The cover is stunning--simple yet a dash of classiness is in there and I'm really living for it. I loved the premise of the book, however, the style of writing has thrown me off a lot that it took me eons to finish this book. If it weren't for the particularly good storyline, I could have put this book down as something that I did not finish. I'm not so sure if I'm still willing to read more of her works. This kinda disappoints me since most of the people I know seems to have had the best time reading her works. It may be a little harsh of me to say that most of the time the dialogue, the scene, etc. can be a little too sappy--the stuff of afternoon soap opera--and I am not really endeared to that. I thank the publishers for giving me an ARC via Netgalley.

I didn't know what to expect when I read this book, but I was so pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.  I can't wait to be able to discuss it further!  Beautiful!

Always look forward to a new novel by Sarah Jio and this one doesn't disappoint.  Kailey is caught between her past and future when she realizes the homeless man on the street is her long, lost love.

Sarah Jio is a wonderfully emotional writer and she can really tug at the heart strings as she does in this story. I really cannot fault the writing at all and I will look for more of her work to try. But the reason this is 3 star to me is that the story line of the woman being torn between an old love and her current one is a bit tired-especially lately and it is always frustrating to me when both men are so loving and understanding about things. I mean, this is fiction, yes, but it is also realistic fiction. I felt frustrated at times in the story when I should have been feeling sad or happy for the characters. So, a solid writer but not a great story for me.

Kailey Craine is enjoying a nice and fancy dinner with her fiancé Ryan in one of Seattle's exclusive restaurants. Kaileys has everything you can wish for in her life: a good job as a writer at the Herald, and she lives in a nice house with the most perfect soon-to-be-husband. When they leave the restaurant, Kailey sees a homeless guy on the street, and immediately recognizes him: she is 99% sure he is her ex-boyfriend Cade.
Years ago, he was the love of her life, but it all ended very suddenly when Cade's music business went downhill. Cade always was a goodlooking guy who seemed to have all the luck in life.

 Now the homeless guy she sees on the street seem to have lost everything, and as she finds out later, he even lost his speech and memory. Kailey sets herself on a (secret) mission: to find out what happened to Cade after they broke up, and what went wrong in his life that led him to a life on the street, and most of all to help him back on track. Her boss at the Herald makes it an assignment for her. She doen't tell this to Ryan, who is away a lot on business trips, she uses his clothes for Cade, and their own money to get Cade in a center for  rehabilitation, psychological and medical carebut when he finds out, something has already changed: Kailey has fallen in love again with Cade, and she has to decide between her old and her new life. But what is she can make a new life with her old boyfriend?

Always is another amazing and very entertaining book by Sarah Jio. I have read several other books by her previously, so I was looking forward for this one! The storyline and characters are very good. Totally unpredictable, as a reader you have no clue what is going to happen next. I really liked how Kailey tried to help Cade. What I also liked about her was the decision she has to make in the end between Ryan and Cade. The tree main characters steal your heart. All of three are not guilty or bad, it is just how it happens in their life at that moment. But of course, one of them is going to be hurt in the end.

I really liked this book. It has a lot of romance, plot twists and turns and it's just one of those books that is difficult to put down. It also brought up the social issues of homelessness, and that it can happen to everyone. Recommended read!

Happily engaged woman (Kailey) is stunned to discover that her ex-boyfriend (Cade) is homeless. 

This was my first time reading a book by Sarah Jio, and it definitely won't be my last! From the end of the very first chapter which made me gasp, "whoa," this story had me absolutely mesmerized.

After a romantic dinner one night with her fiancee, Ryan, Kailey is stunned to encounter her ex-boyfriend, Cade, who appears to be homeless and living on the streets of Seattle. Even more disturbing is that when she tries to talk to him, he doesn't seem to recognize her! As the story alternates between past and present, more pieces of the puzzle are filled in for the reader, and for Kailey. Can she forget a man she once loved (and maybe still does), especially when he so desperately needs her help? Or, will she leave her past behind and marry Ryan? 

Kailey's heart is torn between her past and her future, and the struggle was very real and emotional. No spoilers here, but the story is definitely worth the read and was beautiful in more ways than one! #Toujours

Last but not least, I loved the Author's Note and Acknowledgements at the end and felt like it added another dimension to the story. I am definitely a new fan and will be seeking out more books by this author!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Kailey Cain is a reporter for the Herald in Seattle. She is engaged to Ryan Winston who is just about the perfect guy. One night while as they are leaving a restaurant after having a nice dinner, she gives her leftovers to a homeless man who looks strangely familiar. Soon she discovers the homeless man is Cade McAllister her estranged ex-boyfriend, but he doesn't recognize her as easily. What happened to him over the past ten years? Kailey is determined to find out, but at what cost. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine books for the opportunity to read and review this book Always, was a quick read that I found hard to put down. I had to know what was going to happen next. It captivated me from the beginning and held my attention throughout. This is not your typical love story and some of the story was a bit predictable, but I thought there was going to be a villain in the story. What would you do if your boyfriend seemed to just vanish off the face of the earth and then ten years later, here he is, homeless and very unclear of exactly who he is and how he got to be in this position. Would you risk your current relationship to save this other person who had no one else that could help him? 

What a difficult decision forKailey to have to make. Everyone in her life is very supportive of the idea of her helping Cade including her fiancee, Ryan. But how much is going to be able to take and understand before it all becomes too much. You can feel for everyone involved in this situation, that it's messy and nearly impossible to figure out. But love always conquers all right and the love for the right man will shine through and guide Kailey to the right decision. 

This is a great romantic book for all.

Three and a half stars: A lovely second chance romance set against the rainy backdrop of Seattle. Loved the issues and the story, but it suffered from plot holes and lack of development. 

Kailey Crane is grateful that she finally found a second chance at love. Her career as a writer is going well and things are perfect. That all changes one night as Kailey enjoys a lovely dinner with her fiancé. Upon leaving the restaurant, Kailey bumps into her college boyfriend, whom she hasn't seen in over ten years. Kailey believed that Cade was the one, and she was preparing to spend her life with him until he vanished without a trace. Now Kailey comes face to face with Cade again, but he isn't himself. He is homeless and he doesn't remember her. Kailey feels compelled to help. What happened to Cade?
What I Liked:
*Always is a tough book for me to review. I found myself swept away by the story, I loved the setting and the nostalgic music references, and I appreciated that the author took on Traumatic Brain Injury and homelessness. This is a book that I loved up until the rather hasty ending. Still if you want a nice book to get lost in, try this one. 
*This book features a second chance romance that is told in 1997 and 2008. I loved going back in time and watching Cade and Kailey fall in love in the late nineties in Seattle. The music and the setting enhanced the story. Then the story moves forward in time as Kailey is faced with helping Cade who is homeless and suffering from a brain injury. I won't go into the details, but I loved seeing the relationship unfold both past and present. It was lovely. 
*I loved the setting. This book is set in Seattle back in 1997 and 2008. I grew nostalgic as the author shared popular music from the time that was based in Seattle. I thought she did an excellent job of bringing Seattle to life. Loved it!
*I applaud Ms. Jio for painting homelessness in a different light. Many people assume that people are on the street because of bad choices, addiction and so forth. Ms. Jio shows that not everyone is on the street for those reasons. It made me pause and consider the homeless problem in a whole new light. I also appreciated that she called attention to Traumatic Brain Injury.
*The book ends in a nice place. Even though I had some issues with lack of development and some plot holes, I was pleased with how it settled out. 
And The Not So Much:
*The romance was troubling. I easily understood Kailey's position and her dilemma, but I hated the way she treated Ryan. Ryan was such a stand up guy, patient, loving and understanding beyond expectation. I hated that Kailey kept things from him and that she wasn't honest. He didn't deserve that. I wanted better for him. 
*The story builds to the point where Cade disappears, and then there are some revelations about what happened to Cade. I wasn't satisfied with the answers. I was bothered by the fact that too many things were left undone. For instance, what was going on with Cade back in 1997 that caused he and Kailey to have conflict? You get some hints, but it isn't clear. Was he really on drugs? Then who signed him out of the hospital? Why? I was disappointed that the story line involving the investigation into Cade's past was abandoned. I wanted to know more. James' part in the story isn't clear either. This is a minor niggle, but at the end, I wanted to know what happened to Kailey's dog. 
*I found myself swept away by the story, but I struggled with the hurried ending and the lack of development. It felt like it jumped forward quickly to get to the happy ending. There was a lot left undone. 

Always is a hard book for me to review. I really enjoyed the story, the setting and the romance, but I was bothered by the lack of development, unanswered questions and there was a bit of a love triangle. Still, I loved that the story took me back in time to Seattle in the late nineties. I also appreciated that the author took on Traumatic Brain Injury and homelessness. I did enjoy the book, I just wish that the ending was better developed. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review. 
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

I would like to thank Ballantine Books and Netgalley for generously providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about having a second chance at love.  It’s a story that I could not put down.  

This story goes between Kailey’s past and present and how they both collide.  I could see how she had a hard time letting Cade go and the love that they once shared.  I like how this book showed me the other side of homelessness and how they are perceived when in fact the case may be so different.  It made me wonder if I could do the same thing in Kailey’s position.  

The reason I did not give this a 5 is that I really felt bad for Ryan, her fiancé.  Kailey kept reassuring him and keeping things from him and even though “nothing” happened it still felt too close to cheating for me. In the end I’m glad she did the right thing and called off the wedding.  Also, with all the mystery around how Cade had lost his memory it was a little anti climatic when you find out what happened.  

All in all this was a great read.  It showed true love and looking at people from the inside.  And I’d definitely recommend this book.

I've read and enjoyed all of Sarah Jio's books and most, if not all carry a theme of an almost  mystical love found, love lost, and love found. "Always" alternates between the mid 1990s with Kailey as a twenty-five year old journalist beginning a wonderful career in Seattle where she meets Cade, the love of her life, and 2008 where she is engaged to marry Ryan, the perfect wealthy, handsome, charming fiancé who is deeply in love with her. Cade inexplicably disappeared from her life 10 years earlier, until one night as she and Ryan leave an upscale restaurant she sees a homeless street person whom she recognizes is Cade. She has a wonderful life, only destined to get better with her marriage to Ryan, yet there is an undeniable pull toward Cade, the man she had loved with all her heart. This story explores the depths of love and the price of loyalty and friendship. 
 Seattle almost becomes a character in this story, you begin to feel you know the city, feel the misty rain and hear the foghorns on the bay. The references to the Seattle music scene in the 1990's are wonderful, however the story itself felt a bit contrived to me. Could any fiancé  be as understanding and long suffering as Ryan? Cade as a young man is fascinating, but I would have liked to know more about what happened to him during those intervening ten years. Still, I enjoyed the book and it kept my interest until the end. It's a book that leaves you feeling warm and happy.

I really enjoyed this book.  I really enjoyed the love story/mystery aspects.  Like Ms. Jio, I was a teenager in the 90s and this was full of nostalgia and fun.  Kailey and Cade's story was so engaging and I found myself reading it wherever, even in the drive-thru.   It's a book I will definitely read again.

Always is the latest novel by Sarah Jio.  Kailey Crain is a journalist with the Herald in Seattle, Washington in 2008.  Kailey and her fiancé, Ryan are leaving a restaurant when she spots a homeless man outside.  Kailey walks over to give him her leftovers, and discovers it is Cade McAllister.  Cade and Kailey were very much in love and she had just discovered she was pregnant when he disappeared.  Kailey has not heard from him since early August of 1998.  Cade had co-owned Element Records with his best friend, James.  Cade’s Aunt Fay had lent them the money to start the company.  But, the business relationship between Cade and James started to deteriorate rapidly when James wanted to take the company in a different direction.  Kailey is shocked to find Cade in such a state.  She slowly wins his trust and gets him to a doctor.  It turns out that Cade suffered a TBI (traumatic brain injury) which has left him in a state of confusion (has Swiss cheese memory).  The doctor recommends a new program for Cade that will help him recover and get back the skills he has lost.  Over time, he might regain his memory.  Cade re-entering her life creates a dilemma for Kailey.  She thought she had moved on from Cade, but seeing him has brought all the feelings back to the surface.  Kailey, though, is also in love with Ryan.  Kailey needs to make a choice.  Which man has captured Kailey’s heart?

I look forward to Sarah Jio’s new book every year.  But I did find Always to be a disappointment.  I found Always to be a cliché romance novel.  It is nicely written and had a good pace (for the most part).  The story is somewhat intriguing (especially in the beginning), but then it turns into a predictable romance novel.  There are some interesting music references in the book based on Cade’s love of music.  I did find the characters to be a little flat (one-dimensional).  I give Always 3 out of 5 stars (there are readers who will enjoy it).  It is easy to figure out what happened to Cade in 1998.  I was a little disappointed that Ms. Jio finishes the book with unanswered questions.  The reader never finds out how Cade survived the ten years on the street especially with his injuries.  There are areas that will have you shouting at Kailey.  Cade just enters the program and Kailey is the only person he knows.  He counts on her to visit him.  But, Kailey goes on a vacation to Cabo with Ryan.  Is this the best time for a romantic trip to Mexico?  Does she really think Cade will handle not seeing her?  Another moment that was odd (and had me shaking my head with disbelief) is when Kailey finally tracks down Cade (not the first night she sees him outside the restaurant).  Instead of taking him somewhere to get immediate assistance, she takes off to visit James.  If you had been hunting for this man, would you just leave him again?  Kailey had no idea if she would be able to locate him once again.  I wish less time had been devoted to Kailey thinking about Cade (how he looked, his charm, etc.).  It reminded me of the Harlequin romance novels I read as a teenager.  Always was not up to Sarah Jio’s normal standards (like The Violets of March or Blackberry Winter).  I will, of course, order Ms. Jio’s next book.  Always could have been an off novel for her.

It’s very hard to write this review, I wanted so badly to give this 5 Stars but there is something that stopped me. I’m a sucker for second chance romance so when I read the blurb for Always I was excited and couldn’t wait to dive in. Kailey and Cade’s story is a very emotional one and filled with love, regrets and misunderstandings.

This book had so many good aspects to it that I really did like. It had mystery, betrayal and an undying love. What I had trouble with was back and forth from the present to the past. I usually love being able to see characters pasts and what makes them tick but this book jumped so much. The present part of their story was interesting and I couldn’t get enough of it. However I felt lost whenever we were taken to their past, I didn’t find it as interesting, so I found myself skimming.

Kailey is a remarkable character, her love for Cade never died. She’s sees a homeless man and goes to help him only to see the love her life staring back at her. In this part of the story is where I fell in love her determination to help Cade. It truly was beautiful and inspiring. As was what really happened to Cade all those years ago comes to light, so does the relationship and love they once shared.

This story had such great qualities and if it wasn’t for the fillers it would have been a solid 5. I really enjoyed their current connection and the search to find out what happened to Cade and how undying Kailey’s sacrifice was to get him help. All in all this was an worth the read and the premise behind it had great meaning.

completely predictable and mostly unbelievable and outrageous in that predictability. also annoyingly readable and a page-turner that i couldn't stop reading. if this is what the masses gravitate towards, i get it. it's not challenging or difficult in any way. you don't have to look up words or google information.

Let me begin by saying that Sarah Jio might be my favorite author for when you need to read something that gives you "the feels". There is something so magical about her writing, that you just find yourself completely sucked into the worlds she creates and you don't want to leave. Even when I put the book down to go to work or some other horrible activity, like sleep, that tears me away from her books, you find yourself thinking about the characters. For anyone who has ever spent a significant amount of time in Seattle, she positively brings it to life. My grandparents lived in Seattle when I was growing up, so I spent a lot time there over the years and I have to say, Ms. Jio did a brilliant job or recreating the energy and vibe of Seattle in the 90s. I am just a few years younger than the author, so I can completely identify with the music/coffee/grunge music that absolutely exploded there. It was so fun to relive this time through the eyes of Kailey and her flashbacks on her time in the city with Cade. Like all Sarah Jio novels, this one will pull hard on your heartstrings. It not only highlights the electricity and deep connection that you only have to your first love but also highlights the treatment and view of the homeless population. The only thing that kept me from giving a five-star review, was that it all wrapped up a little too neatly and there was one specific piece of info that we never got an answer too. Other than that, I would totally recommend this book to anyone who wants to feel and be completely transported into a story. I can't wait for her next book!

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story was hard for me to read. It brought out a lot of emotions while reading. It's about a twenty something girl and boy, Kailey and Cade, who meet in 1996 and fall madly in love. Then after two years, Cade disappears and is never seen again. This breaks Kailey. Fast forward to 2008 and Kailey is getting married to Ryan. They built a wonderful life together but something is still missing from Kailey's life. Then one night after dinner, Kailey sees a homeless man who is being chased away and she goes over to offer him her leftovers and when she sees his eyes she realizes it's her ex boyfriend Cade who just disappeared. She makes it her mission to help him get his life back. Feelings from years ago resurface and Kailey doesn't know how to process them. She is torn between her old life and new. The story that unfolds is breathtaking. It truly touched my heart. And changed the way I feel about homeless people. This is a book not to be missed. I am so glad I read this. It's one of those books that stick in your head long after reading. It will have you reeling from many thoughts and feelings, good and bad. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book.

I'm a big Sarah Jio fan, and this book was no exception. But first, can we take a minute to swoon over this GORGEOUS cover?! I LOVE a beautiful cover! This book was beautiful, heartbreaking, and emotional. My heart broke for Kailey and Cade throughout the book.

If you're familiar with Jio's work, you know that she loves to add a historical or past element to her books. This book followed the same format--as Kailey tries to help Cade in 2008, the chapters alternate to their relationship back in the late 1990's, ten years earlier. I'll admit at times this made me frustrated because I really wanted to know what happened in 2008--but it definitely kept me reading the book! I did enjoy the 1990's story, I was just eager to know what happened in general. This book sucked me in and kept me up late reading!

This was definitely one of my favorites of Jio's--if you haven't read her books, I highly recommend them!

I didn't love it. I wanted to . Because I've really enjoyed Sarah Jio's work in the past. Just not this time.

There were some plot points that needed to be fleshed out a bit more.
A bit formulaic at times.
Towards the end, just wanted it to be over.

A good read about love that was, love that is, and the power of the choices our heart needs to make. A quick read.

A beautiful story about love, loss and second chances. I love the backdrop of 1990s Seattle for part of the story. Brought back good memories of being a teen who loves grunge! The characters are very compelling, as well, making for a very enjoyable read.