I'd like to thank Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time staying focused on this book. It took me so long to finish the book and I didn't feel invested in it. I liked the premise of the story - Hart dies and negotiates with an angel to take the body of another boy in a coma and about to die. He's left unfinished business with the love of his life, Ruby. The only thing is the body he takes on is someone that neither Hart or Ruby likes. Upon his return he isn't able to tell anyone who he really is and tries to leave clues for them to know. It is a second chance at romance book and I was rooting for Ruby and Hart to stay together. It is targeted to YA so I think that age category would enjoy it but for me it fell a little flat.

Always isn’t Forever is a fresh take on the “Heaven Can Wait,” theme, where true love is derailed because one of the partner’s dies…but it turns out is taken too soon by an overeager angel. In this case, teens Ruby and Hart have grown from childhood best friends to soulmates. They plan on spending together forever, but Hart drowns. However, Hart finds in the limbo afterlife he “wakes” up in that he wasn’t actually meant to die; Lourdes, his angel, took him early to spare him pain, but it turns out he would have survived. Frantic to get back to Ruby, Hart is told that he will get a second chance but that over time he will forget his previous life. The key to a good romance is to make the journey enjoyable, because we all know we are going to get our happily ever after. Will these two kids end up back together – yes, but at what level. Will Ruby know that she’s with Hart or will she move on to the new love? Will Hart remember his special connection of his previous life with Ruby, or will he simply be happy with the new one? I think Cervantes does a lovely job of creating this story. Ruby is truly devastated by Hart’s death and is grieving deeply. Her family, her friends all support and love her, but want her to move on. There is a nice touch with Ruby and her family being a touch psychic, having a connection to the spirit world which makes her trust in a new love both more challenging and more believable. The only quibble would be how quickly Hart’s family disappears, but to be fair it would be too big a bummer to have a devastated parent hanging around our love story. I’d recommend this to a teen who was looking for a sweet romance with a feisty heroine. I was given a free e advance copy in return for an honest review.

Definitely for fans of “you’ve reached sam”. The writing was well done and the characters were well written. Since it was so similar to you’ve reached sam, and I didn’t absolutely love that one either, they’re getting the same rating of a 3 stars. Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

I received an e-galley of Always Isn't Forever by J.C. Cervantes from Penguin Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The promotional piece for Always Isn't Forever compared it to You've Reached Sam and so I was intrigued as I did enjoy YRS. But somehow Always Isn't Forever didn't work for me as a reader. In this story, Hart dies and leaves Ruby heartbroken - but he negotiates a deal in which he is able to take the body of someone about to die - Jameson, someone who he and Ruby both dislike. And so he returns - but he is unable to tell anyone who he actually is. But of course, he is now changed and similar to Hart - and some people figure it out. And it all just gets a little too weird for me to be honest. I think I'll be staying away from the reaching out after death storylines for now.

Still reeling from the unexpected death by drowning of her best friend turned boyfriend Hart, Ruby is struggling to cope with senior year, a decision to sell the boat they had restored, and college decisions. The powers that be decide to give Hart another chance by reincarnating his soul into a classmate who suffered an accident; the trade off is Hart will have access to Jameson’s memories as Hart’s fade—and he may miss the chance to reconnect with Ruby and for her to realize who he really is, since he can’t actually tell anyone.

Ruby can’t figure out why she is suddenly so drawn to Jameson, who actually screwed Hart’s dad out of some money for a car repair job in the past—she just knows she feels something, and keeps agreeing to spend time with him, much to the amazement and speculation of friends and relatives. Jameson could barely carry a tune and tries to complete one of Hart’s songs; he can suddenly play football but also recalls Hart’s signature wrestling move. Jameson’s craving for — and dislike of — tortillas is bittersweet. Cervantes shows the other side of the reckless popular boy: one who also lost someone close to home and has high familial expectations to live up to.

Also getting a second chance is angel Lourdes. Serving as guide for Hart/Jameson and doing random acts of kindness (mitzvot, one might say…). Told in three points of view, Cervantes carefully constructs a boundaried universe and then has the characters look for workarounds. Pacing is good, the story will resonate with empathetic teens, and the sprinkling of spirituality seasoned with Latino/Latina culture and CA setting is a wonderful mix. Since the lovers has been saving themselves for college, there are no intimate details beyond longing and impassioned kissing.

The cover art is gorgeous, with underwater and above, and the split indicating both the rift between them and Hart/Jameson’s shared body.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of AlwaysIsntForever from NetGalley.

Such a beautifully emotional YA story! I loved the unique twist and palpable emotion! This was definitely a solid read for me.

It was cute. I mean, it was a heartfelt YA... And it was very much so something that is easy to read. It wasn't something I would pick up again, but I would definitely recommend this book to people who would like an easy YA to cuddle up with in the afternoon

Always Isn't Forever by J.C. Cervantes -

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read this book.

Hart and Ruby are in love and due to a tragic accident Hart dies. Ruby can not move on from this tragic accident and Hart being dead can not either. Their love was so strong and thanks to Lourdes who is an angel they are given a second chance in an unusual way.

This is YA about losing the love of your life. It is heartbreaking, sad, wonderful and soooo good!! I loved it! It is a fast read and you better grab your tissue box…

This book was wonderfully heartbreaking. I loved the story and the characters and I definitely shed a few tears. I would definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a bittersweet ya romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hart and Ruby's relationship was well written and intriguing to follow. It really increased the suspense and made the book more exciting to read, adding to the supernatural side of the book. Ruby and Hart complement each other perfectly. While I did not like Hart as much as Ruby at the very beginning, I soon began to love both main characters.

The book was also fast paced, so when I was occasionally a little bit bored, it didn't last long and I was immediately drawn back into the story again.

The themes of loss and grief in the book were also handled well and the story was sometimes quite emotional. Although I don't like sad books usually, this book is definitely an exception, as I really enjoyed it. The book surpassed my expectations in terms of the plot and was more engaging and unpredictable than I had initially thought.

I’d like to thank the author for providing me with a free e- copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I genuinely don’t know how to feel about this book. It took me so long to finish. The first 60% was incredibly slow and it honesty felt like a chore to read. Then I reached near the end of the second section where things started to get more interesting.

Character wise, I’m conflicted. I feel that romance wise I would have liked it to be different since loss is all about keeping the memories and moving on so the fact that Ruby like Jameson but kept trying to see Hart in him was something which I didn’t specifically like. I had zero problems with Hart/ Jameson. He didn’t strike me or anything but I felt that he was a very decent male lead.

I believe that this book is 100 pages longer than it needs to be but that’s just my opinion. The idea was good the outcome was… questionable.

This book is mainly advertising for lovers of You’ve Reached Sam. As someone who has read that book and cried to it uncontrollably, it would be unfair to compare the two as each book is its own. What I will comment about is how this book was simply advertised wrong. If one says that this book is even slightly similar to You’ve Reached Sam than the reader is going to expect the same or a similar atmosphere and the atmosphere between the two books were simply worlds apart.

I must say that the cover is truly glamorous. The message behind the cover is something that I pieced together at the end. The artwork is really nice and I feel that the premise of the book and the idea was good, it was just stretched out for too long.

Fans of YA romance books with star crossed friends to lovers who are torn apart tragically and find each other through magical/supernatural means are going to devour this one!!

Recommended for anyone who enjoyed Message in a bottle by Nicholas Sparks and books like You've reached Sam by Dustin Thao or The fault in our stars by John Green (although this one is tad less sad than those).

Now I can't wait to read the author's debut, Flirting with fate, that somehow got lost in my tbr pile. Many thanks to NetGalley and the @prhaudio for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have second chances to live our lives? This was a very interesting take on death and I couldn’t put the book down. It deals with a boyfriend and girlfriend who lose each other due to a tragic death but they get a second chance with extenuating circumstances. It also shows how the living can get a second chance also. I thought one thing that stood out is that we really don’t know what someone is going through until we stand in their shoes.

I would recommend this book for high school students to read. I think it would be an excellent book for the class to read because it lends itself to such great discussions. Topics would include death, second chances, angels, friendships, empathy, memories, souls, instincts, pets, and relationships with parents.

This was the book that You Reached Sam wanted to be. It's an emotional gut-punch that mostly succeeds in telling the story it sets out to tell with a wonderful handling of grief, teenage love, and family bonds.

Hart and Ruby are childhood friends-turned-romantic soul mates, preparing to take on their senior year together before they graduate and travel the world. But then Hart dies in a tragic boating accident at work, leaving Ruby and his friends behind to pick up the pieces. Except, Ruby can't move on. And neither can Hart, and through some literal angelic intervention, he's given a second chance at life - in the body of dying local bad boy Jameson. But there are rules: he can't tell anyone the truth of who he is, and every day he spends in his new body results in the loss of more and more of his old memories. Can Hart and Ruby overcome the obstacles between them and find their way back to each other?

The emotion built into this story is real and it is powerful. I actively spent a large portion of my reading bawling into my phone. The depictions of grief, both of Ruby in her loss of Hart and her inability to move on, and in Hart and his fear of losing his old life while he adapts to his new one, are painful in their intensity. You genuinely find yourself rooting for both characters and their relationship to work out. The characterization is solid and the story itself plugs along at a steady pace, making for a good, reliable read.

Genuinely the only thing that kept this from being a solid 5 star book was the lack of connection I felt with the secondary characters. While Ruby's family was interesting, everyone else felt underdeveloped, including one character (who I am omitting the details about for spoiler reasons) who actually gets their own narrative chapters. A bit more development there and this would have been an easy 5 star read.

4 stars!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was different and unique and utterly heartbreaking. This book had me in an absolute chokehold.

I actually did not care for this book. I tried to make it through, but was unable to finish it. Although I do like fantasy, this was just a little bit too scattered, and I was not able to be drawn into the plot or the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP/ Penguin Young Readers Group/ Razorbill for sharing this amazing book's eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Do you believe in the power of love? I do.

This book is emotional, romantic, magical, and heartwarming. Also, that cover? So beautiful and amazing. This book is easy to read despite of its sensitive topics (grief and death), chapters are short, and fast pace. This book also gives mysteries and surprising twists that makes me keep reading because I really want to know what will happen to Hart and Ruby.

There's also a touch of fantasy like angels and tarot reading.

Hart and Ruby are both lovable individuals and I love their relationships. Other characters are strong too.

I love it and I can't recommend this book enough.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Peguin Young Readers Group, and Razorbill for allowing me to read this book.

Firstly, I thought this book was extremely lovely and I would have enjoyed a lot more if I didn't read it at the time I did. I really struggled to read this book because of the current events in my life. I definetly plan on picking this up when I'm in a much better headspace.

Heartbreaking!

Hart and Ruby, both 17 and Latinx, are a couple of teens living in El Celio, California who are deeply and truly in love and they see a wonderful future ahead of them. Ruby wants to travel the world and Hart is a natural musician. Ruby has this ominous feeling that something terrible is going to happen. When tragedy strikes, everything changes and unusual complications arise. An Angel allows Hart’s spirit to occupy another teenager’s body but with the conditions that he can’t tell people who he is and that his memories of his past will fade a bit each day until they’re completely gone. This is pure torture to Hart, especially when he sees how sad Ruby is. Will Ruby be able to move on?

Likes/dislikes: The intensity of suspense about what’s going to happen to the characters kept me riveted. I love the cute relationship between Hart and Ruby. I like how the author keeps the reader hoping throughout the story.
Language: R for 152 swears and 6 f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for passionate kissing.
Violence: PG for drowning and non-bloody fighting.
Ethnicity: Ruby and Hart are Latinx, and Jameson is white.