This story was so out of my norm but so cute and romantic! I loved all the little facets that made this story amazing! One of them being how involved and loving the family was. Even when they were angry this family stood by each other and didn’t let each other fall.

Hannah and Blue were their own worst enemy! They loved hard but let their fears take over and that’s what lead to their demise!

I love that Blue when he was ready didn’t let Hannah give up. He knew their love was forever and he spent time showing Hannah! This family was so odd at times but I loved it. I didn’t know they were a Jewish family and it was interesting to read about their dynamic and I appreciated the insight into a world I didn’t previously know.

A very beautiful read for sure!

I selected this ARC on NetGalley because I liked the cover, and it looked like a fun read. For Never & Always is exactly what I thought and surprisingly so MUCH more.

After years apart, childhood loves, Hannah and Levi are thrown back together by the surprise inheritance of the inn where they grew up and where their love fall apart. The reunion is not a happy one. While time has not killed their attraction for one another, it unfortunately hasn’t eliminated any baggage either. These two misunderstand each other in the way that only comes after years of love, suppressed emption, and terrible communication.

Levi left Carrigan’s Inn because he felt like he would die if he didn’t, but Hannah couldn’t go with him for the same reason. She craved stability after a childhood of traipsing around the globe. Even after the loss of Hannah’s aunt, Cass, the former owner of Carrigan’s and the steady parental force in her life, Hannah still can’t leave. However, Levi is now ready to acknowledge the role Cass played in his defining moments- their uncoupling, his career, and his loss of Carrigan’s as his home. Throughout the story, Cass is a giant looming in the background, embedded as the subtext to everyone’s story. Helena Greer beautifully depicts Cass as this flawed character who invokes complex emotions for everyone who orbited around her. This resonated because feelings are not black and white. It is difficult to completely love someone or hate them, and death doesn’t fix this. In fact, it often makes it more complicated.

While I enjoyed the love story and journey that we take with the characters, what I MOST LOVED was the eloquent Jewish and LGBTQIA representation- important characters in relevant roles. The inclusion didn’t feel like pandering. It was powerful for me to read about Judaism and its traditions and then also sexuality in a way that was meaningful to the characters and added important depth. I could go on about this book forever, and in fact I did. I spent more time editing this than writing! I recommend this book. Read it. You won’t be disappointed. Available November 28, 2023!

It was a pretty good book, I appreciated that the characters actually healed and saw their issues, but it was rather slow for my liking. I also enjoy more sass and banter, but it wasn't terrible. Just not a book for me.

I really liked this book. It navigates grief and fear, anxiety and sexuality, as well as the families we are born into and the families we choose. Hannah and Levi are so right and SO wrong for each other. This has been described as a last chance romance and that perfectly encapsulates the feel of it. Either they get together now or they're going to have to be apart forever.

It also has a lovely discussion and exploration of demisexuality.

Going into this one I didn't realize it was book 2 of a series. Reading book 1 wasn't necessary but would've provided some much needed background on Noelle and all of the friendships.

Read this if you love:
- second chance romance
- LGBTQ+ representation
- Jewish representation

Recommended!

Great characters, and a great second-chance romance story. I loved the queer and Jewish representation, and loved the slow-and-steady pacing and witty banter. I’d love to check out more titles from this author.

Really excited about this book. It was an Absolutely phenomenal read. High will recommend to others to pick up as soon as it is released.

This was a good read but I couldn’t get into it as much as I was hoping. I didn’t read the first book in this series which may be part of the problem as many characters had a backstory from that book. The time jumping also made this a little hard to follow. I did love the setting of the Christmas tree farm and the event planning. I also would have loved more about Levi’s cooking as part of this given it was such a big part of his life
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I'm a sucker for second chance romances when done well, AND THIS WAS DONE SO WELL 😭 this book is like a manifestation of "How You Get The Girl" by Tay Swift

Technically, it's a childhood best friends to lovers to estranged couple who love/hate each other to second chance romance, and every aspect of this journey was written so well. Most of the book takes place in the present (the second chance romance), and there are chapters sprinkled in throughout the book showing the past.

This book has demisexual rep!! The author has done an amazing job of writing the confusion pre-discovery, the discovery process itself, and the discussions that happened when the MC mentioned this to the others.

Also! I have to point out the mental health journeys taken by the MCs! It was a long and hard road with plenty of self-introspection and understanding and healing, and, at the risk of repeating myself, this was also written so well 😭 I loved the hea so much, it was perfect, and it perfectly factored in the mental holdups and healings of both the MCs.

TWs - anxiety with symptoms similar to agoraphobia, homophobia (in the past, in a school setting), death of a family member in the past and the grief surrounding it

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

3.5 ✨

When Levi left the love of his life, Hannah, four years ago to explore the world and become the chef he wanted, he never expected to be called back home to sell his share of the Inn he grew up in and permanently cut ties with Hannah. However, Levi is determined to get Hannah back and make it clear he has changed for the better; even if it means daring her to go on five dates with him to see if they can make it work. When she agrees in return for him staying on at the Inn to cook for a wedding, the two unravel the reasons why they separated and what they would both need for them to get back together.

I'm conflicted. While this book showcased serious character development and a beautiful connection between the two main characters, I honestly don't know if I love or hate this book. The writing and plot are stellar yet at the same time so confusing and drawn out. There was so much going on and so many characters I couldn't keep track of, I was drowning and the flashbacks did not help the situation at all. What I did absolutely love about this book is the Jewish and queer representation, as well as the amount of work that was put into Levi and Hannah, individually and together. The second chance romance worked perfectly with both of them coming to terms with their issues and working on themselves and how they fit together.

This is the second in series but can be read as a standalone, although I am grateful I read Season of Love first. Characters and the plot from the first book are referenced and For Never and Always picks up where the first left off. This is Hannah and Levi’s story.

Okay to start I just have to say that I forgot just how much I liked “living” in Carrigan’s. The characters, the settings, the relationships, and even the feuds (cough, Levi and Noelle, cough) are just so fun and heartwarming.

The structure of this book was well thought out. We got flashbacks to fill in the gaps in Hannah and Levi’s love story, which I enjoyed. We had plenty of time in the present, too. Oh, don’t worry… we also caught up with everyone from book one. Levi even had a particularly full circle moment in a road trip.

I think everyone will find at least one character here they can relate to, and they are all amazing options. I have said it before and I’ll say it again … I can’t love a book if I don’t like the characters, and I liked them all. It took me longer than usual to read this book because I genuinely didn’t want it to end.

This book had no judgement that I noticed. Just overall love and understanding between characters. Well, any exceptions to this were called out as wrong. (And, I love that! No one is perfect and we all need to learn.) Even when talking about being alone and without a partner…there was no cruelty, micro-aggressions, or insinuation that everyone needs someone. It was just that a particular character or group of characters did need and were lucky enough to have found their person. Also, I loved how open Hannah was about being therapy. The thoughtfulness and consideration behind word choices and sentence structure was so incredibly kind and something I always want to see more in books, but especially romances.

This is just a hug in a five star book. I cannot wait to be back for Tara’s story. Also, please give us a Cole book? Please? Pretty please?

Lastly, I have to end this with … definitely pick up the book and go on a wild adventure full of shenanigans!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an arc of this book.

This was such a sweet second book to this series! I loved hearing more of the back story. Helenas writing is just so beautiful and demonstrates healthy relationships and communication so well!

Thank you netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review

This story was not something I was prepared for in the best way possible. I haven’t read the first book that takes place at Carrigan’s - Seasons of Love, but I think I’m going to have to go and visit Miriam and Noelle’s love story at Christmas time this year!

This book was told in the present day from the point of view of our two leads Levi and Hannah with little flashback scenes throughout. I’m not normally a huge fan of stories that make me read passages from the younger child version of the characters but in this case it fully works. These characters are deeply wounded and oh boy the angst that we get when Levi returns to the inn after a 4 year disappearing act. Both of these characters have flaws and are deeply in love with each other but just aren’t equipped to get to where they need to make the relationship work at the start of the book.

Watching them get to know each other again and making amends with their past and trying to navigate their future was a joy. The world that is built in this story is rich and all the characters add something to it, they all feel important which is rare in a romance novel where sometimes the side characters are just an afterthought.

The representation in this book is wonderful, a plus size female lead, a demi-sexual male lead, an array of queer side characters all at different stages of their life all with a heavy dose of Judaism made this story stand out. Diverse books are important and I’m glad I had the chance to read another one!

I want to thank NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and the author Helena Greer for providing me a ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars For Never & Always by Helena Greer was a cute second chance romance set against the backdrop of a Christmas tree farm and inn called Carrigan's. Levi "Blue" Matthews is back after 4 years away from Carrigan's so he could cook in kitchens around the world and "find himself" away from the place where he's lived his whole life. Hannah Rosenstein has only ever dreamed of living and working at Carrigan's, especially after a hectic childhood traveling the world with her documentary filmmaker parents. When Levi asked her to go with him, she said no and told him to never come back. Now, Levi is back and determined to win Hannah back, but he'll need to do some serious self-reflection and come up with a plan for how they can make their relationship work when they want diametrically opposed things.

I didn't realize this was the second book in a series of standalones, but it wasn't too hard to catch up with who the characters were and what had happened previously. That said, I think I would've enjoyed it more had I read the first book before this one. This book had great LGBTQ+ representation and is the first book I've read with a demisexual character. Overall, I enjoyed this one and liked reading about their individual journeys to becoming better versions of themselves so they could be together.

This book felt like a breath of fresh air and also asphyxiation at the same time. Levi and Hannah’s tension made it hard to breathe (compliment) and also gave me so much life. They’re so chaotic and unable to cope with the depth of their feelings for each other that it made me want to wrap them in protective blankets (but like together bc they love each other). The found family, the love, the angst, the everything about this book is just perfect. And all done with not an ounce of smut on page. Phenomenal work.

this book couldve been fine in alot of ways, but it was just so much info dumping. so much telling and not enough showing. i had no reason to really root for the main couple. I also found the fmc to be extremely childish and its just not for me unfortunately.
i received an arc from netgalley.

When chef Levi Blue was last at Carrigan’s All Year he left on very bad terms with his close family and friends. After being tracked down in Australia and asked to come back to the tree farm Levi must face his past demons and relationships, including the love of his life Hannah Rosenstein.

Hannah plans to ignore Levi and go on with business as usual, avoiding their tumultuous past. When Levi makes it clear he wants Hannah back they make an “Shenanigan”. Levi gets to take Hannah on six dates to prove he’s changed and they can be together and have a future.

While preparing for several important events at the farm Hannah and Levi grow closer, slowing unpacking their past and having the tough conversations they’ve always avoided. But will it all be enough?

I absolutely adored this book! I appreciated how many important issues were highlighted such as sexuality, religion, anxiety and familial relationships. This is also the perfect book showing the struggles couples can go through and learning to deal with them in a healthy way. This book packs a big punch in a fun tree farm setting with wonderful, complex characters. Don’t miss out on this one!

I didn’t find myself able to focus on anything going on. It’s not catching my interest. The writing is solidly okay, the characters are starting out solidly okay, and the setting is fine. I’m kind of seeing Alexandra Bellefleur here, although I feel like her books always start out with a lot more heart. Stopped at 7% in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

A second chance novel. Hannah and Levi reunites after years apart. She is still angry and he asks her to give him 5 dates to win her back...

A fun romance. I love the comedy and the sass especially. It's fast-paced and so cute. Just as good as the first book!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

DNF @ 24%.

I really tried to like this but the writing, especially the dialogue, came off as being too juvenile for my tastes. A lot was going on and I just didn’t find the relationship between Hannah and Levi to be believable. The writer does a lot more telling than showing. When it comes to romance, these to these things are equally important. Some times the showing more-so. This book isn’t for me but maybe it’s for others!