I normally don’t really care for “sad” books but this wasn’t too sad to where it wasn’t enjoyable. It had a nice mix of heartfelt and sweet moments while also addressing grief and death and growing up in High school. I really enjoyed the romance between Hart and Ruby. It felt natural and I was rooting for them the whole time even knowing they were soulmates. I loved the premise of being “reborn” and how Hart held onto his own beliefs, dreams, and Ruby. He never wanted to give up and fought against forgetting who he was. I also really enjoyed seeing Hart and Lourdes the angel of death together. They had a great friendship and I appreciated how their relationship progressed and they each taught each other about life and what it means to be imperfect and human. This is a sweet summertime romance and while it does have it sad moments it’s a great coming of age star crossed lovers story. I think it would make an amazing movie adaptation and I can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

Thanks you Netgalley and Penguin Group/ Penguin Young Readers Group/ Razorbill for providing me with an eARC

I read "Always Isn't Forever" by J. C. Cervantes on NetGalley. This YA book was touching...I cried more that once while reading it. This is the story of Hart & Ruby, who have been friends for years. They are soul mates and when Hart drowns neither of them can let the other go. By divine intervention Hart gets a second chance when he comes back in the body of another local teen. But he can't keep his memories forever, there is a time frame and he tries to let Ruby know he is still there.

Taylor Swift said "unconditional true love is like you will love them even if they doesn't love you back" in this case even if they are not in this world any more. It's good how this book portraits grief and loss that it grabs your heart and squeeze it hard. I love when book can make you feel, and I dream about a love like Ruby's and Hart's.

Always isn't Forever is a sweet, somewhat haunted romance about two teenagers who are determined to fight against fate for their happy ending.

Cervantes creates a story that resembles an early '00s romance movie. Childhood friends turned romantic partners Hart and Ruby thought they would have forever. Until an accident leaves Ruby distraught with grief and Hart in the unconscious body of their school's bad boy, his original body already in a grave. Knowing not to give up his second chance, Hart fights to keep his memories as Jameson's complicated life takes over his own. Full of questions about identity and a swoony romance, it's hard not to get invested in Hart's turmoil. Without Ruby, his family, and a community, who is Hart Augusto?

While the three different first-person POVs felt redundant for parts of the plot, there is genuine heart at the center of the story.

NetGalley provided a copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:4/5
"And the word love? Well, humans fling it around like loose change, but rarely have they tasted its true essence"
Always Isn't Forever is a story heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal parts, and so utterly romantic. I loved it! Heart and Ruby are great MCs and you'll definitely root for them until the end. The side characters are really great too. The book is not completely sadd, though. There are several funny moments as well. It ends on a hopeful note, with a happy ending. Although YA contemporary romance isn't a genre I often read, I found this one to be really well-written. It hooked me and I found myself continuously flipping the pages to know the outcome. So, readers, this June, prepare to bawl your eyes over this beautiful love story!
"The ocean rushes by so fast
Moonlight splinters through the mast.
Our hands stretch tall toward the stars
.Oh, yes. Yes, the future is ours."

.

I have few words to describe how BEAUTIFUL this book is! The writing was so captivating and did a fantastic job of showing the struggle of grief and learning to let go to those you love. The characters were written so well and each now hold a very special place in my heart. The ending was written very well and was not how I expected for it to end. I’ve already started recommending this book to friends, and I’ll definitely be adding it to my physical collection when it’s released.

This is a YA book intended for 7th graders and above. With that in mind, this had a lot of swearing and adult themes. It spoke of an afterlife but referred to God, Jesus and Christ as swear words and the "angel of death" is glorified or at least written in a way that leads you to feel for her. There is a central theme throughout that involves Tarot reading and being able to communicate with the dead. While I know many people like that sort of thing, it just didn't feel right to me for a reader as young as seventh grade.

Other than that, I still gave it three stars because I did think the characters acted appropriately for teens. They were impulsive and self focused in many ways. It seems that most young people think deeply about their first loves and believe they are soulmates. The relationship between the two main characters was sweet. The ending seemed unbelievable. It would have been more realistic if they didn't get the happily ever after yet I suppose disappointing too.
Overall, I didn't like the way it was written but I did like the young love aspect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for and advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Would you love me if I was a snail? Would you love me if I was a lamp? Would you love me if...the age old question. But would you love me if I was your worst enemy?
Hart has died, well in some ways at least. He has been given another opportunity at life... but how can Hart when all he wants is his girlfriend Ruby back? And how can he have her back if he is trapped as her worst enemy now?
A enthralling story about love, loss and fate.

I loved this book. I was so invested in the story.

I've read Flirting With Fate and loved it. This book is even better!

It gives you all the ✨feels✨, I mean being on earth, but not being able to be with the one you love. 😭

DNF @35%
I thought I would like the premise, but I didn't. I didn't like the characters or the writing either.

Always Isn’t Forever is a masterpiece.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group penguin young read group for an e-arc for an honest review.


I know that I would cry and sob my eyes out, but I didn’t realize that simultaneously I would find hope, happiness, and human emotions in this book.
Ruby and Hart are two childhood friends that have always been together and fallen in love. They have always chosen each other, and have all their lives to be together until one tragic night, Hart died, but it wasn’t his time yet. And one angel takes pity and saves his soul into a new body. In that part, enter Jameson, the “bad boy,” football-loving guy Ruby can’t stand it. And can Hart get into Ruby's heart again with the story between Jameson and Ruby?


Get ready to grab your tissues and have you torn apart and mended simultaneously. I love their story so much, and the representation of grief, sadness, and depression it’s so real and handled so well. Ruby and Hart own my heart and mind.

TW: Grief, Dead, drowning, substance abuse & depression.

Thank you to NetGallery for this amazing ARC. This was such a cute and heartwarming story. Loved reading about Ruby and Jameson/Hart! I don’t think I have ever read a book like this one, but the writing, storytelling, and the fact that angels were involved made it a really good book. I’m excited for it to be published as I definitely think it is going to become a best-selling book!

If your true love died, would it be possible again to see them in this lifetime? Always Isn’t Forever tells the story of a young couple in this situation. Hart dies a hero, saving a child, and his girlfriend, Ruby, grieves for him. In the afterlife, an angel puts Hart’s spirit into the body of a dying young man, just as that man dies. The problem is that this young man is Ruby’s enemy. Hart won’t let this stop him from reconnecting with Ruby. Other problems get in the way. For starters, the angel, Lourdes, says that reconnecting is against the rules, and she erases Hart’s memories, one by one until they disappear. He will essentially become the young man whose body he now resides in.

This story carries great suspense. Will Hart be able to surpass these incredible odds working against his and Ruby’s love? It seems highly unlikely. Elements of the paranormal are sprinkled throughout the book and enhance the magical quality of it.

The secondary characters are well written and likeable. They add a lot to the story acting as support or foils to the main characters. Relationships are endearing. There are sad moments in this tale as well as those that make a reader smile.

One of the characters plays football. I read over the football parts faster because I’m not personally interested in the sport, but for those who are, great. It does add to the characterization of Jameson though and differentiates him from Hart, the musician. As a musician myself, those parts particularly spoke to me. The way music and song writing were explained came across as authentic while giving me bigger ideas to think about.

As one who reads a variety of genres, I found this to be an enjoyable story. I wanted to know what was going to happen next all the while reading it. I would search out this author again for the tender emotions inspired. The characters are in high school, but the themes of love, family, and friendship reach across all age groups. I was given a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover, and when I read the blurb, I knew I had to read it. Such an intriguing concept – a YA soulmate romance with a touch of supernatural – but so much more, a story of grief, loss, and learning to let go. It’s emotional, but has a happy ending, and it’s a beautiful little read.

“How long will you love me?”
“Always.”

Ruby and Hart are childhood best friends-now teenage sweethearts, madly in love, soulmates, and planning on a long and happy life together once they graduate senior year. Until Hart’s sudden and tragic death. Utterly devastated, Ruby is left completely lost, with no idea how to go on with her life.

"She has no idea how empty I feel, how most days I feel like I’m bleeding out. How I feel like a shell of who I used to be. How I can’t access the simplest things like a good dream or even a smile."

In a supernatural twist, five months after his death, Hart is given the opportunity to return to his true love– however, it will be in the body of the high school party boy whose own actions have left him on the brink of death. Hart will come back in Jameson’s body, but he will be unable to talk about who he really is, and his memories will disappear bit by bit, leaving just his soul behind in somebody else’s body. But it gives him the chance to be with his girl again, so he goes for it.

Ruby and Jameson have always hated each other, but when he leaves the hospital after his near death experience, he’s different. He’s sweet, kind, and very apologetic about his past actions, and Ruby feels drawn to him in ways she doesn’t understand. She has questions, but she’s so mired in her grief for Hart, that she resists the pull she feels to somebody new, preferring to wallow in her pain and memories.

“You think you want to be happy, but you feel too much guilt … because if you let go of the pain…then you let go of Hart.”

It’s an interesting and intriguing journey for both Ruby and Hart. She’s fighting a battle between letting go of what she’s lost, and finding the will to move on. He is struggling to prove who he is, while seeing his friends and loved ones in so much pain, and wondering whether him being there is helping, or just make things worse. But the longer he waits, more of his memories fade, and his time is running out.

"I’d rather let love break me open than never know its depths."

This is an emotional read, but there are some really sweet moments too. There’s lots of character growth and big life lessons, and a beautiful love story that made my heart pound. It’s a unique read, and I was questioning what a HEA even looks like for these two, but the author does manage to bring a happy ending, and though it did leave me with some questions, I finished this one with a smile on my face.

"Even if love always ends in goodbye, we have a choice, a choice whether to allow it in, to change us, to drive us toward a better part of ourselves…even if it means breaking open.
Even if it means letting go."

3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for this eARC.

I, for sure, not sure, if we are reading the same book.
I mean, it doesn't makes me sad or did I feel this book was so good

There were plot-holes, forced chemistry and side characters that I didn't really care about. I also find Gabi/Ruby's or Selene(?)/Ruby's interaction is annoying. Even the dialogues was cringey because who in the world interacts like that.

But yeah, definitely not for me and should be shorter instead.

Always Isn't Forever is a beautiful story of friendship, love, grief, and coming of age. Be prepared to cry, this book hits you directly in the feels. Hart and Ruby are soulmates, and always have been. But then Hart dies, and Ruby spirals into the depths of grief and depression. But Hart is given a second chance, he's able to come back in the body of another person that is not of his choosing. He asks for someone close to Ruby, but is told it doesn't matter, he don't remember her anyways. But he gets what he asks for, he's placed into someone Ruby detests, and true to what he's told, his memories of Ruby start disappearing. He's desperate though to remember her, to get to know Ruby again. On Ruby's end, why is she suddenly feeling a connection to the boy she hates? She doesn't understand, but maybe it's worth exploring. Can Ruby and Hart/Jameson still be soulmates?

I’m a sucker for reincarnation/ soul stories and Always Isn’t Forever did not disappoint. Imagine finding the love of your life, your soulmate, but losing him early. And then his soul goes into the body of the person you hated the most.

I thought from the blurb that this will be a light read in spite of the tragedy (sort of like the Heart and Souls movie or Chances Are). It had its light moments, yes, but what I loved most about it is how it captured first love and grief. I found myself crying at some parts and some of the book’s lines really stuck with me. I don’t normally like reading YA books, but I was pleasantly surprised that I loved this one! Aside from Ruby and Hart, I also liked the side characters Lourdes, George, Gabi, Victoria and Josie. I was surprised at myself of how quick I read it, because it was such a page turner.

thank you for this ARC! I really enjoyed it.

The beautiful cover and interesting blurb had me so excited for this read and the book did not disappoint!

This book was a mix of emotional highs and lows. There was some serious subject matter covered like grief/losing a loved one, but there was also some incredibly laugh out loud funny moments that were a nice juxtaposition to the heavier subjects covered.

I adore Ruby and Hart and was cheering for them the whole way though. The side characters were fun as well (loved Ruby's sister)! I could definitely see this being made into a movie and will buy my niece a copy as well as a copy for my shelf.

Thank you so much for the ARC! I hope this book sees much success when it debuts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first 5 star review for one of the books that I have read from NetGalley. I absolutely loved this book!

This story follows Hart and Ruby, high school sweet hearts and soul mates who have been friends since they were little. Hart tragically drowns, but it wasn't his time to go so Hart's soul is given a second chance in the body of Jameson, another boy who goes to their high school who Ruby absolutely hates. Hart can't tell Ruby that he is in Jameson's body because of cosmic rules that have been set in place so he has to try to get around the rules to show Ruby that he is there,

The first thing I need to comment on is this beautiful cover. It is absolutely gorgeous!
This book was heart wrenching one second and then had me laughing the next. Cervantes writes characters that are so genuine and realistic that I could feel their emotions as I read the story. I was surprised that this book was told from 3 POVs. Hart, Ruby, and Lourdes, the angel who interferes when Hart is drowning. Having Lourdes play a main role in the book was a pleasant surprise. She was super funny! I loved all three of these characters and was rooting for them to all get there happily ever after. I really loved the relationship between Ruby and her sister, Gabi. It was adorable and I loved their family's kind of psychic abilities or intuition as they called it sometimes. I loved the characters' sarcasm and the growth that they all went through. Towards the end of the book I was literally getting goosebumps as I was reading and everything was coming to a resolution.

This book is a book about loss, grief, letting go, and closure, but it's also about the strength of true love and perseverance. This isn't necessarily a beach read due to its serious themes and subject matter, but it is still definitely something you want to add to your summer TBR list. This book has it's sad moments, but it will have you laughing too. It's the perfect combination of sad and happy!

“It’s always been Ruby, it’s been her from the start.”


This book hits you right into the feels during the first 10% !!! I was at work trying not to cry while reading. You get plenty of warning that something is about to happen right from the beginning.

Hart is very subdue, over cautious and reserved while Ruby is the risk taker and wanting to experience life to the fullest. They’re a perfect match. Then something catastrophic happens and sends Ruby into a dark hole. She lost Hart and doesn’t know if she can get over that loss?