Always

by Sarah Jio 
Pub Date 07 Feb 2017

Don't bother with this one.. it is so full of romantic stereotypes I almost stopped reading it. At 22% I debated how far I had to read a book to properly review it. Kailey is engaged to "prince charming" (her girlfriend even calls him that). It is vomit-inducing sickly sweet line after line. Soooo unbelievable. There is nothing wrong with this guy. Their relationship has absolutely no substance. Their only fight is that her stance on an opinion piece for the newspaper contradicts his job as a city planner type. But it's not actually a fight- he encourages her journalism and she wishes him luck when he goes into meetings. If these were truly passions for either of them, there would be at least a little conflict. So then she meets her long lost love who is a direct foil to her fiancé. He's homeless, doesn't remember her, is difficult to track down. Cue the flashbacks to her old life with this man. Through the flashbacks, the ending is so glaringly obvious there's no possibility for an alternate twist. Ugh. I read this whole book so that I could warn you not to read it. 2 stars (only because I find it extremely difficult to give 1 and 5 stars)

Wow! What a beautiful story! I read this book awhile ago and totally forgot to write a review, but the story is still fresh in my mind. Always by Sarah Jio is such an unforgettable story that will definitely touch the reader's heart. I found myself glued to the couch, wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Always is presented in past and present fashion that I have always liked. I feel this adds depth to the story by bringing the past to the front while still continuing on with the present. I really enjoyed the story line, and the characters were well-written and believable. My only complaint is that I wish the book would've been longer!

Sarah Jio fans know that her books stick in your head for a long time after you have devoured them. They embrace the reader and sweep you into the story every time! Always is definitely another favorite to add to my collection, and I highly recommend it to my bookish friends.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of Always in return for my honest review.

Seeing an old friend randomly is often a happy coincidence, but seeing an ex boyfriend... eh, that's a mixed bag. Kaily Crane is shocked when she sees her ex boyfriend, Cade, for the first time in ten years. Cade, once a successful businessman, is now homeless, barely recognizable, and doesn't seem to remember Kaily. "Always" follows Kaily's life as she tries to help Cade while balancing her relationship with her fiance, her friendships, and her career. Will it all come toppling to the ground? And if it does, would that be worth having the love of her life again?

Enjoyable, at times, main character
While I struggled with reading this book at times, I did really enjoy components of the main character, Kailey. She genuinely seemed like a good hearted person who wanted the best for her ex boyfriend, Cade- which I admire. Her concern for him, and the homeless community at large, is admirable in fact, and I enjoyed reading her point of view. I did not, however, appreciate her dishonesty towards her fiancee, Ryan. While it might've been difficult to tell the truth of the situation to Ryan, the author presents him as a kind and caring person and it seemed as though he would've been happy to help Cade. Kailey's dishonesty, sneaking behind her Ryan's back to help and spend time with an ex boyfriend, felt like a betrayal, and made me really dislike Kailey. It felt like an important part of this book was me buying into the relationship between Kailey and Cade, and rooting for them whether friends or more, and that was difficult for me to do. Kailey's choices made the impossible for me to do. For someone who is so eager to protect Cade, she had very few worries about how her actions would affect Ryan, which felt off to me from her other characteristics.

Iconic Setting
While I have never visited Seattle, in fact most of my knowledge about the city comes from my extensive consumption of Grey's Anatomy, I felt the author, Sarah Jio, did an excellent job portraying Seattle and it was a great setting for this book. I was in elementary school during the 1990's when the music scene there was so hot, but I still enjoyed hearing about the bands that the author referenced, such as the then "up and comers" Death Cab for Cutie. One of the stronger storylines in the book centered around Cade and his business partner having differing ideas regarding their company, which bands to pursue, and new talent to develop.

Things I Struggled With
Unfortunately, I could only give "Always" two stars. There were just too many issues that I had with the book. The greatest of these was the way that Cade's medical mystery was handled. While I do not know that much about significant brain injuries, I do watch a lot of Grey's Anatomy!, and his miraculous recovery and easy treatment plan just felt impossible to believe, which made the ending frustratingly dull. Also, how did this super successful businessman and man about town also become a missing person in the same city? As far as writing style, "Always" dd not feel especially nuanced and the characters weren't very well developed. There weren't any moments when reading that I stopped to jot down a quote or reread a page to explore a particularly enjoyable passage. That being said, I did finish the book, and I didn't have. I wanted to see what would happen between the characters and how the situation would resolve. I think that readers who enjoy reads that are more of a guilty pleasure might get more out of this that I did.

Kailey Crane is out to dinner with her fiance, Ryan.  Kailey knows that she has it good.  The restaurant they are at is fairly upscale by Seattle standards, her fiance is completely devoted to her, and her career has never been better.  They are leaving the restaurant when a homeless man catches her eye. It is Cade McAllister. the former love of her life.  Cade had disappeared almost ten years ago after they had a fight and right before Kailey was going to tell him that she was pregnant.  His disappearance nearly destroyed Kailey and she has fought hard to reclaim her life.  To discover that Cade is living on the streets of Seattle was a shock that she just doesn't know how to process.  Kailey isn't ready to let him get away again without an explanation so she goes out looking for him, only to find him.  And discover that he has suffered some sort of Traumatic Brain Injury.  Without telling Ryan, Kailey embarks on a mission to get her ex-boyfriend the medical help he needs and get him off of the streets.  Will her secret destroy her relationship with Ryan? Will the Cade she once knew ever be the same again?

Always is one of those books told in two different time periods.  The "present" is in 2008 and the past was 1996, right when the Seattle music scenes was at it's hottest.  I liked Kailey as a character, she was so happy with Ryan, yet her compassion for Cade was undeniable.  I will say that I did get irritated with her in the early days of her finding Cade.  It was obvious that he was having mental issues, but she was so demanding that he remember and recognize her. I get that some of that was the emotion of seeing him after all those years, but c'mon.  Other than that, I did enjoy Kailey.  I liked her best friend, Tracy.  And sometimes I even liked the entitled, Ryan.  The memories of when Cade and Kailey were first dating were very much a trip down memory lane for me, too.  Specifically the music of the era - it was wonderful.  In the end, love wins and I was pleased with the outcome.

Bottom line - Always is one of those love stories that proves that true love will conquer all. Who doesn't love a good love story?

Details:
Always by Sarah Jio
On Facebook
Pages:288
Publisher: Random House Publishing
Publication Date: 2/7/2017

I received a copy of this ARC to review by NetGalley. 

It was hard initially for me to get invested in this story by Sarah Jio. I initially did not feel a connection to the narrator. However, I quickly became invested when the first flashback really took the characters back through time and explained how the narrator, who initially seemed cold, evolved into the person she was. 

I was thoroughly shocked by the ending and although I was predicting another ending, I was pleasantly surprised!

Jio is one of my all time favorite authors. She writes in a way that makes your heart happy, your mind engaged and leaves you craving more. She writes books with rich history, dynamic characters and stories that move you deeply. Always is one of her best yet. There is such wonderful story of the human condition. This book is a MUST read for all. It is perfect for any book club and a book not to be missed!

Kailey never really recovered from her relationship with Cade, not even a decade later and engaged to someone new. So when she runs into a homeless man who looks exactly like Cade, she can't help but push her seemingly perfect new life aside in order to help the man she once loved, even if he doesn't seem to know who she is. This novel was a sweet, though somewhat predictable, romance that proves that true love never ends and can overcome any obstacle. That being said, I really wish we could do away with the trope that mental illness can be cured by true love's kiss.

I enjoyed the storyline and found myself caring about what happened to the characters. The ending was very satisfying.

When  Kailey Crain sees a former boyfriend homeless and almost unrecognizable, she is compelled into action. In Always, we see the affects of homelessness from a different perspective. 

Though Kailey is engaged to Ryan, her desire to help Cade overrides all logic and common sense. Ryan is extremely open minded, recognizing that Kailey has some ghosts in her closet that she must contend with. He does not pry, believing that Kailey  will share when she is ready. Kailey spends the weeks following her discovery of Cade, going back and forth from the past and present. We are introduced to what was their romantic relationship, as well as how it all ended, and then flashed forward to the present where she is reintroduced to him and has to figure out what it all means.

Though I liked the story and appreciate the attention it will bring to the homeless, I don't think the characters are as developed or realistic as one might hope in this type of story. Kailey's fiancé is too good to be true, very patient and forgiving. He tells Kailey  over and over that he knows there is a little part of her he can't seem to reach, to which she never really responds. It is as if she is playing a game living a lie in the life she has sketched out in front of her. Ryan tries really hard and clearly has greater feelings for her than she has for him. The other character is Cade's business partner from a decade earlier. As certain revelations come to light, the former partner is extremely magnanimous, which does not jive with the description we have of him, based on his actions and flashbacks from an earlier time.

I have enjoyed other books by the author and eagerly awaited Always. However, the elements of suspended reality and unrealistic characters detracted from the overall storyline.

Have you ever wondered about "the one that got away"? And what if after years go by, your paths cross again and they desperately need your help? Is it a chance meeting or is it fate? If you are intrigued, you should read this enjoyable book. This is the first book I have read by Sarah Jio, but it won't be the last. She weaves a good romantic tale that unfolds at a pace that keeps you turning the pages.

First off, thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy. 
Overall I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read once I was able to sit down and finish it! 

The characters are real and relate-able. I loved the setting of Seattle. 
There is a tug at the heartstrings, helping a past love. Having a caring, generous heart for the homeless/needy. 

I would recommend this book to my friends.

I fell in love with Sarah Jio's writing a long time ago.  Her story telling is exquisite and realistic.  You can feel what the characters in her stories are feeling in such a dynamic way.  
Her newest release is no different.  Always is a tug at your heartstrings story about love and friendship.  What would you do if you were once again face to face with a lost love?  Years have gone by and things are completely different in the lives of Kailey and Cade but there is a magnetic pull that draws them together.  

I tore through this book.  I did not want to put it down.  I highly recommend it.

Title:  Always
Author:  Sarah Jio
Publisher:  Ballantine
Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"Always" by Sarah Jio

My Thoughts...

What a interesting read that seemed to have blended the past and the present together into one good read about Kailey Crain, Cade McAllister, once the love of her life and now her fiancee, Ryan.
For ten years Cade had been missing but Kailey finds him by giving a meal outside a restaurant to the homeless person only to find out that was Cade who had disappeared.  The story will go back and forth until Kailey decides to look for him and again finds him and with a friend helps get him into a program discovering he had traumatic head injuries.   Now, will this present problems with her fiancee?  There will be a lots of things going on in this story with Kailey that seems like a lots of dishonesty in how she really felt about Cade but did she tell Ryan how she really felt?  Was she really being truthful with Ryan or keeping a secret?   Was Kailey really in love with Ryan...her fiancee or her ex boyfriend...Cade?  Well, to find out all the answers to these and many more questions you will have to pick "Always" and see how it comes out. Be prepared for a good love story with lots of 'twist and turns,  mystery, forgiveness, turmoils, loss, and drug abuse' with a some predictability, but still a good read. This author did a good job at looking at the homeless and mentally ill who many find themselves on the streets.  I will say that ending was a little strange but I know anything can happen as it will for Kailey as 'no one forgets their first love, good or bad' and especially second chance romances.

Nice story. The characters were interesting. I was expecting a bigger twist at the end, but all in all it worked with the mood of the story.

Honestly, I was disappointed in this book. The premise sounded great and I was super excited to read it and then slowly became unexcited as I started. The first few chapters are annoying because the MC sees her ex, whom she loved deeply and discovers he's homeless. She was stunned in the moment and with her new fiance, so waits and goes off the next day on a mission to find him. To make a long story short, she finds him and lets him go only to go search for him again find him and let him go. This happens a couple times until you want to scream at her to actually do something. Finally, she gets him into this program for people with a traumatic head injuries (after she discovers he had some sort of accident and doesn't remember evetuthing) and the whole time she is lying to her new fiance about it. She finally tells him about her ex and acts like she only cares about him as a friend but the entire thing is so contrived and you can tell the whole time that she doesn't really love her new fiance, but is still in love with the ex boyfriend. It takes her until the very end to finally admit her feelings. Overall, the storyline was not well executed and the writing was not very good either.

My Thoughts:

I have difficulty figuring out how I felt about this book. There aren't very many books that I actually like the whole flip-flopping between two time periods. Kate Morton is one of the few authors where I have to read what is going on with each generation/time period. About halfway through I just passed on all of the parts taking place in the 90's. I knew how that part would end and that the mystery wouldn't be resolved there but rather in the present time.

It was good subject matter. I live and work in an area that has a rather high homeless population and it really is easy to forget that these people didn't start out here, they had a past and perhaps - if they accept help - they can have a much better future. 
 
Kailey is a well rounded woman - at least she would be if Cade hadn't suddenly popped into her life. The feminist part of me is thinking "Girl, finish your work focus on the life you have and don't let some boyfriend from the past mess it up." The nurturing part of me thinks "good job, way to take care of your man - even if he hasn't been yours for a long time." The only thing that drove me nuts was the fact that she wasn't straight up and honest with Ryan.  I think that it was a childish move and that she could have avoided a lot of pain had she done the adult thing and practiced open communication with her partner.

Overall I thought it was decent. I'm not racing out to purchase my own hard copy, but if I see anything else by Jio I most likely will get it. 

I received a galley for free in exchange for a review.

I am NEVER disappointed with a Sarah Jio book.  This one kept my attention from the first word until the very last...

Having read other books by Sarah Jio, I was very excited to dig into her latest book, Always.  I was blown away by Goodnight, June and Blackberry Winter, and really enjoyed The Last Camellia.  Would always continue the streak?

Alas, for me, it fell short.

I was intrigued by the plot of the book.  What would happen if you suddenly came across one of your exes, and he's living on the street?  And he's not just "one" of your exes, but when you were together, you thought he was The One...and he's not just living on the street, but he's totally lost himself and apparently his memory!  What an intriguing premise, right?

As intriguing as the premise was, where the book really delivered was the descriptions of the rich music culture in Seattle.  I wasn't just reading about the city; I really felt like I was right there with the character.  I wanted to hop into my car and drive there to experience this vibrant, musical ambiance!  (Reality stopped me - I live in MN, lol.)

Unfortunately an interesting premise and fantastic city descriptions aren't enough to warrant 5 stars from me.  The book feel short in making me believe the love story - either with the main character's fiance or with the ex-boyfriend.  Both were moderately believable (they certainly both had their moments), but I didn't believe in the true love possibility of either staying with the fiance or leaving for the ex-boyfriend (keeping this spoiler free!).  Since I didn't believe it, I wasn't invested in the outcome and it's where the story fell flat.

I thought it was "interesting" and because I've really enjoyed 3 other books by Sarah Jio, I know I'll read more...but this one didn't do it for me.