HOW FOREVER FEELS - Laura Drewry

#4 in the Friends First romance series

SWEET and SLOW - 3 stars

Plot - 3.5 stars - Maya has been divorced from Will for a while, but now their mutual friend Jack is in town. She suddenly finds herself wanting more from Jack than friendship, and the feeling is mutual. But Will and his new wife and his mother all seem to be getting in the way.

Writing - 3.5 stars - Drewry has designed a nice circle of friends here, and I like the friends-to-lovers scenarios that have applied to each of them. This book had a nice, slow, but steady romance. It was surprising that they didn't even kiss until 60% into the book (which shows you how slow it ran), but it wasn't frustrating to wait that long, just nice. I very much liked the friends-to-lovers theme wrap-up in the epilogue, tying up the series very nicely and satisfactorily.

Characters - 2.5 stars - This is where the book stalled for me. Maya is the last friend in the group who hasn't hooked up with anyone yet (unless we count Griffin, who wants her to have his baby). She's tough and independent, but she really wants the HEA and a family. I was turned off by her when she went crazy over her divorce in a previous book. She totally destroyed her ex-husband's home and everything in it. OK, I get that she was angry and felt betrayed by his cheating, but it seemed way over the top to me and I personally would have pressed charges. She got off easy, in my opinion. And Jack, despite having gone through very tough times in the foster system as a child, is surprisingly wishy-washy. This is passed off as loyalty to his forever family, but it came across to me as insecure and, well, generally wimpy. Not an attractive feature in a romance hero.

Title - 3.5 stars - I like the title. I didn't get it at first, but it's explained well towards the end of the book. Maya thought she had forever with Will. But when their marriage failed, now she's second-guessing herself and wonders if she'll recognize "forever" when she really sees it.

Cover - 3 stars - A nice-looking couple, for sure, but nothing to particularly draw the eye.

Overview - 3 stars - The story was fine, and I liked the slow and steady build of Maya and Jack's relationship. But the characters are where this book faltered for me. Jack is solid and strong, but he's really kind of a milquetoast. OK, I get that he came from a difficult childhood, but why he still doesn't feel loved and protected after 20+ years with the Carsons is a little confusing. And Maya just made me frustrated. She totally lost control over Will, destroying his home, which to me makes her a vandal no matter how angry she is or how justified she feels. And when she gets mad at the wrong person (Jack) for all the wrong reasons, it's another example of her hair-trigger emotional response. She's been my least favorite friend amongst the girls, and knowing her better has only supported my initial reaction. That being said, the writing was fine, the setting was fine, and it was fun to revisit with previous characters. But you can't always create winning characters, so this book was disappointing for me. Not terrible, just disappointing.

I didn’t request this book, it just appeared in the download list, I am unsure of how it got there.

My first book by Drewy and It was a really good read, its made me want to read another which is a good way to grain readers. it's a sweet and romantic story and I look forward to the next. If you have read anything by Laura before let this be your first.

Eh. It could have been better. I've always liked the 'best friend of the ex who has loved the ex's girl the whole time' scenario (see: When He Was Wicked), but this book fell flat for me. I don't know if it's because I didn't read the other ones in the series or what, but thankfully it was a quick and easy read, so it flew by.