I expected a basic contemporary romance... what I got was an emotionally roller coaster with twists and turns worthy of a 90s soap opera. Holy moly did this story catch me off guard. At the 68% mark I literally gasped aloud. I did not see that twist coming. but oh my was the ending satisfying.

What a beautiful book. Shaylin Gandhi is a gifted writer who has left her readers waiting for far too long since the publication of her phenomenal By the Light of Embers. When We Had Forever is a complicated love story woven together strand by strand into a beautiful shawl you want to wrap yourself up in. Mina had a near-perfect marriage and is devastated at her husband, Michael's, tragic death. The sex between them was always sizzling, and everything else was . . . fine. But as time goes by, Mina gradually and reluctantly begins to acknowledge the oddities in their partnership while slowly becoming acquainted with Michael's identical twin brother--whom Michael had never wanted Mina to know. There are numerous twists and turns, some of which I saw coming, but many that surprised me. The author has more books coming soon in different genres, but I hope she returns to Women's [Romantic} fiction again soon.

Mina is grappling to deal with the loss of her husband and love of her life, Michael, who passed away in a car crash. But as the months pass she comes to the realization that her marriage was already over before he died. When she finds something in his office, it changes the course of her life.

This book was just beautiful! I am gushing so hard at how much this book filled me with warmth.
The “before” portion of the book that focused on the initial meeting and beginning of the love story between Michael and Mina was so magically satisfying and intense. His confidence, self-assurance and charm and her open honestness along with her self-awareness made for a great conversation and instant connection between the two. You could feel them connecting on level beyond friends instantly.

She decides to stay with Michael and not chase her adventure in Greece, but he changes after a confrontation with his twin brother Grayson, a famous photographer. He’s more closed off and not as free and open as the years go on.

This story had alternate timelines of “before” and “after” Michael’s death. It showed how their love changed throughout the years and how she felt like she gave up something for him and his promises that he never delivered. They were soulmates and had this connection but it changed and only surfaced once in a while. It also had a big twist that I suspected early on and it came to fruition!

The writing was so crisp and beautiful. The way she described the characters and the internal thoughts were profound. The dialogue was well written and just made things so crystal clear. You may need to suspend your disbelief a bit but for me it didn’t take away anything from the story.

The narrator, Carly Robins, is amazing! Every time I listen to a book narrated by her I can feel the emotions pouring off the page. She really makes the characters' feelings come to life and jump at you as she breathes life into the words and the cadence of her voice is perfect. She is one of my favorites for a reason!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book through a digital ALC from NetGalley
Author: Shaylin Gandhi
Genre: Romance

Mina's husband has passed away tragically. She goes to spend time at their cabin in the woods to reflect and work through her grief. It's there that she reconnects with her husband's estranged brother and discovers some things about her husband. I thought this book combined romance and mystery elements well. It is a very touching story and I really felt for Mina's character especially when I read she had always wanted to travel but never really got the chance. Traveling is something that is on my bucket list, so I really connected to her desire.

This is NOT your typical romance novel…
When We Had Forever by Shaylin Gandhi explores love, loss, and second chances.
The chemistry between the main characters is palpable, and their emotional growth is incredibly encouraging. I appreciated how the novel delves into themes of self-discovery and healing, giving the characters space to evolve and find their way back to each other, both physically and emotionally.

What really sets this book apart is the unexpected twist in the final third. Without giving too much away, the revelation shifts the entire narrative in a way that completely redefines the characters' relationship and the nature of their past. This adds layers of depth to the story and leaves readers wanting more, while also offering a fresh perspective on the love they share.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a contemporary romance with a bit of a twist! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded up

This story follows Mina Drake as she wades through grief after her husband’s death, and reflects back on their life together. It’s an emotional journey and I really enjoyed this story. I did find the twist to be predictable but I really appreciated the journey and storytelling. It’s well written and the audio production was fantastic.

A book that will stay with you for a long time after. You will not be able to put this book down. Just wonderfully written and put together.

4.5⭐️ 2🌶️
I listened to the audiobook, and wow! This is probably one of the most unique 2nd chance romances I’ve personally read. The twist didn’t surprise me, as I do have twin brothers…. But my heart hurt for Grayson, and especially Mina in this story. I can’t imagine how much it must have hurt to realize the betrayal she went under. Overall I loved this storyline, and the audiobook was beautifully done.

I received an audiobook ARC of this book from NetGalley. I thought this book would be more of a mystery/thriller, but it was actually more of a romance. Perhaps the mistaken assumption is on me, but the impression I got from the synopsis of the book led me to believe what was mentioned above.

Unfortunately, for about 70% of the book I was bored. Then after getting through that part the book quickly picked up and honestly felt rushed as well as somewhat unrealistic. I did enjoy the narrator and appreciated the Before and After POVs.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review.

This was a captivating story about a woman who is navigating the loss of her husband & has her world & everything she thought was true flipped upside down. Suspenseful romance. Journey of dealing with life’s losses, fears, dreams, unexpected truths, and starting over. I will say the main “plot twist” was very obvious to me from the start… so not sure if it was meant to be that way or not… but even knowing where the story was going it kept me hooked nonetheless.

3 stars.

I have mixed feelings about "When We Had Forever" by Shaylin Gandhi. On the one hand, it is an intense emotional roller coaster about truth, love, reinvention, settling, and finding your true self. On the other hand, it is painfully slow-paced and wholly unbelievable at times. The glacial pace turned me off quite a bit. Maybe a more riveting subject would have made this move faster, but I was simply trying to power through it at several points. It is not poorly written, but it's "suspend your disbelief" territory in a story, and with characters, that pride themselves on being grounded in realness and truth. Know going into it that it is veeeeeery soap opera-y, and it unravels as such. There were big, giant clues as to what the twist would be, and I picked up on them immediately, so I saw the twist coming. I do like the back and forth nature of the narrative, going from the past to the present to explain the stories of Mina, Michael, and Grayson. I just wish it had been a bit shorter and a bit quicker to divulge information. Like I said, it's not a bad book, but if I had been reading this via ebook or physical copy, I may have DNF'ed. The audiobook kept me on track, and I enjoyed Carly Robbins' narration for the most part.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shaylin Gandhi, and Harlequin Audio for the complimentary ALC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Love the premise of this book, the twins, and the unexpected twist - however, this slow burn was really SLOWWWW. So much so that I almost DNF'd it a few times, but am ultimately glad I stuck it out.

Romance-check. Twins-check. An unexpected twist??-all the checks! This was an amazing story about love, grief, heartbreak and SECRETS! So many secrets! Mean, Michael, Greyson. All intertwined and each with antagonist qualities. I really enjoyed this one! I was able to tandem read and listen and so glad because I didn’t want to put this down for my drive into work. The female narrator, Carley Robbin’s did a great job portraying all the emotional aspects of this book. 4.24 stars

I have mixed feelings after listening to this book. On one hand it was emotional and thought provoking and on the other it was slow and unbelievable at times. I will say the narrator did a fabulous job with her inflections and emotion!

I really felt for Mina and what she had gone through with loosing her friend and her brother. She also had the trauma of her husband dying as well. The secrets that started to come out after her husband were heartbreaking, but hard for me to believe. I don’t want to go too much into it as it will spoil the story. The book is fairly predictable.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book. It just wasn’t what I was expecting. I’m also not sure I would compare this book to Colleen Hoover’s books. Hoover’s books always make me cry and this one didn’t invoke those feelings for me.

I’m so glad I listened to the audiobook it made the book more bearable otherwise it would have took me a long time to finish this book. The narrator did an amazing job in keeping my attention in the story.

I was not sure where the story was going with this book, I was confused to what the actual plot was. The story was not driven by a plot this book was more focused on character growth and a healing journey and moving on after a loved one’s death.

The plot twist was really wild I was not expecting that and it’s because I’m giving it a higher rating otherwise it would have been lower. I really didn’t like the MFC I was not a fan of her choices in life and I really couldn’t understand how was she enduring her marriage based on a month prior to their real relationship. Also how could she not know her husband for real??!!! Me as a married woman for years it’s just so impossible to believe this, at least the physical part she should have known. This lady was really living in fantasy life most of her life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade, Harlequin Audio & Shaylin Gandhi for the chance to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story took me by complete surprise. I will be honest and say at about 60ish% into the story I was like "oh, there's no way I will like how this ends.. how can he say these things? How can he feel this way??" And THEN! I was like "OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!"... in the best possible way.

Narration was incredibly well done. I had enjoyed Carly Robbins' narration before in a Rebecca Yarros book and was thrilled to hear her again. I had previously read the book in digital format and I felt like I got even more emotion out of consuming it by audiobook.

4.5 stars!! I rounded up! This was good! I sort of predicted the big plot twist but it took me a while to figure it out but it still had me shook when it happened! It was a beautiful love story. I gave it 4.5 stars because there was a bit in the middle that felt a little sluggish but other than that I devoured this book. I listened to it on audiobook and Carly Robins was just amazing.
Review up on Good Reads!

This story was amazing 🥺

OKAY, huge thank you to Shaylin Gandhi for the finished copy, and Harlequin Audio for the ALC! These are my honest thoughts.

THIS STORY... there are so many ways I could describe the way this story made me feel. It's unique in SO MANY WAYS. The audio, read by Carly Robins, was SUPER EMOTIONAL and made me feel all the more connected to the story.

Mina, Michael, and Grayson.... three characters who are so unique and with such a colorful story, it provides some drama and tension, twists and turns...

Mina is grieving the tragic loss of her husband, Michael. She's barely eating. She's lost for what to do next, because Michael was thirsty for the finer things in life. While Michael and Mina's marriage was far from perfect, they had recently reconnected on a trip to Hawaii, and that left Mina hopeful that the Michael she fell in love with is still there, somewhere. In her grief, she is forced to confront her husband's estranged twin, most noticeably in the grocery store checkout line where his face his plastered on magazines. When they finally meet to reconcile Michael's death, pieces start to fall apart for Mina, and pieces start to come together. And all of the new information she's found out? Those might just break her.

This book was DRAMA in the best way. It had a timeline that was non-linear. We found out tidbits all the way until the twists revealed themselves, and then there were still things interwoven into the story. It was beautiful and magical and heartbreaking and hopeful. It's one of those stories that feels like SUCH A REAL LIFE STORY, with depth and complexities that are so human in nature that they're believable.

Pick up this story in ebook, paperback, or audiobook! You won't be sorry any way you read it... just READ IT!

This was an emotional rollercoaster. Mina is a young girl who wants to travel more than anything, and when she meets Michael, everything changes. Things start to change between them, but Mina chalks it up to work pressures. Then, an unexpected event brings secrets to light that she had never imagined. Greyson enters the picture, and everything gets complicated.

I had a feeling that there was something different about Michael, but I had not expected the reason to be what it was. This story, while a beautiful love story, was an emotional rollercoaster. I enjoyed every bit of this story, and the ending was lovely.

The narrator did a great but I would have loved to hear a male narrator take on Michael and Greyson's role.

Thanks to the Publisher and Net Galley for the ALC!

I had high hopes for this book but it fell flat for me in more ways than one. The storyline was both predictable and boring, I don’t think the narrator casting choice was correct, and it was the most underwhelming thriller/romance/suspense novel I’ve ever read. Perhaps it was trying to be too many genres at once? The narrator’s voice was lovely had this been a romantic comedy but she added too much lightheartedness and whimsy to the book for it to be “suspenseful.”