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.

This book acts like the follow-up book to ‘Seasons of Love’, which I read last year around christmas. It follows the story of Hannah and Levi, who both grew up on the Christmas Tree Farm that's now an all year around event location and inn and which is co-owned by Hannah, Noel, Miriam and Levi.

Just like with the first book, I didn’t like the characters. I feel like I liked them even less in this book. Especially Levi wasn’t in my good graces, he was whiny and self-centered. I didn’t feel a connection between the two main characters at all and they were supposed to have this great second-chance love story, but I just wasn’t interested in them as a couple. Very early on they can’t resist their needs and end up sleeping together, which for me came totally out of the blue and didn’t fit in with the rest of the story. For most of the story, they both seem unable to even try to understand the other person's needs and I was so over it.

A lot of things seemed to be conveniently shifted, however the author needed them to be. It felt like I was missing some huge chunks in the story. For example Noel hated Levi, she didn’t like him (and I understand why), but they start talking and all of a sudden she likes him. There’s no progression, it just happens instantly.

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”



The book>>>>>>

Helena Greer's angsty character drama 'For Never & Always' explores the push and pull of two people struggling to reunite as their desires are the antithesis of each other.

Levi and Hannah have been drawn together since they met as kids at Hannah's aunt's hotel, Carrigans, where Levi's parents worked. They have a blistering chemistry, all the moreso given Levi is demisexual, or, as he jokes "Hannahsexual', but they want different futures. Levi does not want to return to the small town atmosphere and attitudes he left behind after being branded as difficult (in no part thanks to Hannah's aunt). While Hannah wants to remain after her globetrotting childhood thanks to her documentary filmmaker parents. Unbeknowst to Levi, Hannah has severe anxiety which cripples her if she leaves any further than a small radius of their town.

I had to take breaks as this book could be heavy-going at times. I honestly couldn't see a resolution given Hannah was dead set on remaining despite desiring to leave. She also refused to communicate this to Levi, as well as the extent of her anxiety disorder, which made me frustrated with her. I also wished Levi properly explained the depth of his anger towards Hannah's aunt who was horrible to him, a child, in the ways she treated him. I did find it disappointing that this wasn't resolved in a way that I felt gave Levi real justice for treatment.

This book was also the most religious book I've read. As a non-Jew (though my catholic school did teach us a couple of semesters on Jewish holidays and basic customs) I found it enlightening. Most other books I've read with Jewish rep have characters that are more secular (e.g. don't keep kosher or go to synagogue).

Second chance is one of my favourite storytelling tropes but it's also one of the hardest to get right, as there's more reasons for a couple to remain apart than there are to reconcile. Greer really puts Levi and Hannah through the wringer capturing the angst, the pining and the tension between their heads and hearts. When they finally did make it through the other side, I felt they really earned their reconciliation. Credit to Helena Greer for creating two amazing, visceral characters who leapt off the page. May Hannah and Levi have a lot more of a smoother future together.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book took me a very long time to get through. I think that I probably am just not the right audience for it. I disliked most of the characters especially the mmc. There were people and potential plot lines that were introduced but left unsolved making parts of the story seem unfinished.

Will an unexpected inheritance bring Hannah and Levi, former childhood sweethearts, back together?

I was hooked from the first pages by the pining and angst between Hannah and Levi. I was rooting for these two to get a second chance. I loved Levi for his swoon-worthy efforts to show Hannah that they could craft a life that works for both of them. I also liked that both characters embraced communication to re-establish their relationship.

I didn't realize For Never & Always was a sequel before starting. This book can be read out of order, but I would have appreciated certain aspects of the story more if I had read the books in order.

The pacing was a bit off for me. The numerous flashbacks took me out of the flow of Hannah and Levi’s current-day storyline. I felt like this information could have been included in the present time frame chapters in many cases to improve the flow. Another thing that hampered the pacing was the multiple side stories. There was a lot going and at times, these side stories were distracting instead of enhancing the main storyline.

Overall, I really liked this book. If you are looking for quirky, complex, flawed, relatable characters, definitely check out For Never & Always.

3.5⭐ rounded up

Thank you to Forever for an early copy of this book.

Perfect read by a fantastic writer. I loved this book. The cover is beautiful and the characters really drew me in. I can't wait to read what's next from this author.

I really wanted to like this story of a second-chance love between main characters Hannah and Levi, set at a year-round Christmasland inn. However, I wasn't connecting with the characters and the dialogue between the two former best friends turned secret husband-wife combo just fell flat. I felt the same conflicts between the characters were kept on replay and their were no major leaps to resolutions. I read about 60% of the book before having to "DNF" (Did Not Finish) it. The "love story" between Levi & Hannah was not gripping (or even spicy) enough to keep me hanging on until the end.

A queer coded second chance romance in the cutest little town. Growing up, coming into your own, loving fiercely and messily made my heart so happy reading this book.