I was really taken with the premise of this book but the further I read the more I felt there were holes in the plot and the writing wasn't as smooth as I'd hoped. I loved the Seattle setting and the rain was appropriate but the characters were missing something. Also, there were too many coincidences for my liking and the ending wrapped up a little too neatly. Overall, I felt it was an ok read.

Sarah Jio has always been an author I can count on for a book that draws me in and this book is no exception. I immediately connected with Kaylie and felt her struggles throughout the book. The Author's note at the end mentioned that Sarah Jio wanted to emphasize the late 1990's in Seattle and I think she did an awesome job of making the readers feel like they were in the 90's during the flashbacks. Readers that love 90's bands and music related lifestyle will enjoy details of Kaylie and Cade's relationship. This book would make a great BookClub book since there is much to discuss and I imagine many would have opinions of what Kaylie did once she saw Cade again.

Kailey Crane is leaving a lovely restaurant in Seattle with her fiance Ryan when she sees a homeless man. When their eyes meet, she is sure that he is Cade, her ex-love that she hasn’t seen for years. He left abruptly, never to come back, and she has always thought about him and what happened. Kailey has been writing a story on homelessness in the city and now she is actually in the middle of it.She has never really stopped loving Cade and she loves Ryan. The story takes us back and forth between the past and the now. As Kailey helps Cade remember and finds out just what got him in the place he is now. Who will she choose to spend always with? Or has she always known in her heart?

This is a sweet story about love. It has the added extra of a discussion on homelessness. It’s good to have some awareness in an otherwise lighter love story. Everyone is likable. I didn’t want to see anyone left sad but you know that was coming for one of them. There was just something, and I can’t put my finger on it, that didn’t really do it for me. I think it’s a decent book, a light read even with some heavy overtones, but it just misses the mark for me to give it a higher rating.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kailey Crane met the love of her life, music mogul Cade McAllister, when she was in her twenties, and could never imagine a life without him. But when their relationship hit a rough patch, Cade literally disappeared from her life without a word, devastating her life in so many ways. Now it is years later and Kailey has finally managed to move on. Engaged to Ryan, a loving and caring man, and writing for the Herald, Kailey knows that she is lucky. But when she tries to help a homeless man and stares into his eyes, her world is turned upside down. After all these years she has found Cade, broken, beaten, and unaware of who she is. Determined to help save the man that meant everything to her, she gets him medical help and together they begin to piece together what happened on the night he disappeared all those years ago. But as the Cade she knew tries desperately to find himself and his memories, is Kailey willing to sacrifice her new life and future for the ghosts of the past? ALWAYS by Sarah Jio is an emotional, heartfelt novel of love and loss, bringing the reality of homelessness in all of its complexity to the forefront. The characters are realistic in their flaws and their humanity, and as the story developed I became so invested in their journey. ALWAYS by Sarah Jio will make you smile and cry in equal measure, and make you think about how much more you can help those who need it. ALWAYS is a truly beautiful novel and I am so glad that I read it.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Once, Kailey had one of those magnetic, all encompassing loves.  The kind that make you crazy... and get matching tattoos.  Then, out of nowhere, Cade is gone.  He just left her, left their life together... and she has to accept that.  He had been spiraling, drinking more and taking pills.  His record company was not what he wanted... he was loosing his edge... and yet, none of it made sense.
Fast forward ten years.  Kailey has finally found love again with gorgeous and sweet Ryan.  Everything is perfect, even their wedding plans!  Then, after dinner one night, Kailey gives her left overs to a homeless man.  When he looks up... it's Cade.
Something happened all those years ago- he doesn't know her or really himself!  Severe brain trauma and years on the street have taken it's toll.  Kailey knows in her heart she can't leave him this way.  She begins trying to get him help, and working to uncover what really happened ten years ago.
In all of this Ryan is supportive, but justifiably upset.  This is her ex, after all... the matching tattoo.  Both men love her, both want her... but who does she want, really?  Do you choose your first love,  crazy and manic, or your sweet love, steady and trusting?
I could not put this book down.  I loved Ryan, though I found him weak at times.  I loved his sweetness, his love, his trust.  I loved Kailey as one loves a sister that they still want to smack sometimes.  I hated some of the things she did, but I understood them.  She truly loved both men, and never wanted to hurt either of them.  And I loved Cade, both the larger-than-life exec and the homeless man trying to piece himself back together.  In a book such as this, not everyone gets a happy ending.... but, God, I wanted them to.
The book is written through Kailey's eyes, both in the "present" of 2008 and in flashbacks of the late 90's showing her relationship with Cade.  The writing style is fluid, and the premise was spellbinding.  I was enthralled. 
On the adult content scale, there is sexual content, language, violence and substance abuse.  I would still give this book over to a teen, but maybe on the older end of that curve.

A pleasant enough read, but as the final "mystery" was revealed, I found myself rolling my eyes more than a few times. And the "happily ever after" ending was a bit far fetched.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kailey Crain is an accomplished journalist, writing for the Herald. A true humanitarian, a kind person, living in Seattle with her fiance Ryan. They are in the process of planning their wedding, which can be a really tense one, especially when at the same time the two of them are on a conflict of interest, because of the new development construction Ryan’s company is working on, and a shelter for people in need that Kailey supports. On the night the two of them are enjoying a romantic dinner, trying to keep away all that could possibly affect them, Kailey finds the long lost love of her life, living in the streets. A homeless thin person that does not even recognizes her. After that encounter, Kailey has the need to know what happened almost a decade ago, when Cade had suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth and her life eventually.

“Always”, the new book from Sarah Jio, coming on February 7th, is definitely a page turner! It is one of the books that will make the reader want for more as the story evolves. She has done an excellent job on the characters. They are well structured, even a little in the fantasy sphere, as most readers would not expect to find a forgiving person or a giving one, or even great love is out of the question nowadays for many… However, they characters do stick to their form, revealing their greatness throughout the book.

The themes expressed here are many and of much use for introspection. On one hand, there is the theme of one true love. The one that actually exists out there for all of us. Then there is what we would do for our true love. Would we sacrifice everything? Our current life is in order; would we threw all this away just to follow love again?

Another theme is humanism. Our actions for the greater good, that of others, whether we know them or not. True selfless actions to help others in need. To support people who are less fortunate than us. You don’t have to be on a non profit organization wandering all over world in pursue of people in need, to be considered as a humanitarian. You can be socially engaged by helping people in your own town, in your own neighborhood. Not all homeless people asked for it.

Sometimes events take an unexpected turn and the life you knew is not the life you live. So, as Sarah Jio shouts through here writing, don’t always judge by appearances! That’s a big and very useful lesson that we have many times be taught and many times have forgotten.

Have an open mind and more importantly have an open heart!

Thank you to NetGalley & Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.

A light-weight, sappy read, but not unpleasant if that's what you're in the mood for. The main character and her perfect roommate move to perfect Seattle, where she falls in love with the perfect man. Oh, she's so lucky it brings tears to her eyes! But he suddenly drops her and disappears, leaving her broken-hearted. But fast-forward a decade and she's in love with, and engaged to, yet another perfect man. Oh, she's so lucky it brings tears to her eyes! But who does she unexpectedly run into? But now he's homeless and doesn't even remember her. Amnesia? She must help him!

This felt to me like a teenage girl's fantasy and was very predictable. I think the author did a good job bringing the setting and music to life, although they were just a little too perfect, too. ;)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

I was given an ARC of this book from Net Gallery for an honest review.

Sarah Jio is one of my favorite writers and I was excited to be able to read and review this book. One of the things that Ms. Jio does when she writes a book is that she usually will tell two stories...one in the current day and one in the past. The stories she tells are usually about two different characters. In this book, the stories were both about the same character, telling her story in 2008 and in the 90's. I enjoyed this plot point very much. The 90's part of the story really gave a good glimpse into the Seattle scene, both musically and in the community. The story set in 2008 gave us a chance to see how she felt reliving her past.

This was a great "what if" story...what if you found someone from your past again that you didn't have closure with? How would you handle your second chance? The book conveyed all the feelings the character had in finding her first love again in a situation she never thought possible. All the fear, love and conflict was expressed.

My only qualm with this book is that there were several plot points that were left dangling. I don't know if this was intentional because the character of Cade had amnesia and since he didn't know his past, the reader couldn't know either or if this was just not caught in editing. I also would have like the book to have been fleshed out a little more...I would have liked to hear more about Kailey's story after Cade and more with her romance with Ryan.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

If you are a true romantic, you NEED this book. Run, don't walk or job, to the nearest bookstore and pick it up! I raced through the title in less than a day, and I am still crying.

Precise and well-written, with great throwbacks to the music scene in the 90s: you'll remember yourself listening from everything to the spice girls to Kurt Cobain, feet in doc martens and ear buds on your ears, feeling the music and the love.

From Pike Place Market to Nordstrom, from studio apartments to mansions by the sea, you'll love these characters through a decade of their lives. You'll hope for them, you'll want to slap them, but mostly, you will want them to end up with their form of happily ever after. Sarah Jio's best book yet!

More of a 3.5 rating for me. I was really liking the book at the beginning but something happened while reading and I can't quite put my finger on it. Kailey leaving a restaurant one night with her fiance sees a homeless man outside and realizes it's her former boyfriend and love of her life Cade, who was running a successful record label when he went missing. From then on, she tries and does find him and vows to help him and figure out why he's been missing for the last ten years and living on the streets. I don't know what I personally would do in a situation like that but I do applaud her in trying to help him get back on his feet. I guess what bothered me is that she wasn't honest with her fiance about her finding and helping Cade and I didn't always like the decisions she made. Things happened a bit too fast especially at the end, and the situation with Cade's former partner James left me a little baffled. I liked the premise of the book and also how it alternated from past to present as we get the back story of Kailey and Cade's relationship. I also enjoyed the Seattle setting, one of my favorite cities, and the music references as I am also a big music lover (big Death Cab For Cutie fan here). While this wasn't one of my top favorite Sarah Jio books, and there are several, I will certainly continue to read anything new that she publishes as well as a couple of her older books that I have yet to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In Sarah Jio’s latest offering, the reader is transported between two times in the protagonist’s life. In 1996, Kailey is a ‘wide-eyed” twenty-two year old madly in love for the first time; and in 2008, she is 34, engaged to another man and working as a newspaper reporter.

Kailey leaves a restaurant with her fiancé, Ryan, glances at a homeless man and sees the eyes of her ex-lover. “I don’t tell Ryan that I know this man. I don’t tell him that his name is Cade and he used to be the love my life.”

Years before, Cade suddenly disappeared and although Kailey has moved on and committed to Ryan, she feels compelled to ‘save’ Cade. He soon becomes her all-consuming project.

“I was drawn to Ryan, too, of course, from the very beginning - but in a different way. Ours is a quieter attraction a gentler pull. I love him intensely but our waves have always been softer. With Cade? The tidal wave conditions would close down the beach.”

So let’s talk about Ryan. I describe him as the quintessential superman - loving, smart, rich, handsome, etc.or as Kailey describes him, “the spitting image of the cartoon prince who swept Cinderella off her feet.” Kailey is spending almost all of her time with Cade though and spending Ryan’s money to pay for Cade’s rehabilitation, psychological and medical care. She leaves Ryan at the drop of a hat to be by Cade’s side whenever he or his doctor calls. No man can be so understanding and patient, can he? This is the point where implausibility set in for me.

Who will Kailey ride off with in the sunset, Cade or Ryan? I craved an ending where everyone ends up happy, but this couldn't possibly happen, right? I really liked both Cade and Ryan - each deserved happiness. I was trying to figure things out and … wait, what the heck just happened? Suddenly plot threads wrapped up way too quickly. I wasn’t ready! It was a satisfying end despite the bits of implausibility throughout and I think it would be a good choice for ‘light reading’ book clubs. I am convinced there would be lively discussion.

I appreciated the social awareness message throughout the novel, the discrimination experienced by the homeless. It was not overdone and was a good reminder to be more sensitive to their plight. It should not be assumed that they are just drug addicts or alcoholics seeking a handout.

Note: Will also be providing reviews to Amazon/Powells/B&N upon publication.

I don’t read romance novels very often, but the premise of this one intrigued me so I was excited when I received an advanced copy. While enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner out one night with her fiancé, Kailey Crane just can’t believe how lucky she is. As they are leaving the restaurant, she spies a homeless man on the sidewalk. She approaches him, offering her leftovers, and she is stunned to find that this homeless man is none other than Cade McAllister, the man who once was the love of her life.
So begins her search to find out what happened to the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Where has he been for the last ten years? What happened to him that this is where he has ended up? Can she help him? Why does she want to help him so badly after all this time and how will her fiancé handle Cade being back in her life?
I liked Kailey’s character well enough, but felt some of her decisions that she made were slightly irrational and confusing given that Cade had been out of her life for 10 years. The main male characters were written a little too perfectly for my taste. For some reason, I kept picturing Ryan as Andrew the mayor’s son from the movie Sweet Home Alabama and Cade kept popping up in my head as Noah from the Notebook but with a drinking problem.
In the end, I had more questions about the storyline then I had answers. Still, it was a quick and enjoyable read that gets 3 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Captivating, thought-provoking, and deeply moving!

This is a poignant novel that delves into the emotional, physical and mental anguish suffered by those inflicted with brain trauma and touches on the hardships, prejudices and struggles experienced by those who find themselves homeless.

The prose is polished and precise. The characters are consumed, troubled and genuine. And the story which contains a subtle element of mystery is written in a back and forth, past/present style that gives a wonderful appreciation and depth to all the situations, personalities and relationships within it.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel about friendship, loss, jealousy, compassion, life and enduring love, but I have to say I still prefer Jio's historical fiction novels, particularly "The Bungalow" which is still one of my all-time favourites.

Thank you to NetGalley, especially Random House - Ballantine for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, the "what ifs" of life...

Kailey Crane moved to Seattle in the 1990s with her best friend. They both still live in Seattle and Kailey works as a journalist, a career she loves.

It is now 2008 and Kailey is engaged to Ryan - handsome, rich, and who loves her deeply and whom she loves.

Everything is perfect until Kailey happens upon a homeless man on the street one day and realizes he is Cade McAllister, who used to be a very successful music executive AND also the love of her life - that disappeared in 1998.

I enjoyed this tale, even though parts of it were pretty far fetched (but I guess that's the way true life is too). The author did a fine job, allowing the feel of the nineties music scene in Seattle come through in the story and I liked that a lot.

Kailey had hard decisions to make in the story and I didn't envy her that. Some storylines felt a bit jumbled together or just plain fizzled out but I, for the most part, enjoyed this romance that held my interest to the end.

I received this book from Random House through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

In the face of the increase of homelessness in our society, this book is a poignant reminder of the humanity of each homeless person we come upon. The story of Cade and Kailey' s relationship is romantic and tragic, and very human. Well told and deeply touching, this story is a joy to read.

I have liked a lot of Sarah Jio's books, but this one is truly a mess. The writing isn't great, and much of the dialogue is extremely awkward. Several of the facts don't add up, and there are plot holes. (Don't even get me started on "She was a medical student in her surgical residency. Ugh)." I think what Sarah Jio wrote in the acknowledgements explains why this book was so much worse than others, but her editor should have really stepped up and made sure the major issues were fixed. I'm sad this happened because I have really enjoyed some of her earlier books.

I am a huge fan of Sarah Jio and I've read all of her books ever since the very first one was published. I look forward to each of her stories and I know that I'm going to be in for a treat when I start one of her books.

Always is a wonderful story that takes the reader on an adventure as Kailey discovers the 'love of her life', who had been missing for years, now living on the street. She thinks she is happy with Ryan, her fiancé but she can't seem to forget Cade. In this back and forth between the present to the past, we learn about the relationship she had with Cade. Is he ever going to be the same man he was or is she going to have to try to live without him again?

Sarah's books are always an escape for me. She writes such beautiful love stories with amazing characters and this one was exactly that. I was totally immersed in Always and I didn't want to put it down.

I enjoyed this quick, short read. It's sappy in places and Ryan is too perfect, but I found the premise of the story intriguing. Once I started reading, I could hardly put it down. The mystery of Cade, how he ended up homeless and who/what was responsible kept me guessing. The end was not quite what I had guessed, and it all happened abruptly, but it was ok.
I read the author's notes before starting the book and I'm glad. I knew in advance that she intended for this story to be more than romantic fluff. I appreciated the Seattle scenes and music more, knowing her story.
Advance reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

What a sweet change from the usual thriller books I read. It was a story of love, heart break, & second chances. The main character was likeable & had a very important choice to make between her successful, amazing sounding fiancé, & her long ago one true love who just left, now back again, homeless. There was a little mystery to it, as well, & I enjoyed the moments of fluff.