Really good book. I loved that this was a friends to lovers romance that took a few years to develop. Reid and Bethany were so cute together and you could just tell that they were meant for each other, but there were so many different obstacles in their way that it took a while for them to get back to each other. I liked all the Support characters especially Mason who seemed like such a cool kid. There's a lot of angst and drama throughout this book and I actually liked how the author moved from the past to the present throughout this book. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

I’m sure we can all remember our first love. It usually happens during our teenage years, often during high school. For most of us, that love fades as we grow older and move on. But every once in a while, for a few people, that first love turns out to be the one and only.

The Forever Factor by Melissa Brayden is a story of first love that ends up going horribly wrong for the two main characters, Bethany Cahill and Reid Thatcher. The result of this affects them both women. Then they meet again eleven years later. The question is can they look past the hurt and heartache to see that their first love might be one of those meant to last forever.

The author really takes us on an emotional ride with this book. She uses extensive flashbacks to let the reader see how Bethany and Reid met, fell in love, and fell apart. With her words, Ms. Brayden brings all of those emotions to life…the highs and the lows, the passion and the anguish. Then we get to see them meet again in the present with all of that history between them.

These characters will worm their way into your heart. They are so well developed you will absolutely believe they are real. Their story is also very realistic. The author has captured the true essence of teenage first love in this narrative.

This novel really brings back the highly emotional feelings we all had during these teenage years, and blends them into a beautiful reunion romance that I thoroughly enjoyed. For those of you who love second-chance, reunion love stories, give this book a try.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

The Forever Factor is Melissa Brayden’s 22nd full-length Sapphic novel, and its arrival makes one wonder how Brayden keeps rolling out one engaging romance after another. Dedication and firm mastery of the craft most certainly play a huge part, but the real answer lies in her understanding of how romance works in this genre. She intuitively knows how to connect readers to her characters and their romance.

I’ve read every one of Brayden’s romances and she always gives readers the much-talked-about “feels” in her romantic storytelling. The Forever Factor is no different. Brayden slowly builds up the emotional connection between Bethany and Reid; readers are easily hooked. The tension plays out well in Bethany and Reid’s high school relationship as well as their present-day romance. Brayden uses it to drive the storytelling forward and tie the two timelines together nicely. What’s unique about the storytelling is that readers are equally invested in both time periods. Often in these second chance romances readers connect with one version of the couple more than the other. Not so here. The Forever Factor gives readers strong, likable and sympathetic characters that one can really appreciate, even on both sides of the then and now romance. High school Bethany and Reid are just as heartbreakingly tender and hopeful as their adult version. The two forms play together well and build a heart-squeezing love story that is very compelling.

Brayden gets a lot of things right in the crafting of this story. First and foremost, she nails it with the mood and tone. First loves and first heartbreaks are emotion-filled roller coasters that one doesn’t forget, and Brayden plays up the high school emotions perfectly. She capitalizes on the big moments, which makes it hard for readers not to remember their own high school experiences and relate to young Bethany and Reid. She tugs the heartstrings, making this story not only absorbing but realistic. Furthermore, Brayden builds the tension in such a way that it carries the relationship forward and into the present without losing any momentum. The end result is a chemistry-filled romance worth the read.

Brayden has demonstrated solid writing skills from day one; perhaps that’s why she garnered attention so quickly in her career. She’s earned several awards for her storytelling and one of the things that sets her apart is her use of secondary characters. She knows how to use them to the story’s advantage. She doesn’t just toss them in to bulk up the narrative or dialogue. They’re used creatively and purposefully. In The Forever Factor, Bethany’s best friends are instrumental in helping her understand her feelings as well as her intentions towards Reid. The same can be said about Reid’s mother. She helps Reid realize that forgiveness is a big key to the forever factor of any relationship. These same secondary characters, along with Bethany’s dad, are also used as a way for Brayden to lighten heavy moments and give the storytelling some colorful weave and woof.

Final remarks…

Brayden once again proves that she knows what she’s doing when she sits down to type a heartfelt romance. The Forever Factor hits it out of the park with the essential emotion and drama that’s needed for a well-scripted love story. This latest novel demonstrates once again that she understands the complex and intimate lattice work of women-loving-women relationships; her storytelling grounds itself in the dynamics, motivations and textures of it. Readers see this clearly in Bethany and Reid’s love story. It’s why The Forever Factor is not only read-worthy but re-read-worthy.

Strengths…

Thoughtfully-crafted
Relatable, compelling romance
Sympathetic, likable characters
Strong and gradual romantic tension
Good character chemistry
Satisfying happily-ever-after

I thought this was a sweet story of second chance romances and, if anything, it felt too short. I think that the value in this story lies in the ability to see the character development of Reed, who is clearly uncomfortable with her sexuality in high school but grows to accept it as her life continues.

Melissa Brayden is one of my go to authors for this genre. I am rarely disappointed and often pick one of her novels for a re-read if I'm looking a book to lose myself in for an hour or two. The Forever Factor will be one that I turn to again. I have a soft spot for second chance romances and this on fits the bill. I love the interaction between the main characters, Bethany and Reid. Would definitely recommend.

It’s been ten years since Bethany Cahill and Reid Thatcher last saw each other. Both thought the love they found with each other would last forever but teen-life got in the way. Both virgins but only Bethany was the only one who knew that she liked girls, a lot. Reid was still finding her way. She’s co-captain of the cheerleaders and has been with her boyfriend since forever.
When they first meet it’s Reid’s getting back into the new year. Now a senior she has been living with her perfect family. That’s until her and her sister Alice were told their happy family was breaking up. Then to top it all she has just met a girl that she can’t stop thinking about.
When her dad decided to move out to LA for work Bethany wasn’t that upset. It would only be another year and she’d be onto college life, on her way to becoming a doctor. Knowing she was a lesbian still didn’t prepare her for the effect Reid would have on her.
When they finally connect it’s opening a whole new life for them. But as the year went on they seemed to be on the same page. That’s until Reid makes the choice that living as an out lesbian wasn’t in the cards for her.
Separated for years there is still a feeling that they have never really dealt with what they had meant to each other. Now Bethany’s a doctor and Reid teaches at the local university and when they accidentally run into each other the fire that they used to have isn’t buried as deep as either thought.
Like most of Ms Brayden’s books the plot makes for a fun read, with a few minor twists and turns and of course great characters. Very, very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books

I am a huge Melissa Brayden fan, and she has once again delivered a well written second chance romance with a dynamic plot. I loved both MC's and the way they were intrigued with each other. Well Done 4.5 stars.

Thank you, Bold Strokes Books, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Forever Factor by Melissa Brayden is a second chance romance. I love Melissa Brayden’s books and was really happy to see this new one from her. Reading the description had me, I was really excited to jump right in.

Bethany Cahill and Reid Thatcher meet in their senior year of high school. Reid is the head cheerleader with a ton of friends and a boyfriend on the football team. Bethany is the new kid at school, who decides she is going to make her senior year great by joining some extracurricular activities and making new friends. Beth and Reid start dating, breakup in high school and Eleven years later they literally bump into each other in a grocery store. It seems like they had a deep love affair and broke one another’s hearts.

Conceptually the story was great, all of these tropes tug on my heart strings. Teenage romance, first loves, reconnecting after years of not seeing each other, all of this sounds like the perfect make up for a story that is going to warm my cold heart. For some reason the story just didn’t fulfill my expectations. As adults it seemed that both Reid and Beth had so much hurt that was affecting their adult relationships with other people. There were a lot of flashbacks and we didn’t find out why they initially broke up until more than halfway through the book.

Their relationship was very, very brief in high school. It didn’t seem like it was long enough or deep enough to have pined for one another for the last decade. I needed more from this book. It was a great premise but I think the characters needed to be flushed out more, Even as adults I felt like I was missing pieces of their relationship. I needed to understand why they were holding onto so much hurt and so much love and the book never really gave me the pay off I needed.

Again, I’m a big fan of Melissa Brayden and have enjoyed so many of her books this one just didn’t meet my expectations.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet first love romance. The backwards and forwards, now and then narrative is written really well. It’s easy to get lost in the memories and connect with both characters. I preferred the young version of the book, partly because I found it more convincing. Bethany seems like a catch, who surely would have plenty of women to choose from, so I can’t really see her waiting for Reid. The career taken precedent doesn’t feel quite right. The unexpected (I’m trying to avoid spoilers) extra character was a clever addition and Reid’s romantic past made more sense and felt more nuanced than Bethany’s. Sadly, I will never understand the concept of cheerleading as a sport.

I really liked this book. Loved the friendships, the dad-daughter relationship back then, the new family relationship now. We get to see Bethany and Reid falling in love the first time (then) and reconnecting with that same spark (now). I love how they acknowledge their growth, that they understand they were teenagers back then, and how they deal with it now as adults. I love how Bethany is with Mason - he's the cutest.

At first I was frustrated when it changed from then to now and vice versa... because I got so hooked up in the story and wanted to know more and the chapters usually left us with that feeling. But then again I really wanted to know more about them as teenagers and them as adults, so I think it really worked.

𝗔 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

This second chance romance wasn't uninteresting and it didn't take much to finish it. In fact, I thought what the characters had between them was sweet, save for the break up the first time round, but the story just wasn't my favourite.

This is a second chance romance where the couple got together and split in high school and found their way back to each other in adulthood. To be exact, Reid found Beth out of the blue and pursued a reunion. I felt Beth gave in way too easily for two people who had practically been strangers in the last 10 years or more. Even after they get reintroduced, they never even had the chance to communicate the most basic facts about their lives before they started making moves on each other. And I didn't really like that even though they did discover things about each other spontanously along the way.

My other issue was the multiple flashbacks that come in between the main story. I'm generally okay with flashbacks but this also meant that we had to wait to find out why Reid and Beth broke up the first time round because adult versions of them just kept avoiding talking about it.

Melissa Brayden is one of my favourite authors so I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't like this one better. Maybe the next one...

Melissa Brayden's books will always be an automatic read for me, not only because they are some of my favorites but because she writes banter better than anyone in sapphic romance. Second chance romances are one of the genres I gravitate towards the most and this one was a really enjoyable read. Bethany and Reid fell in love their senior year of high school and thought they would always be together but it wasn't meant to be. Fast forward eleven years and the two find themselves running into each other, literally, at the grocery store. Forgiveness isn't easy but what choice do you have when your forever keeps showing up.

I really liked how Melissa wrote this alternating between then and now. Flashbacks don't always work for me but I can't imagine this one being written any other way. The then was a very good YA story of first love and the mistakes that are made when fears get in the way. And the now is an adult romance between two women who had lived their lives always looking back to that first love that they have never been able to duplicate.

Melissa Brayden never fails to impress. Although, I love other books of hers more, I read this one in a day and had a smile on my face throughout. Bethany and Reid were always meant for each other, even if the forever took a little longer than they expected. An easy read for a cool autumn day.

An ARC was received from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for an honest review.

As soon as I saw that Melissa Brayden was writing a second-chance romance I knew I had to read it. Second-chance is one of my favorite tropes and Brayden is one of my favorite authors over all so I didn’t figure I could go wrong.

Bethany and Reid were high-school loves and haven’t seen one another in eleven years when they unexpectedly run into each other. This alternates timelines between their senior year when they meet and begin their friendship which then evolves into a secret relationship and their reintroduction to one another.

I really loved the YA version of the story and found that fun and interesting. However, I wasn’t as sold on the current storyline. While I liked them and loved their history as it unfolded, I felt that they really didn’t get to know one another as adults. It seemed like they depended on their feelings from their teen years and it didn’t make sense to me how quickly they got back together. I would’ve liked had this been a little longer and developed their adult emotional connection a bit more. They do talk and reconnect but a lot of it happens off page but it wasn’t enough to buy their feelings after so much time apart.

Even with that, I still enjoyed this a lot and would recommend it. This is in typical Brayden fashion where there’s a lot of heart and banter. Not only between the main characters but between them and the people in their lives as well.

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fast a easy read but not my favorite. The story jumps between present time and flashbacks which usually doesn’t bother me but didn’t work as well here. I sat in this review for sometime trying to figure out why I didn’t love it. I actually skimmed through it again and I realized the characters were a little disjointed for me. It sounds silly but the flash back characters and present time characters didn't feel like the same characters. It wasn’t so easy to snap the connection between the characters together. There were some great scenes and the story itself was good. Mixed bag with this one.

I’ve read a few other Melissa Brayden novels and this is pretty similar to her others. It has flawed characters overcoming struggles from their past to find a happy ending. It didn't blow me away but it was still a good story.

Dr. Bethany Cahill has been using her job as an excuse to avoid dating but really it’s her first heartbreak that’s been holding her back. When she unexpectedly runs into Reid Thatcher at the grocery store she’s thrown for a loop. Reid has never loved anyone quite like she did Bethany and she’s not willing to give up on a second chance too easily. The two are drawn together and forced to work through both the attraction they still feel and the pain from the past.

I was expecting more of a flashback approach than alternating timelines but the novel benefited from going all in here. Both MCs are holding onto pain from their past and a lot of this comes from only knowing one side of what happened. With the alternating timelines we’re able to see what they knew at the time and how that impacts their current decisions. Eventually, the secrets they’re each holding onto have to come out and I found the reactions authentic and believable.

This is worth the read if you’re a fan of second chances or Melissa Brayden’s other novels.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a story told in two parts, the first is the teenage love between Bethany Cahill and Reid Thatcher. They meet as seniors in high school when Bethany moves to California and attends Reid’s school. Bethany is a very good gymnast and makes it on to Reid’s cheerleading squad when another girl gets hurt. The other girls on the team are nasty and say mean and hurtful things to Bethany. Reid comes to her defense sometimes.Reid is the cool and popular girl that everyone likes and she wants to keep her popular image no matter what.

In part two they meet again 12 years later and Reid pursues Bethany to win her back. The book is told in flash backs going back and forth thru time.

I thought the YA portion was a cute love story to like and with the usual mean girls to dislike. The self discovery on Reid’s character development was interesting and annoying for me.
It bugged me that Reid was the more feminine character and had the more androgynous name. I thought the character names should have been reversed.

In the adult portion Bethany is way too nice to forgive Reid and I’m not entirely trusting that Reid had matured.

ARC received from NetGalley for a voluntary and honest review.

Bethany and Reid was secretly involved in high school when Bethany transferred to a high school in Los Angeles due to her dad's work. They both was intrigued by each other but being in high school and everything going in their lives they had a painful break up. Years later they both meet again and this time they have a second chance to be together but will past hurt prevent them from seeing what’s right in front of them. I like that’s it’s alternate between the past and present I like Bethany father he was sweet and like that he was supportive also like Reid mom also.



I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Three stars. For me, this was another miss by Brayden.

The alternating past-present narrative might seem fun, but it's tricky to execute well. I didn't find that Brayden shone with the time skips in The Last Lavender Sister, and after reading The Forever Factor, I'd probably implore her to go back to a single linear narrative structure. The separate timelines didn't inform or interact with each other in any way. Each could have stood on its own as a story. At best, this leaves the reader asking why it's important that this particular bit of backstory be given before this chapter. At worst, the reader might find themselves (as I did) apathetic to one of the timelines, and ask why bother at all. I didn't find that Reid and Bethany's history was important enough to carry its weight as half of the story. The key elements of their characters, their feelings, and their interactions might have been conveyed almost as completely in a prologue and a few memories sprinkled throughout. As it was, the contrasting levels of tension in the two parts left me feeling that the overall story was just plodding along.

This is probably why I started out somewhat resistant to the idea of Bethany and Reid reuniting, but eventually found that I just... stopped caring. I read passively with a "That's nice" when the characters were getting along. The introduction of the "forever factor" at 75% in, and then all of its mentions afterwards, felt a little heavy-handed. The crisis point didn't seem to work well, because the present one relied on a rehashing of the past one.

I have to reiterate what I mentioned in my The Last Lavender Sister review: I don't think second-chance romances are for me, especially not when the break-up happened between teenagers. There are a few exceptions, but from here on, I think I'll be ready with bells on only for Melissa Brayden books that don't feature the trope.

I LOVE Melissa Brayden's books and this might be my favorite yet. It pairs the angst and delight of a first, high school love, with a perfect second-chance romance that absolutely sizzles.

Can't recommend it highly enough.

I'm nurturing a heartbreak for Bethany, she deserves everything. The first few pages were hard to read, how Reid's presence affected her and even though I didn't have all the facts about their relationship, my heart went out to her.
.
This is a second chance romance between two women who were his first love in high school when they were trying to discover the world and themselves
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Bethany begins her last school year with a change of schools and with it ...Reid, the co-captain of the cheerleader team with whom she feels a very deep connection
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The Bethany of the present fulfilled her dream and became a doctor, she opened her own Practice with her two best friends and tries to move on but she could never stop thinking about her first and only love
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That's why when she collides with an adult version of her in a supermarket aisle, her world turns upside down and the pain returns with full force. Reid is shocked and is willing to do whatever it takes to see her again, including ambushing her
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The story flows between then and now, as they meet and their relationship in high school flows and the Now, where Beth and Reid try to sort out their feelings and old pains to see if they can have a future together
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I cried for her, Bethany has my heart from the beginning so I'm happy for the ending but only because Bethany deserves everything she wants in the world
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Thanks to Melissa Brayden and Bold Strokes books for give me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion