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.”

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!