As mentioned before, I agree with the comparison to Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis. If you love them, than you will love Sarah.

Forever Friends was a really wonderful book. Two unlikely women, come together at two different places in their lives and form a wonderful friendship. They weather the storm together and find themselves helping each other bring the joy back in their lives inspiring hope, love and the start of a beautiful friendship.

What I love most about these women were their differences and they complement each others’ lives. Sadie, staying at home to raise of child, with another on the way, is feeling the burdens of motherhood. She was successful and ambitious, once she had her baby, she lost who she was and has grown to feel powerless. Not feeling the support of her husband making more of an effort to help her, she begins to lose herself and with news of a new baby on the horizon, desperately seeks to find a firm grip to mentally survive.

I loved Renee. She is one of those women who on the outside looks like the perfect mother. However, behind those walls harbors insecurities and pain that have been masked to project another narrative. After her husband left her, her life became all about her daughter. Now that her daughter is away at college, she is suffering from empty nest syndrome and struggling to find where she belongs in life. It’s as if she lost her identity once her daughter left. When an opportunity arises that has the potential to give her a second chance at love, her insecurities get the best of her and she struggles with the past wandering or not she is worthy.

One day after an accident, inspiration hit the both of them to open a bakery. Inspiring a spark that not only ignited a fire within them, did they find the key ingredients to the recipe they were looking for?

A sweet treat of two lovely ladies that I know you will love. Their friendship was beautiful. I loved how each had what the other needed which made them so enjoyable to read. They face real issues and challenges that will resonate with you. There are moments that make you laugh and others where you want to give them a hug. They were meant to meet at that moment in time and we get to experience their wonderful journey. Since this was the first book in the series, I’m looking forward to what’s next. I’d recommend adding this one to the list.

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining. The characters were complex while being completely entertaining.

After repeatedly trying to get into this book I believe it is time to set it aside and just admit that it is just not a book for me. I do look forward to trying to read a book by this author in the future since many of my friends have loved her work.

Thank you Netgalley for a chance to read this! I saw that this was for fans of Jill Shalvis and I knew I had to read it. I’m so happy I did. What a beautiful story! I recommend !

This book does not disappoint! You'll find real life situations, struggles, and storms, but also romance, love, friendships and fun. I appreciated the fact that Ms. Mackenzie shows, with friendship, there are no age restrictions, that even an empty nester and new mother can become the best of friends. It is such a nice story to fall into

This was an endearing and heartfelt read about love, family, and relationships set in a cozy small town. Renee Rhodes and Sadie Landry are struggling at two very different points of their lives. Renee is learning to focus on living on her own after her daughter leaves for college. Sadie is struggling with her new status as a stay-at-home mom. After a baking mishap the two women form an unlikely friendship that grows throughout the book.

I loved the friendship between Renee and Sadie. They helped each other when needed and uplifted each other when they were down. I love how we get two very different point of views since the women are at opposite ends of motherhood so to speak. Although there are relationships in this book the main focus is on friendship and motherhood.

I really enjoyed the small town community that was featured in this book. It is one of those small coastal towns where everyone knows everyone and is in everyone’s business. I found the people in this community to be very sweet, funny and entertaining.

Overall, this is a great way to spend an afternoon reading. Forever Friends is one of those happy feel-good books that will leave you missing the characters once the story ends. I would recommend this for fans of Susan Mallery, Robyn Carr, and Jill Shalvis.

Special thanks to Read Forever for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

This is a really sweet story centered around female friendships. The characters are easy to root for. The novel is definitely a feel-good story & a cozy setting. I hope there is more to this series.

This was a sweet and charming book. A new mom, Sadie, meets a middle-aged woman named Renee whose children are grown and gone. They become friends and eventually business partners, and help each other out through difficult periods in each other's lives.

I enjoyed this one, 4 stars.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new series, Cranberry Cove and its characters promise for some great stories. Two very different women work on developing an unlikely friendship in this story. Renee is an older empty- nester mom who misses her daughter away at college. Renee's life revolved around all her daughter's activities and now she is bored and restless. Sadie is a stay at home mom who's toddler is never giving her a moments peace. Together these women forge a friendship that is unbreakable and life saving for both of them. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Cranberry Cove looks to be a place where I could/would spend some time. Sarah Mackenzie offers readers Forever Friends as the series launch. Forever Friends is an engaging story with central characters that have strong stories and are fully dimensional. The town becomes a character as well which is always fun. Ms. Mackenzie does a good job of introducing readers to Cranberry Cove, and I think she has made it interesting enough to revisit.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I really love books set in small towns. This one that focuses on friendship was a fresh change of pace too.

Renee is an empty nester as her only daughter is in college. She loves to bake and is very friendly and helpful to all she meets. She also has a crush on her boss Dan- the hot, single pediatrician.

Sadie is mom to a 2 year old and has found out she's pregnant once again. She's feeling very stuck and her husband hasn't been the best help and it's feeling like he's slipping away.

Renee and Sadie start to really bond after Renee helps Sadie with a baking gone wrong.
They will help each other through the difficulties each is experiencing. They decide to help each other and go into business together-a pie shop.

Very enjoyable book and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it.

This was so much better than I expected it to be. There are romantic story lines, but I wouldn't consider this a romance novel. To me, the real story is in the somewhat unlikely friendship between Sadie and Renee. This was a very charming and heartwarming book, and I can't wait to see where the author takes the series.

Forever Friends takes place in Cranberry Cove. Neighbors Renee and Sadie are in two different places in life. Renees daughter is off to college and she works at the local pediatricians office. Sadie, stay at home mom, has a toddler and new baby on the way. Sadie failed at making birthday cupcakes and Renee saved the day with her fabulous pies. This sweet act sparks a wonderful idea for these two to go into business together. This was such a fun and easy read. I am looking forward to part two in the Cranberry Cove series.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This is a great start to a new series. I spent a delightful afternoon reading this and enjoyed it very much. It was a great escape and I would love to go to Cranberry Cove and visit.
Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Renee and Sadie are neighbors. At first glance it would be easy to think that is all they have in common. Renee, a single mom, is now an empty nester. Sadie is mom to a toddler. Both women are trying to find their way in these roles they are currently in. When Sadie's baking disaster connects her with Renee, their lives will change forever.

This was a sweet and heart-warming story. I really like both Renee and Sadie as they try to find happiness. It turns out they are stronger and bolder than they realized. And even though the story was a bit predictable, I enjoyed the journey. Honestly, when I got to the end, I found myself wishing there was more. So no one was more surprised than me when I saw this is going to be a series!

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

If you're a fan of Susan Mallery, you'd love this book. It's such a sweet, intergenerational story. Really enjoyed it!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

Forever Friends is a really lovely story. I don’t read much women’s fiction these days (I’m drawn more to romance), but this book was sweet, funny, entertaining, and had great characters...plus more romance than I expected, which didn’t hurt!

I loved how this book featured two women with very different life experiences and at different points in their lives, and showed how despite the obvious differences, they were actually very similar. Sadie is a young stay-at-home mom to two-year-old Lincoln. She was a career woman who loved her job, but gave it up when she became a mom. Her husband works a lot, is out of town most of the time, and she’s completely overwhelmed. She feels like a bad mother because she can’t seem to get it together, no matter how hard she tries, plus she’s fairly isolated with no friends or family in Cranberry Cove and her husband always away. Renee is in her forties and suffering a case of empty nest syndrome. Her daughter, who's also her best friend, has gone away to college, and despite having a job she enjoys, she’s lonely and a bit aimless. Her husband left her over a decade ago and she hasn’t made much effort to date or move on in any way other than concentrating on being the best mom she can be.

These characters were so easy to sympathize with. I’m about halfway between them agewise, and I’m not a mother, but I could understand and empathize with both of their struggles. At times I felt like a bit too much was being piled on, but at the same time, it was a realistic portrayal of real life, which I could appreciate. Life is messy and complicated, and this book captured that well. I really enjoyed all the different aspects of life we saw too: new motherhood, having a grown child, navigating marriage, finding it hard to move on after divorce, feeling isolated and lonely, sisterhood, friendship, finding love again when you think you never will, and having the courage to go after what you want. I also really enjoyed all the pie talk and ended up craving pie through most of this book!

Overall, Forever Friends was a heartfelt and heartwarming story. I loved Sadie and Renee, and their friendship is now one of my favourite bookish friendships. I’m excited to return to Cranberry Cove later this year and read more about Bree, Renee’s sister, and hopefully see more of Sadie and Renee.

This is my first book by Sarah MacKenzie. It the story of a friendship between two women of different generations, each facing issues that they know the answer to, but lack the courage to actually move forward.

Sadie Landry was very successful in her career working for a design firm. Raising a toddler is a whole different story. It is not that she is doing it wrong, it is just that she doesn't feel like she is doing it right. In addition, her husband seems MIA, leaving her with most of child & household responsibilities.

Renee is suffering from empty-nest syndrome. Her daughter is now away at college, and doesn't seem to have time to talk to Renee anymore. Her husband's affair and their subsequent divorce made her turn inward, and devote all her energy into giving her daughter an idyllic childhood, but now she doesn't know what to do with herself. She envies Sadie, who has the whole journey now ahead of her.

As neighbors, Sadie and Renee didn't have much interaction, just pleasantries. but that changes when Renee comes to the rescue with a birthday dessert for Lincoln, Sadie's son.

With support from each other, each finds the strength to makes changes- Sadie accepting that being a full-time stay-at-home mother is not fulling, and Renee taking a chance on love again.

The characters are appealing, and likeable. The pacing is perfect, but the conflict --well, it is just not that original --almost simplistic, and too easily resolved.

Thank you to the publisher, and Netgalley for a free galley in return for a honest review.

This was my first read by this author and I can't wait to read more.

This book features two women, who are at completely different stages in their lives, but have formed this amazing friendship. A single mother, who's only child is off to college and a stay-at-home mom to a toddler and pregnant with her second child.

This story is a cozy, heartwarming, romantic, and sweet read. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

4/5 stars.

***I received a copy of this book, from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review***

A delightful drama that I very much enjoyed. Strong.characters and a fascinating storyline make for an exciting read. Highly recommended.