I was so excited to read A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO FOREVER based on the description of the book. I loved the idea of a ‘mature’, career-driven FMC who begins a romance with a younger man.

Tropes
• Age Gap Romance
• Billionaire Romance
• World Traveling Romance (Italy, Africa, Maldives, London, New York, LA, Aspen, Etc.)

Listen, age gape romances usually aren’t my cup of tea, because traditionally it’s older MMC to younger FMC. I was excited to read the reverse, where the FMC was the older of the two. Where I think this story struggled was that fact, seemed to be the only area of conflict for this pair (and the book as a whole). In my opinion, far too much time and words were dedicated to Alessia commenting every two sentences about how much younger Hart was and how it never would work.

Instead of telling me how it wouldn’t work, the book should have taken the time to show me why it WOULD work. I wanted to buy into their relationship, but to be honest, it never really came together. The parts were there, the execution lacking.

I’m not sure if it was because I’d received an advance reader copy through NetGalley and the publisher, but I felt as though important parts of the storyline were cut in editing. Towards the end of the book, Alessia references that she and Hart had an important conversation about babies, but when I flipped back a few pages the last they said was ‘they’d talk later’. That later was never revealed to the reader other than a reference that they had fought about the baby discussion.

In my opinion, A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO FOREVER could have really benefited from being a dual POV story. I found myself in multiple places feeling the need to know Hart’s feelings on their relationship, and the story as told through only Alessia’s POV left something missing. This could have also helped with the miscommunication that seemed to happen left, right, and center through the story, because all I ever really heard from Hart was his unwillingness to talk about harder subjects and instead would dismiss Alessia’s concerns with things like- and I’m paraphrasing here… “Aren’t you enjoying our time together? Why do we have to label it? Or make big decisions about what we are now or in the future? Just trust me… Let’s keep on, keeping on.”

I’m sorry, but those responses and lack of communication, do make the MMC seem as immature as his age says he is and does make the reader doubt his capabilities to be a true partner to the FMC.

Overall, I did like the book, especially the few here and there times where faith seemed to come into the storyline. I also felt like I connected with Alessia and where she was in her life. Her struggles with getting older and trying to decide if she was going to wait for something that may never happen, or make it happen on her own. It was a very real struggle that I thought on its own was well handled. This book’s prose was unique, and I think held a lot of promise and I adored how it traveled all around the world.

A guide to forever❤️‍🩹

A beginner’s guide to forever is a new book by Kendall Ryan and I absolutely am so glad she’s writing again🙌

I enjoyed this story and the premise of it…young man falls for older woman, both at different stages of their lives but essentially fate keeps throwing them together☺️ My only complaint was that Alessia was so stuck in the stigma of their age gaps, that I feel she caused more harm than not at times. Luckily though, Hart was determined and confident enough to break through Alessia’s walls and brave enough to keep fighting for what he wanted….her❣️

I received an advanced copy via Netgalley and voluntarily leave my honest review❤️

Thank you to Kendal Ryan, Montlake and NetGalley for providing me with this arc!

It’s been a hot minute since I read anything by Kendall Ryan and the premise of this one sounded great - a reverse age gap between a career driven woman who thinks she’s nearing the end of her prime and a twenty-something billionaires son who doesn’t know what he wants from life.

While this one was a quick and fun read for me and I did enjoy reading about Alessia’s work project in Nairobi, the romance in the book fell flat for me.

The whole reverse age gap thing really intrigued me and honestly I think it would have worked better if Alessia was older! As someone in her early 30s, having to read about a 37 year old, apparently drop dead gorgeous, successful woman constantly calling herself old and past her prime and comparing herself ALL.THE.TIME to younger people around her was a bit demoralising. I get women are judged so much more harshly in these situations then men but honestly I think the only person who cared about the age difference here was Alessia (and maybe Hayes but he’s for the birds.)

Like I said, it was a quick and fun little read and I flew through it but I think a few things could have been done better.

We never really got to know Alessia and Hart outside of their jobs/family and I would have liked a bit more character development before the happily ever.

The Beginner’s Guide to Forever was fun in some ways, but overall, it didn’t fully click with me. I’m not usually a big fan of reverse age gap romances, so that probably played a part, but even setting that aside, I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Alessia and Hart as much as I wanted to.

That said, it worked well as a palate cleanser after heavier reads. It was light, fast-paced, and easy to get through, just not a story I’ll remember for long.

I have been reading Kendall Ryan books for several years and A Beginner's Guide to Forever was a different type of book than I'm used to from her. This seemed to be a more mature book and while it is tropes I've read many times, it didn't feel the same (in a good way!).

Alessia Moore is a 37-year old is working to establish a school for girls in Nairobi. She needs monetary backing for her non-profit and it is through a meeting that she meets 25-year old Hart Winthrop who along with his parents and their sizable bank account could make her non-profit dreams come true. While the chemistry between Alessia and Hart is undeniable, they are in very different stages of life.

Alessia wants to focus solely on work and getting the school up and running. She struggles with balancing a personal life with being successful in her professional life. When she meets Hart, she realizes that maybe she could have both, however the age difference is somethings she's not sure she can get past. Hart, on the other hand, is wise beyond his years and he is much more mature than many his age. The question is can he make Alessia see that they really can work?

I enjoyed this as Ryan did a wonderful job of painting a realistic picture of the areas they were at in Nairobi, along with the other places they traveled throughout the book. The locations almost became a character of their own. I do wish we had gotten to see more of the development of the relationship between Alessia and Hart. It felt very surface level versus understanding why it worked between them. Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend it.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Swoon! A Beginner’s Guide to Forever by Kendall Ryan was a sweet and swoony age gap romance that took my heart on an emotional journey. Alessia and Hart’s journey to HEA was full of stereotype-crushing and life-determining moments that had me cheering for these two to finally find true happiness together, no matter what! I admired Alessia’s passionate work ethic, but also related to her hesitancy and doubts when it came to Hart and his age. Hart was so damn dreamy, and I loved how he dug deep for the meaningful conversations, looked past Alessia’s age, and fell for her heart and spirit. The slow-burning chemistry between these two was so much fun and meaningful, and had me turning page after page.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of an opposites attract romance with a passionate globe-trotter working in nonprofits, a hunky billionaire son, an Italian meet-cute, deep conversations, moving on from past exes, flying to meet up, reliable besties, critical cousins, finding your passion, reverse age gap, love declarations, and a HEA that is a beginning to forever, then you will love Alessia and Hart’s story. I always look forward to more Kendall Ryan.

I really enjoyed this book. I love a good reverse age gap. I love that it was a fast read. I loved that it was more closed door. I loved that it held my attention and I was able to read it in one day. I loved that the characters had growth. I loved that it had depth beyond the superficial character. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

.I love reading books by Kendall Ryan and this one was no exception.

I enjoyed the pace of the story and I really engaged with the characters. I thought the chemistry between them was delicious. I love an opposites attract, forbidden romance and this book was right up my alley.

I recommend reading this book.

Sadly this book was not for me. I was surprised by the storyline and not in the good way. The age gap was a significant problem for me as the MMC I thought was very immature. I didn't feel a connection or a lot of chemistry between the characters. I thought their first meeting was kismet but then it went down hill from there.

what a great read! i haven't read anything by this author before and this was a pleasant surprise. i loved the writing and characters. the plot was intriguing and addictive. really fantastic read for the summer

This book-I have no words. So many lessons to be learned all told in a magnificent life/love story. Much deeper than I expected and so worth reading. Make this story your next read! You’ll be ever so glad you did!

This book was so good! In A Beginner's Guide to Forever, we meet Alessia Moore a woman in her mid to late thirties leading a nonprofit in Nairobi with the goal of opening a school for girls. That aspect of the story was what sold me on picking this up. What I didn't expect was how powerful some of this book truly was. Alessia struggles with her singleness and unexpectedly meets Hart one night while in Italy. The last person that Alessia expected to show up in Nairobi was Hart - having had no contact with him since the night they met. While Hart clearly is set on having Alessia's heart, she's worried with how the age gap between them will play out and appear to other people.

There was absolutely so much to this story that I loved. I really love Hart and Alessia together. The struggles that they faced were more than just surface level relationship issues. The appearance of their relationship could have legitimate impacts on her nonprofit's progress with the school in Nairobi. Overall, I loved the balance between the jet-setting luxury with the poverty stricken village. Kendall Ryan did a wonderful job with this story. There were some minor things that I didn't love - some of the side characters didn't feel as developed and complete as I would have liked. Also, I found this book to be on the shorter side. I would have loved more of this story.

In the first chapter of this story, Alessia quoted real author Richard Bach saying, "You've sacrificed your entire life to be who you are today. Was it worth it?" That one quote packs quite a punch. It stuck with me while reading this story, and it'll stay with me long after reading this story.

I enjoyed this amazing 5 star story. It was a page turning adventure. An age gap.

Alessia knows what she wants and it’s to help the kids in Africa. She also wants kids. Comes in a much younger, rich man, Hart. They embark on an adventure. Alessia is very conflicted about their age gap. Hart needs to convince her they are ment to be together.

I enjoyed this story very much. It was a different kind of story from this author. One I binged read in a few short hours. It was addicting and highly entertaining. Bottomline this is a must read.

Standalone told in a Alesia’s POV with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.

“He makes me feel things that I haven’t felt in ages—maybe ever.”

A Beginner’s Guide to Forever is a beautifully emotional story centered around two endearing characters, Alessia and Hart. Their easygoing charm and genuine connection made them a joy to follow. Though they clearly enjoyed each other’s company, Alessia grappled with the reality of their age difference and was determined not to burden Hart with her expectations for the future.

“You see me in ways that others don’t.”

As a reader, I found myself rooting for them to overcome their doubts and discover a path forward that honored them both. Alessia was clear-eyed about what she wanted in life—earnest, vulnerable, and full of quiet strength. She offered Hart something he had never known: the freedom to simply be himself, unburdened by the expectations that came with his prominent family background.

“With you I just get to be real. I get to be who I really am.”

Hart, for his part, was emotionally mature beyond his years, even if he stumbled now and then. Their flaws and missteps only made them more human—two fundamentally good people trying to navigate love and build something lasting.

“You are a breath of fresh air. The answer to a question I didn’t know I had.”

A Beginner’s Guide to Forever is a tender and hopeful journey, one that lingers sweetly long after the final page

Hart and Alessia are unexpected in this older women/younger man romance. Alessia is wanting to find her person and suddenly Hart shows up. He's young and really hot. She meets him then the next day goes off to Africa to her non profit job. Fast forward 6 months, she meets the stranger again and falls for him. As she tries to navigate her life, being older and liking a young man she gets in her head but sweet handsome Hart helps her out. I loved how impowered he made Alessia feel. Love the age gap reversal.

Alessia Moore, a thirty-seven-year-old powerhouse at the helm of a nonprofit in Nairobi, is tirelessly working to build a school for girls. Professionally, she’s thriving, attracting investors to support her mission. But her love life is nonexistent, and she’s starting to wonder if the one even exists for her.

When she meets Hart Winthrop, the twenty-five-year-old son of a billionaire investor poised to support her foundation, she’s unprepared for the pull she feels. Hart is confident, intelligent, and charming. But there are issues—he’s too young for her, and getting involved with him could jeopardize everything she’s worked for.

As fate takes them across the globe—from glamorous cities to hidden corners of the world—what begins as a forbidden fling grows into something neither of them expected, leaving Alessia to wonder…Should she break her own rules for a chance at something real?

A Beginner's Guide to Forever is a cute and fairly quick read about Alessia, the head of a non-profit working on projects around the world to help others and Hart, who comes from a wealthy family and is an investor. They meet one night by chance, and then fate throws them together some time later when Alessia is looking for an investor for her project in Africa, and Hart's family is the investor. Hart seems instantly smitten and invites Alessia to meet him all aroung the world so they can spend time together. Alessia is more hesitant, concerned about their fairly significant age gap and the probablility that they are at very different stages in their lives.

I liked Alessia's determination to bring good to the world. I liked Hart's persistence in seeking Alessia out and arranging time to spend together. Having said that, I didn't really get a feel for why they liked each other. Their connection didn't feel substantial to me. In addition, it didn't feel completely realistic that they could both just jet set whenever they wanted to meet up. I did enjoy that the author chose a story line that was unique in terms of Alessia's work. I did find myself skimming here and there as the story line didn't keep me wholly invested at all times. Overall it was an ok read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun romance novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Alessia is working on her organization, helping to educate girls on underdeveloped areas, her work is her life, she is always on the go, from her place to LA, where she barely stays in, up to Africa in order to establish a new school, she doesn't have time for a new relationship especially after how her last one ended.

Hart is a billionaire whose work takes him all over the world, he and Alessia seems to always bumping into each other no matter where they are located.

Alessia is ten years older than Hart which makes her hesitant to start a relationship with him, seeing as she is so ready for the next step but he might not be.

I loved how Alessia is older and knows what she wants, with an already established business.

I enjoyed all the traveling they did and how they were forming slowly a relationship but I wish they didn't have so many back and forth, they were always one step forward two back and that didn't give them time to spend together and see them in a daily basis.



* I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.

Just magical and so well written. A book you can fall into and fall in love with! The characters and story are absolute perfection and something everyone needs to pick up and fall head over heels for.