This was a great second chance romance! It was written extremely well and the author showed great care handling some really delicate topics. It’s clear that a lot of attention and care was given to ensure accurate representation in this book and as a reader, that’s greatly appreciated! Beyond that, the pacing and the setting worked wonderfully for the plot, and the characters were really well developed. I loved the relationship between them and was very satisfied with how this story wrapped up. This was my first book from this author but I’m very interested in reading more from them in the future!

This one took me a while to get into, but once I did, it was an okay read. There is nothing that stands out as amazing or terrible. I did enjoy seeing the demisexual rep, specifically with a MMC since I feel as though most demi rep I see in romance is with FMC’s. However, I did not enjoy the constant back and forth with the main characters. It felt unnecessary to drag it from basically the beginning of the book until the end. Just when I thought they would figure it out, someone had to have doubts or something would come up to bring them apart again.

I will say that this book did make me interested in the side characters, which led me to reading the first book, Season of Love. I enjoyed that one much more and I am very excited to read Hers for the Weekend! Overall, this one was not for me, but I would still recommend it to others, especially if you like second chance romances that are also slow burn.

For Never and Always is a second chance romance about childhood friends to lovers. But it’s not super heavy on the romance and definitely offers more self disco every and reflection than the average romance. However, the self-reflection feels a bit too in your face. Almost every conversation was super deep and lacked the subtlety that would be required for these conversations to feel truly authentic. Plus they were having these deep conversations when they were children and the language didn’t match the age group. Lastly, the solution felt so obvious. It shouldn’t have taken them so long to come up with it and maybe we could have gotten more time with Levi and Hannah as a healthy couple in the end.

I just love this series! I love the monthly breakdown and following the characters through this year. Helena Greer writes them with depth and emotion. There’s a genuineness and effort to be real that doesn’t go unnoticed. I’m looking forward to wrapping up this year with Shenanagins!!

It's rare that a romance can make my jaw drop but that's exactly what happened when Levi, who has been estranged from Hannah, his best friend and ex for four years, said he wants his wife and marriage back. I love a marriage in crisis! Hannah and Levi can be categorized as idiots to lovers because these two can't seem to get out of their own heads and way to be together without destroying each other in the process. Whether it's because of fate or proximity, they were destined to be together through their connection to Carrigan's the Christmas tree farm his parents work at, and her aunt owned. But when you're young, and still trying to find out who you are, what you want, and how to get there with an all-consuming relationship, sometimes time apart to figure that out is what's needed. I felt for Levi being the black cat in a town where he's ostracized and yearning to escape the assumptions put on him, and for Hannah, who grows up with constant location changes and wants to make her life in the one place she found stability and the love of her life.
I also loved the representation! Levi is demisexual, and there is a big cast of supporting queer characters. Plus, both MCs are Jewish and I liked the incorporation of the religious observations and holidays. I definitely recommend reading the first book of the series. I read this as a standalone but did feel a little lost with some character introductions and some unclear transitions, but ymmv.

I really loved all of the representation in this book and how much thought and care went into both of these main characters. At times I felt a little lost because there were a lot of characters to keep track of as well as the different timelines in the book. Would be open to reading another by this author that had less going on.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a great second chance romance.

this book was a little. Infusing for me. I didn’t realize that this was a sequel so some of it was a bit confusing with the characters and flashbacks. At some point sod the book I really struggled to enjoy both main characters and they both needed to get over themselves.

I enjoyed getting to read more about Carrigans and seeing Levi and Hannah’s backstory. I’m content with how the book went and ended. It’s very cute and I’m excited to read the next one and see how Tara is doing. Thank you Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute addition to the series.

This can be read as a standalone, but as someone who only vaguely remembered Season of Love, things definitely make more sense if you’ve read the first book.

Second chance romance! Childhood friends to lovers! Grumpy sunshine! Oh my!

I have mixed feelings on this. I was so intrigued by Levi and Hannah because of book one - and the messy relationship that’s foreshadowed there is definitely delivered here. Expect angst, complex feelings, and a lot of introspection.

I won’t lie - this book kinda drags at time. But the writing is excellent and the characters are compelling enough to make you push through.

As I mentioned before, Levi and Hannah have a messy past. They were not good for each other when they were younger and had awful communication skills that inevitably led to their downfall.
But, for better or for worse, they’re still connected to each other.
They have a lot of baggage to overcome, and they somehow manage to do that. Their fight to the end, to be together, to make it work is beautiful :,)

Last thing - I love the growth we get to see between Miriam and Noelle, I’m so excited for the next book! And Cole is still the best character (seriously - when do we get his love story??).

This rom-com was a delightful opposites-attract story with solid grump and sunshine MCs. The chemistry was often surface level, but the witty banter made for some highlights. While the plot was predictable at times, it was over a satisfying read for fans of slow-burn romance.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for netgalley and the publisher for granting my ARC. I loved the first book and I loved the family and setting and everything that it set up. However, I just couldn't get into this one. The characters fell flat and I just wasn't into it. DNF'ed at 25%

This was a first for me from this author and it won’t be the best! I really enjoyed the characters and their dynamic! I’m so glad Hannah and Levi get a second chance:) It was a fun, unique read for me! I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Just like Season of Love, I fell HARD for these two beautiful people. Levi Blue, Hannah and I are kindred spirits and their romance felt absolutely perfect for them. I highly recommend this fantastic queer MF romance to everyone!

"For Never & Always" delivers a heartwarming second-chance romance filled with emotional depth and engaging characters. While the story follows a familiar trajectory, Greer infuses it with fresh energy and genuine chemistry between the leads.

I'm going to start by saying that I didn't know this was a sequel and did not read the first book.
My experience reading this book was an emotional roller coaster. I went in expecting cute, second-chance, small town romance vibes, totally ready for good feels, and instead I spent most of my time feeling angry and almost dropped it at 30%. At 40% I was complaining to my best friend about it, told him I was going to DNF, but he said he was invested in the characters and living vicariously through me and he dared me to finish it because he knows I won't back down from a dare.
I didn't start liking the characters together (though I did like Hannah very much individually and Blue grew on me later) until maybe 60%, and I didn't feel emotionally invested in their relationship's success until 80%. Prior to all of that, I felt Hannah and Blue were too misaligned, too toxic together, too consumed by each other for it to work. Actually, I felt a hell of a lot like Noelle (who was genuinely the only reason I kept going before I was dared to finish. Seriously, Noelle is a gem). But by the end, I began to really see evidence of their individual growth and how they could make it work if they really made the effort. Still, I spent most of my time angry.
HOWEVER. My personal feelings about the MCs and their more-or-less toxic relationship has very little to do with my actual rating because Helena Greer's writing is stellar. Her characters are vivid, her descriptions are beautifully detailed, and the language is swoony in a way that feels like a modern classic romance. I would definitely revisit her books for her writing. I might even go back and pick up the first book since I loved Noelle so much in this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

A lack of action bogs this book down, unfortunately, but the queer and Jewish representation are refreshing.

Not for me. I don't love miscommunication, but especially when it leads to a break up and then one character comes back hoping to pick up where they left off. I'm not sure if that ever works in real life but it always gives me the ick!