Unfortunately, I could not make it past the beginning of this book. The whirlwind romance that catalyzes the story is so ridiculously unrealistic, it reads like something from a dime store romance novel, so I couldn’t get past it. This ended up in the DNF pile.

This was a fun book! Family drama, friend drama, wedding drama, parade shenanigans. I couldn’t wait to finish to see how the story wrapped.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 ⭐️

I really wanted to love this but the characters were so annoying to me. The description says it’s like Father of the Bride and Bride Wars and I got that a little bit but I was kind of left disappointed.
I love the premise - forgiveness is the most important thing, allowing your children to make their own decisions and mistakes. There are well-done banter moments with dad jokes, which is my favorite.
I didn’t love that most of the focus was on the parents and their past/present because it was hard to keep track of. But I get why that was necessary. Overall, I enjoyed it but I wasn’t like “oooh I need more.”

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to honestly review this book.

This reads like your next favourite wedding comedy/romance movie!

I absolutely thoroughly enjoyed this, and couldn’t see where it was going. The whole dynamic of the family characters and the cross connection between the two love storylines running along side each other.

Totally unexpected and entertaining not usually interested in romance category. But this was fab, a great production.
Well worth a listen.

I always enjoy a book by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke. Their writing is always on par and never disappoints.

I think Forever Hold Your Peace is a little different than their other books, but I think that’s a great thing! I loved how they brought the past to the present and reunited two estranged families. Overall it’s a great book about family and forgiveness.

The narrator was great and I highly recommend this book and any other books from these two authors!

4.5 stars

A cute rom com Hallmark channel worthy story of love and relationships crossing multiple generations. An easy listen with a likable narrator. Definitely recommend for an easy summer read.

Sweet book with moments of heartbreak too!
Meet Zach and Olivia. Two young people who meet on vacation on the Amalfi Coast. It’s kismet…or is it?
They fall in love quickly and are moving forward with plans to marry. BUT, they want all four of their divorced parents to meet and give their blessings. And they only just met…
That’s when the sh*t hits the fan! Turns out that they all know each other…and this might just ruin the kids plans altogether!
But, the mom’s (June and Amy) decide that they are going to need to work together to try and make this work for the kids!
Very special moments. Endearing parts…and some not so nice…where I’d like to smack them in the head!
But all wrapped up nicely in the end and loose ends are tied up.
3 1/2 - 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscapes Media for the ARC of the audiobook which comes out tomorrow, July 11th!

I enjoyed this book because of the unexpected twist in the story and Great character development.
Great flow to the story and a fun ending.
This is a perfect beach read.

I literally couldn’t put this book down from the moment I picked it up. Two best friends who drift apart into adulthood for reasons you’ll find later in the book. A new relationship that results in a very awkward run in when the families merge. This book has so many twists and turns it left my head spinning and holding my breath to find out what happened! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4 stars!

I enjoyed "Forever Hold Your Peace" by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. It's full of intrigue and drama that kept me entertained and guessing. I will say that the contents of this book are much more than the synopsis led on! It is very much a "sins of the parents coming back to haunt their children" kind of vibe, only far less sinister but with way more consequences. Fenton and Steinke have a terrific grasp on how to write witty, biting dialogue and banter. There were several moments where I either laughed out loud or said "oooooooooooooh snap!" I will definitely be going back to revisit their older works because their writing is excellent. This book felt like a 1990s romantic comedy, one of the good ones like "Father of the Bride" or something written and directed by Nancy Meyers in her heyday. My one big complaint is that there are A LOT of moving parts and points of view at play here as the story spans decades of time. To me, it felt like it muddied the water a bit. There didn't need to be so many points of view. A lot of people will also hate how much miscommunication there is in this story, but for some reason, it didn't bother me as much. Maybe it's because I believe that some grudges are justified, who knows? Finally, I enjoyed the audiobook narrator, Nan McNamara. I will be seeking out her other narrated titles because I think she brought a lot of zest and oomph to this story. I found this to be an easily digestible page-turner that I highly recommend. Also, I enjoyed the audiobook narrator, Nan McNamara. I will be seeking out her other narrated titles because I think she brought a lot of zest and oomph to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, Dreamscape Media, Liz Fenton, and Lisa Steinke for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

Such a great book!!
I enjoyed everything about it.
Highly recommended!
Narrator is perfect for it!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press and Dreamscape Media for gifting me an audio ARC of the new book by the writing duo of best friends Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, wonderfully narrated by Nan McNamara - 4.5 stars!

When Zach and Olivia have a meet cute story on vacation, fall madly in love, and then get engaged, their parents are shocked. They are young, barely out of college, and they all feel it's just too soon. So when a brunch is planned for all four parents to meet with the couple, they are all secretly hoping to change the couple's minds. But instead, the mother of the bride, June, and the mother of the groom, Amy, see each other, they realize they already know each other - they were best friends until a huge betrayal and haven't spoken in decades. Now they are focused on who can be the worst Momzilla in wedding planning.

This was such a cute story, perfect for fans of Father of the Bride and other similar movies. There are long-standing domestic issues and misunderstandings all the way around, as well as past hurts to try and heal. But this is a fun, light-hearted story of love, weddings, friendship and second chances.

Thank you netgalley for this arc.
I honestly almost gave it 5 stars! Solid 4.75. Only lost .25 because of what Troy did to his son! Wow.

This book is brides wars meets father of the bride meets mama Mia!!! 🫶🏻

I would recommend this book to anyone needing a feel good read. I loved this Womens lit book. No steam. Light read that was also funny at times and had such relatable relationships. Three generations of drama and trauma to fix and I loved seeing the relationships change from beginning to end!
June (Olivia’s mother) owns a bookstore and I just felt so cozy while listening!

I loved when the mothers of the bride and groom were trying to out do each other in the planning aspects! I loved how June was late because she was pulled over by a cop. 🤣 I loved the entirety of this book!

Nancy Meyers, make this one a movie! That was my first thought when I finished this book. It is so charming, so engaging, and made me so nostalgic for my favorite Nancy film. I'm a sucker for allllll the Father of the Bride movies, so I knew going into this one that I would like it, but let me just say that after finishing it I absolutely loved it. I miss the characters already.

June and Amy were the best of friends when they were younger -- that is until June's fiancée Troy cheated on her with Amy, resulting in a sweet baby boy named Zack. Needless to say, these two NEVER want to see each other again. Fast forward a few decades, and insert a little forced serendipity, and Zach is engaged to Olivia, Amy's daughter. You see where this is going, don't you? The result is a fun journey filled with viral wedding favors, awkward text groups, some revived romance connections, and the craziest wedding planning process you've ever read. I just loved it.

Thank you to NetGalle and Alcove Press for the HONOR of reading this one. Five big stars from me!

Forever Hold Your Peace
A Novel
Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke
Olivia and Zack met in Italy, and it was instant love. After a whirlwind courtship they are planning their marriage and life together. Both come from divorced parents. Neither family is happy about the upcoming marriage, believing they aren’t old enough to marry and haven’t known each other long enough. The happy couple invite their parents to brunch to discuss the wedding. Neither Olivia nor Zach realized their parents had a past connection.
Amy, mother of the groom, and June, mother of the bride were best friends twenty-five years ago. The two women had a falling out for a very good reason and have not spoken since then. So begins the competition to be the best and most supportive mother. Suddenly the two mothers take over the wedding planning and try to one up each other.
Forever Hold Your Peace is a humorous read. The main characters are the mothers. June had a quiet personality and a mother that was a total nightmare. Amy was into lists, she considered herself a fixer; she was a perfectionist, and her way was the only way. Amy wanted to control every aspect of Zach’s life. The two women acted silly and were motherzillas. Troy is Zach’s father; he tends to date younger women. Zach works for Troy in real estate. William is in the medical field; he is concerned about Olivia finishing law school; he tends to look at things in a practical manner. I liked June and Troy a lot more than Amy and William. However, William grew on me but I would have enjoyed knowing more about him. I thought Olivia went a bit overboard when she became angry with Zach. It wasn’t his fault and was really sort of silly. If I had been Olivia and Zach, I would have run away to get married. Too much drama and too much conflict but then we wouldn’t have had this book, Forever Hold Your Peace.
There are several lessons to learn from this book the main one being to forgive.

This was SUCH a delightful audiobook listen! I really enjoyed the narrator and her ability to convey the personalities of the abundance of characters in the story.

I loved the multi-faceted families that were challenged with quite a few problems, including a scandal from the past that broke up a best friendship & engagement. And as someone who's lived in Italy, I adored that Positano and the Amalfi coast made such a fun backdrop for the lovebirds to meet!

This storyline feels very easily adaptable to the big screen, and does have some familiarity with rom-com wedding movies but the family drama, witty banter, and second chance(s) at love were a unique blend. This isn't a deep or heavy book, but one you might love to read on the beach or poolside - or as a break from reality and laugh at someone else's calamities! Plush sharks, penguin suits, and champagne all mixed with lies, secrets, and Ducked Up text threads! ;)

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Liz & Lisa for the opportunity to read the eARC of "Forever Hold Your Peace". All opinions are my own.

I wasn’t sure about this one at first. The details seemed kind of shady, and I was totally taking one side over the other. However, I definitely loved how it built up and ultimately ended. A cute love story from the original couple but ultimately an adorable second chance romance too.

🌀Synopsis
June and Amy’s kids are getting married. As if their young and quick engagement wasn’t enough, June and Amy haven’t seen each other in years and for a good reason!
Many years ago, Amy slept with June’s fiancé one drunken night. Which, of course, led to the breakup of the couple and the creation of the groom. Their kids know nothing of this story either. So when the truth starts coming out, things start unraveling quickly.
The bride feels betrayed and no longer wants to get married. Both the bride and groom are absolutely miserable though, and the adults are desperate to get them back together. Putting the past in the pat, Amy and June must find a way work together for the benefit of their children.

This was a fun little rom com. Lots of witty banter and fun. Even though it was predictable I still really enjoyed it and I loved the narrators!! Loved all the POV in this too!

In what felt like a throwback to their earlier work, the dynamic duo of Liz & Lisa have returned to the world of women's fiction. What happens when a friendship died over one friend sleeping with the other's boyfriend? And now those frenemies children are engaged? A whole lot of chaos!

I enjoyed all the family drama and shenanigans in Forever Hold Your Peace and truly loved the return to this genre for Liz & Lisa!

Thank you to Alcove Press for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you net galley for sending me this arc in return for an Honest review :)))

I always like to start with what I liked about the book and this book did pleasantly surprise me. After the first couple chapter I thought I wasn’t going to like it because rather than allow me to dissociate and enter their world it kept bringing me back to the real world with referencing tiktok and ‘ boomers’ ; it just make the reading experience hard for me but other than that I enjoyed the dynamics between every character especially Amy and June you can tell how much they care about each other through their interactions and the little things they do for each other. I wish we got more flashbacks to their friendship, because that would make troy and Amy’s betrayal more impactful.

Now for the reason why this book took me so long to read, OLIVIA IS UNLIKEABLE god it’s been so long since I hated a character like this, every time it was her pov I put the audio book at 3x speed because god she was awful, June deserved better , zack deserved better . Everyone did. She is so self-centered, like dude your mom is clearly hurt by what happened can you not make it about yourself, like wtf. When they broke up I was happy, I enjoyed her being miserable because she deserves it . She doesn’t deserve to be a character at all , the book without her would have been amazing.