Helena Greer

Return to Carrigan's in this sparkling, swoony, second-chance romance about childhood best friends, turned sweethearts, turned enemies, for fans of Ashley Herring Blake, Anita Kelly, and Alexandria Bellefleur.

For Never & Always

Bria

They need to find therapists and leave each other alone tbh

thank you to forever (grand central publishing) and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

i think it would be remiss of me if i didn’t start by saying levi is a FAR more patient human than i am. for the multiple times he came out as demi and every. single. person. asked how it’s possible when he likes sex. i— listen, i understand (and have essentially experienced myself) that this is the reality for many aces that have and/or like sex. i just deeply wish as least one person responded even slightly more positively than to immediately question his identity. i just know if that was me, i would not have been so nice about it the 3rd or 4th time in a row. so, i repeat. levi is a much more patient human than i.

okay, onto the actual romance between levi and hannah. i know we’re following the current time where they’re still freshly reclaiming carrigans. and that we periodically flash back to different points in their relationship, from as early as young childhood. i can see what helena was intending. to show us how they came together in the beginning and eventually split. i just personally do not totally believe that their relationship issues were resolved well enough by the end. to me, personally, their chemistry just wasn’t there? and i don’t know how i can explain it.

they spend most of the book both being like we love each other a lot but we have this pile high of concerns and i don’t think we can fix what’s broke. but by the end with one grand gesture and a plan, it’s all fixed. and i truly hope that it 

 enough for them. i guess with lots of work they can get somewhere where it’s healthy and true for them. but i just wasn’t totally feeling it where we end off. here’s to hoping.

i am, however, still very much looking forward to tara’s story (and maybe hopefully cole’s too). she’s an underrated fave of mine and i’m very excited to see what her happy ending entails.

ash (smokedshelves)

thank you to forever (grand central publishing) and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

i think it would be remiss of me if i didn’t start by saying levi is a FAR more patient human than i am. for the multiple times he came out as demi and every. single. person. asked how it’s possible when he likes sex. i— listen, i understand (and have essentially experienced myself) that this is the reality for many aces that have and/or like sex. i just deeply wish as least one person responded even slightly more positively than to immediately question his identity. i just know if that was me, i would not have been so nice about it the 3rd or 4th time in a row. so, i repeat. levi is a much more patient human than i.

okay, onto the actual romance between levi and hannah. i know we’re following the current time where they’re still freshly reclaiming carrigans. and that we periodically flash back to different points in their relationship, from as early as young childhood. i can see what helena was intending. to show us how they came together in the beginning and eventually split. i just personally do not totally believe that their relationship issues were resolved well enough by the end. to me, personally, their chemistry just wasn’t there? and i don’t know how i can explain it.

they spend most of the book both being like we love each other a lot but we have this pile high of concerns and i don’t think we can fix what’s broke. but by the end with one grand gesture and a plan, it’s all fixed. and i truly hope that it is enough for them. i guess with lots of work they can get somewhere where it’s healthy and true for them. but i just wasn’t totally feeling it where we end off. here’s to hoping.

i am, however, still very much looking forward to tara’s story (and maybe hopefully cole’s too). she’s an underrated fave of mine and i’m very excited to see what her happy ending entails.

❝ She and Levi were an island nation, trapped in a civil war, and the only person who understood the scope of the casualties was the one person she couldn't talk to about it. ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite holiday treat? Gimme black or white chocolate peppermint bark, please! ❓

🦇 Once childhood best friends, now bitter exes, Hannah and Levi remained united by their shared inheritance, Carrigan's; the winter wonderland-themed inn where they shared so many childhood memories. Levi was Hannah's first love, heartbreak, and husband, but their time apart has created a rift between them. Can Levi use this second chance (and the next three months) to prove that he still loves Hannah--and that he's worthy of her heart?

💜 Childhood friends to lovers AND a second chance romance? Sign me up! Helena Greer's characters are enthralling, the history and chemistry between them an immediate draw. From the get-go, there's so much representation to delve into, ranging from mental health (Hannah has panic attacks and agoraphobia) to childhood trauma, a queer cast, and culture rep. This is a mildly angsty yet definitely sweet small-town romance that relies on small flashbacks to build the tension between the main characters. 

🦇 While I love the mix of tropes here, the reliance on dual timelines kind of gave me whiplash. I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series until I sat down to write this review (entirely my fault, I know, but apparently I'm not the only one), which explains why there were so many plot puzzle pieces missing when I started reading. Hannah is harboring so much anger when Levi returns home, but we have to rely on flashbacks and snippets of information to understand why. That makes it difficult to sympathize with either character. While both characters are in their mid-30s, they act very juvenile at times, as if they're still their childhood selves. There's also a major reliance on the miscommunication trope (and if you've read my past reviews, you know I am NOT about that). There's a lot going on here, for sure, but the number of conflicts make the story almost difficult to navigate. 

🦇 Recommended to fans of second-chance, small-town romances loaded with all the rep. 

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Jazelle H

🦇 For Never & Always Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐

❝ She and Levi were an island nation, trapped in a civil war, and the only person who understood the scope of the casualties was the one person she couldn't talk to about it. ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite holiday treat? Gimme black or white chocolate peppermint bark, please! ❓
 
🦇 Once childhood best friends, now bitter exes, Hannah and Levi remained united by their shared inheritance, Carrigan's; the winter wonderland-themed inn where they shared so many childhood memories. Levi was Hannah's first love, heartbreak, and husband, but their time apart has created a rift between them. Can Levi use this second chance (and the next three months) to prove that he still loves Hannah--and that he's worthy of her heart?

💜 Childhood friends to lovers AND a second chance romance? Sign me up! Helena Greer's characters are enthralling, the history and chemistry between them an immediate draw. From the get-go, there's so much representation to delve into, ranging from mental health (Hannah has panic attacks and agoraphobia) to childhood trauma, a queer cast, and culture rep. This is a mildly angsty yet definitely sweet small-town romance that relies on small flashbacks to build the tension between the main characters. 

🦇 While I love the mix of tropes here, the reliance on dual timelines kind of gave me whiplash. I didn't realize that this was the second book in a series until I sat down to write this review (entirely my fault, I know, but apparently I'm not the only one), which explains why there were so many plot puzzle pieces missing when I started reading. Hannah is harboring so much anger when Levi returns home, but we have to rely on flashbacks and snippets of information to understand why. That makes it difficult to sympathize with either character. While both characters are in their mid-30s, they act very juvenile at times, as if they're still their childhood selves. There's also a major reliance on the miscommunication trope (and if you've read my past reviews, you know I am NOT about that). There's a lot going on here, for sure, but the number of conflicts make the story almost difficult to navigate. 

🦇 Recommended to fans of second-chance, small-town romances loaded with all the rep. 

✨ The Vibes ✨
⏳ Childhood Friends to Lovers
🥈 Second Chance Romance
🏳️‍🌈 Queer Rep
✡️ Jewish Rep
🧠 Mental Health Rep

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

For Never & Always

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