Possibly my very favorite second chance romance EVER! This trope is already a fav of mine and Helena Greer has crafted a beautiful small town queer love story between two best friends who secretly married but have been separated for years.

When reality chef Levi finally comes home to Carrigan's where his wife Hannah runs the inn, he is ready to fight for their love but Hannah is not quick to forgive and forget. Full of complicated family trauma, great mental health and therapy rep (Hannah has an anxiety disorder), great queer rep (Levi is demisexual and suffered from bullying as a youth), the swooniest romantic gestures and supportive friends.

I loved the Rapunzel vibes Hannah and her long hair gave off, their 'Shenanigans,' the honest conversations about what a healthy relationship together would look like and the way Jewish culture and traditions were very much a central part of the story too.

I cannot recommend this one enough especially for fans of authors like Jean Meltzer, Alison Cochrun and Anita Kelly. It was also great on audio narrated by Mara Wilson and Emil Benjamin. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: fade to black/mild details

For Never & Always is done a disservice by its cover. It is not a sparkling light romance. It is a good story about reconnection, forgiveness, grief and establishing a place for oneself in the world and in their relationship. I did not read the previous book in the series, Seasons of Love, which I should have. I was able to follow the story but probably missed out on some things. I would recommend to anyone looking to read this book to read the prior first.

Blue and Nan are two hurt people with deep love for each other. Their fight to communicate better, to be honest and open was very well done. I think someone in a long term relationship can relate to at least parts of their story.

There is great diverse representation in many forms. The Jewishness of the characters is a major component of the story, as is queerness. They added lovely layers to the book.

While this is a closed door romance, the sexual tension, longing and desire between the couple is very palpable.

I really enjoyed For Never & Always and recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and the author for the advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Levi and Hannah have known each other their whole lives. Levi is a chef who's getting a little fame. Hannah runs Carrigans, which is an inn and Christmas tree farm, among other things. One of those other things is that it was pretty close to failing. And ANOTHER, other thing, Levi is now a part owner.

Their relationship is very complicated and full of surprises. Me as the reader could tell, tell, tell they belonged together but getting the two of them to see it... There were times I wanted to say snap out of it!

Levi and Hannah hold onto things from their pasts that affect their day to day lives in major ways. Its affected where they live and their relationship with each other. They're growing, though.

There's a great cast of secondary characters who challenge and build up Hannah and Levi.

Woven into this book is another aspect of their lives. Both characters are Jewish. Which was learning for me, not being Jewish.

Sweet romance.

Levi and Hannah are two individuals with a complicated past who are trying to find a way back to each other. There is so much anger and pain between them, but they will have to overcome it to be able to have a second chance. I like second-chance romances. I like small-town romances. After reading the first chapter, I thought I would also like the book. Unfortunately, it did not turn out as I hoped. There were moments here and there that I enjoyed, but for the most part, it felt like I was thrown into the middle of something and then was expected to play catch up. Because I couldn’t, I was frustrated throughout nearly the entire book. Normally, I appreciate when chapters set in the past are scattered throughout a book, but I could not enjoy Levi and Hannah’s past times while I was struggling with trying to understand their present.

For Never & Always
by Helena Greer - I read Season of Love and gave it 4*

✔️ 2nd chance romance
✔️inheritance
✔️Contemporary Romance
✔️ Jewish, LGBTQ+
✔️ secret marriage/marriage in trouble


This is the story of Hannah and Levi's troubled relationship. Hannah, Noelle, and Miriam have been running Carrigan's all year while Levi has been becoming a renowned chef with a reality TV show. It's been 4 years since he left, and Hannah sends Cole (another bff) to hunt him down. She wants him gone from their lives by giving up his share of the inn, while all he wants is to get Hannah back.

The world building was established in Season of Love, so I'd recommend reading it first. It explains their friendships and why the inn is so important to them. Hannah became co-owner with her cousin Miriam. Noelle is the farm manager and Miriam's girlfriend. Levi makes a bet with Hannah to go on 5 dates with him, and if he can't win her back, he'll sign over his inheritance.


Overall, I liked diving into Hannah and Levi's relationship and the internal struggles they have. Carrigan is important to both of them and through good friends, family, and little hijinks they find their way back together.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

~•~•~
Publishes 11/28/23, Read 11/27/23.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC 💜! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

The cover of this book is really cute and the tittle speaks to me and hits home. I really wanted to like this book.. but I didn’t. I really tried!

I found the plot of the story was everywhere. I got confused in so many chapters and I kept going back and forth. There was also A LOT of characters, i just couldn’t keep up! While reading I would literally forget half of the people because of how much was going on at the same time

This book is queer and I hope this doesn’t get interpreted wrong. I am definitely and ally but I don’t regularly like reading about that kind of stuff, it’s not my cup of tea. I pushed through though and finished the book, so this wasn’t the issue

The environment of this book was just so toxic in my opinion. I was just so tired of everyone always in pain and the mention of therapy and not being able to do things because of therapy (which really I don’t think that’s how it works) and the endless “adding salt on open wounds” scenarios..

I also want to say that I hate it when a guy is portrayed as a whiny a**holesand everyone excusing his behavior just because they’re good friends.. No. Be kind people. It literally doesn’t take up anything of your time

I, more than anyone on this planet, believe that relationships are real struggles and you have to put in the time and effort. If you don’t want to do that, just don’t get into one. It’s just that simple.. It really isn’t as hard as it was portrayed in this book..

I do want to say though that i liked the representations in this book. Whether it being about their different sexual orientations or the mental health awareness.. I think this is really important and as I’ve expressed in other reviews, I find it powerful and incredibly courageous of authors to write about topics like that

I also liked the scenes where Hannah and Levi were repeating their “dates” and how they kept asking each other “getting to know you” questions.. I found that cute!

I hope I can still read books for this author in the future and thank you for giving me the chance to read it in exchange of an honest review!

I enjoyed this SO MUCH. I read a lot of romances and whenever one surprises me, it's a good day. And this one did!

Structurally, I thought the reveal of Levi and Hannah's past relationship was done well. And the arc of growing closer made a lot of sense also: often in a second-chance romance, we're left feeling either that their breakup was unjustified, or that there's no good reason for the characters to change their minds. But here, it made so much sense! They were not in the right places (mentally) for each other back then, but now they've changed, and more importantly, ARE changing.

What I really, really loved was how the off-page character of Cass, the matriarch, was handled. It's so rare to see this in a novel: a beloved character who wasn't actually as good as everyone thought.

Just overall excellent character work, and real feelings. After Season of Love and now this, Helena Greer's going on the Autoread list.

I want to live in a Helena Greer book - so much love, representation, and acceptance from found family - my heart would explode (in the best way possible) from all of the feels.

So much love and warmth and humor in this book! I love that the author’s world is one where everyone finds acceptance - no matter their gender, sexuality, religion, or ethnicity. Even seemingly gruff and antagonistic relationships have a nugget of affection at the heart of them.

Perfect second chance, body positive, queer, Jewish representation, cozy, contemporary romance with all of the witty banter.

I love second chance romances, so naturally, I was incredibly excited to get into this one.
However, even if I loved the writing, I must say I felt confused and ovewhelmed most of the time. I think I should have read the first book in the series before starting this one. Even if the books are stand alones, I think the previous one would have helped me to understand this particular universe better, and probably get a better grip on all these characters. There was just so much chaos. So many people with their own drama.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It has a wonderful second chance, friends to lovers romance, two of my all time favourite tropes. The character development is also very well done.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Helena Greer knocks it out of the park again. I love the Jewish rep. The carrigans are becoming my favorite. Levi and Hannah. Ugh. Obsessed. I need more Carrigans. I love for second chance romance especially childhood love. We are In a time where Judaism rep is so important. Helena Greer integrates Judaism so well

It took me a lot longer to read this book than I’d like to admit. I enjoyed the writing, but I got a bit lost with a few of the side characters with their stories as well as the back and forth of things. I almost feel I would have liked it better if I would have read the first book of the series. That being said I am a sucker for a second chance. A lot of deep conversations were had through out the story. Levi leaves town to prove himself as he felt he really never fit in. He also happens to be Hannah’s absentee business partner. When Levi returns home, it’s nothing like he thought it would be. There’s a lot of tough conversations had, and he convinces Hannah to give him five dates to win her back. They have such strong chemistry that pulls at your heart strings. It was really nice to see them work on themselves and with one another to make things work.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.

I wish I could pinpoint exactly why this didn't work as well for me as I thought it might. It may be that this is the second in the series (although normally with romance you don't need to read them all!). I found it hard to connect with the characters and often found myself confused. I would definitely give this author another try, though!

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!