I didn't know a book would make me cry and laugh at the same time, but this one did. I was left with my heart broken into pieces , yet this book helped me see things in a different light. You have Meredith who is still grieving the lose of her husband and two young children. She decides to take a trip to her happy place at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. When she gets there she unexpectedly runs into a movie star named Harlan. Poor Meredith is on what her sister calls Famous People Probation because she gets nervous around famous people and blurts out the first thing that pops into her head. The chemistry between these two will leave you doubled over in laughter, while still telling a beautifully heartbreaking story that will stick with you long after you read it. This is just a taste of how well-written this story is "My skin tingles, but maybe the pricks aren't about pain. Maybe I've been asleep so long, the sensation is the nerves coming back to life." This really hit me hard of how much depth and insight these words had on me. I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I will be getting a physical copy as soon as it hits the shelves, so I can have one on my bookshelf that I can keep rereading for years to come.

Even After This is a gentle, emotionally sincere romance about grief, healing, and the quiet courage it takes to step back into life after loss.

Meredith Harper is a deeply relatable FMC — socially awkward, guarded, and exhausted from existing in survival mode. Four years after a devastating tragedy, she isn’t looking for love or reinvention so much as a pause: a vacation, an investment property, a chance to breathe somewhere new. What she gets instead is a chance meeting with Harlan Holcombe, a movie star whose public image as a real-life hero doesn’t quite line up with the weight of regret he carries privately.

The romance unfolds with warmth and patience. There’s humor woven through the awkwardness — Meredith’s celebrity nerves and Harlan’s terrible dancing are genuinely charming — but the emotional core stays grounded. This isn’t a flashy or dramatic love story. It’s about two people with complicated pasts learning to show up honestly for each other, even when it’s uncomfortable.

What stands out most is how thoughtfully the book handles grief. Neither character is “fixed” by the relationship, and the story never rushes their healing. Instead, love becomes a space where both Meredith and Harlan can acknowledge what they’ve lost, what they regret, and what they still want. The redemption arc on both sides feels earned and human rather than performative.

Readers looking for high drama or high heat may find this one understated, but for those who enjoy emotionally driven romance with mature characters, quiet humor, and a hopeful, realistic tone, Even After This delivers.