to black romance book. The relationship was swoon worthy and extremely heartfelt.

Levi is queer and talks to Hannah about being Demisexual but it is treated normally, it's a normal conversation and then they move on which I believe is the best way to deal with something like that. Queer identities don't need to be a big deal, they are informational but should be treated like any other person/identity.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I think it's a great read to understand processing personal trauma and having to solve your own problems before solving the problems of a relationship.

This was nice! It was first time reading this book by this author and I will definitely keep her in my to watch for authors.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me @ 44%. I wanted to love it but there was so much that was a miss.

Let’s talk about the positives:
* Jewish rep, mental health rep, demisexuality rep - LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS. I loved how prominent that it was and I loved how strong that the rep was with the characters
* I loved the premise of the book with a second chance romance

Let’s talk about what I didn’t love
* this felt like a solid miscommunication trope and that’s a huge No from me. the characters even mentioned about wanting to talk but actions speak louder than words…
* the two characters married and then one disappeared for 4 years??? Ughhhhhhhhhhh. Come on. It’s a jerky, selfish, and inappropriate move.
* I struggled with liking any of the characters. Especially the FMC and MMC - I love second chance romances but everything about those two was just wrong.

This was my first Helena Greer book but I’m not writing her off as an author yet. I really enjoyed her writing and how she told the story - I just couldn’’t get behind the plot or characters. I will definitely check out future books from her in hopes of connecting with them more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Grand Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Helena Greer's first book in this series, Seasons of Love, was the best book I read in 2022, and I was so looking forward to this book basically from the moment I finished SoL! I was then lucky enough to get an ARC of this book from Helena Greer herself after DMing with her, and I have slowly devoured it because of how amazing it is!! Please Please read SoL before this one; they are interconnected for a reason.

The tone of this book is radically different from SoL in a way that worked so well. Plot-wise, we got a more complicated perspective on Carrigan's and the deceased Cass that made me reflect on SoL constantly. The inner thoughts of both Hannah and Levi were frustrating in the best way, as I, as the reader, knew they could do it and save their marriage but had to keep reading for them to know it!

To me, this book was a series of difficult conversations with a background setting pivotal to all of the conversations. Hannah and Levi had to actually talk about their problems and desires for the first time in their decades-long relationship, and I loved the way Greer made them actually work through it on the page.

I loved the writing style so much; this book was perfectly written, and while it's fairly long, it made sense for the relationship we are working with. I was constantly underlining and annotating because it was impossible not to when everything they were saying was so important. This didn't follow the traditional formula for a romance novel in the best way, as it was more about how these two characters can work together rather than how they can love each other; their love is never in question, just the how.

I am waiting with bated breath for Greer's 2024 next book in the series, as they keep getting better and better! (also, Helena Greer is a Librarian, and I am always rooting for fellow Librarians!)

This is a stand alone follow up novel to Season of Love (Oct 2022) which I’ve read. In that one great aunt Cass dies and leaves the tree farm and Inn to four people. Heirs, Miriam (artist) and Noelle (tree farmer) end up pairing up in that one. Hannah Rosenstein was always meant to run the Inn and she got the education and then personal training from Cass to do it. The last heir is their childhood best friend Levi Blue. He never liked being at Carrigan’s as his parents were the caretaker and cook. He felt less than the others. He was an angry young man who dreamed of being a cook and took off to travel the world four years ago. But in leaving he broke Hannah’s heart. Now he is back, and a celebrity chef. He wants to woo Hannah and she agrees he can stay to help with cooking for a major upcoming event.

Things I love. They all genuinely love each other. Very positive Jewish representation (it is ironic they own a Christmas tree farm). Big LGBTQ representation. Levi is demisexual or pan and there is a lot of explanation of it and the difficulties of figuring that out as a youth. Seeking help for mental health issues.

A few things made the book harder to enjoy. The flipping back and forth in time was choppy and sometimes it was for something very important and other times it felt like now we need to give this character a scene. Arguments got repetitive. It comes down to he doesn’t want to stay at Carrigan’s and Hannah who grew up traveling the world with her documentary filming parents wants to stay. I honestly didn’t understand why they loved Blue so much when they were young. And I didn’t understand why Hannah didn’t try to help more with a solution to their problems. It read more like general fiction because it felt like it went on forever with a lot of drama. And so much wasn’t about the romance itself.

Overall I was glad to come back and visit the characters I knew from the first book and get Hannah’s story. I think I enjoyed it more having read the first book and would recommend reading them in order. The story is closed door for intimacy. Usually I’m excited when I see an author is going to continue the series but here I’m indifferent about it. Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

Hannah is now co-owner of Carrigan's All Year, a destination inn. Her first love, now ex and absent business partner, Levi, is back at the request of a VIP bride who wants him to cater her wedding. And he'll only do it if Hannah accepts to go on five dates with him, because he is determined to win her back.
This childhood best friends to lovers to enemies to lovers second chance romance is book 2 in the Season of Love series. It ward to follow, the flashbacks didn't help, and the plot seemed to be jumping from a scene to the next without a good flow, there was a disconnect that made things very confusing to me. And there were too many characters and stories for my taste. However there was a great Jewish and queer rep.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Oh dear. I’m so sorry to report that I didn’t like this book. The characters are extremely unlikable and I simply couldn’t root for any of them. I found the dialogue to be unrealistic and everyone is just so full of angst and despair that I couldn’t connect with it. Some portions were also tricky to follow and I realized later that perhaps reading the first book in the series would have been helpful.

I very much appreciate the ARC and wish everyone who worked on this book good luck with its release! I think it will find its fans, especially in readers who are already familiar with the story through the first book.

2.5 ⭐️ - 3 ⭐️

I don’t believe I’ve quite read a couple that felt less suited for one another. The entire book it felt like the relationship was one sided with Hannah saying that she didn’t want to let Levi go while simultaneously doing everything in her power to make things go wrong. Also, she was just plain mean at some points. I certainly did not hold any lover for her, nor did I for Levi honestly. Both characters just felt selfish.

The romance itself felt rather dull in that there was a lot of pushing together only for someone (Hannah) to argue an issue as to why they couldn’t be together. Towards the end, it didn’t feel as though that was a good compromise or plan on how they were going to work on their relationship.

I wanted to like this book. The cover is cute and the plot itself seemed interesting. Unfortunately, that wasn’t really the case.

I really enjoyed Helena Greer’s last book, Season of Love, a romance centering on Hannah Rosenstein’s cousin, Miriam. It was so much fun to revisit Carrigan’s and all of its crew in For Never and Always.

Levi and Hannah’s relationship provides a lot of good lessons about marriage. They love each other, but life has pulled them apart. They are granted a second chance in this book, and Hannah is a little hesistant about the idea of remaining married to Levi. As the story continues, they realize that the key to successful marriage is choosing to priortize one another, and they find ways to compromise so they can be together and each get what they want. That realization absolutely matches with my own life experience, and I found it very moving.

For Never and Always mentions so many different Jewish holidays, which made me so happy. Hannah and the team and Carrigan’s host a big Passover seder. There is even a brief mention of Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish holiday that celebrates trees. The representation made me really happy. The world could certainly use some Jewish joy right now, and For Never and Always provides exactly that.

Levi discusses with Hannah that he identifies as demisexual, meaning that he can only experience sexual attraction to someone after forming a deep emotional bond with them. He cannot see himself feeling attracted to anyone but Hannah. There is so little representation of the asexual spectrum in books in general, especially in romance. I am so glad that Greer told Levi’s story, and I can only imagine how much it will mean to people.

There is also a nonbinary rabbi, Ruth, who Levi and Hannah ask for advice. I was thrilled to read this representation as well. It is so important to have nonbinary characters in all kinds of roles and stories. I also absolutely love portrayals of rabbis that disrupt the idea that they have to be old men with big beards like in Fiddler on the Roof. My only complaint is that I wanted more of Rabbi Ruth in this story.

Greer’s books have brought me so much joy, and I am already looking forward to the next one. I would also love to see Season of Love or For Never and Always made into a Hallmark movie.

"He smirked. “I can see your evil wheels turning. I love your evil wheels.”
_
Love our favorite Christmas tree farm. This book is set during Passover and it's the second in the series centered around Blue and Hannah's relationship. OMG I love a childhood love/lifelong friends/soulmates story but they are on a rough patch after time apart. But absence makes the heart grow fonder and trying to go out and make something of themselves and such.
Love this series and this group of friends, family, ok found family. So much growth and self discovery. Both want different lives but still love each other and just don't know how it will work.
Love the sound of how Levi looks. He's so mysterious with his black eyeliner, leggings and scarves.

Thank you readforeverpub for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

I wanted to like For Never and Always a lot more than I did. I really think you need to read Greer's previous book Season of Love prior because this really felt like a sequel and not two stand-alone books in the same universe.

The Jewish and queer representation was strong but unfortunately, I didn't really like any of the characters. I found them insufferable and too focused on their past with too much therapy speak. I saw a review that described this as a vibes book and honestly that's the best way to describe it.

I did like Greer's writing and I will read other books from her but I think if I had read Seasons of Love first I would have liked this more.

“You’re my favorite person I’ve ever met in my whole life, and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

After really enjoying Season of Love, I was excited to go back to Carrigan’s and get into Hannah and Levi’s story.

When Levi “Blue” returns to Carrigan’s after being away, Hannah’s world is upended. He’d broken her heart by leaving when she couldn’t. But he’s back after Cass left him part ownership of Carrigan’s. He wants to make amends but a lot of his relationships are broken and Hannah is still furious at him, Levi agrees to stay and help during a high-profile wedding and Hannah can’t help but notice they still carry deep feelings for each other.

Hannah and Levi’s story is just beautiful. They’ve never moved on from each other in all the time they’ve been apart, and you can feel their chemistry and love for each other through the pages. They have these intense, vulnerable conversations to determine if and how they can salvage their relationship. It takes them time, but their love for each other runs so deep that they desperately what to figure it out. There’s a lot of baggage they carry from their childhoods and early adulthoods, and it’s great to get that backstory. The addition of past moments really helped in understanding their relationship.

They both carry trauma from childhood, though very opposite. Hannah wanted to plant roots and Levi wanted to travel and explore the world. But I think that time apart really served to let each of them settle into their lives and figure out what they want. And when they finally discuss their issues, really great.

“We all grow anxieties of the soil in which we were planted.”

I loved seeing more of Noelle and Miriam, and those friendships feel so genuine. My only complaint is that the book feels a bit too long. There were some things I could have done without and would have preferred to continue focusing on Hannah and Levi. I think this could have benefited from some trimming and focus. The characters are well-developed so they’re interesting to read about, but there are some moments I could have done without,