4.25 stars! This was really good!! I love how much depth both Paige and Liam had. I could feel so deeply how much they cared and genuinely wanted the world for each other. Their undying support for one another and their passions in life literally made me so emotional. The relatability in this book about feeling so much uncertainty about your future in your twenties. An figuring out what you truly want to do vs what people may expect of you. The way the MCs faced unprecedented setbacks that altered the course of their lives and delt through those feelings to refind their path made this feel so real!! I also really enjoyed the family dynamics and how they impacted the MCs! It made me think so much about the way things in your life unfold and how some things have to go the way you don’t want or expect to get you where you’re supposed to be. The discussion of music and art in this book was beautiful! The epilogue made me emotional!! I would absolutely recommend this if you enjoy second chance, music discussion and a story about navigating life and relationships in your twenties!

It's another stellar novel by Clare Gilmore! This is the third book of hers I've read and it might just be her best one yet.

Clare has a gift for storytelling and creating compelling characters. Liam and Paige are no exception. From the first chapter, I was hooked, When I first heard that Never Over would contain dual timelines, I thought it might be difficult to keep track of the story, but Clare proved me wrong! The flashbacks are masterfully placed at exactly the right moments in the book. As a result, watching the way Paige and Liam develop is like watching a seed grow and mature into a flower. Their relationship felt so real.

Another thing I appreciated was the attention to detail. I knew quite a bit about baseball, but next to nothing about bands and touring. By the end of the book, I felt like I'd been along on a long road trip with Paige and Liam.

I wish the book was longer, but all stories must eventually come to an end.

5/5 stars!

Thank you to st Martins and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Perfect Fit” by Clare Gilmore was a standout 5 star romance for me last year, so I was highly anticipating the author’s follow-up. So did I just read another amazing novel? Sure did!

Paige Lancaster is a songwriter looking to make her big break. Liam Bishop is the boy that broke her heart 6 years ago, and was the inspiration for her creating the one song of her’s thats raw and full of emotion. Paige needs to write more songs like that, so she decides she’ll just have to find Liam and convince him to make her fall in love with him again…for creativity reasons, nothing more.

*** Second chance romance
*** Dual timelines
*** First love
*** Undeniable passion

This book was so beautiful. I normally don’t love dual timelines but this was executed perfectly. And that epilogue??? Grab a tissue box!

I will buy anything that Clare writes going forward!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Clare Gilmore, and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this! Clare Gilmore manages to cover difficult and complex topics while also having a heartfelt and chemistry filled romance with fun musical aspects.

Never Over follows Paige and Liam in a past and present time line covering their love story and growth as people. In the present, Paige needs something to inspire her songwriting like her ex-flame Liam did in the past, so why not go straight to the source? Liam- a former baseball star- is now a concert manager and will soon be traveling with a touring artist. When Paige impulsively asks if he can date her to break her heart again, she finds herself in a reluctant agreement with Liam and traveling with him on tour. The story then follows them in a dual time line between when they first fell in love and when they are together again years later with boundaries that are begging to be crossed.

I really liked these characters, not only Liam and Paige, but our side characters as well. I especially liked Paige’s relationship with her sisters. I am not usually a fan of dual time lines, but I think this one was done really well. I also think Paige and Liam had great chemistry in both the past and present, and knew how to communicate, too. I did feel like, because they were good communicators, that the conflict that kept them apart was easily solvable. However, I also understand that they needed time apart to grow into themselves as individuals.

All in all, I really liked this. If you are looking for a sweet, second-chance romance, this one is for you. I definitely recommend!

*I will post on my social closer to pub date

Clare Gilmore never disappoints me! This book was so near and dear to me and I absolutely ate up everything about it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Never Over" by Clare Gilmore is an absolute masterpiece! The engaging storyline, compelling characters, and emotional depth make it a page-turner from start to finish. Gilmore's writing style is captivating, drawing readers into every scene with vivid detail and heartfelt emotions. A must-read that lingers long after the last page!

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced copy through NetGalley-opinions are my own!

Wow. This book was absolutely everything. Clare Gilmore is officially an auto-buy author for me. I absolutely adore her writing style, and how real and raw her characters feel.
Never Over had big shoes to fill, in my opinion, since Clare's previous book Perfect Fit instantly became one of my all time favorites, but, somehow, this one is ever better.

Paige has always felt unseen—lost in the chaos of her big family (she's the youngest of 5 sisters), and living in her best friend's shadow-until Liam came along. He saw her talent, believed in her, and changed everything... including breaking her heart. Years later, Paige has a shot at her dream, but it means facing the boy who once meant everything.

Told in dual timelines, this story beautifully captures the highs and lows of first love, heartbreak, and the kind of growth that only time-and the right person-can bring.
Paige and Liam's journey is messy, tender, and real, and watching them fighting their own demons in order to find their way back to themselves and each other is deeply, deeply moving.

I can't recommend this book enough! I feel honored that I got to read it before it's out in the world.

Really enjoyed. The writing is so well done and the characters so thought out. Appreciated how the characters matured.

On the surface, this book seemed to be a light-hearted second-chance, fake-dating romance. But no, this book has so much depth and soul and is about two people who were clearly meant to be but were momentarily separated by life and stubbornness, and now, they find their way back to each other again.

Paige was often overlooked and invisible, defined by being the youngest of 5 sisters and having a popular best friend, until she met Liam, who saw her as someone with so much musical talent and potential and became a sort of catalyst for her life and her greatest heartbreak. Now, she is finally presented with a chance to fulfill her dreams and to have something of her own, but she has to reunite with the person who broke her heart.

This book follows Paige as she attempts to get her inspiration back in her music to sign with a label/producer, but it really focuses on Paige and Liam's relationship through the past and present timelines: before their breakup and 4 years after when they reunite, and how each of their lives were permanently altered by each other. They learn about what it's like to be partners in a relationship, where the other person is your rock but can also be someone who pushes you to be your best self and to reach your full potential. Liam also goes through some life changing events that he never sees coming and is burdened by his own expectations for himself. It was nice to see how they both grow throughout the book and through time and compare their previous relationship to the current one.

The epilogue is phenomenally written and is one of the most beautiful things I've read in a long while. I won't spoil it, but it was so touching and just everything you want in an ending for these characters that I had come to root for.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was extremely cute and I read it in just one day! This story is following Paige Lancaster, youngest daughter of five girls and usually the one left out or behind. As a budding songwriter, she gets the opportunity to be signed but is encouraged to revisit her songs and rewrite them with more feeling and depth: the problem is that her biggest source of inspiration is the heartbreak she felt four years ago when she and Liam Bishop called it quits after a passionate relationship with each other. In an attempt to gain inspiration, she gets Liam to agree to date and break her heart all over again.

There is a lot more to this story, but that’s a good basis to go by. This story is told in a dual timeline which adds more context to Paige and Liam’s history together while they navigate the present and their undeniable feelings toward each other. I think the present timeline lacked something for me—maybe the way it felt a little more rushed instead of a slow burn? But with the past being shown, it does make sense, just not my personal favorite storyline. Paige and Liam were easy to root for, and their romance was quite compelling. Liam especially is swoooonworthy.

Gilmore also has a sense of humor that really aligned with my own and I found myself giggling at the jokes which is something I didn’t often do while reading so props to her on being funny.

And I have to point out that the epilogue NAILED it. I felt so emotional. Music is such a powerful source and I loved how Gilmore portrayed how far music goes—and how far love travels.

This was such a cute read and I recommend it for any lovers of music and emotional love stories.

This was a very enjoyable read. I loved the alternating timelines because it gives the reader a look at Paige and Liam following in love twice, at two different times in their lives.

And the epilogue, I loved the epilogue. Romance endings don’t always stand out to me but I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Clare Gilmore's conviction in bringing emotional honesty to the surface is unparalleled and absolutely inspirational in this genre. The characters are unabashedly communicative about their needs and this is refreshing and astonishing to read in a romance, which usually relies on beloved (but perhaps overly relied upon) tropes. Gilmore's previous books, Love Interest and Perfect Fit, were also stunning examples of this, and Never Over is no exception, though it is exceptional. The tension carried throughout despite having all the knowledge in your hands, in between the characters, this is the way you deliciously edge a reader into completion. I absolutely can't wait for audiences to devour Gilmore's newest book.

I know, each time, that Clare is going to tear me open and then stitch me back up; I go to it willingly because it hurts so pretty.

This is no exception. Every new story Clare gives us is raw and clever and funny and earnest. Her characters are real and genuine, her storylines tender and heartfelt.

I could not fault Paige or Liam for the things that tore them apart any more than they could fault each other (by which I mean I did, and then I didn’t) - and oh how sweet it was to watch them find their way back.

We said bring back yearning and Clare was like “what do you mean ‘bring back’, it has been here the whole time”

I laughed out loud at inside jokes. I did that weird shaky inhale thing you do when you’re not quite sobbing but you know it’s coming. I did actually sob. I kicked my feet in glee. I clutched them to my heart and felt them deeply.

Beyond their (all-encompassing, sweeping, consuming) love story, there is the creation and dissolution of friendships and families. There are career changes and baby steps and blind, terrifying leaps. And through it all, there is a hand reaching out to hold on to yours and say: I love you as you are, and I will love you as you will be.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Upon starting, I was hooked; the two main characters had chemistry, I was unable to set it down, and I enjoyed the writing. I felt that the story concluded in a very satisfying way, all of the plot lines were resolved, the characters had proper development, and the story had a satisfying ending. However, I would argue that the pacing was a bit fast. I enjoyed how everything started regarding the set-up, situation, and personalities of the characters. Given the background of the characters, it was understandable on their progression of the relationship and the predictament. The main characters' relationships spiraled incredibly fast after. I would give this book an overall of 4.5. The writing was fantastic and easy to grasp, the ending was satisfying, and the story avoids usual romance cliches, which allows for lack of predictability.

This is exactly what you expect in the best way.
Telling the story with vingttets from the past and slowly giving us their story is perfection.
Liam has been my favorite mmc of the year so far and I cannot wait to have a physical copy in my hands and on my shelf.

Loved! Clare Gilmore can do no wrong in my eyes - this book was adorable and perfect for summer. If you love a second chance romance, music, and dialogue you'll want to highlight in almost every chapter this one is for you!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book! I have read and loved a few Clare Gilmore books and this one was my favorite of hers yet. I am a mega fan of second chance romance and this one was just perfection. The book has celebrity romance vibes since it is centered around the music industry but the characters feel more normal since the FMC, Paige, is a songwriters trying to make it big. On the heels of graduating from Belmont with a degree in songwriting, she is offered a conditional contract if she can rework the lyrics to her songs. She realizes the last time she wrote great lyrics was with Liam, the one that got away.

She tracks Liam down and asks him to date her so she has write better music. He agrees and they travel the country on tour for his job. Their relationship gains momentum and they realize that maybe their love never went away after all. The book also has some moments that are written 4 years prior and give great context to the relationship, I just loved Liam and Paige and this one gave me all the warm fuzzies. Five stars for sure!

4.5 stars
This was such an emotional and well-balanced read. The two main characters met when they were in college, and we get a dual timeline of what has happened between them and why they broke up the first time. I think it is very hard to get a second chance right, but this book did it hands down. The 2 characters had such depth, explaining more about their background and what made the relationship challenging, and how the first time they were together impacted them as people.
I wish there was a bit more talking about their relationship in the beginning, but I understand how the dual timeline brought things together at the end.
This book was an amazing second chance romance, and I would really recommend to those who love second-chance romances, but also those who are a little bit more picky about their reads in this category.

I just loved this story. Told alternately between current day and four years before, it is a beautiful story of love and trust, music and following your heart and your passions.

💞 Single POV (First person)
💞 Past/Present timeline - which works surprisingly well
💞 Man down BAD for his woman
💞 Character driven
💞 SPICY
💞 Second Chance
💞 Fake/Not Fake Dating - it makes sense if you read it

Y'all!!! This book right here is so good. Like really, really good.

I always worry a second chance, especially one where we bounce between now and then, is going to be a struggle for me. Clare Gilmore does an excellent job of keeping you right on the edge while also feeding you just enough of what you want to keep the story going.

We get the entire book from the FMC's perspective. This is highly important given the way things play out (no spoilers) between her and the MMC, as well as all of the people overlapping their lives.

Our FMC, Paige, is the youngest of five girls. Each interaction feels so authentic between her and her siblings. By the end you can feel the growth and change for each on the page.

Liam, our MMC, is also a youngest child, which they quickly bond over. His relationship with his family is different - more strained due to REASONS.

Paige and Liam had a *thing* back in the day. Life happened, which led to them breaking up. When Paige realizes the only truly beautiful song she's written was after their separation, she decides having him break her heart again is the best way to find the magic again.

This is where I'm going to drop some spoilers for those who need it. <spoiler> They get spicccyyyy both in the past and the present for this book. During the separation they are with other people. In fact we see what some might consider the OW on the page befriending the FMC. It isn't don't badly, though I was startled by it because of how adamant Liam was about Paige being it for him. The man has it BAD for her either way. Plus there's no drama there. It's honestly barely a mention, but dropping for #safetysquad folks. </spoiler>

ANYWAY, back to the program. The couple in this book is so real. They're flawed and they grow, both apart and together IMO. It took me by surprise how I could not put this book down. I flew threw it because I HAD to know how it ended.

The Epilogue.... just grab your tissues now. I mean, I wasn't bawling but WHEW, the author really wrapped things up in such a unique and beautiful manner.

Read this if you like Hannah Bonham Young's heartfelt stories + Tarah DeWitt's character development + Becka Mack's Carter-level obsession in Consider Me.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin), and Clare Gilmore for the chance to review this eARC.