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.”

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes, etc: Dead Spouse Has Secrets, Dual Timeline
POV: Single, 1st Person
Song Association: Waiting Room by Phoebe Bridgers

Brief Summary: After Mina’s husband dies in a car accident, she finds things in his office that lead her to believe he was keeping secrets from her. Mina is trying to grapple with her grief while examining her relationship with her late husband when she receives an email from his twin brother that will change her life forever.

The Praise: This was really interesting and angsty, which I loved. It was well-written, and the dual timeline was a great way to learn more about the characters and their relationships with one another.
The audiobook narrator was really great. She did a fantastic job conveying the confusion and grief Mina was feeling.

The Critique: I had to reeeeeeally suspend my disbelief for this one. You’re telling me Mina spent ONE month with this man, he changed personalities completely in a day, and she still stayed with him for 15 years?! Based on that single month?! And after roughly 10 years together, Michael still didn’t really know Mina or care about her wants and needs…and she continued to stay and hope he’d just magically become who he was when they first met and on a short trip to Hawaii? Like, I sympathize with her but also GIRL, STAND UP.

Final Thoughts: Outside of the (in my opinion) unrealistic basis of the story, I really enjoyed this. It was emotional and angsty and it kept me coming back for more.

This one was sooo good !!

Tropes
-Second chances
-Forbidden love
-Slow burn
-Lots of grief and healing

The uncovering secrets her husband had to Mina’s suffering of being a widow was a crazy rollercoaster. I couldn’t get enough of this story, it had me hooked from the very start.

I really enjoyed this audiobook!

The narrator was great! I always enjoy her narrations. She is clear and isn’t monotone like some! I listen at 1.75x and it was the perfect speed.

The story was unique, and beautiful! It wasn’t at all shocking or surprising, but still entertaining nonetheless. It has all of the emotions! Love, sadness, and anger. I related to Mina in a way that she feels her best when she is in nature and that she wants to travel. I truly loved her and Grayson’s story!

A great audiobook & a great story!

This is told from before and the beginning of the relationship to after. This had a lot of ups and downs and twists and turns. How do you put your life back together after losing your husband and how do you pick up the pieces. But the real issue is what happens when you discover the biggest secret that makes you question EVERYTHING!

This is definitely a read and find out kind of book and it shocked me to say the least. IT was such a strong book and I recommend going in as blind as you can and you can get your own shock.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

The first chapter pulled me right in.....and then there was the flashback chapters. The FMC & Michaels' interactions throughout the book sounded straight off of Delaney Rowe's TikToks, where she makes fun of the cheesiest moments in romance movies. It's funny when I listen to Delaney spew off cheesy lines as a joke, but I can't really invest myself in a book where they say cheesy stuff in a serious manner. I DNF'd around the 20% mark.

It needed a lot of work. Very unrealistic in my opinion there are tons of plot twists and a little spicy but there was a lot missing in my opinion.

I listened to the audiobook for When We Had Forever for a reread because I liked this book so much and it was SO worth it!!

The.BREADCRUMBS!!! WOW! Absolutely flawless work here done by the author. This is one story I highly recommend reading twice!

Knowing what I know after reading it once and going back to listen to this book I noticed SO many beautifully laid breadcrumbs. I am awed that I missed them the first time, but the author is just that good!

The narrator did a beautiful job with this audiobook!! I love her voice and felt like it perfectly fit with this fmc. 10/10 recommend listening!!! 💕

When her husband dies, Mina is pushed towards his brother, the man that she blames so much of the drama in their lives.

This was an interesting romance audiobook. I liked Mina and found myself being sucked into her story. It was cook the way this was set up, with past and present chapters to really get you into the story of Mina, her husband, and her brother-in-law. I will say there are many twists in this one and some chapters that are really heartbreaking, especially watching Mina grieve. However, some of the twists were a bit much, even for me.
The audio was great. Carly Robins does a great job with this one.

This is a perfect book for those that LOVE angst and drama along with their romance and spice!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

The plot of this book feels like the plot of every daytime soap opera my mother watched when I was growing up. The “big twist” is a fright train from the jump, and it’s clear where things are going. I found the storyline and its distracting nature kept me from connecting to any character, or hoping for a certain outcome. Just simply wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

After Mina's husband passes, not only is she struggling with grief, but also the various secrets that begin to come out, shaking the foundation of everything she has known about her relationship. This one said it was perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover & Lucy Score, and I could see how that comparison is accurate. Unfortunately, in a similar vein to how I feel about most of Hoover's books, this one was a miss for me.

While I didn't guess the main twist (because I'm bad at guessing twists, and usually just go along for the ride), I could not get past the toxicity of the relationships. It is absolutely wild to me that despite the toxicity that emerged very quickly after that first week with Michael, she still decided to stay with him. I would argue that no one is shocked that it's an unhappy relationship.

There were definitely moments of this book that I enjoyed, including some of the interactions between Mena and her estranged brother-in-law, but there was too much I couldn't get past in this one. I really wanted Mena to finally go to Greece and then find new love and, more importantly, herself (& maybe an island cat) there. Her brother-in-law wasn't the good guy I needed and wanted him to be.

Interesting premise, not a bad book, just not for me! The audiobook definitely kept me going through parts that I may have given up on otherwise, so that was incredibly helpful and I am glad I finished the book. Thank you to Harlequin, Harlequin Audio & NetGalley for an eARC and ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨ALC Review✨

Some books are real page turners (or whatever the listening equivalent is) and this is one of them. Now, let me get this out of the way: you absolutely have to suspend your disbelief here. BUT if you can, I think you’ll enjoy this one especially solo-narrated by CJ Bloom.

Mina has a banter-y meet-cute with Michael Drake the month before she -to paraphrase the great George Bailey- shakes the dust of this crummy little town off her feet and sees the world.

They end up spending that incredible month together and fall deeply in love the way the youths do.

Fourteen years later, Mina is a grieving widow after Michael’s death. Enter his brother, Grayson, whom she has always blamed for Michael’s issues. They all could have used some therapy, honestly.

It’s a gripping story of a marriage, a young love, and rediscovering who you are as yourself and not as a wife or a lover.

It’s a good book, and I’d definitely read more by this author.

I was given this #alc by @harlequin_audio. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #romancebooks #contemporaryromance #steamyromance #audiobooks #narrators #cjbloom #shaylingandhi #whenwehadforever #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram

Absolutely captivating romance! When We Had Forever is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the secrets we keep.

"When We Had Forever" by Shaylin Gandhi is an absolute page-turner! This dual-timeline mystery romance had me completely captivated from the very first page. The story is well-written, and the prose is beautiful. I found myself highlighting many phrases. The story follows Mina, who is grappling with grief after losing her husband in a car accident. As she delves deeper into their past, a hidden truth emerges, shattering her perception of their marriage.

The mystery unfolds at a perfect pace, keeping you guessing until the jaw-dropping reveal. The emotional core of the story lies in the poignant exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of human connection. Mina's journey of self-discovery as she navigates grief and confronts the truth about her past is both heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful.

The romance between Mina and Grayson has depth with an undeniable chemistry. Their connection is raw and passionate, adding another layer of intrigue to the already compelling narrative. Shaylin masterfully weaves together elements of suspense, romance, and emotional depth, creating a truly unforgettable reading experience. Carly Robins's performance is excellent, adding depth and nuance to the characters.

Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Trade & Harlequin Audio for this ALC!

This was a really nice audio bookIt was pretty quick paced, but enjoyable. I enjoyed the plot and characters. I would recommend it. I rated this a 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audio book in exchange for honest review!
The first chapter of this book had me thinking I was going to shed a lot of tears. Boy, was i wrong! I love it when a romance can throw a curve ball and contain a twist from out of nowhere! Don't worry, though-it still checks all the boxes for a regular romance if that's what you're into. Just be prepared for a bit of a surprise before the book ends.

Mina felt in love with Michael fourteen years ago when they spend a month together. She was supposed to lease for Greece afterward to pursue her dreams, but she stayed and built a life with him. Six month after her husband’s death she is struggling to face life again but an email for her husband twin brother threatens to unravel some secrets that can change her life forever. An emotional rollercoaster of grief, loss, betrayal, forgiveness and second chances. Carly Robins makes an amazing job with the audiobook, making the story even better. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC book. This is my honest review.

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

In this story, Mina wants to be an adventurer, but her past and family life hold her back. When she finally takes the plunge, she meets a man and decides not to go on her dream trip out of the country. Throughout the rest of the book, Mina tells the story of the years she spent with the man who caused her to give up her dreams. He is not the man she thought he was, but she reflects on her growth during that time period.

I liked the back and forth telling, going between the present and the past. The story really did keep pulling me in to listening to find out more. Frankly, I almost gave up on the book about 5% in, but the writing style was intriguing.

However, I kind of wished I HAD given up on the book, because it definitely wasn't my style in content. The sex scenes were too spicy for me, and I couldn't like any of the characters. This book left me feeling overall frustrated due to the plot and what we learned about the characters. I wish Mina had taken off to Greece at the beginning as she was meant to.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🌶️

This story was very interesting and I was thoroughly invested in this book just because I had a feeling about a couple points that we’re bound come up. I did predict the whole twin situation. I had a feeling there was swapping going on at some point during the relationship she is having with her husband.

I think the fact that she never really understood the difference between the two was a little weird for me. I do get their identical, but they can’t be that identical.

I thought the healing process as far as the grief was very beautiful the romance between the brother that should have been beautiful as well .

I really love the narration in this book. I would definitely read more books narrated by the narrator. Overall , I would definitely recommend this to anybody who loves romantic suspense because this is definitely romantic suspense.

I was completely captivated by “When We Had Forever” by Shaylin Gandhi. This debut novel is an emotional roller coaster that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

The story follows Mina Drake, a woman grieving her husband Michael’s death while uncovering shocking secrets about their marriage. What makes this book extraordinary is its unique dual-timeline narrative, alternating between “before” and “after” chapters. I found myself equally invested in both timelines, which is rare for me.

The characters are incredibly complex and flawed, making them feel incredibly realistic. Mina’s journey of grief, discovery, and potential new love with Michael’s estranged brother Grayson is both heart-wrenching and suspenseful. The unexpected twists kept me guessing, and while I suspected some revelations, the overall story remained surprising.

#netgalley

I was completely captivated by this book from start to finish! Though romantic suspense isn’t a genre I typically gravitate toward, this novel has undoubtedly inspired me to explore it further—and to seek out more works by Shaylin Gandhi. The use of dual timelines and a nonlinear narrative, which I often find cumbersome in other stories, was executed with such clarity and purpose that it enhanced the reading experience seamlessly.

Subtle clues woven throughout the story kept me engaged and constantly theorizing, yet the final twist still managed to take my breath away—it was both anticipated and utterly surprising. This book was so well done, with a cleverly crafted plot and compelling characters. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and look forward to reading more from this author. Additionally, I read this as an audiobook and really enjoyed he narrators and would explore more of their work in the future, too!

Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ALC!