Between Now and Forever is by Adriana Locke, and it is wonderful. I love everything that Adriana Locke writes, but these stand-alones (like Nothing But It All) just have all of the feels with the sass and the spicy, too.

Jay and Gabrielle are everything you want in two main characters who have been hurt before. Gabrielle is a tough single mom who has been hurt before by the one person who was supposed to love her forever. Jay was hurt in an unimaginable way, too.

I loved Gabrielle's spunk and sass and energy. She never gives up. And when she is down, she finds a way to get past it.

Jay is standoff-ish but still friendly to the folks in town. He keeps his distance from everyone until he just can't anymore.

This book is truly everything! The feels are across the board, even making you cry! I cannot express how much I loved this story!

Gabrielle se mudo de casa para intentar darle a sus hijos un nuevo comienzo luego de que su ex muriera. La pobre tiene que estar con el dolor de peder a su mejor amigo y ver como les está afectado esa pérdida a sus hijos, sobretodo al mayor.

Jay no quiere saber nada sobre el amor, luego de que su última relación terminara mal lo último que quiere es acercarse a otro madre soltera.

Ninguno de los dos quiere saber nada sobre el amor, pero una vez que se conocen las chispas vuelan.

Estuvo entretenido, lo malo es que todo se dió muy rápido y le faltó  desarrollar mejor la relación.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can't believe y'all have to wait until December to read this book! It's full of hurt, love, laughter, real life knock you down situations, and everything in between. I'm so in love with this book, it's gone straight to my “To Read Again” shelf. TBH, there aren't very many books on that shelf.

I cried ugly tears (Chapters 23 to 27, I'm pointing at you). My heart was in my throat for all of the serious scenes in this book! But as Adriana Locke always does for us, she writes a lot of hilarious banter and laugh out loud situations that is the perfect balance in this incredibly heartfelt story! I got a lot of good chuckles and a few deep belly laughs while reading this book! The internal conversations the characters were having with themselves were hilarious and gave me immediate insight into their character.

Jay's stand-offish grumpy was no match to Gabrielle's sunny demeanor and Carter's innocence. This book had me reading well past my bedtime and I loved every single page!

The attraction between Jay and Gabrielle was immediate and when they finally get together, their chemistry is off the charts. But Gaby puts her 2 sons ahead of her own needs. Always. Jay on the other hand, simply isn't ready to put himself out there again. Dylan (Gaby's eldest son) is still mad at the universe for taking away his dad. And Carter (Gaby's youngest) stole my heart in every scene he's in.

Thank you Adriana Locke, Valentine PR and Netgalley for this ARC. The above is my own and personal opinion.

This story has a lot of sizzle and a lot of trying to move forward in life.

Both the main characters are trying to move forward from what has happened in their life. But the sizzle that is felt between them is hot and moving fast but the emotions that go with it are testing the path they are on.

I received this book from #netgalley for a free honest opinion.

what an absolute fun read!! loved the premise so much. a quick fun read by one of my favorite authors. good plot and likeable characters. would highly recommend this one!

I am a huge Adrianna Locke fan and have read everything of hers and loved it. This was no different. The main characters gabby and Jay are next door neighbors and both have some past baggage that makes it hard for either of them to move on. Gabby is a single mom who will always put her kids first and Jay is the grumpy next door neighbor. Can they find a way to make it work?

I really enjoyed this book. The maturity and humor found in both characters was a breath of fresh air. Gabby a single mom moves back to her hometown after she loses the father of her children. Jay has his own scars he's working to overcome and tries hard to keep her at a distance.

A great small town, single, neighbor to lovers romance!

Once bitten cinnamon roll neighbor meets clutzy, unsure widow with two sons, angsty teen and cute little one. New friends, family, fighting feelings, moving forward, fighting the past, all wrapped up in a HEA. Nothing new, but a fun read for the weekend or vacation.

I devoured this book in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The two main characters are each dealing with grief in their own way. They have different very real and painful stories to tell but they are both looking to 'start living' again. Finding each other feels inevitable. I love the side characters in this book as well. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and provide my genuine feedback. I was sad to leave their story.
#BetweenNowandForever #NetGalley

“But just because you made it to the other side of the fire doesn’t mean life returns to the way it was before. Once you’ve been through the flames, you’re burned. Those scars never totally heal…It’s been so long since I was in life mode, not survival mode…”

This was a page turner, quick read you won’t put down. Heartbreaking, funny, realistic, small town, family values, sweet read.

“… every day we spend together, I hope there’s another one to follow. She says she wants to live again.” ... “ I didn’t even realize I wasn’t living until I met her.””

Do you get second chances? Is there love after heartbreak and loss? Can you move on without looking back?

“A tightness spreads through my body, nearly strangling me in the process. It’s too close to déjà vu to be comfortable. It’s too similar to the worst day of my life for me to live it again.”

Genuine, heartwarming and compelling, Between Now and Forever is what every great romance should be. I absolutely adored Jay and Gabrielle’s story, and I loved their meet cute (which is always an important part of the story, for me). I literally could not put this book down and it is a must read for anyone who enjoys sincere, relatable characters and small town charm!

A good story with characters you can warm to. Well written and hooks you in from the start. I would recommend this read - thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Received as an ARC

💜 Single Mom
💜 Neighbours to lovers
💜 Close proximity

I think this is my first true standalone from Adriana and it did not disappoint. It was cute, heartwarming and the perfect thing to get me out of a book slump. The characters were extremely well thought out, complex and developed. The storyline was a rollercoaster of emotions from the witty humour to the heart wrenching loss.

The girl gang in this was top tier!! I don’t know if I want to be them or be with them.

This book was so entertaining! It had my laughing and smiling the whole time! The main couple were so cute together! I would highly recommend this book!

I don't know where to start with this one. I really couldn't get past how cheesy this romance was. Single mom meets cute guy next door - been there, done that soo many times before. There also was so much repetition throughout the book. Each of the characters would repeat phrases and sentences throughout the story and it was so annoying. Also, the way that the 7 year old spoke was so unnatural and didn't sound like a kid at all. Besides having a HEA which I love, this was a huge miss for me.

3.5⭐️

This book was ok. Low angst, low risk - just a quick, easy, cute read. This book did deal with divorce, loss, death, etc - but it didn’t feel overly heavy at any point.

I have a feeling some of the side characters will be getting their own books, and I would definitely be interested in checking those out in the future.

Thanks for the arc, Netgalley!

This is author is great at creating characters that have depth and pull on your heartstrings. Gabrielle is a unique single mother who moves back to her hometown for a fresh start. She however didn’t know she was going to have as many house projects or that her neighbor was Mr. Fix It in a hero body! The banter and chemistry between these two neighbors will have you shaking your head and laughing out loud. But getting involved with your neighbor can be a tricky situation and one who is a single mother might prove to be harder on the heart. Jay is the grumpy hot guy that nobody can break down his walls until his neighbor tumbles into town. I don’t want to give away any of the plot/story but Jay with Gabrielle’s youngest son will melt you. I know this author builds the best communities/families in her stories and I never hesitate to see where she’s going to take me next.

Locke has the key to my heart. I am just an absolute fool for her small town romances. She provides without fail a beautiful love story that is steamy yet has plot! Something rare in a lot of books these days. I loved both of these main characters and their story of growth towards one another!

I just loved getting to enter this world. I just loved getting to meet these characters and see what they are currently getting themselves into. This book was just a really fun read. I just lost myself in this great story and I didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

This book has all the emotions wrapped up in a hilarious bow with angst and love!

Jay and Gabrielle have the most HILARIOUS first meeting! I laughed so hard especially because it’s one of those things you just can’t forget! From that moment on the attraction is there and is relentless. Jay finds himself in a predicament because he moved to this tiny town to forget the heartache he feels. He wants to be left alone and Willow in misery but the new neighbor and her rambunctious son won’t let him!

Gabrielle is doing the best she can to get back on her feet. Life has thrown her one to many twists and she’s ready for a little bit of calm but the gorgeous neighbor has her in a tizzy and she finds herself falling fast!

I love the girl gang that Gabrielle finds! There’s nothing like a good group of friends to help you find your happy and I love that these ladies don’t let each other hide! I love Jay and his teddy bear nature even when he doesn’t want to be the man is soft and has a huge loving heart!

Another great book and hopefully new series from Locke!