This book was witty, compelling, and equal parts funny and serious. I found myself deeply in my feelings while reading. Also, it makes me want to elope and never plan a wedding lol.

The story is told via multiple points of view. We hear from all of the parents, Olivia and Zach, and even Olivia’s sister. The multiple POVs help us to understand the motivation behind each character’s actions and definitely add to the story. This story was emotional, funny, heartwarming, and so so entertaining. It is filled with pop culture references, like a section devoted to an Instagram post by Kaia Gerber that had me laughing! There is a theme of forgiveness, and it makes you think about what you would be willing to forgive and forget to move forward in your own life.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

REVIEW TO FOLLOW.

"Forever Hold Your Peace" by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is a captivating novel about love, secrets, and the power of forgiveness. The story follows Claire and Josh, a couple who are about to get married, but are plagued by doubts and secrets that threaten to tear them apart.

The writing style is engaging and immersive, with well-crafted dialogue and vivid descriptions that bring the characters and setting to life. The plot is well-paced, with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end.

Another strength of this novel is the way it balances light-hearted moments with deeper, more emotional ones. The humor and wit of the characters provide a nice contrast to the weightier themes of the story, and help to keep the tone from becoming too heavy.

Overall, "Forever Hold Your Peace" is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel that explores the complexities of relationships and the power of forgiveness. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engaging read.

When their newly engaged kids ask all four divorced parents to meet each other over brunch, everyone RSVPs yes--secretly hoping someone at the table will get to the bottom of the bottomless mimosas fast enough to say what they’re all thinking: that this engagement, coming after a whirlwind romance between two people barely out of college, is too much too soon.

But at that brunch it’s not the impulsive couple's decisions that end up under the microscope, as it turns out June, mother of the bride, and Amy, mother of the groom, certainly do know each other--they're ex-best-friends who haven't spoken since their explosive falling out more than twenty-five years ago. Reeling from their unwanted reunion and eager to shift the spotlight off their past as decades-old secrets and rivalries come to light, the two moms battle it out for the prize of Most Enthusiastic About This Wedding.

But when their history—and their present-day shenanigans—threaten to crack the foundations of the happy couple’s future, June and Amy find themselves becoming unexpected allies in an all-hands-on-deck effort to get their kids (and themselves) a happily-ever-after two generations in the making.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This fun read follows a young couple who met while on vacation and also got engaged while on this summer vacation. When they come back, Olivia quickly moves in with Zach and of course they want to meet everyone and share the great news, beginning with their parents. We then transition to the point of view of the mom's of the happy couple, Amy and June. We learn about each of their concerns, divorces and hesitation for marrying so quickly. When they all arrive for brunch, the bride's mother June, instantly goes into panic when she realizes the in-laws is her ex fiancé and ex best friend. As you can imagine, chaos ensues and the parents must face their past and unite to support their children. We then later find out secrets about connections and how Olivia and Zach may not have met as organically as she may have thought. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to more reads from these authors.

I really wanted to love this book but sadly it had more to do with the mothers of each character than anything else and I ended up not finishing it. Just wasn't for me

This was fun!! I enjoyed the multiple storylines and the characters were (almost) all well fleshed out and I was rooting for them. It was a little heavy handed on the social media references (felt kind of try-hard) but maybe that’s how people in their early 20’s really are these days? Lol. Overall this was lighthearted but had some good messages, and was an enjoyable read!!

4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

“Forever Hold Your Peace” is the latest in a set of books by authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.

What I enjoyed:

The general plot - when your darling chid announces that s/he has found “the one,” I think a number of parents’ hearts break a bit knowing that your child is growing up and all that. The mothers dealing with their feelings about that I found an interesting topic to explore (and it also brought back flashbacks to my own family issues!).

The different perspectives - there aren’t many main characters in this book, but the authors managed to make them and the supporting characters unique enough to easily keep apart.

Italy - sigh. Fantastic beginning … I miss Italy!

A bookstore - always a thing I enjoy seeing, along with dropped references to other authors’ works. I wish a bit more time had been spent there, but realize that that might’ve distracted from the story.

What was meh:

The humor - sometimes it was kinda cute (the Dad jokes about a wedding favor!) but other times the attempted humor just fell flat for me.

William - his character was so under developed that I wasn’t quite sure why he was included.

Fiona - I liked Fiona a lot, but I wish that she’d been in the book a bit more. I feel like I knew more about her (a minor character) than I did William.

What wasn’t as good as I hoped:

I found a lot of this book to be incredibly sad - not bawling ones eyes out sad, but more depressing sad. One person hadn’t “moved on” for a number of years … and it seemed like one of the other characters hadn’t (really) either. I found some of the “let’s speak like today’s kids” parts rather cringy and awkward, including the texting bits (use emojis, no use of punctuation).

In summary - this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. There’s a lot of drama, there’s a lot of misunderstanding and hurt feelings, there’s not a lot of forgiveness until, well, it becomes necessary for a good resolution. I do think this would make an excellent Hallmark movie - I’d greatly enjoy seeing the grand make-up scene visually (what a hoot!). I found some of the wedding planning stuff a bit tiresome and repetitive. I wish I’d liked this book more than I did - because I really wanted to! I’d give this duo another chance, so that’s another positive in their favor.

**I recieved this e book as an ARC!**

I absolutely loved this book! The multiple perspectives were an amazing change for me and was very helpful when it came to all the drama that took place.

The only negative thing was how long it took for one of the MCs to come around during the main conflict that took place. Other than that it was such a great read!

There were parts that I anticipated would happen, but that never affected how great the book was for me, it actually made me love it even more!

Such a great duo! I will definitely be recommending to my friends and family.

Now Forever Hold Your Peace by @lisaandliz doesn’t come out until July, but thanks to @netgalley I have a digital copy early. I was planning on waiting until closer to the release date, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. The will power simply wasn’t there since I’ve been eagerly awaiting a new release since How to Save a Life in 2020.

Forever Hold Your Peace is a book about a couple who meet while in Italy, have a whirl wind of a romance, and end up engaged. They expect their friends and family to be happy for them, but things just might not be as easy as the start of their relationship. I could say more, but that’s all I knew going into it and I really appreciate that fact. It let the story unfold naturally to me and I got to experience every plot development as a surprise!

❤️Review❤️

As expected I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed not knowing much a head of time because I got to discover things right along side the characters. This would make the perfect rom-com movie. I liked the fact that even though the story revolves around Olivia and Zach’s upcoming wedding we really didn’t get their perspectives as we were really in the other character’s heads. I never felt like I was missing them though. The book was obviously about them, but it was also about so much more. I liked the look at family dynamics, motherhood, friendship, and obviously romantic relationships. It even spoke to generational trauma that can be passed down. I couldn’t get enough of this book and read it as a fast as I could. It’s a summer release you won’t want to miss. I had a big smile on my face as I finished.

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#Bookstagram #NetGalley #BookReview #2023Books #NewBookRelease #UpcomingBook #ContemporaryBooks #RomanceBooks #RomCom

A fun read - what happens if past mistakes and hurt smack you in the face in the current day? A fun read that asks the question- is the past ever really the past?

Mean Girls has nothing on Amy and June. What a fun, fast-paced, what-will-those-two-do-next read! Liz and Lisa are masters at crafting friendship fiction, and their latest novel is a delight. I thoroughly enjoyed FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE. It'll be a wonderful addition to your summer reading list.

Olivia and Zach meet while spending their summer in Italy and fall instantly in love. They get engaged after a short few weeks of knowing each other! Upon returning home to California, they share the exciting news with their families and plan a meet the parents brunch! It turns out the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom are ex-best friends leading to some big time wedding planning drama.

I LOVED following the storyline and drama between the parents, especially the MOB and MOG. Family dynamics when planning a wedding can be messy and wonderful all at the same time. Forever Hold Your Peace captures that messiness perfectly leaving us with love, forgiveness, and a happy ending. The ending was unpredictable and had a fun twist leaving my heart full. This book has to be turned into a movie one day! The humor throughout the book reminded me so much of Bride Wars and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Forever Hold Your Peace releases July 11th, 2023. Add this read to your TBR if you’re looking for a fun, sweet, and easy read. It’s perfect for a beach weekend or a cozy weekend at home!

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. I liked that we got to know the parents and it was more about their history and story vs the young couple. My favorite quote of this books is,
"I truly believe of our worst choices leas us to the things we didn't know we needed. That the scar tissue from our mistakes is what makes us interesting."
This really resonated with me. This is well written and a unique story. Definitely put this on your list to read this year.

Beautiful, cute, witty, heartwarming.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it all within a day! Super engaging and easy reading.

I just wish there was a little more depth to the story! It was all over so quickly.
Otherwise really enjoyed it! Great characters and great premise!

Please see my Goodreads review at this link https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5345510414

As always, I truly appreciate the opportunity to enjoy this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is book #8 by this duo and I have always enjoyed ALL of their books!! Olivia’s mother sent her to Italy for an adventure after she graduated. She meets Jack and they get engaged after only dating for 6 weeks. Let the fun begin once they tell each of the parents! I am definitely in the minority here with my 3 star rating. I’m not sure what happened as I found myself skipping parts of this book as I felt it was very repetitive with all the prep going into the wedding shenanigans. I wanted to like this book much more but it fell flat for me. Everyone was getting on my nerves by the middle of the book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published July 2023 and I do look forward to their next book. This book just didn’t mesh with me this time.

Oh what a cute movie this book would be! What a fantastic job Liz Fenton and Lisa Steiner do of creating characters that readers empathize with and cheer for . I loved them all. When a young couple meet, quickly fall in love and spontaneously decide to get married, they are nervous about meeting each other parents. They have no clue that 3 of their parents already know each other and share A LOT of history. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand will love this funny, heartfelt story that makes you wonder if these two lovebirds will ever make it to the altar! This is a good one!

Did you know the average cost of a wedding in the United States is $28k? Not to mention that weddings are typically pretty stressful and awful times. Forever Hold Your Peace is a fun and adorable take on family dramas and the strait ridiculousness surrounding people when they become entrenched in the wedding industry.

If you've ever been in or around the drama of a wedding, you'll laugh out loud and totally just GET this story!!!

I laughed out loud, I cried and I loved every second of it. A heartfelt, witty story of families, friendship, betrayal and second chances.