Jennifer Hartmann is a must read author for me! Well this book was not my favorite of hers it still had its moments. The age gap was a little too much for me but also the fact that it was Halley’s friends dad. Halley had a really hard childhood growing up and it was sad to see how she didn’t want to trust people because of it but eventually she lets Reed it. Also Tara is a saint for accepting their relationship.

“Why won’t you evaporate into thin air, float into somebody else’s atmosphere, and let me finally breathe without choking on the idea of you?”

A gripping, forbidden romance!!

This pulled on my heartstrings, broke me and put me back together; my god, the angst and tension between Halley and Reed was so intense and tangible! All their stolen moments, touches, the sneaking around, I loooved it, in fact, I wanted more of it!

I can’t believe that this is my first Jennifer Hartman book. I have still beating on my TBR which I’ve been meaning to read for the longest and I know that’s very different to this, but I’m also glad that I had started with this first, though!

I was so captivated by Jennifer’s writing and storytelling, it was beyond gripping and emotionally evoking, and I love that in an angst romance!

Tropes

Forbidden romance
Age gap (17 years) 19/36
Secret relationship
Slow burn
Single dad
ALL the angst

I love JH's books. I've read several and before now, I haven't come across one I didn't absolutely fall in love with. Also before now, I thought I didn't have any literary triggers. Turns out that I do, and this was it. I love a good age gap story, but this one was just too much and she was too young for me. Some people are still really going to love this book—many already do. For my mental health, though, I just couldn't do it. 3 stars for the writing because I still love her writing.

Absolutely an amazing and incredible story! It’s full of angst but keeps you in your feels right where you need to be. And as an 80s baby who grew up primarily in the 90s I was loving all the little mementos in the story to the songs and other mentions. It was so very reminiscent.

Halley has had a rough go of life but she’s lucky to have found Tara and her family - most of all Reed. Even though everything is so wrong it’s also just so right between them. Reed is truly just this good guy she’s never had in her life and this healing piece she’s always needed.

The timing and pace of the book is perfection. There’s progression through years that is needed to move along as they all grow and change. It’s just so beautifully written and the emotions are right there on the cusp the whole time.

I just was so in love with the story and the characters and all the little pieces. Even the hurt of it was all worth it in the end.

4/5
Jennifer Hartmann has always been an auto buy author for me. I've loved every single one of her previous books and this one was no exception.
I love the age gap and how she handled it. The forbidden aspect is so well done and i'm a sucker for that trope.
Reed and Halley were perfect for each other. While he's much older than her, i found their dynamic to be pretty balanced and well done. Their first meeting was really something else and while they had all odds against them, they fought for their love.
Whitney was a great side character. She surprised me a lot and i'm happy with how she was written.
Such a gret read!

Older is a standalone romance novel written by Jennifer Hartmann

*Age gap romance
*On page child abuse
*Best friends father

Another amazing novel from Jennifer Hartmann that features a non-traditional relationship. I love an age gap romance, combine that with the best friend’s dad trope, so good!!

The only thing I had troubles with was the daughter/best friend, I understand fully why she felt, and acted, the way she did, I was just surprised it took her two years to accept that the main characters truly loved each other. She couldn’t figure it out by how they talked and acted with each other, but looking at a years old scrapbook did the trick?!?! Just a little weird.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: Halley (FMC) & Reed (MMC)

Forbidden romance…taboo…age gap…

I had to try it!
She meets him and lies about her age, says she is 21 but she is really 17. To make it even more complicated her best friend is also his daughter.

This one has some heavy topics like child abuse. But we do get a HEA and lots of spice!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC!

HOLY FUCKING HELL!!! Jennifer, what are you doing to me?? This book was so freaking good. The slowest of slow burns, the angstiest of angst.. like I can't.

This book is told over the span of like 5 years?? So we get bits and pieces of their lives. Typically I'm not a fan of jumps in books and I would want more, but I trusted the vision on this and it works so well.

IDK how to explain it, but this book rooted itself deep in my marrow. I was completely sucked into these characters and their world. Absolutely loved this book sm.

This was so much more than a forbidden romance between a best friend's dad.

Halley grew up with an abusive father. He was mentally, verbally, and physically abusive to her. On a night when she is forced to sleep in the cold garage, she sneaks out and attends a random street party to get her mind off of things. She's alone at this party until she finds herself in the company of Reed. The two hit it off, but before anything could happen her age is revealed (17). Repulsed by what he was about to do Reed leaves.

Shortly after Halley nearly escapes death at the hands of her father and runs to her best friend's house. Because of this, Whitney (Tara's mom) takes her in. Now living with her best friend, she is safe. Until Tara's father moves back to town, the same man she almost slept with at that party. However, they keep their distance from each other and as time goes by, they develop a friendship.
Reed and Whitney have been divorced for years, but they have a really healthy and mature relationship.

After the abuse Halley has suffered, she wishes to be strong again. And due to an incident in Reed's past, he teaches self defense classes. So she asks him to train her. Which he declines her request because he knows being around her like that is temptation waiting to happen. However, he agrees to help her, but eventually the intimacy around helping her is too much.

The pull between these two was insane. Most moments had me on the edge of my seat with anticipation of are they going to finally give in and when they do give in, will they get caught??

How will these two work out?? Will they be able to keep their relationship a secret forever?? Will her best friend forgive her??

HUGE thank you to Bloom Books are Netgalley for an eARC of this. I highly recommend!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for the arc of this book. I already love this author so I went into this blind without reading the summary. This book has a lot in it, age gap, best friend's dad, forbidden love, secret relationship and found family. This book is well written. This book was fairly fast paced and hooked me from the start. I read this book in one sitting. If you enjoy this book make sure to read some of Jennifer Hartmann other books.

Jennifer Hartmann makes me like tropes and themes that sometimes I think that I shouldn't . She pushes the envelope in ways that have me pulling for couples that are very non conventional but also couples that have totally won my heart. This is a pretty big age gap romance. Circumstances and how she writes their pure longing come to create a romance that I can't put down. I will definitely keep low key torturing myself with her books. lol

I absolutely love Jennifer Hartman. She gets me every time. This book was well worth the read if you haven’t read it, please do.

4.5 stars.

I completely disregarded my TBR to start reading "Older" by Jennifer Hartmann as soon as it hit my inbox. I am pleased to say that I am happy with that decision. Hartmann sure knows how to craft angst and pining! She takes these expertly crafted, complex characters full of darkness, trauma, and sadness and makes them new again. Her ability to write these beautiful, lovelorn, heartbreaking, soul-shattering compelling stories is second to none. Hartmann draws readers in, gets them sucked into the drama and the pain, only to patch them up and make them whole again with her delicate prose. I was thrilled to read Halley and Reed's stories. Some readers will have a difficult time overcoming the age gap and the forbidden aspects of this romance, which is valid, but if you've read Hartmann's other works, these tropes won't come as a surprise. The tension and instant connection between these two sucked me into their story, but it's the yearning (and let's be real, the taboo), that kept me reading. Halley's strength in overcoming her horrific upbringing was like a gut punch. She starts as a meek, timid, scared character and eventually evolves into a strong person with the tools to fight off even the worst demons. Reed is a protector above all else. There's nothing he wouldn't do for the people he loves... and that includes Halley. Their slow-burning, moth-to-a-flame type of connection makes this book worth it. I have read four of Jennifer Hartmann's books, and I can honestly say all four of them are winners, "Older" included. What a terrific book that I highly recommend reading. Please check the TWs before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Hartmann, and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Jennifer Hartmann can do no wrong. The ANGST in this one!! I loved the time frame of being set in the 90's- everything was so relatable with the music, fashions, etc. The instant connection, BEST FRIENDS DAD?? Honestly there was so much hurt and heartache but beautiful writing as always.

"Older" by Jennifer Hartmann is a classic age gap, forbidden, slow burn romance and it delivers.

Halley meets Reed outside of a party. A chance encounter. She was just 17 and he had no idea.

Halley becomes best friends with a girl in town and who is her father? Reed. The chance encounter she fell hard for.

The chemistry between Halley and Reed was unmatched. There were a couple of things that could be considered cringeworthy, but overall, what a great romance.

A chance encounter between Reed and Halley leads to an instant, soul crushing connection. But as the truth about their age difference comes to light, along with the fact that Reed is Halley’s best friend’s dad, the only friend she has, it becomes clear any relationship between them is next to impossible.

“My own scar pulses like it was drawn to hers, like we were in some sort of secret club together. A partner in pain. A companion in violence. Two warriors braving the storm, hand in hand.”

This is my first Jennifer Hartmann book, and unfortunately for her and for other writers in this genre, she has now set the bar incredibly high with this one. While I do tend to love a good age gap/forbidden love story already, primarily for the angsty nature it brings with it, this book is on another level. As in, the moment I finished reading, I had to force myself not to turn around and reread it immediately (does this happen to anyone else? No? Just me?)

From page one, I was completely immersed, not just in our MC’s potential relationship, but in each of their own stories and past traumas. Their connection is profound - in fact it pretty much jumps off the page at you. While each of our characters admit to a strong pull to one another, it was hard, as a reader, not to have a strong emotional connection to them too. This slower burn to the romance gives us time to get to know Reed, Halley and all of the supporting characters (including Ladybug, one of my faves) in depth, which in turn helps to ratchet up the emotional pull. The steam was perfection, never overdone, and never overpowering the story.

This is, in every way, my perfect read - flawed characters you can’t help but root for, a love story that is as broken as it is beautiful, and a book that will stay with you long after you’ve read the final page.

I want to leave you with this - this book will not be for everyone. It toes the line around age of consent and incorporates a pretty significant age gap between the MCs. However, if you are someone who enjoys these elements, or are a reader who loves amazing angst and deep pining and has an open mind to situations beyond the typical, I think you will really enjoy this one.

Read if you like:
▪️forbidden love
▪️age gap romance
▪️secret relationship
▪️all the angst
▪️forced proximity
▪️single dad
▪️tragic past

Thank you Bloom for the gifted copy.

This book was fun. I loved how the writing conveyed the beauty of chance encounters, and I felt the weight of fate’s cruelty as the story unfolded. I was stunned by the twist when the narrator’s best friend revealed that Reed was her father—it added such a complex layer to the story. I found myself wrestling with the implications, questioning how the characters would navigate this revelation, and feeling deeply for everyone involved. I appreciated how the story explored themes of healing, love, and complicated relationships in such a poetic and gripping way. I found myself reflecting on how chance moments can change our lives, for better or worse, and how we reconcile what we want with what we cannot have. The emotional depth of the story resonated with me, and I felt immersed in the characters’ struggles
.
Overall, I thought this book was powerful and beautifully written. It’s a story that challenged me emotionally and left me thinking about its themes long after I closed the final chapter. I would recommend it to readers looking for something raw, heartfelt, and unforgettable.

4.5

This was one of my most anticipated releases and it did not miss! I absolutely eat up everything Jennifer Hartmann writes, her stories are so compelling and so down to earth while also having that forbidden side that I love! I really enjoyed how this entire story is set in the 90s, the settings and nostalgic aspects are so well written and really unique to the story! I loved Reed so much. His character stuck out to me in this book from the beginning. How he treated everyone in his life and protected them made me swoon so hard for this man. The relationship he had with Halley and the way their slow burn melts is so toe curling and exciting I couldn’t put this book down! It’s how I am with all of Hartmann’s books. I am so glad I got to experience this story, the quotes and lessons and found family in it are some of my favorite. For sure a new favorite of the year! It’s out today, check triggers!

What if the stranger you meet on a beach, with whom you feel an undeniable attraction, turns out to be your best friend’s father and is twice your age?

Halley’s life has been anything but easy. With an abusive father and an alcoholic mother, she’s never experienced what it’s like to be more than a burden to those around her. That changes when she meets him. He brings her a sense of joy and comfort that she has never known, even though they both understand that pursuing anything further would be crossing a line.

This novel is not just about a forbidden romance with an older man. It’s about finding stability and discovering one’s worth, especially for a young woman who has had to navigate life without parental support. The conclusion was particularly satisfying, tying everything together in a way that felt complete and heartfelt.

Jennifer is an auto buy author for me I have loved everything she writes and loved this one too. I was sold from the first page. I love their chemistry and attraction and slow build and the angst and forbidden, excellent execution ! I really like also how the ending with the space between them is really what the two of them needed (even though it hurt my heart bit) but very believable rather than a quick makeup. Overall a solid 4 stars from me, thank you!

-age gap
-forbidden love
-best friends dad
-angsty

i will say this every single time, jennifer hartmann knows how to write angst and tension and she knows how to write it BEAUTIFULLY!!! this book kept me on my toes & had me biting my nails i was feeling so anxious at certain points!!

halley has a tragic past and has no one in her corner so when she meets reed at a house party and finally feels seen things move quick from there. she does lie about her age so once reed realizes the truth he creates some distance.

the angst in this one is unmatched. the tension and longing was palpable and it’s clear how much they both want eachother but want to stay away. i loved seeing halley grow more confident in herself and loved that reed was able to help her with that through self defense lessons.

since reed is halley’s best friends dad there was bound to be some drama and it had me feeling anxious for it the whole book especially once they took things to the next level. i did feel like everything resolved fairly quickly on page and wish we got to see a bit more of them figuring it out together but overall i still had a great time. and the epilogue was so cute!!

if you’re in the mood for a great age gap & something SUPER angsty, i would highly recommend this one

*please check triggers*