Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital ARC of Never Over.

Oh, my gosh. I wasn't expecting to like this book a much as I did. I've read another by her and it was fine, but THIS ONE! The word that comes to mind when I think about it is tender. Everything was handled with care and it wasn't fluff, but still fun, but also had depth. A perfect blend executed beautifully. I'm usually not a big fan of second chance romance because I feel whatever issue kept them apart was easily resolvable, but this one was more believable and just, like I said, very well done. I loved Liam. Loved loved loved. An easy 5 stars for me.

Wow.

Clare Gilmore has been getting better with every novel and Never Over really just hit it out of the park. Second chance romances, especially ones with past/present timelines, are usually a hard sell for me, but this one subverts all of the things I hate about that trope in the best way. Usually when an author is employing past/present timelines, they hold back information from the reader so that they can have some big explosion that parallels what’s happening in the present. This book doesn’t do that and I really appreciate it. You know why they broke up, you’re just along for the ride to find out why. I also find it really easy to resonate with the reason why they broke up, and you can find it extremely believable that these two people would want to find their way back to each other. A lot of other second chance romances have this huge betrayal that you could never understand why someone would want to come back from it. The betrayal in this book is something you can empathize with on both sides, which is SUCH a strength in this type of story.

Aside from all of that, this book is just so romantic. The way Liam and Paige love each other and have loved each other is just so good. Liam just wants the best for Paige. He wants her to see herself as the main character in her own story because that’s how he sees her. Paige wants Liam to be happy and comfortable. Their relationship just feels so healthy. Going into their second chance, they’re so clear with their communication, which is another good way this book subverts usual executions of this trope in my opinion.

I’m excited for whatever comes next from Clare Gilmore. This book made her an auto buy author for me!

Another amazing book by Clare Gilmore!!! As a Belmont grad and continuing Nashville resident, I loved the ties to Belmont and the Nashville music scene. It felt like a piece of home in book form. Gilmore perfectly described how sometimes we need a community just as much as a community needs us even if we can’t see it for ourselves. I appreciated the dual-timelines and the vulnerability that this perspective helped capture. Another 5 star read for me!

Paige and Liam’s story just might be my favorite from Clare Gilmore yet! Both Paige and Liam had their own emotional complexities to face individually that impacted their relationship, and I loved how Gilmore took the time to realistically address their feelings and experiences head on - both with themselves, their families, their friends, and most important, with each other.

Following Paige and Liam on tour across the country was such a fun backdrop for their fake-relationship, second chance, one bed only trope (IYKYK). With every stop on their journey, I cheered their growth, honestly, and growing renewed love for one another. Relationships aren’t easy, and but Gilmore shows that they can be very worth it - and that sometimes, the impact your love has ripples far beyond two individuals through art.

I absolutely ATE THIS UP.
The bantering, the right person wrong time, absolutely blew me out of the water. I loved the FMC, how incredibly strong her had been. The MMC was head over heels, and the smut was right ON!!
Will be recommending to everyone I know!!

I loved this! One of my favorite second chance mixed with music books I have read this year. The only thing keeping it from being 5 stars is that there was something missing from the present. It’s a shame it took them 4 years to speak again as their issues were easy to move on from once they spoke!! That being said, I flew through this and loved Paige and Liam together.

Clare Gilmore is such a bright spot. Never Over is her best work yet.

Paige and Liam ended their relationship four years ago. They come back to each other when Paige is desperate for inspiration.

I have a feeling this will be in my top five books of 2025. Read Never Over if you like:
🩵 Fake dating
🩵 Second chance romance
🩵 Music industry

Thanks so much to SMP and NetGalley for the eARC. Gilmore is an author to watch!

Second chance romance is not my favorite trope; however, I love Clare Gilmore’s writing and this book did not disappoint. This was a beautifully written, emotional story with multidimensional characters who tug at your heart strings. I definitely recommend.

By far my favorite Clare Gilmore book! The writing in this one was beautiful and I was hooked from the first chapter. I loved how fun and unique the story was and second chance will get me every time (when it's done correctly & this was definitely done right) Paige and Liam, my two cuties and new faves 🫶🏻 the communication and growth they showed throughout was everything. The epilogue made me cry and gave me goosebumps!! This was overall such a sweet and heartwarming story.

Thank you so much St. Martin's Press for the arc!

This book was absolutely beautiful. It made me feel so many emotions and I loved it. The switch back from the past to the present was perfect and I love Liam and Paige so much. It’s very clear how much they love each other and seeing their growth as people and in their relationship is beautiful. I think this is one of my favorite reads of the year!
Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book, I highly appreciate it!!

Paige Lancaster, una joven cantante y compositora, está a punto de cumplir su sueño de vivir de la música. Sin embargo, cuando un experto de la industria musical le sugiere que aún guarda emociones no resueltas de un viejo amor, Paige decide contactar a Liam Bishop, su exnovio, con una petición poco común: que la haga sufrir de nuevo para inspirar sus canciones.

A lo largo de dos meses, mientras comparten habitaciones de hotel y reviven su pasado, la tensión entre ellos crece, y la línea entre lo que es real y lo que está impulsado por la música se difumina. Ambos deben decidir si el arte es más importante que el amor verdadero.




No conecte con la historia y los personajes no terminaron de caerme bien.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

4 stars
This was such a sweet story! I really connected with the writing style and loved the open communication and vulnerability between the main characters. I also really liked the unique storyline—it felt fresh and engaging from the start. While it wasn’t quite a 5-star read for me—the immediate reconnection and strong feelings came a bit too quickly, which took away some of the depth and tension—I was still 100% rooting for Liam and Paige. The side characters were super likable too and added a lot of warmth and charm to the story. And that epilogue? EVERYTHING. A beautiful, heartwarming finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC

I enjoyed this rom com and getting to know Paige and Liam as they reconnected after 4 years apart. The plot works best if you can suspend reality for a bit and just enjoy the story. This one alternates between the present day and the past. The characters are well developed, and I was invested in them and the outcome. Liam was so sweet and a perfect swoon worthy MMC. The epilogue was my favorite part. I'm not a huge music person, and it really made me stop and think of the impact a song can have. I think this was mostly closed door if I remember correctly. I recommend adding this to your tbr in October!!

Tropes: forced dating, second chance romance

Listen I am a HUGE Clare Gilmore fan. All 3 of her romance books are top tier for me. She is delivering in all the feels and great characters with sweet stories of them falling in love. I loved both the past and present storylines in this one. Liam was such a great MMC. I loved the college baseball vibes and I loved her love of songwriting. The way Liam pursued her was so swoony. and although their reason for reuniting was a little cheesy, I think the very real way Liam handled it made up for it!

Also did I mentioned I stayed up until 3am to read this in one sitting?

I discovered Clare last year randomly while looking for romcoms, and it was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I read Love Interest & Perfect Fit, and now, Never Over has become my favorite one yet 🩷 Liam is the most beautiful, thoughtful & romantic guy I have ever read - and Paige is the most real, funny and lovely fmc. I will 100% re read this when the physical copy comes out.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH I CANNOT EXPLAIN IT. This has made Clare Gilmore an auto buy author for me. I will not shut up about this book. It's so good. Sobbing. On the floor. Read this. I will not stop recommending this book. 10/10 NO NOTES.

This book has my heart. I am never getting over this book. Right from the start I knew this was going to be a five star read for me. I love second chance romance books and this was written perfectly. It had me swooning. This has become my favorite Clare Gilmore book!! I am so in love and obsessed with this story.

Clare’s writing is full of so much emotion and her characters feel real. I love her writing. There were so many quotes I highlighted!

I adore Liam and Paige. Their growth and journey throughout the book was so beautiful and emotional. Getting to know how they first met (which was so cute) and seeing how they found each other again made my heart melt. The little things he’d do for her were everything. They’re perfect together. I feel like they’d find each other in every universe. I loved how vulnerable they could be with each other. To me they felt like they were each others home. Liam was so down bad and obsessed with Paige I loved it. It was wonderful to also see their personal journeys with family, friends, and their passions. They are special to me and one of my new favorite book couples.

This book is everything and I will forever recommend it. I took my kindle everywhere with me because I could not stop reading. Loved everything about it. I already can’t wait to reread this gem. I’ll be thinking about it all day.

The epilogue was absolutely beautiful. I was crying as I was finishing the last few pages.
It’s so beautiful how words, art, and things we create impact others in our lives in a positive way and hold so much meaning.

Thank you St Martins Griffin for the arc!

Clare Gilmore cooked with this one and I devoured it. I’m not even kidding, this book had me fully locked in from chapter one.

The whole “break my heart again so I can write better music” thing? Unhinged. But also so real. Paige and Liam’s energy is wild, but in the best way. You can feel the history between them in every scene, and the slow burn tension while they’re stuck sharing hotel rooms?? Had me spiraling.

Clare Gilmore just gets how messy and complicated love can be. It’s not just romantic tension either, there’s emotional depth here, and it hits hard. Paige figuring herself out as an artist and a person while navigating this rekindled relationship? It felt super relatable without being overly dramatic.

Also, the banter is elite. Not cringe or forced, just real, raw, and occasionally hilarious. I highlighted so many lines it’s embarrassing.

This is one of those books that stays with you. It’s not just a second-chance romance. It’s about timing, personal growth, and deciding what really matters. I already know I’ll be recommending this to literally everyone who asks me for a good read.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

Yes yes yes yes yes. Yes to healthy communication, no third act breakup, an ode to sisterhood. I am crying my eyes out kicking my legs in the air obsessed. I want to immediately start this book back over. I have been such a lover of all of Clare’s books but this just knocked it out of the park (intentional baseball pun). My heart is soaring. Paige and Liam are everything to me. The writing style in this was so beautiful I could just feel their love bursting through the pages. I can’t explain how much I adored this book.

I actually do not know how to put into words how much I loved it besides saying I LOVED IT I LOVED IT I LOVED IT. Truly the best open communication I have ever read between a couple in a romance book. The emotional maturity and self awareness of all characters made this book near perfection in my eyes. I know it is only April but I have a sneaky feeling this is going to be my favorite read of the year. I am pretty sure it has entered my top 5 favorites of ALL TIME. The longing, the yearning, the true love you could feel through the pages. It was the exact emotional devastation (positive connotation) I want from books. The side characters added so much substance to the story that never took away from the main couple, they only added to them. Paige made me feel so seen and Liam was simply impeccable. Clare knows how to write swoonworthy men, that's for sure. I sobbed my way through their original breakup, pulled myself together for the next 10 or so percent, and then SOBBED my way through the epilogue. It was ugly. My crying, not the epilogue. The epilogue was perfect.

I will be singing this book's praises now til the October release, and then October until the end of time!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's, and Clare for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.