After really enjoying Season of Love, I've been anticipating the sequel for almost a year. I definitely think you should read book 1 before going into this one, because I feel like you need an existing connection with these characters for it to work. Most of the more negative reviews I've read, have mentioned that they didn't read book 1, in which case I definitely understand not enjoying it.

While I did enjoy this, I have some complicated feelings about this. This book is just a LOT in terms of how melodramatic it gets, and it definitely annoyed me at times. But there's nothing I could say to criticize this that wasn't also addressed in the book, because the book is actually really self aware about this. So while I did get annoyed at times, I also think the book did a great job addressing this, and this made the book work for me despite my annoyance, especially when the story started to progress.

I loved the setting and characters in the first book, and again loved them here. Especially because there was even more room for complex feelings and flaws. Like I already said, the book starts out really melodramatic, and in ways it stays like that, but these feelings also do get a lot of depth, and the characters do work through them. And I can't say I'm not a sucker for a second chance romance where characters feel like they belong together.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Helena Greer for this ARC. I was so excited to read For Never & Always because of the Jewish and Demi rep. But this was unfortunately not the book for me. I was so sad but I just couldn't get into the book or vibe with any of the characters.

This was such a unique, sweet, fun second chance romance! Hannah & Levi were best friends who became enemies when he decided to leave her to go pursue his job. they were brought back together when they both inherit the inn in their hometown. I appreciated Levi‘s dedication to trying to win hannah back, but there was a lot going on in the story that made it kind of confusing to follow at times. I really routed for Hannah and Levi, but I fully understood and appreciated hannah‘s hesitant to trust Levi again.
I absolutely loved the representation in this book, as well as the character development, both Levi and hannah had, individually, and together. By the end of the story, I felt both of them had done the work to earn each other’s trust, respect, and love.

Thank you for the ARC!!!

I thought this was a really cute read! I struggled a little getting into it for the first ~25-30%--something about the pacing felt a little slow, I think--but after that I felt like the book hit its stride and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed Hannah and Levi's characters and the second-chance romance was sweet. I got a little confused with some of the side characters and stories, but it didn't really detract anything from the story for me--I just had to go back sometimes to refresh my memory. Also really loved and appreciated the rep in this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the eARC!

Thank you netgalley, Forever Publishing for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest review. I love the characters the kitschy holiday farm and the folks that found it this is my new favorite book by Helena Greer will need to preorder this one.

This book is very much for fans of Helena Greer's "Season of Love," and as someone who did not read that one prior to picking up "For Never & Always," it lacked the backstory that preexisting readers already knew about. That being said, "For Never & Always" was a cute, authentic and vulnerable second-chance romance told in dual points of views. It's an intriguing concept (with a "wait, what? that's at play here?" surprise reveal that changes EVERYTHING) and full of compelling language that draws you in. It's nice to see an authentic representation of both Judaism and the LGBTQIA+ community, which I'm always a fan of tenfold.

CW: Anxiety

I have complicated feelings about this book, which makes total sense because this book is FULL of complicated feelings. Disclaimer: I have not read the first book in the series, so I didn’t have any backstory or connection yet to any of the characters here.

Hannah and Levi have loved each other their whole lives, but Levi left her behind five years ago to adventure the world as a chef while she stayed at Carrigan’s and eventually took over running the operation. Levi has returned to win her back and the two of them have to face a whole lot of hurt and conflicting needs to figure out if there’s any way they can make it work together.

The complicated feelings came from complex characters in Levi and Hannah. Levi was incredibly frustrating in the shades of his past attitude snuck in even though he’d clearly grown during his time away. Being back at Carrigan’s reverted him back to teen hurts and being on the defensive. On the flip side, it was completely fair of him to be frustrated in return with anyone trying to devalue his feelings of his remembered experience. I think as the book went on, he showed a massive amount of strength in facing his emotions and insecurities tied to his home, as much for himself as for his relationship with Hannah. Hannah wasn’t as frustrating, but she was just as complex. I could understand her desire for stability after a childhood of anything but, and I admired to work she put into herself after Levi left to face her anxiety. She was protective of her heart when he returned, but all she wanted was for him to really see her and truly consider her needs in contrast to his own and help her see a way they could work.

The part of the book that let me down were the flashbacks. They disrupted the flow and felt awkwardly inserted. The shining moments of this book were the moments that Hannah and Levi were really facing their issues and having meaningful, deep conversations about their past, present, and future. I wish some of the key parts of those flashbacks would’ve been worked into those conversations to include them without making them individual chapters.

I was very excited to read this book and get to re-visit the Carrigan’s world again! In this story, which can be read as a stand alone, we get Hannah and Levi’s story. Hannah is a super organized control freak in charge of Carrigan’s, who loves Carrigan’s and never wants to leave after her globe trotting upbringing. Levi or Blue, is a surly chef who could not leave Carrigan’s fast enough once he was old enough to make his own choices. Levi and Hannah were madly in love, but could not reconcile what they wanted in life, so they parted on awful terms. In a surprise twist Cass named Levi as one of the heirs, so Hannah needs Levi to come back one last time to figure out this issue so they can all move forward. Except, even though she doesn’t want it to be, the attraction between them is still there. There were a lot of twists and turns and surprises in this story, and so much main character growth. I loved the side characters, the setting of Carrigan’s, and the queer and Jewish representation in this book. I also appreciated the trigger warnings at the beginning of the story, to give readers a chance to make a choice on if this story might be too hard for them to read. Another great story by Helena Greer. And I’m hoping for at least one more Carrigan’s story maybe featuring Cole or Tara before we have to leave these set of characters. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for honest feedback. Romance novels aren’t usually my thing without a serious plot or some decent spice. This one has neither, revolving mainly on the character growth and emotional development of the main characters, and yet I really enjoyed myself. The interactions and growth felt real and not overly forced. I was skeptical as the book started with a “dreamier than realistic” male lead, but he had some depth I didn’t expect. I also loved seeing a demisexual character given space, and respect, and inclusion in the rainbow. Loved the diverse characters and the focus on Jewish spirituality (no I am not Jewish so I couldn’t tell you if it was accurately represented though it felt so). Overall I enjoyed this book way more than expected.

Levi returns to the resort, Carrigans, in an effort to make things right with his lifelong best friend/romantic interest Hannah, and right the wrongs of the past. I love how this romantic comedy blended reality tv with Jewish and LGBTQIA+ themes. While I enjoyed the flashbacks in time, there were times when the pacing felt a little disjointed. Overall, I enjoyed reading Hannah and Levi’s love story, and would be interested in reading more books by this author, it had a fun, rom-com feel!

This book was lovely. Realistically flawed MCs who self-admit that they’re sometimes assholes? I love it (as an occasional asshole myself). I’m also very demisexual and needed to get away from my hometown to travel, so I related a lot to Levi/Blue. My feelings towards Hannah are complicated, but in a good way — I can see where she’s coming from but I don’t agree with her actions sometimes. We’re all flawed! But the two of them break their relationship pattern and actually put in the work to communicate with each other. It was great!

Oooooo I loved this book so much!

Hannah, with her anxiety disorder and curvy figure (wahoo fat girl rep!), running a small town Inn where she grew up with her two best friends.

Levi, with all his spiky edges, figuring out his queer identity and what he truly wants in life, comes back to the home he always hated to win back Hannah, the love of his life.

Helena Greers' description of Hannah's anxiety and agoraphobia was so spot on at some points in the book I had to set it down bc it felt so real to me, someone with generalized anxiety disorder. Also, the way Levi discusses being demisexual was refreshing!

I loved the friendships and all the imperfect people. This was my first Helena Greer book, but I have Seasons of Love now on my TBR! Thank you, NetGalley and Forever publishing for this ARC!

Loved the queer and Jewish rep in For Never & Always, but that was about it. It just fell flat for me and didn't hold my attention well

I had really high hopes for For Never & Always but it just fell flat for me. I'm not entirely sure why this one didn't work for me, but it seems like a lot of people loved this book!

For Never and Always by Helena Greer is probably the best rom com with queer and Jewish representations that I have EVER read. I truly enjoyed the second chance romance aspect and the characters…. Oh the super developed, flawed, loving, and just plain perfect characters made this novel a rom com that will capture hearts everywhere. A little out of my genre, I saw the blurb and felt like I should give it a try. Reviews on books that you do not normally read can be hard sometimes but with this one, I am so afraid I won’t do it justice. This one had me laughing and crying and sometimes both together but the hope in all of us that the one that got away will come back is certainly what makes this book more special than others.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you NetGalley as well as the author and Grand Central Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

It was back to Carrigan's, which I adored! You get to find out what happened in the past and present between Levi and Hannah. The book ended differently than i predicted, but I was okay with it. I'm excited about the next book. Thanks to #netgalley for the arc!

I have pretty mixed feelings on this one. I thought the cast was interesting, I loved the rep, and the prose was lovely. But the second chance romance felt like it was so weighed down by backstory--both for the main pairing and for every side character--that it felt like there was very little room for the actual romance to grow.

OMG I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF BEING BACK AT CARRIGANS!!!

Seriously yall, Season of Love was epic but this one was phenomenal. Hannah and Levi's story was the perfect second book and one of my favorite if not the best second chance love stories. The queer and Jewish representation was perfection, and the characters exploring their mental health issues was so damn heartwarming to read. Levi and Hannah are the picture perfect guide to how love sometimes isn't enough. Love is the foundation sure, but they both had to grow up, fix themselves, and then come together and fix each other. We're all a bunch of broken children after all, and it was nice to finally pick up a book that acknowledges that and doesn't simply have to perfect characters join their perfect bodies and perfect lives and ride off into the sunset. Levi explores his sexuality. Hannah deals with anxiety and is a curvy goddess. Noelle is a fat dapper butch. We have a world of NORMAL people with normal bodies and normal struggles.

I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, but Carrigans in my heart will always be a real place. (Don't judge me!) The icing on the cake was the absolute very end where we are given a sneak peek into the future. Now if only I could speed up time to get to Noelle and Miri's wedding! Helena Greer has crafted a magical world where everyone who's queer, struggles with mental health issues, or just always feels out of place like Levi can feel right at home. Normal and loved. I loved every single page. Even cried a little at the end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

I received an advanced review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley, Helena Greer, and Forever Grand Central Publishing.

This is a second chance romance where the main characters work hard on themselves to be together. I enjoyed the setting of this story with most of the characters living together like a small village. However, I did feel like there were a few too many side stories and characters. I’m assuming that is so the author can introduce them to continue the series. This book was hard to get into and I felt like I was constantly trying to understand all of the quirky little asides. I did enjoy the Jewish and Queer representation in the book.

DNF at 26%, and I’m bummed about it. This had potential with a cute plot and a super cute surprise twist that happened immediately, but I felt so dizzy reading it with all the characters and everything going on. A quarter into the book and it’s been two weeks of reading, I should be invested, but I’m not. I didn’t read the first book, which you don’t have to because they are stand-alone romances. But maybe if I already had and loved the characters, it would have helped?

I loved the Jewish representation!