One of my all time favorite books is written by Sarah Jio so I was really looking forwward to this. But unfortunately, I had a multitude of problems with it. The plot line was farfetched and unbelievable. I had a hard time buying that a person who has been struggling with brain trauma for 10 years with no knowledge of his past would fully recover in a matter of a few weeks. And I was bothered by how the main character deceived her fiance and was naive enough to think that once she explained the situation he would completely understand. I never really connected with the characters and felt they were a bit stereotypical and melodramtic. All in all, this was very disappointing. 2*

But I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy and the opportunity to review this book.

I have always loved all of Ms Jio's books and this one was not exception. I did however feel there that the story could have been more with less wording. This story seemed to have a lot of not needed words in it that simple lenghtened the book but did not really ad to the story. I enjoyed the book and will certainly purchase it when it comes out but it was not my all time favorite by this author.

I had never read any novels by Sarah Jio before, this was my first and I was not disappointed. Great character building. I liked that the booked switched from past to present to give the reader the full picture. I did not love the ending but all and all very good.

I have read most of Jio's novels, and after reading Always, I'm not going to change that.

Kailey and Ryan are about to be married. Ryan's family is rich, and he's the perfect guy. Kailey couldn't be happier. Then she encounters a homeless man and after looking into his eyes, realizes he is Cade, the man she was hopelessly in love with until he suddenly disappeared without a trace a few years ago.

You can see where this is going, right? So I don't have to say too much more about the plot.

Now, this is a far-fetched premise. To think that someone popular, wealthy, and successful would disappear on the streets of Seattle without anyone ever finding him is a stretch. I mean, people don't become homeless overnight. It just doesn't add up. Oh well, just get past that.

Because these characters are lovable. All of them. You know that either Cade or Ryan is going to get hurt because Kailey truly loves both of them. She is so caring, and Ryan is so understanding, and what happened to Cade is just so unfair. It's all very "good."

Another beef is that we don't really ever learn what happened to Cade. Not entirely. Especially the part about him leaving the hospital. That's all I'll say. I just wish all the loose ends were tied up. It would have made it more believable if there was more of an explanation.

But Jio's stories are full of warmth and romance and these characters stole my heart. If you are in the mood for a bit of a sappy love story, try Always. Her books are appropriate for teens who are romance fans, and I'll be sure to tell them about this one. Jio's books always hit the spot with me, and I look forward to the next one.

Always by Sarah Jio is a novel about first love, the intensity and highs of it, the special feeling towards that person that always remains. If that love were suddenly cut off without explanation, what would you do? You would suffer, and wonder, and eat-out-your-heart as Kailey Crane does, and eventually you would move on. But you would always wonder "what if?"

Kailey, now a respected journalist with a passion for the homeless, is engaged to the perfect man, Ryan. Really, he's perfect - great job, big future ahead of him, good looking, quite wealthy, romantic. A little "too" perfect. When Kaylie sees her ex-love Cade, now homeless, outside a fancy restaurant Ryan has taken her to, her two passions collide - helping the homeless, and helping/being with Cade. But what about Ryan and their only weeks away wedding? What's a girl to do? Who's heart will she break?

You know what's going to happen, you see it coming from a mile away, you knew it all along. Yet the alternating chapters of Kailey with Cade in the past, and Kailey with Ryan in the present, make this an interesting read nonetheless. You keep turning pages because you want to know what happened - why did Cade disappear? Where has he been? Who will she choose?

I enjoyed reading this book, despite the predictability, and the over-the-top professions by Ryan and Cade of their love for Kaylie. A solid three-stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Ballantine Books for giving me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Kailey loved Ryan, her handsome and rich fiancé who she’d been dating for 4 years. Though secretly still in love with a man from her past, they were set to marry. The day she runs into a homeless man she recognizes as Cade, the love of her life who had disappeared years earlier, her life forever changes.

Through flashbacks, readers are shown their love story, setting the stage for Cade’s disappearance and Ryan’s appearance in Kailey’s life. The more she remembers the former life she had with Cade, the more she begins to question her life with Ryan. Should she give up an old love for a new one? Could she learn to live a new life and leave her old one behind?

As Kailey debates what to do, readers easily split into Pro Ryan or Pro Cade camps. The decision is not as hard as Kailey makes it out to be; she’s just too dense to figure it out as fast as I did. In the midst of trying to understand what happened to Cade, I couldn’t figure out the point of all the “cloak and dagger” mysteries around him. “Always” was okay but was a bit too predictable, with a few too many loose ends, for me to rate it higher than three stars.

Recommended for Adults who don’t mind the occasional “huh?” thrown into their reading.

Interesting plot, although it became a bit predictable toward the end. I wish we found out what really happened to Cade, but that's kind of left up in the air. A fast read.

Very disappointed with this book. Have read her previous novels and loved them. Read this very quickly and just wanted to get to the end. Very predictable.ending.

I really enjoy Ms. Jio’s writing and this was a unique and compelling story. There’s no need to retell the blurb so I’ll focus on other aspects.

Ms. Jio writes characters that I can identify with and includes a wide range of emotions. My heart was breaking for Kailey, Ryan, and Cade along with the topic of homelessness. Most people believe that homelessness is based only on drug use/alcoholism but many could be just one lost paycheck away from losing everything.

There is definitely a suspenseful aspect to the story once Kailey sees Cade and tries to get him help medically and figure out what happened in the past. Several questions were raised but never answered such as who signed Cade out of the hospital? We are left to wonder about the time period when Cade was missing. We find out some details right before he disappeared but others are missing. Where was he and how did he live for so many years? Where are his possessions?

There were several areas in the story where I questioned what and how things happened and some seemed a little too pat but it was an enjoyable story. I got quite emotional several times and loved both Ryan and Cade for Kailey – how can you choose between first love and one during the present that is so perfect?

The story is told from the past (1996) and the present (2008) and I didn’t have any problem keeping things straight. The only issue I had was that I was really enjoying a time period and then it would switch, I would enjoy that and then another switch – it definitely kept me reading to see what would happen next! I loved the descriptions of various locations in Seattle, the music, and the food.

I vacillated between Ryan and Cade –there were so many reasons to choose both and glad I didn’t have to make that choice. I was terribly heartbroken over the man not chosen and his obvious devastation.

At the end we are left with some questions unanswered but that’s more true life as everything isn’t fixed in a day or two in life. I would have liked to know more but it was still a great ending. It’s a sign of a good book when you are left wondering about aspects of a story and wondering about the future of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

ALWAYS BY SARAH JIO

What would you do if you ran into your first true love and soulmate? The one you never forget. Would you do everything in your power to help the man if he was dramatically changed for the worse?
Kailey has everything to make her happy. A man she is about to marry, who she has love, a great job.
Kailey has Ryan now with a bright future to look forward to sharing a life together. Until Kailey discovers that the homeless man in ratty clothes is Cade. How far will Kaily go to help Cade who is a former shell of the man she used to know? Does Kailey help Cade? What about Ryan, what is he willing to live with? I have a big heart, so I can relate to the choices Kailey is faced with. Is Kailey willing to sacrifice all that she has worked so hard to attain? You will have to read this love story to find out her decisions. No spoilers here!!!!

Thank you to Net Galley, Sarah Jio and the publisher for providing me with my digital copy for a fair and honest review.

I could not put this book down. This is a book about love and second chances and that is what Kailey and Cade found. The author did a fantastic job of bringing out the characters emotions and feelings and I felt like I was part of this book watching it unfold in front of me. It was fast paced, laugh of loud moments and moments of me having tears in my eyes especially when Kailey goes back to Ryans. Thank you netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I loved the premise of this book and it was so beautifully written. I love the idea of first loves and if we can get past them.

"Always" by Sarah Jio has been chosen as a Marvelous Upcoming New Book by The Marvelous Site. The following review is a reviewaka, which is based on an ancient Japanese poetry form. (To learn how to read a reviewaka, go to http://www.themarveloussite.com/quick-guide-to-reading-a.html.)

Always /
by Sarah Jio /
c2016 //

‘90s Seattle /
a lucky unlucky girl /
finding her true love //

seamlessly woven timelines: /
Which fiancée does she choose? //

MM

Kailey Crane is marveling over how wonderful her life is. She loves her job as a reporter for the Herald and she has a near perfect fiance, Ryan. It seems her life couldn't get much better at the moment. After she and Ryan finish a lovely meal at one of Seattle's best restaurants, Kailey takes her bag of leftovers and makes her way to leave. On the sidewalk, she sees a extremely thin bearded homeless man hovering nearby. When she offers her food to him, their eyes and meet and she is stunned to realize that this man is Cade, her ex-boyfriend and love of her life.

Cade disappeared from her life without warning nearly 10 years ago. Kailey cannot believe that he has been living on the streets in the same city this entire time. She becomes determined to find him again and get some answers. Their love was volatile and strong but Kailey has started a new life with Ryan that is near perfect. Can she put the past behind her and focus on her future with Ryan or will her love for Cade be rekindled and become stronger than ever?

Sarah Jio is an excellent storyteller and I have enjoyed a number of her previous works. The concept of this story is unique and thought provoking. I'm sure all of us have someone in our past, whether it was a romantic relationship or a friendship, that we have lost touch with and wondered where life has led them. Always explores that question in a touching and realistic way.

I received this book courtesy of Ballantine Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've read several Sarah Jio books and enjoyed them greatly. My favorite is Goodnight June. This was an ok story but sort of predictable after the initial plot was laid out. Kailey is a good person and her fiancee, Ryan, is a remarkable man who is too nice for his own good. Kailey discovers the love of her life who disappeared years ago begging and this begins the start of a new life for all three of these well written, likable people. The chapters alternate between the present and the past and are easy to follow. I just expected more drama, everything seems too easy. Sarah Jio fans will pick this one up and enjoy the story. I'm hoping that Ryan will find a worthy woman in a new book from Ms. Jio in the future.

Kailey Crane has everything she could possibly want in life, she has a job she thoroughly enjoys, a beautiful home to come home to every night, and a handsome fiance waiting for her with open arms. But all of her good fortune hasn't came so easily, and ten years ago she pictured her future a little differently, and with another man. When Cade disappeared from her life she was left broken and alone, and struggled to pick up the pieces, but with time and some healing she found a new life path to follow. But the minute she starts to feel like everything is falling into place, her life takes an unexpected turn, one she never saw coming...a turn that has her looking into a very familiar pair of eyes and seeing the promise of a future she thought she lost ten years ago.

Once again I am reveling in the effects from an exceptional literary escape provided by Ms. Jio, her stories are nothing short of amazing!! Each time I settle down to read one I am left moved beyond words and completely in awe of her talents. Kailey and Cade's story was inspiring, heart warming, deeply moving, and I am quite certain it will be lingering with me for a long while. I highly recommend this one, definitely one of the best reads I have discovered so far this year!! It is one of those reads that will seep into the recesses of your heart, churn your emotions, and leave you contemplating what if?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

Never loses the readers' attention. From start to finish, I never put the book down. Marvelous premise.

Always by Sarah Jio is a very emotional book, the story will pull at your heartstrings. I can't imagine being put in Kailey's position. To lose the love of your life suddenly, without any warning, and then to find him many years later as a homeless man. How to deal with Cade while still being with her kind and caring future husband, Ryan, would be such a difficult situation to be in. It's amazing how understanding Ryan is of the increasingly more time Kailey spends helping Cade. I don't want to give anything away, but you'll feel for everyone involved, especially Kailey and the heart wrenching decisions she has to make regarding the rest of her life. I really enjoyed this book, it drew me in and I looked forward to reading it during all of my free moments.

Oy. I am guilty of a cardinal sin. Or a truism. Never judge a book by its cover. Once again, I was drawn into reading Sarah Jio's latest release Always by the beautiful cover art, a recognition of the author's name and a blurb that hinted at darker things than just a simple Chick Lit novel. Sadly, this novel is a predictable bit of fluff with plot holes big enough to trip over and a cast of stereotypes which would make the soap opera actors of old beg for auditions.

It is apparent from the opening scenes that Kailey and Ryan have differing opinions on how the homeless should be treated in the city. Kailey is a journalist, writing a piece on inner city development and the plight of the homeless while Ryan is trying to swing a deal for his company to remove a homeless shelter and its occupants to make way for new business opportunities in the city core. Differences aside, Ryan and Kailey are in love. They are planning to get married. The thing is, Kailey is dragging her heals on the invitations, dreads all dealings with Ryan's wealthy parents and still has a deep-seated sense of not being good enough for Ryan or his family.

When she and Ryan are leaving a restaurant one evening, Kailey sees a homeless man on the street who looks like a man she knew in the past, Cade McAllister. Cade was her first love and when he disappeared 10 years ago, she was devastated. What if a man you loved and thought was lost appeared in front of you? Would you walk on by or attempt to help the man in any way you can?
Cue the soap opera organ. Cade has a traumatic brain injury. Kailey offers to help Cade both physically and financially. She doesn't tell Ryan. You can fill in the rest. We never learn what happened to Cade to cause his injuries and while hinted at that avenue was never fully explored. There are indications that Cade might be in danger resurfacing as he does after so many years. Again, not explored. Instead we get predictable fluffy angst with no repercussions or fall-out for our heroine. It was all a bit too sweet.

ARC received with thanks from Ballantine Books via NetGalley for review.