Rachel and Sebastian were childhood best friends who were there for each other, but grew up and apart, until more than a decade later when they reunite and the possibility of fulfilling a childhood pact rears its head.Both main characters' lives are heavily impacted by their families and as each decision revolves around the pact,they find themselves questioning the validity and validation of love for a successful happy future.The story started well enough and maintained a steady pace throughout, so it kept me engaged and anticipatory.Had a hard time rationalizing Rachel's decisions and behavior at times, even in the setting of her disappointment at the direction her life has taken,but Sebastian's steadiness kept the novel from becoming too tedious and predictable.Also liked the fact that Sebastian's innocence did not dilute the intimacies in the book.Quite an enjoyable read that stayed true to the title.

Great book and great story, I just felt there was a little something missing. Not sure what. I did love it. It just didn’t keep me engaged, or have me overly rooting for the heroine, until the last few chapters, then I was all in. When Rachel was younger she was a bit of a ball buster, as she got older she lost her fight and became a little lacklustre, and if I’m being honest a little whiny. That aside, I really liked the rest of the crazy characters, Sebastian and his mum appealed greatly to my sense of humour, romance and love. I love geek next door turns into mega successful hunk stories, and all said and done it was a sweet enjoyable friends to lovers romance, you know the one, a pact is made if neither one is in a committed relationship by a certain age. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, this is my honest review.

I have read numerous CD Reiss novels beginning with the Drazen family to her more recent Edge series but none have impacted me like "Only Ever You" has.  I loved this story so much and am borderline obsessed with Sebastian. He was so charming, honest and steadfastly in love with Rachel. It has always been her for him and it was so touching watching their love story play out. I loved this story so much and never wanted it to end!

Reiss remarkably pens a lovestory between two childhood bestfriends and neighbors who make a wedding pact at sixteen years old to wed if they are single at thirty. But when the once strong, sassy and protective Rachel sees the sexy, successful and handsome Sebastian, she wonders where her nerdy and often bullied bestfriend went and is shocked by her strong feelings for him.

I felt this was not only a love story between Sebastian and Rachel but a powerful story of a woman, now lost and trying to find her place in the world, reconciling who she is now against the formiddable young girl she once was. Rachel was strong and sassy but her self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy coupled with her burgeoning feelings for Sebastian created a quagmire of epic proportions. I loved how human and relatable she was and how Sebastian made it a mission to uncover the strong and self-assured woman he knew she was deep inside. 

I was captivated with every word the author wrote as we watched Rachel come into her own with the help of the man that remained a constant in her life. He was her true sanctuary and with him by her side, she would always find her way home. Gahh! I loved every single think about this breathtakingly emotional story! Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula 

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

Review published: http://bit.ly/2I5Wy49

I really like the friends-to-lovers trope and the blurb was very promising. Rachel and Sebastian were friends ('a long time ago... we used to be friends') and living in the same street when they were teens. Rachel was very feisty and always defended Seb as he was a bit of a nerd. He was totally in love with her and at 16 they make a pact to marry when they are 30 and have no others in their lives. They even write a contract and of course this contract is still in Seb's possession when Rachel hits 30 and is still single.

Rachel is disappointed in the way her grand life plan has stalled. Her career is not taking off and she is still single. When she visits her parents she sees Seb again - after 10 years - and their parents talk about the contract. I had a bit of an issue with the way the story was told. It was a bit stilted at times and the conversations seemed off.
Seb is hoping Rachel will honor their contract but Rachel is only busy with herself. I actually did not like her very much. The parents just hire a wedding planner and stuff and I was like : What?!

I have read this author before and really enjoyed her work. This one is a miss for me, unfortunately.

Gosh, I'm not really sure where to start. This was the first book that I have read by CD Reiss. Only Ever You was a cute little story about friends becoming lovers. I felt like the book was long but I don't think anything could have been left out. I loved how Seb and Rachel did get their happily ever after!

Seb is just such a sweet man at times, “jf I’m going to make fake marriage plans, there’s no one I’d rather do it with.” I liked this book, I fell in love with Seb.

***spoilers ahead*** I love second chance romance stories. This is core of this story is cute. The story seems a little convoluted with everything going on. Lots of plot points that don’t tie together. You feel Sebastian’s love but Rachel’s seems somewhat forced. As if she decided it was a good idea since he loved her first. Would she have returned to him sooner rather than later? How much longer would he have had to wait. Yet again he had to go chasing after her. She ran away, put in no effort, and yet he still went after her. That’s why it is hard to believe her full love for him.

I wasn't a fan of the heroine but the book was good. I love me an enemies to lovers romance
Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

This was a very cute read. Friends to lovers romance although the heroine was a little on the annoying side at times. I did enjoy the writing and thought the story was good. The sexy times were good as well!

I couldn't connect with this book at all.
I really didn't like the heroine.
For the safety gang, there is mention of previous relationships and some ex drama.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
No cheating.
HEA.

Well, CD Reiss has done it again. I've read many of CD's other novels and was left panting while wondering what happened to the time. After, Only Ever You, I was left with my heart warmed, my breathe hitched, and smiling at the world. Only Ever You, was endearing and sweet, with all of the feels for a light summer read. This story is the kind of tale that makes you want to fall in love with the guy, or girl, next door. It has all the feels, all the sweet and tender moments, and certainly all the charm. CD does all this, while making her characters real. Rachel IS the girl next door, who is strong-willed and capable, but has her doubts about her life, responsibilities, and her true self. She worries about family, friends, ding the right thing. Hello! That's most women at some point in their life, hopefully. She is an every-woman on some level. Sebastian, is the guy across the street everyone eventually wants to meet. He knows who he is, now, and knew what he wanted THEN. He is an every-man most guys should aspire to in a tender way. Putting the two together in this lovely story is just the right kind of pairing to melt your heart and make you believe that dreams and contracts made on notebook paper can turn into something enduring.