Fun fact: Season of Love was one of my favorite holiday stories last year. And I couldn't wait to read this! I cannot believe I was lucky enough to receive the ARC!

At first, I was a bit put off by the fact that it's set in spring instead of winter. But this story is so quirky and twisty and darkly humorous. And I am from page one invested in the life of Hannah & Levi. Of course the concept of Carrigans All Year makes perfect sense.

I have such a good time with meddling will-writers and their schemes. Cass is especially devious.

And Levi. "I don't feel sexual attraction for other people." Full stop.

This book is fabulous.

Five years ago, Levi “Blue” Matthews left Carrigan’s Christmasland, his childhood home. With that, he also left Hannah Rosenstein, his best friend and the love of his life, who can’t leave Carrigan’s.

When Levi reluctantly returns, Hannah isn’t interested in letting him back into her life or rekindling their relationship.

They’re forced to work together, and Levi sets out to win Hannah back. As Hannah begins to trust him again, they still have to get past what broke them apart five years ago: Levi can’t stay at Carrigan’s, and Hannah can’t leave.

The premise of this story piqued my interest, but I was let down when I went to read it.

I didn’t feel at all invested in the story or the characters. They came across as juvenile, more like teenagers than people in their mid-30s.

There were long, redundant descriptions, combined with writing told the reader what the characters were feeling instead of showing us through the narrative.

I’ve seen that other people like this book, so I’m glad that it’s found it’s audience, but this book was not a good fit for me.

I’m so sorry. I didn’t know this book was part of a series at the time I requested it. So, when I realized I was reading a sequel, I doubted if I should quit temporarily to read the prequel first. But I already had problems getting through the story, and my mind kept telling me not to pick up the first one because my TBR is overflowing, right now. I struggled for a few days and then decided to DNF this romance. Maybe I’ll get back to this series someday. I won't post this review on Goodreads or any other platform.

4.5/5 (rounded down to 4)

CW: homomisia, anxiety, agoraphobia, grief, death of a family member

I would like to thank NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When Levi Blue Matthews returns home to Carrigan’s after the death of great-aunt Cass, he faces the people he left behind five years ago, including his estranged lover Hannah Rosentein. Though Hannah wants nothing to do with him here, she ends up hiring Levi to be the chef for a huge wedding Carrigan’s is hosting. In exchange for the job, Blue calls for a Shenanigan where they both have to go on five dates with each other for Blue to prove that they were meant to be together. Yet, can Levi and Hannah move past the reasons why their relationship fell apart in order to start again?

For Never & Always is a romance full of angst and pining that catches your attention from the very first page. Told in past vs. present timelines, you get to see the history of Hannah and Levi’s relationship and how they ultimately come back together again in this book, which really helps with showing the growth Hannah and Levi go through in the book. Levi provides some certainly swoon worthy moments in For Never & Always and you can’t help but root for them to get back together.

Now, there are reasons why I’ve rated this book four stars out of five. A particular issue that I have with this book is that there’s some noticeable disconnect in For Never & Always due to references to Greer’s prior book, Seasons of Love. I wasn’t aware of For Never & Always is a sequel novel and the book makes several references to the prior book in regards to key aspects of character and plot development, which makes it a bit harder to understand if you haven’t read the first book in the series. Additionally, I felt some of the plot twists in this book were revealed way too early and I wished you got more time to understand the characters before these plot twists come out.

Regardless, I applaud Greer’s storytelling for creating this soulmate romance that readers will love. I would just recommend reading Greer’s Seasons of Love before diving into For Never & Always.

This one was, for me, a perfect example of two characters who really shouldn't be together. I spent much of my reading time hoping so much that the two MC's wouldn't get back/stay together.

I was disappointed by my response to this novel because I absolutely adored Season of Love and had really been looking forward to reading her next work. The author writes so well, I love the Jewish and queer rep but this one really wasn't for me.



Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the DRC

Book 2 in the series was as good as book 1! I was happy to be back at Carrigan's and the exceptionally queer friend-family. I generally love the parts of later books in a romance series where i get to see people from a previous book being happy together--which was very nice here. Also, seeing anxiety represented as something beyond feeling stressed sometimes--as something seriously life-shaping, even with treatment--felt really important. So glad to check back in with this crew!

NetGalley ARC.

This is a good second chance Rom-Com. I was really into the story. It held my attention and was very entertaining on a rainy day. I read this in one sitting. I really liked the characters and the story line.
I just reviewed For Never & Always by Helena Greer. #ForNeverAlways #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Okay, okay, I typically don’t gravitate towards second chance romance (nothing against it, just not a top trope for me) but when I tell y’all this book was so good!?!

The representation in this book was so tasteful and Levi and Hannah were so incredibly chaotic lol but it was so much more than that. The found family, the mental health and queer reps?? So so good!

This book felt like a warm hug and the character development was so rich. I loved this book. Definitely read if you love:

💗second chance romance
💗childhood best friends
💗found family
💗chaotic main characters
💗mental health representation
💗queer representation
💗Jewish representation

Okay, I’m going to be really honest here: I just don’t like the way Helena Greer tells a story. I know thats harsh, but hear me out:
I loved the plot of this book, loved the setting, loved the characters, but the amount of exposition vs the amount of action and dialogue drove me absolutely batty. I found this same issue with Seasons of Love, which I also really wanted to like.
I’ll say this: If you want a book that is going to completely engross you in the story, really transport you in to the characters mind, then Greer is an author for you. Personally, I like a faster pace, but I’m really thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to check this out!

I am all about the holiday novels these days! This one is a fun one for those who love Christmas towns and villages as this is primarily where this book takes place. The authors had such distinct personalities and lead to you wonder will they ever figure out how to get along?

For Never & Always is a complicated second-chance romance covering love, loss and so so so many layers and feelings, The characters can be quite frustrating, yet they are self-aware and admittedly trying their best. There are also a lot of components to keep track of from many side-characters to multiple timelines. It was a bit more of an involved read than I was anticipating, but I do think many will enjoy it.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I did not realize this book was a series, and I have not read the first book. This definitely left a gap for me to have a connection with some of the characters.

4.5 / 5 stars
This book was a bit different than the books that I typically but I absolutely enjoyed it. The representation was awesome as well as educational. I am hoping to get my hands on a copy of the first book.

Everything about this book just exhausted me. Though Helena Greer's writing is quite good her characters and story are so filled to the brim with disfunction all I wanted for was everyone to get the hell away from each other and start over.

I was so happy to go back to Carrigan's again! I wanted to see how Miriam and Noelle were doing and I was anxiously awaiting the fallout of Levi's return from the end of 'Season of Love'. I was so excited to see what happened with Hannah and Levi. There were a lot of surprises in their relationship, and I loved the journey that they went on to find their happily ever after.

I loved the demi rep and the Jewish rep too. It was great to see such care and explanation. This book actually had two characters come out, and I loved how those stories played out for them.

I didn't like the pacing of the book. The flashbacks threw off the rhythm of the story. I know why they were there because they showed the past between Levi and Hannah, but I wish there weren't as many of them.

Overrall, although it took some time to get into the book, I was happy with the way the characters ended up. I appreciated that they didn't compromise or change themselves in order to find their happily ever after.

I'm also looking forward to book #3 in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC of this book.

I was so excited for this book, but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I really liked the premise of this one and I loved the MMC, however some aspects didn’t work for me overall.

The FMC of the story was largely unlikable and unfortunately ruined for me what could have been a great story. I found that she self-sabotaged many of her relationships but never took responsibility for this or had any character growth in this regard.

Levi is one of the best MMC I’ve read about in a long time, and I loved his story and character arc. His growth throughout the story was fantastic.
The LGBTQ+ rep in the story was also really well done.

This one wasn’t for me, but if you’ve enjoyed this author’s previous work I would encourage you to pick this up!

Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

This is a cute 2nd chance romance but not one that id slap people with a copy while begging them to check it out. It gets a 2.5 stars from me.

I just had a reeeeally hard time getting into it. It was a painfully slow start and I've learned that I'm just not a fan when chapters are jumping back and forth between past and present. There was also some "telling but not showing" which was just not my jam.

Maybe a big reason I wasn't more enthralled with it was because I didn't read the first book ...and I'm thinking that I probably would have liked that one better. This sequel is just kinda, fine* for a reader being able to jump in without having read the previous story. I really did love the queer representation though.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC so that I may share my feedback and review

this book just wasn’t for me but i think other people might enjoy it! especially if you read and enjoyed helena greer’s first novel, season of love!

I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, I didn't. From the get-go, I found the story very confusing to follow (I now realize this book is a sequel). There were so many characters and side stories, and when adding in the constant flashbacks, I struggled to keep track of it all.

Overall, this book was sadly a miss for me, but I hope to have better luck with this author in the future.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

I’ve been anticipating Hannah and Levi’s story since it was announced (okay honestly since I finished the author’s first book). The pining and the history and the hurt and the growth were amazing. The characters were frustrating at times but in a way that made sense for the story and to move the plot along. I loved getting to see more of their friends and family throughout the story agin and loved all the celebrations and events. I appreciated the demisexual rep SO much. There’s a scene for Hannah that is very pivotal that I very much identified with as well. Making a big decision for yourself is so empowering!

<b>Thank you to Helena Greer, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to review. </b> Though I received a copy in return for a review the opinions of this review are my own.....

<b> For Never & Always is a modern, Jewish, queer, neurodivergent, closed-door, reinterpretation of Jane Austen's Persuasion </b> (one of my all-time favorite books). Wow, that's a lot to unpack in one sentence! Helena Greer does a great job of making Hannah and Levi Blue into whole people with their own complicated and entwined histories, desires, hopes, and needs. Hannah is great but I have to say that Levi-Blue made this book for me the way his outer appearance and the expectations others have of him are at odds with who he is on the inside is excellent. <spoiler> One expects him to have been this playboy who left his wife and responsibilities behind to seek fame. Instead, we discover that in a misguided attempt to find peace for himself and Hannah, he forgot to listen and consider her needs as well as his. </spoiler> What I really loved about this book is that it takes the original story of long lost and estranged lovers from Persuasion and not only updates it and makes it more inclusive but also adds to it - as Hannah and Levi are forced to work through their issues and find better and healthier ways to love and support one another.

Stars: 5/5
Spice: 0/5