Did I binge this whole series? Yes, yes I did! Did I enjoy them all? You bet! Was this by far my most favorite one? DEFINITELY! Okay, but seriously, this book was so wonderful and frustrating at the same time. Sometimes as a reader getting the perspective of both characters makes me want to dive into the pages and tell the characters to talk to each other already. Sometimes this ruins a book, but Cara Bastone did not have that problem. Both characters were endearing in very different ways, and I loved getting to know them and seeing them struggle with their feelings and insecurities. I mean the first impression --> HILARIOUSLY AWFUL. Poor, poor, clueless and socially awkward John. Luckily, there's a depth there we get to see over the course of this book. Mary is the complete opposite, because she is a damn delight! If I can't be her, I want her as a best friend. All of this and the characters from previous books made this one so much fun. It wasn't like anything I've read in a long time. I'd definitely recommend it!

I was so sad to see these characters leave! Cara Bastone has really created a group of characters that you root for, cry with and truly love. I definitely would not start with (I'm a series in order kinda gal) but you may be able to get away with reading it as a standalone. I really felt for Mary's issues with her mom and her struggle with wanting to give her heart to someone but struggling to find that someone. John is such a kind man with issues of his own but you love him all the same.

I definitely recommend this book and this series. If you want a sweet romance, medium heat level with so much heart and strong friends as family dynamics I would pick this up for sure!

This was good!
Both characters have insecurities and work through them as they develop from worst blind date to friends to lovers.
Oh Cara Bastone, you made us wait for the HEA but it was so good!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was not confident that John Modesto-Whitford would be able to redeem himself after starting his blind date with Mary Trace by saying "I was expecting someone younger" but wow does Bastone make me a believer in this meet-disaster friends-to-lovers romance.

Mary Trace loves to flirt, loves love, but is also super tired of her mother sending her articles about aging and infertility, tired of being worried she's seen as old. She doesn't feel old. But then her six-years younger blind date, a "good boy" per his mother, calls her old. She walks out, and is ready to move on.

But John's mother is Mary's good friend and an artist who's work Mary carries at her home goods shop. And his mother will not allow John's rudeness to stand. John apologizes, and it is a good apology.

They form a friendship, and soon find themselves both pining for the other, but not believing the other could possible want them.

Seriously, you will be begging for these two to kiss, but when they do you will have loved every minute they made you wait.

I especially loved the exploration of John feeling inadequate because he's a paycheck to paycheck court appointed lawyer with student loans. He lives in a studio apartment, and often cannot afford to take a date out, or get an extra drink at the bar. He thinks Mary, a well-to-do small business woman who comes from a well-to-do family, judges him for his life (she doesn't), much like she thinks he judges her for her age (he doesn't). A lot to chew on, including Mary's grief over losing her best friend some time ago.

Bastone is a voice I'm now eager to keep reading. The audiobook narrator was also exceptional, and did a great job making the various characters sound distinct.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC, and LibroFM and HarperCollins for the ALC.

Dear Cara Bastone, thank you for writing one of my favorite books of 2021 in January. A heck of a way to kick off the year! FLIRTING WITH FOREVER, and I am not exaggerating, made me smile, swoon, and believe in love again. When I read the synopsis, I knew I would adore this book, but Bastone exceeded my every expectation. An opposites attract, sunshine and the grump, older heroine – younger hero, slow-burn romance. YES. Additionally, the hero is super awkward. Awkward heroes are my kryptonite.

This book. THIS BOOK. I read it in one day because I absolutely could not put it down. It follows Mary, a super positive and successful 37-year-old heroine who owns her own shop in NYC and is looking for love. John, our hero, is an overworked, underpaid public defender and happens to be on a blind date with Mary – set up by his mother, I might add – when he sticks his foot in his mouth so deep that Mary leaves the date early. Where do they go from there?

John is instantly attracted to Mary, he slowly falls in love with the bright and kind woman, and it’s beautiful. He’s almost in awe of her. A+ pining, y’all. A FREAKING PLUS. I highlighted so many lines from his POV because he was just so romantic! We all deserve to find someone who loves them like John loves Mary. Bonus, he’s a do-gooder vegan with ethics and high moral standards swoon.

Mary is fantastic. I loved her in the previous books in the series, but she shines in her own story. Her ability to talk about her emotions and insecurities was so refreshing. She’s a mature woman in her late 30’s and acts that way. Both characters have baggage and problems they need to overcome both together and separately before they can be together; to accomplish this, Bastone weaves emotions and character growth into every interaction. At the end of the book, I was so invested in John and Mary I cried.

Bastone writes the most relatable characters. On the surface, I don’t have anything in common with either Mary or John. But Bastone goes deep. Can’t everyone relate to feelings of inadequacy? How about family expectations? Maybe socioeconomic differences? This book covers these heavy topics with a deft hand while crafting a stunning romance that will make your heart swell. Worried about the slow burn? Bastone builds the sexual tension until both the characters and the reader are practically vibrating from the wait. When the anticipation finally comes to a boiling point, it’s worth every single second of waiting.

Overall, after three books, I think I can say that Cara Bastone is one of my favorite authors. I’ll read anything she writes! I want to go up to strangers and yell at them to read this book. Is that normal? I don’t care. Read this book! Better yet, read the whole series!

**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**

Mary and John had a lot to work through to get to love in the end. Talk about works in progress but it was worth the read.

Thanks to Harlequin Publishing & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.


Q: are you/were you “good” at first dates? My husband was only the second person I dated & I think I was probably very awkward but also I must have been cute in some way .

Last year someone’s review compared Cara Bastone’s debut to Kate Clayborn’s writing & I was there so fast. Since then I’ve loved reading more of Bastone’s work. The burn is so slowwwwwwwww, the relationships are so deeeeeeeppp, the kissing stuff—when it finally happens—is so delicious.

Flirting with Forever is another wonderful installment, focusing on 37 year old Mary Trace—a gorgeous shop owner who is the last member of her close friend group who has not found her One yet—& John Modesto-Whitford, a public defender who is very grumpy & often rude.

When they’re set up on a blind date by John’s mother, he actually says to Mary, “I thought you’d be younger”—or something like that—& Mary ends up leaving.

But after meeting again at a block party they form an arrangement whereby Mary will run John’s mother’s other date suggestions by John to get his opinion before she wastes her time. Along the way Mary realizes there’s some secret kindness in John & he realizes more than ever that he was an idiot & not very nice to her & he’s been FRIEND ZONED.

This book is a delight & the tropes keep coming & they don’t stop coming (I’ve been waiting to use Smash Mouth lyrics in a review.) There’s older woman/younger man; enemies to friends to lovers; sunshine & the grumpy; & some money difference conflict, with her having a lot more money & coming from a wealthier background than he did.

The chemistry between them is so sexy; the hero is a big grump w/ a heart of gold; & the plot is straightforward. The end started to drag a scotch for me but Flirting with Forever is another winner & I really want this series for my shelves.

4 ⭐️. Flirting with Forever is available on 01/26/21.

I really liked the story! the author was a new one to me and I actually read the book in one sitting!

Included as a top pick in bimonthly January New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin and Cara Bastone for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
A sweet slow burn on a snowy Sunday. Say that five times fast! This was the perfect palate cleanser with the right amount of angst, laughs and love. This is book #3 of Cara Bastone’s Forever Yours series and while I had no problem reading it as a standalone, I do think reading the first two books would’ve made me like it even more! The character/world building in this book was great and I can only imagine having more background from the other books would’ve only added to the story! I love an author who can write a whole town or family of side characters without it getting confusing or too character heavy. Mary is in her late thirties, single and convinced she is dangerously close to running out of time for a family of her own. When a customer offers to set Mary up with her son, she figures there’s not much to lose at this point. Too bad the date was a disaster. John is younger than Mary, something he makes the mistake of pointing out on their first date. Now he’s got to find a way to convince her he didn’t mean it. Opposites attract in this love story that gives us friendship, chemistry and a whole lotta love!

Oooooh! The slow burn hurts so good!!! Cara Bastone is a master of the slow burn!

The third book in the series features many thinks that we have come to love about this series, the friend group (Mary, Sebastian and Tyler) together, great friendships and family drama.

Mary’s friend from her shop has worn her down and set her up with her son… too bad when she meets him the first thing he says is that he thought she would be younger! Date officially over.

Oh boy… Lucky for John, Mary is the sweetest person on earth and she accepts his apology. This starts their meandering friendship that is always tainted by their first meeting and unspoken feelings. These two have so much pulling them together and yet their pasts stand in the way of a real future together…

This was another hit from Cara Bastone. Right out of the ballpark! The characters of Mary and John are well rounded and developed, the lives they have and their interactions are authentic and relatable. I absolutely loved that our beautiful heroine is. Single 37 yeas old. I love how the agism in relationships is seen and perceived from many sides.

This books hooked main from the beginning and had me staying up late to keep reading. I really appreciated how the service came full circle at the end.

This book is the third in the series, but the story and set up is strong enough to be read as a standalone. I would suggest reading the complete series. This is a great series and the layered developments of the characters and relationships only gets better from book to book.

Flirting with Forever by Cara Bastone is scheduled to release January 26th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin- Romance through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#FlirtingwithForever #CaraBastone #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

I adored everything about this book!

This third installment in the Forever Yours series didn't disappoint! Mary was a character that we knew from the previous books, and I grew to adore John after we got some time in his perspective.

When a friend of Mary offers to set her up with her son, she takes her up on the offer. Looking fierce and confident, the 37 year old woman heads to the lovely restaurant for the date. When she gets there, the first words out of John's mouth were "I thought you were going to be younger." Taking immediate offense to this, Mary gives him a dressing down, and leaves the restaurant, and John behind.

John is notorious for saying stupid things when nervous, especially in the presence of a beautiful confident woman like Mary. He has regreted it since it came out of his mouth. When his mother finds out, she forces him to show up at her shop, and apologize to her. When he gets there, he offers a truly genuine apology, and they start to move forward in a friendship.

From here, we have 2 characters that have feelings, but continue to misunderstand one another. When they clear the air between them, they can move forward, while also dealing with their other insecurities. This love story felt so real and relatable. I hope with all of my heart that you all try this one out! Please read the series!

Not me chanting, "don't be done, don't be done," as I got to the end of this book, nope. I just... I want to live in this little corner of Brooklyn with Mary and Via and Fin and John and Sebastian and Tyler forever. Plus Kylie and Matty obviously.

This installment in the Forever Yours series follows Mary, a 37 year old woman whose mother won't leave her alone about the importance of finding a spouse and having a child because she's basically got one foot in the grave. So when Mary's date says, "You're older than I was expecting," she does what any self-respecting woman would do and leaves. John is the son of one of Mary's vendors so he gets roped into apologizing for putting his foot in his mouth. Slowly the two build a friendship and ever so slowly, that transitions into more.

I should also mention that John is a public defender and his job plays a relatively large role in the book because of how integral it is to his character. So there's a good amount of commentary here on the important role public defenders play in the judicial process. There was one line about how a particular victim of a crime didn't want vengeance, but justice, unlike a lot of victims that bothered me a bit, as a person who works with victims of crimes. I think, on the whole, the majority of victims do want justice and not vengeance, but that's just me.

Now, let's talk about feelings. Both Mary and John are such genuinely good people that this slow build of both of them being a little (a lot) in their heads about their respective hang ups had me deeply sympathetic and also swooning over every step forward and groaning every time they let something get in the way. Both Mary and John feel like real people. Mary is the kind of bubbly and effusive that people cannot resist being drawn to and John comes off at first meeting like a bit of a jerk. So watching the two of them navigate their complex family dynamics, their rich work lives, and their respective friend groups to come together is just like watching two people you love IRL figure out how to work things out. It's... magical. And there's a scene where Mary is thinking about how much she misses Cora, her deceased best friend, that had me texting one of my best friends to remind her that I love her. This book absolutely had me swept away in my feelings and I adored it so much.

CW: discussion of fertility, toxic parental relationships, grief (drunk driving accident and cancer), discussion of criminal justice system, breaking and entering

This is the 3rd book in the Forever Yours series, and like the other two it is a heartfelt, slow burn love story, featuring found family and strong friendships. It is a standalone book, but I honestly believe you should read the others first for the full glorious experience of this group of friends. All of them are here in full force, and that's why I love this series do much: Secondary characters are important to the story and the main characters' lives, and main characters just don't disappear from one book to the next. So for me, this book was like visiting you old book friends with a new, fresh love story.

"Flirting with Forever" is Mary's story of finding love. Her former beauty queen mother has tried to convince her that she's too old at 37 and her opportunity at husband and family is passing her by. This criticism has gotten under her skin, as mothers are good at doing, even though she logically knows it's not based in reality. When she is set up on a date with a slightly younger public defense attorney, things go bad when clumsy John says exactly the wrong thing about her age.

John is bowled over by Mary on their blind date, but screws it up, royally. For his part, he has a mighty big complex surrounding his financial status as a lowely paid government attorney in comparison to Mary's upscale lifestyle. His relationship with his father is just as fraught as Mary's is with her mom. Over the course of the summer, their lives continually intersect and they begin to see that their first impressions of each other weren't as accurate as they thought.

I loved this grumpy / sunshine love story, featuring fully formed adults, who apologize when they mess up, consider each other's feelings, and show up for their friends. This series is like a warm hug of family, friendship, and love. Don't sleep on it!

I read the first two books in the series from my local library, and was a little underwhelmed. This one, however, hit all the right notes for me. I found the characters much more relatable, with realistic reactions, and loved the awkward romance of it all. The author’s writing is easy and fun, and this book was a pleasure to read.

I was a bit meh with the second book, but God how I love this one! I read it in one night and was in tears by the end of it because I felt so seen.

Mary is me, I am Mary, now where is my John Modesto-Whitford?

I adore Mary from the start SO. MUCH. We're basically similar; in our 30s, single, with (external) pressure to settle down, marry, and pop babies out before our eggs die, although it has to be said that my mother isn't as terrible as Mary's mother. I love how independent and hardworking she is, and how big-hearted she is.

I also need to say how much I love Mary and John's relationship development. The bad date was epically Bad !!!!! but love how they moved forward from that point and actually developed a friendship. They are SUCH good friends to each other. Friends-to-lovers isn't my favourite trope, but in this book I was like YES YES YES YES.

What a great start to 2021!

Lovely contemporary romance with great main characters. John and Mary are set up on a blind date and after a horrible first impression she walks out. Their paths cross again and John offers a sincere apology which Mary say is the first thing she likes about him. John is a public defender and insecure about his lack of money. Mary is still single at 37, and owns her own business. She is very insecure about her age thanks to an undermining mother.

I love stories where the MC's are both kind and interesting. The fun in reading their story is watching them overcome the baggage and find the romance that is waiting. There is also a nice sense of community with their friends. I relate to the idea that sometimes the family you choose and not the one you are born into can bring real joy to your life.

This is third in the series but can stand alone. I enjoyed it enough that I will add the previous two to my read list. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin-Romance for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Good book!! This book had a little bit of everything! It had intrigue, it was funny, some drama , a little bit of heartache and heartbreak! And it definitely steamed up my kindle! Lol I definitely recommend this book! Its well worth the read! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Wow, what a read! I really loved this one!

For some reason, John and Mary's story really resonated with me. I read it through and then spent the last few days rereading my favorite parts. So, so good.

Mary is 37 and has some hangups about her age, thanks to her mom who won't stop harping about how old she's getting. When Mary meets John at a blind date set up by his mom, whom Mary knows, she finds him attractive until he opens his mouth and comments on her age. She immediately leaves the restaurant, much to John's chagrin.

John is a public defender and doesn't have much money. He's also honest to a fault, which leads him to say things that give a wrong impression of him. He is younger than Mary, but only by 6 years.

Despite the way they met, they keep bumping into one another. When he apologizes to Mary, she's able to see he's a different kind of man she originally thought him to be, but because of that comment, she thinks he can't get over her age.
And then there's John, who starts developing a crush on Mary the more he knows her, but is hang up on the financial difference between them. She's well to do and he's not.

This is why I love romance books—I already know going in that Mary and John would end up together, but the journey there, the discoveries they made of each other, the way they held back and eventually gave in to trust each other, is what made it all worth reading this story so full of emotion and so well written.

This is one I'll be coming back to often.
It's #3 in the series but doesn't need to be read in order (I only read #1, not #2 yet).

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.