I really wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t. I didn’t realize it was a part of a series when I picked it up, so disclaimer, I haven’t read book 1. That being said, there were certain elements I enjoyed (the representation and the cat particularly), but overall the characters felt overly melodramatic who only ever spoke in Therapy Speak, or otherwise extremely stilted conversation. The plot seemed to drag on. The flashbacks also felt extremely disjointed and unnecessary. I kept expecting the flashbacks to lead into a “current day” chapter that would somehow be related to the flashback, but that never seemed to be the case.

This was an adorable story about coming home again and finding the love that was always sitting in your own backyard.

Sadly, this book was not the rom com I needed it to be. The writing fell flat, and pretty much everything was tell, not show. I wanted to feel the characters come to life, but it really felt more like the author was telling me to just keep watching, then explaining why their movements meant anything to me. It was a standard, mediocre rom com. I’m sure that there are people who will love it, but that person is not me.

I adored everything about this book! The representation was so authentic. Usually I get frustrated with miscommunication, but because it was centered in Levi’s mental health it didn’t feel contrived. The chemistry was fantastic and their growth as individuals and as a couple was perfection.

This was a solid book! I don't think it was for me but not because the writing or story was terrible (it truly wasn't!). This story touched on heavier subjects but the rep was great.

3.5 star

Okay... So I really liked the Jewish Rep and Queer rep in the books. I liked the story and premise, 2nd chance romance with childhood friends to lovers. I think that the book needs to be marketed as a 2nd book in a series vs appearing like a standalone. I think the information and basis for the town/ family and dynamics would have helped and the only way to get that was to read Seasons in Love first.

You wouldn't know it but the cover almost makes this book seem lighter than the subjects inside. This is the hard part with the cartoon cover phase because they are not 100% matching the content in a way.

I loved the character development of the couple but I really didn't like them as a couple. There is also a way in which they are talking which makes me think I am sitting in a therapy professional development training with a lot of therapy talk without actually being therapists. It just did not feel natural for people to talk in the way, as a social worker who has a bunch of therapist friends they so so do not talk like that in lay life. I don't know it just made it harder to consume.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc to read and review.

This book acts like the follow-up book to ‘Seasons of Love’, which I read last year around christmas. It follows the story of Hannah and Levi, who both grew up on the Christmas Tree Farm that's now an all year around event location and inn and which is co-owned by Hannah, Noel, Miriam and Levi.

Just like with the first book, I didn’t like the characters. I feel like I liked them even less in this book. Especially Levi wasn’t in my good graces, he was whiny and self-centered. I didn’t feel a connection between the two main characters at all and they were supposed to have this great second-chance love story, but I just wasn’t interested in them as a couple. Very early on they can’t resist their needs and end up sleeping together, which for me came totally out of the blue and didn’t fit in with the rest of the story. For most of the story, they both seem unable to even try to understand the other person's needs and I was so over it.

A lot of things seemed to be conveniently shifted, however the author needed them to be. It felt like I was missing some huge chunks in the story. For example Noel hated Levi, she didn’t like him (and I understand why), but they start talking and all of a sudden she likes him. There’s no progression, it just happens instantly.

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”



The book>>>>>>

Helena Greer's angsty character drama 'For Never & Always' explores the push and pull of two people struggling to reunite as their desires are the antithesis of each other.

Levi and Hannah have been drawn together since they met as kids at Hannah's aunt's hotel, Carrigans, where Levi's parents worked. They have a blistering chemistry, all the moreso given Levi is demisexual, or, as he jokes "Hannahsexual', but they want different futures. Levi does not want to return to the small town atmosphere and attitudes he left behind after being branded as difficult (in no part thanks to Hannah's aunt). While Hannah wants to remain after her globetrotting childhood thanks to her documentary filmmaker parents. Unbeknowst to Levi, Hannah has severe anxiety which cripples her if she leaves any further than a small radius of their town.

I had to take breaks as this book could be heavy-going at times. I honestly couldn't see a resolution given Hannah was dead set on remaining despite desiring to leave. She also refused to communicate this to Levi, as well as the extent of her anxiety disorder, which made me frustrated with her. I also wished Levi properly explained the depth of his anger towards Hannah's aunt who was horrible to him, a child, in the ways she treated him. I did find it disappointing that this wasn't resolved in a way that I felt gave Levi real justice for treatment.

This book was also the most religious book I've read. As a non-Jew (though my catholic school did teach us a couple of semesters on Jewish holidays and basic customs) I found it enlightening. Most other books I've read with Jewish rep have characters that are more secular (e.g. don't keep kosher or go to synagogue).

Second chance is one of my favourite storytelling tropes but it's also one of the hardest to get right, as there's more reasons for a couple to remain apart than there are to reconcile. Greer really puts Levi and Hannah through the wringer capturing the angst, the pining and the tension between their heads and hearts. When they finally did make it through the other side, I felt they really earned their reconciliation. Credit to Helena Greer for creating two amazing, visceral characters who leapt off the page. May Hannah and Levi have a lot more of a smoother future together.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book took me a very long time to get through. I think that I probably am just not the right audience for it. I disliked most of the characters especially the mmc. There were people and potential plot lines that were introduced but left unsolved making parts of the story seem unfinished.

Will an unexpected inheritance bring Hannah and Levi, former childhood sweethearts, back together?

I was hooked from the first pages by the pining and angst between Hannah and Levi. I was rooting for these two to get a second chance. I loved Levi for his swoon-worthy efforts to show Hannah that they could craft a life that works for both of them. I also liked that both characters embraced communication to re-establish their relationship.

I didn't realize For Never & Always was a sequel before starting. This book can be read out of order, but I would have appreciated certain aspects of the story more if I had read the books in order.

The pacing was a bit off for me. The numerous flashbacks took me out of the flow of Hannah and Levi’s current-day storyline. I felt like this information could have been included in the present time frame chapters in many cases to improve the flow. Another thing that hampered the pacing was the multiple side stories. There was a lot going and at times, these side stories were distracting instead of enhancing the main storyline.

Overall, I really liked this book. If you are looking for quirky, complex, flawed, relatable characters, definitely check out For Never & Always.

3.5⭐ rounded up

Thank you to Forever for an early copy of this book.

Perfect read by a fantastic writer. I loved this book. The cover is beautiful and the characters really drew me in. I can't wait to read what's next from this author.

I really wanted to like this story of a second-chance love between main characters Hannah and Levi, set at a year-round Christmasland inn. However, I wasn't connecting with the characters and the dialogue between the two former best friends turned secret husband-wife combo just fell flat. I felt the same conflicts between the characters were kept on replay and their were no major leaps to resolutions. I read about 60% of the book before having to "DNF" (Did Not Finish) it. The "love story" between Levi & Hannah was not gripping (or even spicy) enough to keep me hanging on until the end.

A queer coded second chance romance in the cutest little town. Growing up, coming into your own, loving fiercely and messily made my heart so happy reading this book.

i wanted to like this book, but it unfortunately fell flat for me. it took me a while to get into and i just didn't feel connected as i do with most books. i don't think it's the authors fault, simply that this book isn't for me, and that's okay. books aren't made to please everyone! i wish this book was marketed and shown as a second installment in a series rather than a standalone, because i would have read the first prior to beginning this one. i was left confused and since i had already started for never and always, didn't want to go back and start the first. with the inclusion of past and present, it needs to be integrated well and i was left so confused. thank you netgalley for providing me with this arc and happy reading to everyone (:

3/5 stars

thank you to netgalley and grand central publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

okay i had really high hopes for this because i adored season of love and really enjoyed miriam and noelle’s love story and was also so intrigued by the hinting of hannah and levi’s romance and what went down in the years miriam wasn’t at carrigans for. HOWEVER. this kind of fell flat for me :/ the characters did show some growth but acted so childish at times, especially levi!!! he said so many things that made me frown and honestly would not forgiven him for (but that is just me). hannah deserves better my lovely </3 they seemed quite dysfunctional at times and made me kind of doubt that they should even be back together. first half of the story was pretty slow too but the ending was sweet, but overall just not as much of a hit for me :/

i did enjoy the queer jewish rep though and seeing miriam and noelle and COLE!!! felt like a cute family reunion my beloveds

For Never & Always by Helena Greer is a heartwarming second-chance romance that immediately grips the reader's emotions. Returning home after a five-year absence, Levi "Blue" Matthews must confront his past, including his former flame Hannah Rosenstein. Though Hannah initially resists his presence, circumstances lead her to hire Levi as the chef for a significant event at Carrigan's. In a playful twist, Levi proposes a Shenanigan where they embark on five dates to prove their love's resilience. The novel artfully weaves past and present timelines, unraveling the history of their relationship and revealing their growth. Levi's swoon-worthy gestures and the captivating chemistry between the characters make it easy to root for their reunion. However, the book's reliance on references from a prior installment, "Seasons of Love," may slightly hinder readers unfamiliar with the previous story. Nonetheless, For Never & Always offers a poignant, angst-filled romance that leaves readers thoroughly enchanted.

After a childhood spent traveling the globe and longing for a place to land, Hannah has a home at her beloved Carrigan's. Unfortunately, she shares ownership of Carrigan's with her first love, Levi. Levi whole left her heart-broken to see the world. Levi who is now a big deal chef becoming a reality show darling. Levi who is now back at Carrigan's and wreaking havoc on Hannah's carefully put together life as he makes it clear that he's back for her.

I was absolutely feral for this book, and couldn't put it down. Hannah is such an interesting character who is written with enough nuance that she doesn't merely become a reclusive homebody. She loves her home, and is deeply loyal to Carrigan's and the aunt that left it to her, but she also has dreams and aspirations and very real struggles outside of her relationship to Levi that were really lovely to watch unfold. I think Greer especially does an amazing job dealing with mental illness and Hannah's anxiety; she treats it sensitively, as something that is definitely part of Hannah's life and experience, but not something that defines her.

And Levi. Oh my goodness, Levi. A gender non-conforming demisexual pansexual CHEF who wears EYELINER? I was a goner from the start. I really appreciated Levi's character development throughout the book, and how Greer uses his development to explore the concept of how we remember the past and people, as well as issues of class. As the son of "the help", Levi's family was never treated as family by Hannah's aunt, and it colors how he sees the whole place, which I loved.

No relationship in this novel is clear-cut or easy. Hannah and Levi love each other and make no sense together, and yet they make all the sense in the world. That alone makes this novel a fun read, figuring out how on earth they will ever come to a happily ever after that feels believable and satisfying. And somehow Helena Greer manages to pull it off.

This was a tough one for me to get through and only finished because I my mind couldn't comprehend how this could could end up together.

I can't process how the writing can be so beautiful but also just so over the place that everything seemed disjointed. There were way too many characters to keep up with and tons of exposition without things ever really happening.

I loved the Jewish representation but as a non-jew it was very hard keeping up with what everything was. When holidays, traditions, etc were mentioned, there was no explanation of what it was or the importance of it.

For me, most of the characters were just unlikable with no redeeming qualities.

I really enjoyed the plot and the writing style. I also loved the main characters.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!