This book was a rollercoaster of emotions! Cricket, Sammy, and Della were the group of girlfriends I wish I had, a perfect mix of personalities. I hope we get more of their stories in future books! Carter reminds me so much of my own 7 year old, he made me laugh out loud so many times! 😅 The dynamic between Gabrielle and Jay is just so fun and playful, and the spice is off the charts 🌶️🥵 Walking through the struggles Dylan was facing, as well as Jay and Gabrielle were heart wrenching, but it was all worth that HEA! ❤️❤️❤️ Another great book by Adriana Locke!

I loved this story! One thing I love about Adriana's writing is how she creates her characters. Jay and Gabrielle have backgrounds that could cause them from not wanting to put themselves out there, but they still try anyway (and it works out!). She just has a way with creating these stories that are raw and real. Dylan, being a teenager, would be opposed to his mom moving on (even despite having been divorced from his dad) while Carter, being younger, would be drawn to a male father type figure. I always know once I pick up an Adriana Locke book, I know that I will be hooked from page 1 and fall in love with the story. I am so thankfully to Netgalley to allow me to read this story early. I cannot wait for everyone to meet these characters when the book comes out in December.

A single mom Grabriella who is starting over after her husband passes away and trying to live for her kids. Their is no time line for grief, but it show how a single mom is trying to move on and start dating. Navigating kids and introducing the guy and and how well they cope with the situation. Jay and who is trying not fall in love again because what his ex did and doesnt want to experience again.

there are funny moments thru the book and you will laugh without notice and their meet cute is one of the most hilarious. the book just felt rush and it didnt took its time to process the whole relationship.

Out of all the Adriana Locke Novels and Audiobooks I've read I don't ever think I cried as much as when I cried for this one! Between Jay and Gabby the History of Love and Loss with so much grief it just makes you truly think what one makes of their life and their families! Dylan and Conner were so cute, well Conner was Dylan was more of a Jerk Face hehe! Another Book for Adriana that is a win for me!

Thank You Netgalley, Adriana Locke and Montlake for the early ARC! Publication Day is Dec 16, 2024 .

I adore Adriana Locke and read pretty much everything she writes. I know when I pick up one of her books I’m going to enjoy myself for a few hours!

Between Now and Forever was a quick, fun read! This book does deal with grief and how relationships are impacted after something traumatic happens. I liked that it showed how each of the kids dealt with the loss and differently. I loved seeing how Dylan and Jay’s relationship evolved. Carter was my absolute favorite with all of his shenanigans. He had me laughing out loud several times (especially with his baseball skills). Gabby and Jay were sweet and I loved the banter. I also enjoyed the scenes with the side characters and hope we see more of them in the future!

Overall, I recommend this book if you’re looking for a small town romance, with a single mother and grumpy neighbor.

This book is told in Gabby and Jay's alternating POV. Gabby is a single mom who moves back to her (small) hometown to raise her boys. While this is usually a go-to author for me, I just was not a fan of this book. The overall tone didn't feel like this author's voice and I really didn't feel the connection between the characters. I will note that the kids were actually included throughout the storyline - sometimes an author will introduce them but not have them involved, so that was nice to see.

Adriana has done it again!! She pulls at your heart!! Gabrielle is a single mom to two boys, who lost their dad. Jay is their new neighbor who doesn’t want anything to do with anyone. Little by little, Jay can’t help but fall in love with Gabrielle and her boys!

I thought this was a cute book. It’s about single mom Gabrielle and her next-door neighbour Jay. Gabrielle is a single mom who has just moved back to her hometown with her two sons after their dad passed away, and is working to restore the house she bought. Jay and Gabrielle’s first meeting is a funny meet-cute and the story starts from there. I thought the book dealt with the topic of grief pretty well and I liked the family dynamic that Gabrielle and her two boys, Carter and Dylan, had. Dylan was pretty standoffish at first when it came to Jay but Carter was on board for it and had some pretty funny remarks throughout the book. I thought it was a very cute small town romance and it was nice to have some older main characters who had already had some life experience under their belts. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a single-parent, small town romance that’s a quick read.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

Could this book be any sweeter? I have a toothache after reading it! The first few pages had me laughing out loud and once we meet the MMC Jay, I adored him. I really enjoyed this story and the characters. I do not envy the situation they have to overcome to be together, but it is definitely something very prevalent in every day lives. Single mom trope isn't a typical read for me but this one is super cute and I really liked Gabrielle.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Writing romance that is a second chance at love but after loss not because the characters blew their first chance is complicated.
A single mom with two sons that recently lost their dad. A man who has sworn off love because his s ex took a child he was raising away from him.
Neighbors to lovers is complicated. I’m f it blows up, that person is still RIGHT there.
I loved that her teenager did not make things easy. I also loved the friends and other stories.

This book had potential. The beginning was so fun — a hilarious meet cute followed by a ton of sexual tension. But once the tension subsided, the book got boring and predictable. I just felt like the last 50% was so repetitive and frustrating. I also did not care for how fast everything moved between the two main characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LOVE LOVED LIVED THIS SWEET SEXY SMALL TOWN ROMANCE!! such a great read!! !!! i enjoyed it so much.

so amazing

This was a cute and heartwarming story. The characters were very lovable, specially Carter omg that kid was hilarious 😆

Gabrielle is a single mom of 2, Dylan the oldest and Carter. She meets her neighbor Jay who’s grumpy & keeps to himself.

Jay has a traumatic past that keeps him from getting close to Gabrielle and her kids. I love the found family dynamics and their chemistry.

Gabrielle and Jay's story was incredible. From the moment we met Gabrielle I was in love with her. She carried so much pain in her heart. She was determined to move forward not only for herself but for her children. Jay's heart is also full of pain. He choses to live each day working while trying very hard not to feel it. Together these two are perfect for each other. Their chemistry together is HOT! They both try to ignore it but the problem with that is chemistry this intense is very hard to ignore. When these two give in they combust! Reading their story made me feel everything. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me smile and it even broke my heart. Adriana Locke did an amazing job of telling their story. When you add in Gabrielle two children, and all their friends it just made their story that much more. I am really hoping that everyone gets their own book because their are so many more stories that could be told. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A grumpy/sunshine, neighbors to lovers romance between single mom, Gabrielle and her new neighbor Jay. Jay is wary of any relationship because of his past and swears that things between him and Gabrielle will remain platonic. However, the more time he spends around Gabrielle and her young sons has wondering if there is a future with them.

This was such a sweet small town romance! It was also my favorite standalone of Adriana Locke’s. ❤️ I love Jay and Gabriella as a couple. This story has it all—banter, spice, drama, sibling love, and lessons about relationships! 😊

What a wonderful book! I love it when the man in the book says 'they already feel like mine'. They have a very interesting meet cute but the sly looks and helpful hands these two have for each other really made me devour this book. This author has a way with words when it comes to her characters. And Jay and Gabrielle are no exception. There is instant chemistry when they "fall" for each other on their meet cute.

I love the world that this author creates for us in this book and really hope there is more and if this is going to become a series. I love falling in love with the characters in her stories because she just makes everything so real and full of unexpected love!

I feel like this was a book of 2 parts. The first part, before they got together, I wasn’t too keen on. It felt like Gabrielle was throwing herself at Jay, even though he had said he wasn’t interested. Jay was also then back and forth. I did enjoy the second part which was once they got together and how Gabrielle dealt with Dylan’s grief. A first time read of this author but I would look into her previous books

I’ve read one other book by AL and unfortunately this one didn’t impress me as much. This is about Idiot 1, Gabbie and Idiot 2, Jay. Okay that’s a bit harsh, but they were both acting a bit moronic at times. A 38 year old and a 40 year old. Baby you really should be able to communicate properly by now. When they did communicate, they did it well, it just took them waaay to long to actually get to that point. If I wanted push & pull and assumptions to be made, there are plenty of romance books where the mc’s are 22 year olds. Jay needed therapy first, a woman only after said therapy. Gabbie needed family therapy first, a man after said therapy. Did ANYONE see a therapist? No.

Gabbie is a great mom. I almost started crying, imagining having such a supportive, calm and understanding mother lol. I loved seeing her take her life back, start living instead of surviving.

Jay was so sweet with both Gabbie and her boys.

My issues with this book:

- We have a seven year old kid, whose very present father died a year ago. Now he meets his mom’s ”friend” a few times and goes ”You’re practically my dad” HUH? Then we have the fourteen year old who tells Jay ”He wished they never met” and ”You’re not my dad”. 2 months later? ”I want you to marry my mom” And we didn’t even get to see Jay and the kid get along? AT ALL
- Too much was going on for those poor 200 pages. You can’t throw in several half-cooked side plots and expect the reader to be satisfied by the ending with half-done solutions and unsatisfying ends.
- The two things listed above just made it all feel very inauthentic and rushed. I needed more on page relationship development between the mc’s and between the kids and Jay.
- ”Poor boys to not have a father figure” ADRIANA what year are you stuck in? It was mentioned several times how the boys ”needed a good man in their lives”. There were ”grown man things” to be done and Jay was making a big deal out of treating a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD as an adult. Girl be so for real, that’s a kid.

Loved Carter!

It’s a sweet read. Would recommend if you’re a fan of the single mom trope. I over all liked the mc’s.

3 stars

This is a single mom falls in love with the sexy guy next-door romance. There is some good spice. Both Gabby and Jay have their own trauma that they are working to overcome from previous relationships. It highlights the challenges that single moms face when dating.

You can feel the chemistry between them from the beginning & it also starts off with a very funny scene that I loved. The spicy scenes were realllyy good, but weren’t excessive.

There is also some fun quirky friends that Gabby meets along the way with their own wild side stories.

I thought this was really good and is a quick read. I have read so many romances lately that are simply just too long & this one was absolutely perfect in length.

Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.