This one just didn't work for me -- second chance romances are a hard sell, and even more so when the full-grown adult characters are still deep in their childhood emotions with childlike ability to communicate. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this one in advance.

"For Never & Always" by Helena Greer is a poignant exploration of emotions and relationships that left a lasting impression. The story delves into the complexities of human connection, love, and personal growth.

Greer's writing invites readers into the minds and hearts of the characters, allowing us to experience their joys and struggles firsthand. The characters are multidimensional, and their interactions are filled with authenticity. The author's portrayal of their emotions is raw and relatable, making their journey one that resonates on a profound level.

At the core of the narrative is a tender and heartfelt romance that unfolds with genuine emotion. The slow-building connection between the characters is portrayed with a delicate touch, allowing readers to witness the evolution of their feelings. The moments of vulnerability and intimacy are captured with sensitivity, adding depth to the story.

The novel also explores themes of self-discovery and the impact of past choices on the present. Greer skillfully weaves together timelines and perspectives, creating a narrative that invites reflection on the significance of pivotal moments in our lives.

"For Never & Always" is a testament to Greer's ability to craft evocative prose that draws readers into the world she has created. The pacing of the story keeps the momentum going, allowing the emotional resonance to build as the plot unfolds.

In summary, "For Never & Always" is a beautifully written novel that tugs at the heartstrings. With its exploration of love, growth, and the intricate threads that bind us to one another, this book is a touching read for those who appreciate stories that touch the soul.

I never expected the sheer amount of drama that this book had (which may be a good or bad thing depending on your tastes). Very heavy on the miscommunication/lack of communication trope despite our main characters being in their 30s, but also great demisexual and queer representation as well as a lot of Jewish representation. A little bit of a middle of the road kind of boom for me.

Hannah and Levi are a hot mess. I can’t fathom being in your mid-thirties and having such awful communication. However, I did think their character arcs were good and I did like that they reached out for counseling towards the end (which should’ve come a lot sooner to be honest). I did find the writing style to be good, but I did think the large cast of characters and constant flipping between different ages from different perspectives made it a little hard to follow at times. I liked Hannah and Levi’s work ethic towards furthering their respective careers, but together they were definitely chaotic.

I really liked the demisexual and queer representation and as someone who is demi, I saw a lot of myself in how Levi lives out his friendships and relationship. I love seeing demi representation in books finally and I loved the variety of LGBTQ+ relationships between characters. I also appreciated the handling of Hannah’s anxiety disorder and how after a lifetime as a kid never settling down in one place has led to her being afraid to leave her comfort zone. While her and Levi might’ve been a mess, I liked how they compromised on how to help her while also respecting her anxiety of being too far away from the only place she’s ever felt at home.

While definitely chaotic and full of drama, I can kinda see what the author intended. I just think some things like reducing the large cast of characters a little, streamlining and reducing the variety of age perspectives, and having a more mature relationship between Hannah and Levi would’ve really helped. Because while I liked the characters on their own, I just never fully got on board with them together as they just couldn’t communicate at the level you’d expect for characters within their age group and what you’d think their maturity would be.

-friends to lovers (to exes), second chance romance, surprise inheritance 🧑‍🍳🏠
-I enjoyed Hannah and Levi as a couple
-the representation was done well!
-thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC

3.8⭐️

Fun, smart, swoony, and heart warming! For Never & Always needs to be on your shelves and Helena Greer should become an auto buy. Love the rep!

Wow! This second book is even better than Helena Greer's last one. We are back at Carrigan's Christmasland right where we left off with the end of Season of Love. (I recommend reading that first.)

For Never & Always focuses on Hannah Rosenstein and Levi Blue. They were childhood best friends and then lovers. But he has been gone for years. Now he's returned, having inherited one quarter of the inn. Hannah is super organized and has devoted herself to running Carrigan's while he has traveled the world and become somewhat famous as a chef.

This romance novel is amazing. I greatly appreciated the celebration of Jewish faith, especially the Passover seder. I still absolutely love Carrigan's and wish I could go there in real life. But I also could completely relate to and understand Levi's need to get away and feeling of being an outcast who didn't fit into small town life. As an additional bonus, the books on the Book Club list starting some sections are some of my favorites.

This book felt like a grown up romance novel, not just because of Hannah and Levi's ages, but because of the growth that each character goes through. They have legitimate issues that have kept them apart, but their love is so strong. I really appreciated the mental health representation and especially the acknowledgement that the appropriate kind of mental health care can look different for different people. Their feelings are so deep and so real.

This is intense and angsty and realistic. Every part of it resonated with me. After reading Season of Love, I wondered if I could possibly like Levi. But I found that I loved him even more than Hannah. I related to strongly to his character. You know writing is truly powerful when alternating points of view draw you so completely in that you fully take that character's perspective. I highlighted so much of this book and expect to re-read and annotate again and again.

Thank you to Forever for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

This book was perfectly paced and I love how the reconciliation between Hannah and Levi was not rushed. My main complaint was the character of Levi, I felt that he was given every stereotypical outward appearance to show he was not in fact straight and it honestly at times felt a touch offensive, like I would have much preferred to trust that the story will speak for itself.

I found this book a bit confusing but in all honesty, that's on me for not realizing this was a sequel and not a standalone or first book in a series when I requested it. Outside of that, and after a quick read of the first book, the constant flashbacks and side character stories convoluted the book and made it difficult to keep up. Additionally, I found it difficult to root for our main couple given I felt they both truly needed to work through things separately before even considering coming together. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me.

This book made me feel all the things!! Levi and Hannah were perfectly imperfect characters and the growth they displayed, both individually and as a couple, was truly *chef’s kiss* - pun completely intended.

Second chance romance/marriage in crisis is generally not a well-liked trope of mine, but Helena Greer has found the perfect balance of rawness and realness in For Never & Always. It broke my heart in all the right places and then carefully stitched it back together again.

I think it’s worth noting that this book is not at all spicy (which is fine!). For Never & Always focuses on the emotional side of Levi and Hannah’s relationship, so if you’re looking for some explicit steaminess, you will not find it here. But it’s definitely worth the read 🥰

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the plot of this story: long distance childhood best friends fall in love, boy feels trapped in a place he's always known while she is committed to staying in one place, b0oy leaves to find himself only to realize she is what makes his life worth living and returns to sweep her off her feet. I love a second chance romance. And I loved the representation here: Jewish families running a Christmas farm, a plus-sized woman is seen as nothing but sexy, smart, and desirable, and I appreciated getting to see Levi's journey of his sexuality from pre-discovery in flashbacks to an adult who is comfortable and confident. I was invested in Hannah and Levi's happiness as individuals and the flashbacks worked well enough to make me want Hannah and Levi to get back together.

As for what didn't quite work for me: there are way too many characters and side plots in this story. Miriam and Noelle had their time and Greer was laying the groundwork for Cole's story, but it really took me out of Hannah and Levi's story. I think spending so much time focusing on other characters while letting Hannah and Levi rehash the same intrusive thoughts over and over and over again was a disservice to the story as a whole.

I try not to read second chance romances because they usually have a lot of angst and tearful moments and this one had me crying plenty. I did get annoyed by the way some of the characters were acting especially in the beginning of the book. I feel like blue wasn’t allowed to speak his mind or tell his side of the story. I felt like Hannah acted very childish at times, she asked for him to return and then threw a fit when he did. I also feel like there was a lot of emphasis on him wearing eyeliner

A second chance romance between two people with a lot of baggage and even more sparks. Sign me up.

Blue is back and ready to win Hannah back no matter what. She wants him gone and doesn’t care what he has to say.

This story is woven with background chapters of when Blue and Hannah were young and how they fell in love and how they fell apart. I thought this storytelling device was an interesting way to get their background out.

This was a closed door romance, but it didn’t lose any of its charm because of it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Engaging story of Hannah and Levi. My favorite parts included the supporting cast and the past / present back and forths. Well written and helpful insight to our Jewish siblings and our non cisgender, hetero ones too!

Unfortunately, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. The constant angst and issues that all of the characters had was a lot to read, especially when I thought this was a happier friends to strangers to lovers story. I guess that was my fault for not understanding the synopsis better. I also didn't read the first book "Seasons of Love", so maybe that's why I also felt a little lost in the story. I was really looking forward to this one but it fell flat. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t. I didn’t realize it was a part of a series when I picked it up, so disclaimer, I haven’t read book 1. That being said, there were certain elements I enjoyed (the representation and the cat particularly), but overall the characters felt overly melodramatic who only ever spoke in Therapy Speak, or otherwise extremely stilted conversation. The plot seemed to drag on. The flashbacks also felt extremely disjointed and unnecessary. I kept expecting the flashbacks to lead into a “current day” chapter that would somehow be related to the flashback, but that never seemed to be the case.

This was an adorable story about coming home again and finding the love that was always sitting in your own backyard.

Sadly, this book was not the rom com I needed it to be. The writing fell flat, and pretty much everything was tell, not show. I wanted to feel the characters come to life, but it really felt more like the author was telling me to just keep watching, then explaining why their movements meant anything to me. It was a standard, mediocre rom com. I’m sure that there are people who will love it, but that person is not me.

I adored everything about this book! The representation was so authentic. Usually I get frustrated with miscommunication, but because it was centered in Levi’s mental health it didn’t feel contrived. The chemistry was fantastic and their growth as individuals and as a couple was perfection.

This was a solid book! I don't think it was for me but not because the writing or story was terrible (it truly wasn't!). This story touched on heavier subjects but the rep was great.

3.5 star

Okay... So I really liked the Jewish Rep and Queer rep in the books. I liked the story and premise, 2nd chance romance with childhood friends to lovers. I think that the book needs to be marketed as a 2nd book in a series vs appearing like a standalone. I think the information and basis for the town/ family and dynamics would have helped and the only way to get that was to read Seasons in Love first.

You wouldn't know it but the cover almost makes this book seem lighter than the subjects inside. This is the hard part with the cartoon cover phase because they are not 100% matching the content in a way.

I loved the character development of the couple but I really didn't like them as a couple. There is also a way in which they are talking which makes me think I am sitting in a therapy professional development training with a lot of therapy talk without actually being therapists. It just did not feel natural for people to talk in the way, as a social worker who has a bunch of therapist friends they so so do not talk like that in lay life. I don't know it just made it harder to consume.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc to read and review.