* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I rarely give books 1 star because there’s almost always some redeeming parts. The description of this book gave me so much hope but really from the start I was shocked at how really sucky Erin is. Erin was in love with Adam and dated for about a year when they were younger, and he apparently sucked then!!! He really didn’t care for her based on all of his actions. Then she got together with her friend Greg. They have been together for 18 years by the start of the story and within the last year or so he’s had a terrible gambling addiction and is trying to got to things like gamblers anonymous to work on his addiction. Unfortunately, Adam comes back (with zero memory of his younger life) and Erin is immediately in love again. Honestly, she should have never married Greg and let him find a love with someone who deserved him. She never got over Adam and even said that on her wedding day she hoped that he would show up!! WTF! Once she finds out that Adam has no memories, she decides that she has no choice but to help him out even though she knows it would destroy Greg and her friends are entirely against it. I only liked her friends because they were pissed at her decisions about Adam and didn’t support her blindly.

Erin has zero redeeming qualities and is so extremely selfish.

Would not recommend this book.

From the first line of that prologue I was hooked on this book. Erin is a woman who is torn between two men - one who broke her heart and the one she married.

Eighteen years after the prologue Adam Bowers comes walking into back in Erin's life just there's one problem: he doesn't remember her. Having survived a nasty car crash, Adam is back in their home town and asks her to help him. The thing is as she agrees she is doing something that isn't her: sneaking behind her lying, grambling husband's back.

When Adam walked out of her life, Greg, the man who has been in love with her since their first meeting at a student bar, Erin got with and then married. But now their marriage is in danger and Erin finds herself spilt between the two of them. But that's not all her mother has dementia. A storyline that was beautiful written by Clare and made me want to keep on reading to find out what happens next.

So with the help of her best friends Rose and Sam can she finally make a decision who is right for her: rockstar Adam (who her parents hate) or Greg.

Thank you to Boldwood Books for granting me my first early access a book of theres (huge BB fan) and NetGallery for this early access.

Hmm. I did enjoy this book and read it really quickly because I couldn’t put it down, but I was left feeling pretty disappointed. The story was gripping with the dual timeline and the anticipation of Erin eventually choosing Greg or Adam, but then it just deflated a bit by the end. I also felt disappointed that Adam never got any of his memories back ☹️ Maybe an epilogue that was a bit more hopeful would have helped?

This is my third book by this author. Having read and loved both Before We Grow Old and How To Save A Life I was so excited to get approved for this on NetGalley. Clare Swatman always seems to tug at my heartstrings. She has such a lovely way with words and putting feelings to paper. I felt so many emotions while reading this book. I was happy and laughing at times and felt sad and angry too, it also made me swoon at the lovely dovey bits.

Everyone has heard of the one that got away, I even have one myself. This is the case for Erin, who is married to Greg, when her one that got away, Adam, comes back. I really liked the format of this book with now and then chapters. Funnily enough, I liked the now chapters more than the then. I usually like the before chapters more because getting to know the character’s background is so much more interesting but in this case, I found Erin and Adam’s current story much more engaging. I still really liked the then chapters, very much.

I have to mention that each chapter has the title of a song as its heading. Oh how I enjoyed being taken back in time. I was a teen in the 80s and my son was a teen in the 90s so the songs gave not only the characters memories but me as well. One chapter is titled Don’t You Want ME Baby by The Human League and it reminded me of my son singing it as “Don’t Chew On Me Baby”.

I really appreciated how authentically the dementia patient was portrayed. My aunt had early onset dementia and the author did an amazing job making it realistic from both the patient’s point of view and the family’s as well. What a beautifully poignant read by an author who has become one of my favourites and an auto buy for me.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I have read several books by this author and enjoyed them so was looking forward to this latest one. It was a bit different, very true to life but possibly not the ending you would hope for. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

I was so excited when I heard about this book. It felt like a book that would have drama, but at the same time really sweat moments. This excitement was toned down very quickly when I started reading the book. I just couldn't seem to like it. When I finished the book, I quickly came to the realization that I could only rate this 1 star. Let me tell you why:

Characters

Let's start with the characters. The three main characters are Erin, Greg and Adam. To be honest, I did not like any of them. Quickly I started to love Sam and Rose, Erin's best friends. They felt like complete characters who had positive and negative traits. The main characters lacked that. They all felt so negative. Almost everything the author told us about them was about how they were just such negative people. Atleast, this happens when the story is in the present-time. Because when the author talks about Erin and Greg in the past, they seem so much better as people. That just all got lost in the present-day story.

I feel like Adam was especially annoying as a character. He was na asshole in the past, and now he wanted to stay friends with Erin yet he wanted to move this relationship to a higher level constantly. And that just made him so unlovable.

Don't get me wrong, characters don't have to be perfect human beings. I can absolutely love a good written villain, but there was nothing to love in these characters, which made it hard to want to continue reading.

Erin as the main character was just not it for me. I just could not understand why she even loved Adam after all these years. She kept repeating the same mistakes, and that made it feel like there was no character growth in the book.

The Story

The book moved back and forward between past and present, which I liked. It made it very clear what the relationship was like between these people, but again the chapters got repetitive, and the same thing kept coming back again and again.

Music played a massive part in this book, and I feel like the author wanted to put it in every aspect of the book. One character was in a band, special mixedtapes being made, music therapy, songtitles at the beginning of a chapter. I think it was a bit much.and could have done with less.

Moments that could have been well-written arguments, were cut of short everytime. It felt like the author did not know how to write the arguments, but did want them in the story. They were not detailed at all, and made it feel a bit weird. When I read an argument or discussion in a book I want to know what the characters are thinking, I want it to go deeper. Now, it felt like I could just see that the vibe was off but that was it.

The End

When I talked about Erin, I said that there was no character growth for her. Well, that is untill the end of the story where I feel like everything suddenly moves out of nowhere, and within a few pages I was at the end of the story. This honestly made me feel so confused and for me there were no signs at all that it was moving this way. The ending just is to abrupt for my liking.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Love to Last a Lifetime is the story that begs the question of what happens when the love of your life isn't who you choose to end up with and does that become enough? Erin is currently married to Greg, but the relationship has entered a rocky patch. Enter Adam, her boyfriend from when she was 18 and whom she believes is the love of her life and hasn't seen in almost 20 years. Adam has recently suffered from a cycling accident that has caused him to lose his memory, and Erin tries to help him regain it all the while wondering whether she has the opportunity to recapture her chance at love with him.

This was a quick read and falls into the Chick Lit bucket. I appreciated the ending (no spoilers!), so it was worth the journey that you go on with Erin.

Everyone reaches that point in midlife where they wonder "what if?" This book explores those emotions and questions through the protagonist, who is also dealing with her mother's progressing Alzheimers and has lingering regrets of her own. There is so much wrapped up here, including multiple neurological issues, addiction, marriage struggles, and past regrets, that it's hard not to feel both pity and judgment (at times) for her, but it's definitely interesting to see how it all plays out in the end, and what personal growth emerges from this tumultuous period in her life.

I read this as an ARC thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood. This novel was heartbreaking but sweet at the same time. Clare did a great job weaving together the past and present. Definitely would recommend this read to all romance fans

This was another beautiful and poignant read by this author who has the ability to rip your heart out and then slowly put it back together again. She really gets to the heart of human emotions and the human condition and covers lots of sensitive topics in her writing. This was no exception and once I had picked it up I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down and read it in almost one sitting.

This was written over dual time lines of the main characters Erin life then and now from during her teenage university days to present day and how the events of the past have shaped the future.

Erin was also on a journey of self discovery and with the clever use of music to trigger emotions I found myself thinking about what I was doing at the times the songs mentioned that I knew of where mentioned.

This story made me happy and sad at various points and was such a beautiful read

This is set in two timelines- present day and when Erin was younger, each chapter being headed by a song of Erin’s past. In present day Erin is married to Greg and they are going through a tough time due to Greg’s gambling debts. Greg however is the rock, the steady, reliable one until he shattered Erin’s stability with the number of debts. When out shopping she hears a voice that transports her to the past- a man called Adam- someone she hasn’t heard from in eighteen years. Younger Erin meets Adam at a party where he knows no-one having recently changed schools. Erin finds herself feeling like she has never felt before and she is only talking to this person. Adam has lit a flame that flickers on and off over the next few years. Is fate now telling Erin something or should she stay with the man who stood by her for almost the last two decades?

Clare has an amazing talent with words. I found myself quickly invested in Erin and Adams’ story. There is a heart-warming yet touching feeling to this- Adam having gone through something- I won’t give anything away and Erin’s mother suffering early onset dementia. It's a story of someone confused and yet wanting to do the right thing by all involved but not quite knowing how. It's tender, and funny in parts, one that may make the reader reflect on their own life journey. One perhaps to take the reader through a gamut of emotions and then come out thinking. Loved it.

#blogtour

Forever love…long lost love…family and marriage…getting over love…three people are important, among other characters, in this quick read from author Clare Swatman …does one go on? Does one look back? What happens when the love is in the past? This book takes the reader into the lives of characters who are not sure..they come alive on the pages of this novel. Love and romance…most readers can relate to this love story. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Enjoy

Back in her teens Erin was infatuated with her boyfriend Adam but when their relationship failed Greg was only too happy to step into his shoes as he fell for Erin when he first saw her at the start of their time at university. Eighteen years on and a chance meeting with Adam make Erin realise she still has feelings for him but she feels a loyalty to Greg who is now her husband although they are only just getting through a rough patch.

The confusion Erin experienced felt very true to life especially as both men had altered over time meaning Adam was less flamboyant and Greg not quite so reliable. Adam’s situation was very unusual but well written and Erin’s long time best friends we’re great although I’d have liked to hear a little more about them as at times it felt like Erin was too wrapped up in her own life. The situation with her mum was relatable and sad but the music side was interesting. I think this book wasn’t as uplifting as I’d hoped but for me certainly concluded in the right way.