I really enjoyed this && it completely wrecked me ! There was grief & healing in a really beautifully written way. It was honest, tender, and just all around relatable. Just two broken people finding pieces of themselves in each other.

I absolutely adore Jennifer Hartmann and will read anything she writes and I REGRET NOTHING!!!

So when I heard she was writing an age-gap romance, I just knew I needed it immediately.

Older did not disappoint. Age gap, and a secret forbidden romance along with found family and so much angst we’re always going to be amazing but Jennifer made it so much more than that.

I thought the friendship between Tara and Halley was just beautiful, Whit is the mother we all deserve and Ladybug is the goodest girl. And reed… well, he was REED 😍.

Not all love is easy, as Older clearly demonstrates, but it reminds us that the journey to a HEA is worth it.

4.5 stars!

Everyone always talks about Jennifer Hartmann's books and now I get the hype! If you enjoy forbidden romances, best friends father... this one would be perfect for you!

The beginning of the novel dragged a little bit and I was a little disturbed with the main character being 17 when she meets the love interest, overall this was an engaging read but the beginning just gave me an overall ICK that I couldn't shake.

Wow! I loved this book so much. An absolute emotional masterpiece. She beautifully captures the rawness of grief, healing, and forbidden love with such authenticity that it clutches your heart from the very first page. The connection between the characters is intense, beautifully messy, and so real that you can’t help but root for them despite the odds stacked against them. Every chapter is filled with aching vulnerability, tender moments, and breathtaking storytelling that stays with you long after the final page.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My God, what a story! I'm obsessed and this is the best thing I've read since the beginning of the year and definitely deserves more than five stars

—

“I just wanted to say thank you,” she said softly.
I swallowed hard, the feel of her pressed against me lighting me on fire.
“For what?”
“Everything. For using your free time to train me, while getting nothing
in return. For turning me into a fighter, making me strong and capable. For
believing in me when I didn’t even believe in myself.” Nuzzling closer, she
continued on, her grip on me tightening. “For helping me look for Ladybug,
then going back out to pick her up in this blizzard. For giving me a safe
place to spend the night.” She sighed. “Just…for everything.”

—
✍️
The story is beautiful and emotional even though it is taboo. It’s constantly kept me on edge and made me uncomfortable because I know of a similar story. I know what things people who fought against social norms, prejudices, family, friends faced. The hardest thing is to fight against yourself because you know that what you feel is honest and real and you have to think logically and rationally.

—

“You risked too much.”
“You’re worth it.” Shifting in his seat, he inched forward, his grip on
my hand tensing. “No one’s ever stood up for you like that before, have
they? No one’s ever fought. And that’s bullshit. You deserve to have
someone in your corner, fighting like hell for you. For your honor, your
worth. I want to be that person.” He stared at me with an intensity that
etched lines across his entire face. “I’ll be that guy…even if that’s all I’ll
ever be.”

—-
✍️
I really liked the chemistry I felt between Tara, Halley, Reed and Witt because the story is not easy at all.

—

“Yes.” Reed stopped pacing, coming to a dead stop a few feet away. He
stared at me, jaw clenched tight, hands balled even tighter. “Yes, Halley,
I’m in love with you. I think I proved that when I threw myself under the
bus and completely destroyed my relationship with my daughter to protect
you. To keep her from hating you,” he gritted out. “So, yes…I love you. I
love you fiercely, wholly, selfishly and unselfishly, more than I ever fucking
should. I love everything about you, from your smile, to your perfect heart,
to the way your hair always slips from your ponytail when you’re running
or sparring and hides those eyes I’ve been enamored with since the moment
I first saw you. I love how you take every picture like it’s the only one
you’ll ever take, how you love like it’s simply a way of life, and how you
cook from your soul because it makes everyone around you so goddamn
happy. I love the strength you pulled from nothing, from bare bones and
rock bottom, and how you choose to dance through life with grace and
courage, finding music in every soundless shadow, when anyone else would
have laid down and died.” He choked out the last words, emotion catching
in his throat as his chest puffed with the weight of each breath. “Now…tell
me how that changes anything.”

3.25/5⭐️

I’m usually a fan of age-gap romances, but something about this one just wasn’t hitting for me. Even though this was supposed to be an emotional read and a slow-burn romance, the relationship itself felt like it was still lacking. I feel like their relationship still felt super surface level honestly, but I’m not entirely sure what was missing for me. Also, I feel like it was reiterated so often that they had an age-gap and their relationship was inappropriate, that really just killed the vibe and made me uncomfortable reading. Maybe this one just wasn’t for me and the writing style wasn’t my fav!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/🌶️🌶️🌶️ Older by Jennifer Hartman is trauma in book form. It is so heavy, and so so good. Halley meets Reed randomly at a party while she's trying to escape/forget her tragic home. There's definitely chemistry, until he finds out she's only 17. They go their separate ways, but run into each other again and again.. until one day it's at her best friend, Tara's, house.. because he's Tara's dad.

💙Age gap (17 yrs)
💙so. much. trauma.
💙Best friend's dad
💙Emotional damage
💙Secret romance
💙Forbidden/taboo

I throughly enjoyed this book and would love to read more from this author. Thanks to Betgalley and the publisher for this ARC

Un des derniers livres de Jennifer Hartmann que je n'avais pas encore lu, j'ai saisi l'opportunité de le découvrir car Older va être réédité par Bloom Books! J'ai eu un coup de cœur pour cette histoire d'age gap !
Halley va rencontrer Reed lors d'une soirée, lui mentir sur son âge sauf qu'il va finir par le découvrir et ne plus lui adresser la parole. Mais la vie en a décidé autrement...

J'ai tout simplement adoré cette histoire ! Alors oui, je peux comprendre qu'un age gap de 17 ans entre nos deux protagonistes peut déranger mais pourtant, Jennifer Hartmann nous offre une histoire magnifique, bien slow burn, pleine d'émotions et de justesse! Les personnages sont terriblement attachants et touchants, nous donnant envie de les prendre dans nos bras mais aussi de pleurer pour eux! J'ai aussi beaucoup aimé les personnages secondaires qui ne sont pas négligés! J'ai beaucoup aimé le développement de nos personnages mais aussi de leur relation ! Jennifer Hartmann est vraiment très douée pour nous offrir des livres riches en émotions!

En bref, un coup de cœur pour ce livre! Je croise vraiment les doigts pour qu'il soit traduit en France un jour!

Un des derniers livres de Jennifer Hartmann que je n'avais pas encore lu, j'ai saisi l'opportunité de le découvrir car Older va être réédité par Bloom Books! J'ai eu un coup de cœur pour cette histoire d'age gap !
Halley va rencontrer Reed lors d'une soirée, lui mentir sur son âge sauf qu'il va finir par le découvrir et ne plus lui adresser la parole. Mais la vie en a décidé autrement...

J'ai tout simplement adoré cette histoire ! Alors oui, je peux comprendre qu'un age gap de 17 ans entre nos deux protagonistes peut déranger mais pourtant, Jennifer Hartmann nous offre une histoire magnifique, bien slow burn, pleine d'émotions et de justesse! Les personnages sont terriblement attachants et touchants, nous donnant envie de les prendre dans nos bras mais aussi de pleurer pour eux! J'ai aussi beaucoup aimé les personnages secondaires qui ne sont pas négligés! J'ai beaucoup aimé le développement de nos personnages mais aussi de leur relation ! Jennifer Hartmann est vraiment très douée pour nous offrir des livres riches en émotions!

En bref, un coup de cœur pour ce livre! Je croise vraiment les doigts pour qu'il soit traduit en France un jour!

-Perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover, just not for me

I received an advanced copy of this deluxe edition (previously released) from NetGalley and jumped at the chance to read this because it already had great reviews from friends I trust. Unfortunately this didn’t work for me AT ALL. The story centers around an age gap (17 year old and her best friend’s dad.) Technically she was 18 before the relationship really took off but I felt a major ICK about this (and I loved the age gap in The Idea Of You.) I found the female just too young and naive, and the male too creepy and predator-ish. However, it was not poorly written and I was engaged enough to see the story through.

Would this age gap give you the ick?

4.5 stars, Jennifer Hartmann just has a way of writing these emotional books, that has you so invested in the characters. One night, at a lake outside a party, Halley has an encounter with a man named Reed, but she tells him she's 21, not 17. When he learns this, he leaves. Halley has had a hard upbringing and she's been abused until she's 17. When she gets out, she is able to go stay at her best friend's house with her and her mum, then everything changes for her. What Halley doesn't realise is that Reed she met at the party is her best friends dad. It's a slow burn with a lot of tension between Reed and Halley because they know they shouldn't be together. If you like taboo and age gap, you will definitely enjoy the story. Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for the copy of the book!

I ended up DNFing this book. I love Jennifer’s writing but this book just frustrated me. It didn’t feel like a romance at all. Reed really made me mad with the way he kept pushing the fmc away. I didn’t feel a connection to either of these character or between the two. It was less about romance and more about trauma. I just couldn’t push through to finish it.

This book was written in the best most addictive way possible! My jaw was on the floor for much of it! I loved this hot relationship status and it was so swoony and hot I could not contain myself! Emotional and smutty at the same time! READ THIS IMMEDIATELY

This book had me hooked right from the start, her writing is just so good. It had everything I love in an age gap/taboo romance: real emotion, intense chemistry, and that kind of tension you can feel in your chest. I was completely pulled in and ate up every bit of it. I cannot wait to read more of her books..

4 ⭐️ Age Gap, Forced Proximity, & Best Friend's Dad Romance for fans of Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas. If you read that book and need something else that's similar I highly recommend this one. Jennifer Harmann has such poetic writing with so many beautiful quotes.

The romance was an absolute slow burn filled with so much tension. If you are a fan of the Mr. Darcy hand touch scene then you're going to love the lingering glances and forced proximity in this.

Please check your triggers as there is some dark topics discussed ⚠️

I CONSUMED this book in three days. This book and the characters had me hooked from the very first page. Yes, this is an age gap romance (which may not be your thing, totally fine). But if that is your thing then I guarantee this book will be right up your alley. Halley and Reed meet in the beginning of the book and there is some questionable dalliance at the beginning when Halley is seventeen, but nothing else really occurs until the character is older. I think that helped me lean more into liking this book and their story- there was clear hesitation and conversations regarding the characters and their age gap- whereas I feel other books like this kind of just gloss over it. The plot was great, and I liked the conflict and how it was resolved. There were real problems, with real consequences, and then realistic resolutions. The character development was a tiny bit lacking, I'd have liked to see more, but it didn't ruin the story for me. This book is a little spicy as well, so kudos for that. #NetGalley #NetGalleyARC #ARC

This trope is usually my favourite, however I found it was really cutting close with my personal limit. They met when the fmc was 17 & as she’s the same age as the mmcs daughter, I really struggled to get past this! Unfortunately this wasn’t for me!

Whew. Older is the kind of book that grabs you by the soul—and other places—and doesn’t let go.

Jennifer Hartmann serves up an age-gap romance that is equal parts emotional wreckage and toe-curling tension. This isn't just a story about a younger man falling for an older woman—it’s about grief, guilt, healing, and unapologetic desire. And let me tell you, the chemistry? Off. The. Charts.

The angst? Delicious. The forbidden moments? So good they should be illegal. And the slow burn? Torturously perfect. Hartmann knows exactly how to drag you through the emotional dirt and then make it worth every single second with scenes that will have your heart racing and your Kindle overheating.

If you're into complex characters, heavy feels, and steamy scenes that leave you breathless, Older will wreck you—in the best possible way.