This made me feel some feels that I didn't feel like feeling. It made me think that I should start up therapy again.

Gorgeous cover, right? Today Tonight Forever is a book that surprised me in the most refreshing of ways. The author’s smooth and snappy prose plopped me right into the story, and before I blinked it, I had devoured it all. Sign me up for all future books by this author, and I intend to read The Golden Season asap.

Athena is recently divorced from her wife, and understandably not over it, when she is invited to be a bridesmaid, again, in a wedding where her ex will also be present. The bride is an influencer, and her wedding has to be just so because it’s heavily sponsored and will be social fodder for months. Then, there’s Deacon and Mollie, Daisy and Leo, and plenty of other interesting side characters who contribute to the story.

I don’t want to give any of the goodness away and am limiting myself to what is shared in the synopsis. I will close by saying that Today Tonight Forever brings the drama in a sensitive exploration of grief, lost love, second chances, sexuality, loving who you love, and being true to who you are. It’s about acceptance, friendship, and love between lifelong friends and also romantic love. I’m being redundant on purpose. Because underlying it all is undeniably friendship and love, full of heart.

I received a gifted copy.

This book just was not for me but the idea is really good! The Wedding bringing two families together was just not hitting the mark for me, but the book was well written! I definitely think it is a hit for the right people.

It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting but really enjoyed this book! The writing was great, the characters were developed and likable, even though they went through some deep stuff. The writing was beautiful as well.

I didn’t expect this book at all, and I really enjoyed it. It is a socially aware, funny, timely romance with a grief storyline woven in. All the characters are relatable, albeit sometimes annoying, and it manages to be fast paced even while filling in a significant amount of past storylines about the many players. I love a wedding weekend setting, and this was a great one. It made me want to visit Watercolor, Florida and Houston! I think this would be a great beach read/summer read, so hopefully more booksellers read it and press it into the hands of customers in the coming months.

I requested Today Tonight Forever, Madeline Kay Sneed's second novel, on a bit of a whim. It sounded interesting but I knew absolutely nothing about her writing. I am so glad I took a chance on this book. I read it slowly and in small bits, mostly because life is, you know, life, but it's easily a book I could have curled up with on a weekend and devoured.

Here’s the book’s description:
When thirty-three-year-old Athena Matthias is asked, yet again, to be a bridesmaid, she’s not exactly enthusiastic about the idea. Still reeling from a messy divorce from her wife, she’s never felt less inclined to celebrate love. But Athena can't say no, especially to one of her oldest friends, and at least it's a destination wedding, which means three days of sun and sand.
As the wedding weekend commences on the gorgeous beaches of Watercolor, Florida, for the first time in ages, Athena finds herself surrounded by people who know and love her. There’s the bride, nervous about an old relationship; a groomsman grappling with a big mistake; Athena’s mother, ready to date again; and even a potential new romantic interest.
But just as Athena begins to feel herself opening up again, an unexpected guest from the past throws the entire wedding party into chaos. By the time the cake is cut and the ultimate betrayal is revealed, Athena must find the courage to forgive—both others and herself—and embrace the beauty of a chance to move forward.
The novel follows a number of characters who are at Daisy's wedding. It starts as Athena arrives in Watercolor on the day of the rehearsal and ends with her at the reception. In between, we get to see how many (many) characters are dealing with this happy event. It’s possible that some readers may think there were too many characters telling their story during Daisy’s wedding weekend. Personally, I really liked getting all of their perspectives. They all had different views on the wedding and had different emotions about it. (And there were a lot of emotions.) And when I say many characters, let me just break it down for you. We had chapters from Athena, Daisy, Leo (Athena's brother and Daisy's ex), Mollie (Athena and Leo's mom), Deacon (Daisy's brother and Athena's best friend), and Sydnee (Athena's ex-wife). Whew! But I really did enjoy all their perspectives and what they brought to the story.

I also really appreciated how Sneed wove in all of the characters’ perspectives to the narrative. There are only the tiniest of overlaps, where you get to experience a particular moment from multiple characters’ viewpoints. Otherwise, each character moves the story forward during the wedding weekend. It’s one of those things that seems simple but absolutely would not have been easy to do and it was, in my opinion, masterfully done by Sneed.

Weddings always bring a lot of drama to a story, which I love. This wedding was no different. There were exes and new flirtations. There were best friends who hadn’t been as present as they should be. There were family members who were trying to finally emerge from the deepest part of their grief. It was a lot but absolutely perfect for the story.

A wedding may be at the centre of this story but this is not a book about romantic love. We’re happy, of course, that Daisy has found the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with. But what holds the reader’s interest are the friendships and the familial relationships. The way Sneed writes these relationships got me right in the feels and I felt like I was right there in Watercolor with the wedding guests. I wanted to cheer them on, offer a shoulder to cry on, and buy them a glass of their favourite drink. As hard as some of the emotions were, it was so great to feel them right alongside the characters.

I really liked Today Tonight Forever and recommend you add Madeline Kay Sneed’s novel to your TBR. It’s full of characters you can’t help but care about and will hit you with every emotion under the sun but you’ll be left feeling hopeful. But also a little sad that you’ve finished such a great novel.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, HTP Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Today Tonight Forever by Madeline Kay Sneed is the story of Athena who is recently divorced from her wife. Athena is attending a family wedding in Florida and throughout the story, she finds her way to healing and perspective. I enjoyed this story and the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Today Tonight Forever is available now.

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

This novel tells the story of a return home for the wedding of a childhood friend. The friendship between Athena and Daisy had struggles, and their brothers have their own dramas. The backstories combined with the stress of the weddings and guest drama makes for an interesting weekend.

The book blurb caught my attention and I did participate in a book tour. I am a fan of ff romance and this one caught my attention. In addition, the first chapter excerpt reinforced my interest. I felt for Athena and I wanted to see how her best friend's wedding turns out with Athena's ex-wife, Sydnee, showing up. I am outraged on Athena's behalf and I dig in, waiting to see how Sydnee will cause a scene with her new side piece. I want Sydnee to feel the lost of Athena and have regrets. I can confidentially say, my wish came true. Be careful of what you wish for.

I took an immediate liking to Athena. Her thoughts makes sense and her pain at the lost of her soulmate wrecked me. How Sydnee could cheat on Athena made little sense to me. As the story progresses, and we learn more about Sydnee and see how she was treated, my feelings started to shift towards Sydnee. I began to lose my rosy colour glasses about Athena. By the end of this story, whilst I didn't agree with what Sydnee did to end her relationship, I cannot fault her for her feelings and how she was treated. What makes me sad about this story is how careless Athena is to the one she is supposed to cherish forever.

I found myself loathing Athena at the end. I even lost my pity of her being cheated on. Not to say I think she deserved it. I couldn't care less about her. About the same as how she treats the people around her. My issue with Athena as a character is that she says one thing but her actions tell another story. I am one of those annoying people who cannot abide by a person who says and thinks one thing, but then goes to do something different. From an outsider's view Athena spent zero effort in her relationship. I would actually say that Athena's father spent more time ensuring Athena's marriage lasted. It is no surprise to me that when he was no longer in the picture, Athena's marriage fell apart.

Whilst this book is about Athena, I found the pivot character to be Athena's father. It is an interesting look at how one person can make a huge difference in so many lives. And without that person's solid support and love, weak people crumble and destroy their own lives. This story is about a dysfunctional family with broken friends. The vanity and selfishness of each character is off putting for me.

Ms. Sneed created a well written story with colourful and spiteful characters. There is little redeeming in here, except for Daisy's new husband. His group of friends and his family seems to be the only stabilizer and I am not sure if he understands all that he has signed up for.

This book material and plot is definitely not for me. Whilst on the surface it looked like something appealing for me, the characters turned me off completely. This does not negate that Ms. Sneed created a well written story with well developed characters. This book is recommended for readers looking for trans affirmation and LGBT romance.

Today Tonight Forever centers on two families that have been entwined together through thick and thin for years. They are brought together now for the destination wedding of one of their members.

Told in six different POVs, the reader gets 360-degree views of each of the characters with his/her strengths and weaknesses given equal play. The book starts out in a light-hearted, rather comedic tone, but quickly delves into self-examination by the characters, as they tackle hard truths, situations, regrets, longings, betrayals, hopes, and fears. The power and need for redemption and forgiveness, family, and friendships, is well displayed as is the author's ability to display a wide range of emotions realistically. These are characters who become people you care about by the read's end.

An engaging and entertaining read!

My thanks to Graydon House for allowing me to read a DRC of the book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Athena Matthias is 33, freshly divorced from her wife, and asked to be a bridesmaid in her childhood friend's wedding. She is still very hurt from her divorce and the infidelity that caused it, and being asked to be a bridesmaid for the upteenth time in her life is the last things she wants to be doing.

Being able to escape her monotonous Texas life for a weekend on the beach and sand's of Florida is hard to pass up, and being able to be surrounded by her friends and family, and support her oldest friend in her happily ever after into a healthy marriage. Over the weekend many guests, and Athena work through obstacles holding them back and finding ways to also step into a new chapter.

The writing in this novel was beautiful, it was a short one but it really packed a punch. The characters were so fleshed out and dynamic. The journey the characters went on felt fully explored and the development of the plot was wonderfully paced. I just had an issue connecting to the characters, but that is not a fault of the author in any way, it was a me thing.

For the most part, this read as a very in-depth character study more than a novel. The characters were well developed, but so much attention was paid to their emotional backstory and development that the story lost momentum in several parts. There were a lot of excellent explorations of grief and how it effects everyone, the meaning of family, and more emotional concepts, but overall the story lacked something for me.

Whew! I knew nothing about this going in and for some reason thought this was a light romance and it was absolutely not LOL. It was a lot. Some heavy AF topics in here, people dealing with deep shit that felt a little surface at times because there was so much going on, to go in depth on all of it would have been like three books. I was not prepared.

I loved the introspection of each character and the bits of overlapping perspective in POV shifts. Also loved the Deacon and Mollie characters immediately and fiercely.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley, author Madeline Kay Sneed, and Harlequin Trade Publishing- Graydon House for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

What a fascinating read! I love books that take place over the course of one day with the perspective of all the many characters, and Sneed knows exactly how to write one! I was intrigued by the premise already, but when I started and saw that it featured multiple LGBTQ+ characters AND the characters were from Houston, I was sold. I have really enjoyed lately reading books set where I live or with characters from where I live, and seeing that Sneed lives in Houston herself adds a layer of authenticity throughout. I don't think this book will fully appeal to everyone because being fully transparent, pretty much every character is either unlikeable or does something unlikeable. However, it adds a layer of humanity to them. I appreciated how candidly Today Tonight Forever tackles so many issues, from grief to love to friendship to religion and more. My favorite character was Deacon, and I would have loved to see even more of him, but what I loved the most was the extensive friendship and friendly love all of the characters had for each other. Even though the setting is over the course of one day, everyone has years of shared history that flows throughout the story and sets the stage for every event unfolding. I definitely look forward to checking out more of Sneed's work!

I loved Sneed’s debut novel, The Golden Season, so I was thrilled to get my hands on her follow up novel. Though she is relatively new to the writing scene, Sneed writes with such eloquence and skill, you’d swear her books were written by a much more seasoned author.

Set over the course of one wedding weekend and told from multiple perspectives, this book develops characters and their backstories that are real, raw and relatable. The story is compelling and full of thoughtful and poignant commentary. I grew to absolutely love the characters and I really enjoyed the book from start to finish.

Sneed has definitely found her way onto my list of auto-read authors, and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next!

An excellent description of the dynamics of a group of people at a wedding, a very entertaining plot, well developed characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Know that you, like me, might have a bit of trouble keeping everyone straight (no pun intended) in this big generous novel centered around the wedding of Daisy to Daniel. It's told by her friends and relatives- by Athena, newly divorced from Sydnee, Leo who loves Daisy, Mollie, Deacon, and the rest of the families. Sneed manages to capture everyone's back stories and move things forward in a pastiche of sorts since no one character (not even Daisy) dominates. That said, you might pick a favorite just as you might want to know a bit more about one or two of them. The representation is terrific. Thanks to the publisher for the arc. A very good read.

I loved this book, it was so well written. It has several POVs and I felt I had to put a little extra attention to not get confused but overall they all were very well executed. I loved the drama, very gossipy vibes which I think was fun. This could be a great beach read pick. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I felt Athena's story was the only story that was very detailed on its ending and we left hanging on the other character's endings. Idk, it felt a little rushed. Very worth reading though.

Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by Madeline Kay Sneed?

Gosh dang it, I hate when a book makes me cry. I suppose I should be grateful it’s happy tears and I didn’t stub my toe or anything.

I’m a ball of emotions and I think I might just have to call my mama.

I chose this book because I’m shallow.

I loved the cover and the title so I thought id give it a whirl.

Today, Tonight Forever, isn’t a book you zip through. Take your time, absorb all the details.

The narration is done by alternating six points of view. These characters are “imperfectly, perfect” and will have you rooting along side of them and pulling at your heart strings.

Check out this teaser :

When thirty-three-year-old Athena Matthias is asked, yet again, to be a bridesmaid, she’s not exactly enthusiastic about the idea. Still reeling from a messy divorce from her wife, she’s never felt less inclined to celebrate love. But Athena can't say no, especially to one of her oldest friends, and at least it's a destination wedding, which means three days of sun and sand.

As the wedding weekend commences on the gorgeous beaches of Watercolor, Florida, for the first time in ages, Athena finds herself surrounded by people who know and love her. There’s the bride, nervous about an old relationship; a groomsman grappling with a big mistake; Athena’s mother, ready to date again; and even a potential new romantic interest.

But just as Athena begins to feel herself opening up again, an unexpected guest from the past throws the entire wedding party into chaos. By the time the cake is cut and the ultimate betrayal is revealed, Athena must find the courage to forgive—both others and herself—and embrace the beauty of a chance to move forward.

Even though the pace of this novel is a little slower than I'd anticipated, I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written story and each of its delightfully complicated characters! I often struggle with multiple characters being introduced at once but the author did a fantastic job of separating them quickly so that I could move along with the narrative. Another tricky element - multiple narrators - was deftly handled, as well; in fact, I appreciated the way in which the author provided multiple perspectives on significant moments of the story. While grief is often a heavy topic, and easily mishandled, Madeline Kay Sneed writes lovingly and beautifully about the struggles and heartbreak of these characters. I enjoyed this novel so much more than I'd expected and will be thinking about it for months to come!