Trigger Warnings: mental health, cursing, alcohol, medication, death of a family member, past emotional abuse, sex, coming out, discussion of therapy, mentions of panic attacks, homophobia

Representation:
Levi- Jewish, ADHD, Demisexual, Pansexual
Hannah- Anxiety, OCD
Other characters- Lesbian, Gay, they/them pronouns

For Never & Always is a second chance romance with one surprise inheritance, two best friends (now bitter exes), and three months to prove he loves her, forever and always.

Hannah Rosenstein should be after a lonely childhood of traipsing all over the world, she finally has a home as the co-owner of destination inn Carrigan’s All Year. But her thoughts keep coming back to Levi "Blue" her first love, worst heartbreak, and now, thanks to her great-aunt’s meddling will, absentee business partner.

When Levi left Carrigan's, he had good intentions. As the queer son of the inn's cook and groundskeeper, he never quite fit in their small town and desperately wanted to prove himself. Now that he’s a celebrity chef, he's ready to come home and make amends. Only his return goes nothing like he his family's angry with him, his best friend is dating his nemesis, and Hannah just wants him to leave. Again .

Levi sees his chance when a VIP bride agrees to book Carrigan’s—if he’s the chef. He'll happily cook for the wedding, and in exchange, Hannah will give him five dates to win her back. Only Hannah doesn’t trust this new Levi, and Levi’s coming to realize Hannah’s grown too. But if they find the courage to learn from the past . . . they just might discover the love of your life is worth waiting for.

It was so nice getting to go back to Carrigan’s! This second-chance romance is absolutely perfect for fans of Alexandria Bellefleur! I thought Levi reminded me so much of Brendon! Overall, this was another gem from this author and I cannot wait until the third installment comes out! This book showcased some serious character development and a beautiful connection between the two main characters. The amount of work that is shown for Levi and Hannah, individually and together, was truly inspiring. 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. It also includes great Jewish and queer representation!

THIS IS A SEQUEL. (and also a closed door romance. There will be NO shitting on the fact that this is closed door. If it's not your cup of tea, move the fuck along)

I don't know why this is not listed as a sequel or as a series but this is not a standalone book. You cannot read it by itself and enjoy it. There are too many characters and too much baggage and drama between them all to fully understand what's happening and that is extremely relevant if you go through some of these reviews.

Moving on, when I read Season of Love last year I was especially excited for the fat queer representation and it delivered on that but I didn't love the story. A lot of it felt pretty rushed and as much as I liked the atmosphere I wasn't drawn to it. That changed with this one. I did have to go back and revisit some of my notes about Season of Love and the Carrigan Christmas farm and everything but once I realized who the characters were I was excited to see their story.

Seeing Hannah and Levi figure out their shit was really satisfying. I am such a sucker for friends to lovers and for second chance romances and so this was right up my alley. Not to mention that we have a fat FMC and a queer MMC. Having fat representation and demisexual representation brought me so much joy and I loved it. I also really loved that they're both kind of grumpy and that they obviously love each other so much but they hate that they love each other so much. I'm here for it.

One of my favorite parts of this entire book were all of The flashbacks and I can see how those would be super confusing to someone who was unfamiliar with the characters and the setting But reading this as a sequel and seeing those flashbacks was great.

I also think that one of my main issues in Season of Love was that the initial romance between the two main characters was glossed over and this book got that a little bit more right. I do still wish there were some more development and more conversations and such but I think with the addition of the flashbacks and them having a relationship prior to their romance it was easier for me to believe their romance.

One of my favorite parts of this book though is when each of our main characters have their own coming of age moment. It doesn't matter that they're in their thirties It is never too late for coming of age moments. Seeing Hannah embrace her own wants and believe that she's worthy of her own enjoyment and likes and then similarly seeing Levi really embrace his demisexuality and fight for his right to love the way he does was really heartwarming.

One of my frustrations unfortunately with this book was the way Levi's demisexuality was treated by the other characters. Levi doesn't figure out that he's demi until later in life and he's kind of had a falling out with all the rest of the characters in this book so when he comes back into the picture and is identifying as queer and they know that he has had a sexual relationship in the past, every single person that he comes out to as demi immediately responds with " but you have sex " or " but you like sex " and I cannot express how annoying that is. I don't actually think that this is a flaw with the book but it is a flaw within the queer community that collectively needs to be worked on. All the characters Levi comes out to are queer with the exception of Hannah. They should know. Please please please educate yourselves on the ins and outs of the asexuality spectrum because we aces are begging you to do the bare minimum. I commend Levi for not snapping at them or punching someone to be completely honest.

Fully aware that I'm rambling now but also loved how emotional Levi was. I may sucker for men who cry and have ditched their toxic masculinity and are in touch with all of their emotions and we love to see it.

Overall this book is exceptional and one I really enjoyed and it has fat representation, queer representation, and Jewish representation.

THIS IS A SEQUEL.

I don't know why this is not listed as a sequel or as a series but this is not a standalone book. You cannot read it by itself and enjoy it. There are too many characters and too much baggage and drama between them all to fully understand what's happening and that is extremely relevant if you go through some of these reviews.

Moving on, when I read Season of Love last year I was especially excited for the fat queer representation and it delivered on that but I didn't love the story. A lot of it felt pretty rushed and as much as I liked the atmosphere I wasn't drawn to it. That changed with this one. I did have to go back and revisit some of my notes about Season of Love and the Carrigan Christmas farm and everything but once I realized who the characters were I was excited to see their story.

Seeing Hannah and Levi figure out their shit was really satisfying. I am such a sucker for friends to lovers and for second chance romances and so this was right up my alley. Not to mention that we have a fat FMC and a queer MMC. Having fat representation and demisexual representation brought me so much joy and I loved it. I also really loved that they're both kind of grumpy and that they obviously love each other so much but they hate that they love each other so much. I'm here for it.

One of my favorite parts of this entire book were all of The flashbacks and I can see how those would be super confusing to someone who was unfamiliar with the characters and the setting But reading this as a sequel and seeing those flashbacks was great.

I also think that one of my main issues in Season of Love was that the initial romance between the two main characters was glossed over and this book got that a little bit more right. I do still wish there were some more development and more conversations and such but I think with the addition of the flashbacks and them having a relationship prior to their romance it was easier for me to believe their romance.

One of my favorite parts of this book though is when each of our main characters have their own coming of age moment. It doesn't matter that they're in their thirties It is never too late for coming of age moments. Seeing Hannah embrace her own wants and believe that she's worthy of her own enjoyment and likes and then similarly seeing Levi really embrace his demisexuality and fight for his right to love the way he does was really heartwarming.

One of my frustrations unfortunately with this book was the way Levi's demisexuality was treated by the other characters. Levi doesn't figure out that he's demi until later in life and he's kind of had a falling out with all the rest of the characters in this book so when he comes back into the picture and is identifying as queer and they know that he has had a sexual relationship in the past, every single person that he comes out to as demi immediately responds with " but you have sex " or " but you like sex " and I cannot express how annoying that is. I don't actually think that this is a flaw with the book but it is a flaw within the queer community that collectively needs to be worked on. All the characters Levi comes out to are queer with the exception of Hannah. They should know. Please please please educate yourselves on the ins and outs of the asexuality spectrum because we aces are begging you to do the bare minimum. I commend Levi for not snapping at them or punching someone to be completely honest.

Fully aware that I'm rambling now but also loved how emotional Levi was. I may sucker for men who cry and have ditched their toxic masculinity and are in touch with all of their emotions and we love to see it.

Overall this book is exceptional and one I really enjoyed and it has fat representation, queer representation, and Jewish representation.

it's not fair that Carrigan's isn't a real place for me to visit!! however, i am so eternally grateful that i was able to return in my mind through Helena Greer's wonderfully, amazing writing. Hannah and Levi are the perfect example of flawed characters who grow so much through the progression of FN&A. Greer isn't afraid to talk hard things like mental health and therapy, and the way that she tackles this through each individual character's needs shows just how much care she has. I loved Hannah and Levi's romance so deeply that even weeks after reading this, I think about them constantly. They were toxic and bad for each other but also willing to put in the work to become right for each other. With the background of Carrigan's serving as both a dream and a curse, FN&A demonstrates Greer's superhuman ability in world-building in a contemporary setting. Definitely recommend continuing the series if you have already read Season of Love!!

dnf at 40%

There are so many characters I'm very overwhelmed. The main characters don't seem right for each other to me. They have so many unresolved, deeply rooted issues to work through independently before they can ever consider working on themselves as a couple.

I'm not vibing with this and my tbr is too long for me to continue trying to read it.

The writing in general was great, and I'd happily read another story from this author in the future, this story just wasn't for me!

Thank you so much to netgalley for eARC!

I was a HUGE fan of Season of Love when I read it last year, and I couldn't wait to get back to Carrigan's with this book. Unfortunately, For Never & Always didn't hit quite the same way Season of Love did for me. While I could absolutely feel the tension and chemistry between Levi and Hannah, it was hard for me to believe that either of them had actually done the growth necessary to make a relationship work the second time around. Also, why was Levi literally CONSTANTLY pulling at his hair? He should be bald at this rate.

Okay, tbh this book didn’t really work for me. But I really WANTED to love it. It had so many great elements — a diverse cast, people working on their mental health, couples learning how to communicate with each other better, great friends and side characters — but, and maybe it just wasn’t the right time for me to read this story or something, it just didn’t come together for me. It felt so long.

There was so much pining. I typically like pining. but I read the pining here as whiny pining (in the case of the MMC) and angry pining (the FMC) rather than just… longing pining. And I frankly wasn’t really here for either, at least not 250 pages of it.

And the whole story is predicated on the fact that the two MCs sucked at communicating and expected one another to be mind readers, and even when they realize that after five years apart still don’t just talk to each other and get immediately to the core of all their problems. And, my dudes, People Not Talking as the central conflict just does not do it for me.

So, if you’re fine with the No Communication trope and can handle beyond-longing flavors of pining, you’ll probably really enjoy this book? Because it does have great characters and love and diverse representation and interesting themes. It just wasn’t for me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Hannah Rosenstein, co-owner of Carrigan’s All Year, inherits a predicament when Levi "Blue" Matthews, her former love and celebrity chef, becomes her absentee business partner. Eager to move forward with the business and on with her life, Hannah invites him back to Carrigan’s to have him sign away his portion of the business. Only, Levi has plans of his own. Eager to make amends and win back Hannah, Levi proposes a deal: he'll cook for a VIP wedding at Carrigan’s and relinquish his portion of the business in return for Hannah giving him five dates.

This second-chance, queer romance unfolds against the backdrop of a destination inn with more than one surprise up its sleeve. I recommend reading Greer’s previous holiday novel Season of Love before picking this one up as it leans heavily on the characters and environments established in that book.

While the love story can feel a bit melodramatic, the well-written themes of forgiveness and redemption help to ground the novel. I recommend it for fans of second-chance romances and big, messy families.

A cute love story. I appreciated all of the well-written, sensitivity-approached diverse viewpoints. Cute, easy dialogue. Liked the little twist that Hannah and Levi are actually married and just trying to save their marriage.

A great follow up to the previous book! Love the queer LGBT representation and the emphasis on mental health

It is an interesting romance with two very different characters, each with their very unique traumas and coping mechanisms that make them polar opposites and a bad idea unless they're willing to accept the need to change and learn to compromise. The fact that they're childhood best friends and their lives were completely intertwined before they even realized they were in love with each other just adds another level of complexity that keeps things interesting.
What Greer excels at is making you care for the characters. I spent the majority of the book enraged at the supposedly fabulous Cass for how she treated Levi and at every single person at Carrigan's for not caring enough to notice. It's not often I get majorly mad at fictional characters, but this book managed it in a way that I still get angry just thinking about it.
Overall, it's a solid romance that gives you a lot to think about.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the emotional read!

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC. This is my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book about a second chance love between childhood sweethearts that have a rocky past but still maybe have feeling a for each other. Levi is a up and coming celebrity chef and Hannah is running Carrigans All Year Inn in their hometown, trying to put it on the map for more than just the Christmas event it used to be known for.

I recommend this book for those who want a different sort of romance, this is queer even if it doesn’t look like it at first glance. I appreciate the different representations presented, which also includes religious representation (the main characters are Jewish, and celebrate all of the Jewish holidays).

4 out of 5 stars, and there is lots of steam, but any action is closed door/fade to black.

I had to hold off on posting my review because I went and read it again immediately after finishing my first read through. This is not a soft, romance. The characters have dealt with some trauma, but the way Greer has written their journey truly envelopes the reader. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

I didn't realize that there was another book (Seasons of Love) that I should have read before starting this one. I ended up feeling confused and not really connecting to any of the characters. Overall, this book was just not for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

This book is angsty af and had me all in my feelings. It’s not a new fave for me or anything but I really did enjoy it. I really appreciated the mental health rep and queer rep.

I love this book with my entire soul. Even though I identify so deeply with aspects of Blue that it makes my heart ache.

The depiction of grief in this book is incredibly nuanced and masterfully done. When you're stuck in your own head it's difficult to comprehend that others have different experiences with the same person or even the same interaction. And the acknowledgement that you can feel grief, love, anger, resentment, etc all wrapped up in one messy knot of feelings really struck a chord with me. I know I'm making this book sound depressing but I promise it's not. This aspect just hit me in the personal feels. There's angst for sure but there are also a lot of lighter moments. And of course there are shenanigans!

I loved catching up with the Carrigan's crew and want a thousand more books so I can spend time with every single character.

**Received an eARC via NetGalley**

I really really wanted to love this one, and while I did enjoy it, and would still totally recommend it to other people, I didn’t totally love it. The characters and the story were great! I think the characters were really fun and well fleshed out. Greer writes such fantastic queer and fat rep! And the overall story and plot were so much FUN, I truly enjoyed the concept and the unfolding of the story.

The only reason I didn’t absolutely love it was because I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrative voice. I’m very picky about the writing style, and for some reason I don’t connect with her writing style. However, that’s very much a me thing, and I think anybody who finds the plot intriguing would enjoy the book!

Included as a top pick in weekly November New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I did not end up reading this book. The author and I share very different political beliefs when it comes to Israel and I didn't feel comfortable reading and reviewing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I didn’t realize this was a sequel to another book. I had to DNF it because I couldn’t relate to the characters. My opinion may have been different if I read the first book.

Thank you netgalley.