Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
I truly don’t even know where to begin. This is Rachea’s debut novel and she DID
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Love Notes PR for the opportunity to read and review this book! That being said, all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
✨ Genre:
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
✨ Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
A fast pace, emotionally deep, and lovely story of two characters not only finding their own way in life, but also coming back and finding each other. I am not usually a huge second chance romance person, but this ARC really caught my eye and I am really glad that I gave it a chance!
Let's talk about what I enjoyed first - I loved the "side" or secondary plot of Gretchen finding her birth parents and the growth that she went through as a character in following her own path. In many romance books, when the FMC and MMC live in different states, one (usually the FMC) gives up so much to move to be with the MMC, which is not inherently a bad thing, but I am just over seeing it in books, but that wasn't the case here and I loved that!
Additionally, the rekindling of Gretchen and Connor's relationship felt natural and authentic, which I also really appreciated. You could really feel the push and pull of the characters and it made reading their story much more enjoyable.
For the things that I was less of a fan of - the classic "how could you date my sister" trope. Even though I should expect third act breakups by this point, this one just annoys me to no end. This of course was not enough for me to knock off a star and a half, but it really did leave me disappointed with the ending of the book.
While I did enjoy the book, I found myself more interested in other books that I had to read, so there was something that I can't really identify that led me to rating this as a 3.5. I didn't hate it, I would probably recommend it to friends of mine who love second chance romances, but at the end of the day, it just wasn't amazing, but it was good!
✨ Genre:
✨ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
✨ Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
A fast pace, emotionally deep, and lovely story of two characters not only finding their own way in life, but also coming back and finding each other. I am not usually a huge second chance romance person, but this ARC really caught my eye and I am really glad that I gave it a chance!
Let's talk about what I enjoyed first - I loved the "side" or secondary plot of Gretchen finding her birth parents and the growth that she went through as a character in following her own path. In many romance books, when the FMC and MMC live in different states, one (usually the FMC) gives up so much to move to be with the MMC, which is not inherently a bad thing, but I am just over seeing it in books, but that wasn't the case here and I loved that!
Additionally, the rekindling of Gretchen and Connor's relationship felt natural and authentic, which I also really appreciated. You could really feel the push and pull of the characters and it made reading their story much more enjoyable.
For the things that I was less of a fan of - the classic "how could you date my sister" trope. Even though I should expect third act breakups by this point, this one just annoys me to no end. This of course was not enough for me to knock off a star and a half, but it really did leave me disappointed with the ending of the book.
While I did enjoy the book, I found myself more interested in other books that I had to read, so there was something that I can't really identify that led me to rating this as a 3.5. I didn't hate it, I would probably recommend it to friends of mine who love second chance romances, but at the end of the day, it just wasn't amazing, but it was good!
This one is tough for me to review. I enjoyed the romance and Gretchen's personal journey. Gretchen's family interactions, biological and adopted, had me emotional. That part of the story was heartbreaking and beautiful.
Connor and Gretchen are super cute together. He knows her so well. He knew what she needed even when she didn't. I liked that once they talk about what happened, they keep on communicating and being honest with each other. The romance is super sweet with a touch of spice.
It was the throwback chapters that threw me. The ones showing what happened three years ago and how they became best friends were great. The ones where Gretchen was 16 gave me the ick. She's 16 and he's 23 and he can only think about how hot she is and that she won't be 16 forever. I don't have an issue with the age gap when they got together as adults. I feel like that weird lusty chapter kinda ruined it for me.
Also *maybe slight spoiler* her brother needs to get a grip. If my brother spoke to me or his best friend like he did, he would be getting a smack around the face. He took everything way too far. I don't understand how everyone let him do it and then forgave him so quickly.
It was a great debut though and I would definitely read more from Rachae.
I read an arc
Connor and Gretchen are super cute together. He knows her so well. He knew what she needed even when she didn't. I liked that once they talk about what happened, they keep on communicating and being honest with each other. The romance is super sweet with a touch of spice.
It was the throwback chapters that threw me. The ones showing what happened three years ago and how they became best friends were great. The ones where Gretchen was 16 gave me the ick. She's 16 and he's 23 and he can only think about how hot she is and that she won't be 16 forever. I don't have an issue with the age gap when they got together as adults. I feel like that weird lusty chapter kinda ruined it for me.
Also *maybe slight spoiler* her brother needs to get a grip. If my brother spoke to me or his best friend like he did, he would be getting a smack around the face. He took everything way too far. I don't understand how everyone let him do it and then forgave him so quickly.
It was a great debut though and I would definitely read more from Rachae.
I read an arc
emotional
funny
medium-paced
I fell in love with characters instantly. So much so that the moment the pining vibe enter the chat I felt the pangs in my chest. Not just for the parts of “then” to unfold but also the roots Gretchen was seeking. But yearning for “then” definitely made me never want to put the story down.
Aside from the serious moments, gawd the banter between these two. I was all in for it! They were comfortable, they were funny, and flirty. I found myself smirking and laughing a ton and I kept reading lines over and over because it was just so good.
Along with the banter between Connor and Gretchen the jokes with the supporting characters were so good too. I loved the relationship that everyone had with each other. The fierce love and affection and the strong sense of care and protection everyone had.
This was such a great debut novel for Rachae Stevens and omg I can’t wait for more from her!
Aside from the serious moments, gawd the banter between these two. I was all in for it! They were comfortable, they were funny, and flirty. I found myself smirking and laughing a ton and I kept reading lines over and over because it was just so good.
Along with the banter between Connor and Gretchen the jokes with the supporting characters were so good too. I loved the relationship that everyone had with each other. The fierce love and affection and the strong sense of care and protection everyone had.
This was such a great debut novel for Rachae Stevens and omg I can’t wait for more from her!
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
I loved reading this book! One of my favorite ARC reads this year! And this is her debut!? I cannot wait to read more of her work 🤍 Rachae Stevens wrote such a beautiful story. This story has emotion, friendship, family dynamics, loss, and a plot lines that don’t feel rushed or overwhelming.
I enjoyed reading both of Gretchen’s and Connors story. I love their story on acceptance and communication. I love seeing how even after time kept them apart, their love never left and relationship blossomed while also learning to recover from their hardships. I also liked the whole plot line of Gretchen finding her bio mom and how supportive Connor was. I mean, just read chapter 29 and tell me he is not THE MAN, I love 😭😭🫶🏼Overall, I loved this book. I do wish we got to read more of their relationship from their past ):
I enjoyed this book so much I went to work the next day running on 3 hours of sleep because you know “just one more chapter”.. But it was worth it 🥹 absolutely devoured this read 🫶🏼
Thank you Love Notes PR and Rachae Stevens for the opportunity in letting me read and review this ARC🤍🤍
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
I loved reading this book! One of my favorite ARC reads this year! And this is her debut!? I cannot wait to read more of her work 🤍 Rachae Stevens wrote such a beautiful story. This story has emotion, friendship, family dynamics, loss, and a plot lines that don’t feel rushed or overwhelming.
I enjoyed reading both of Gretchen’s and Connors story. I love their story on acceptance and communication. I love seeing how even after time kept them apart, their love never left and relationship blossomed while also learning to recover from their hardships. I also liked the whole plot line of Gretchen finding her bio mom and how supportive Connor was. I mean, just read chapter 29 and tell me he is not THE MAN, I love 😭😭🫶🏼Overall, I loved this book. I do wish we got to read more of their relationship from their past ):
I enjoyed this book so much I went to work the next day running on 3 hours of sleep because you know “just one more chapter”.. But it was worth it 🥹 absolutely devoured this read 🫶🏼
Thank you Love Notes PR and Rachae Stevens for the opportunity in letting me read and review this ARC🤍🤍
What an incredible read and debut by @rachae.stevens.author Second chance is my favourite trope of all, and this one here has had my heart ache. Not only because both Gretchen and Connor were deeply hurt when they separated the first time, but also because of the obstacles they had to overcome to get back together. The flashbacks were everything, I cried and laughed alongside them and I felt sorrow and love while they were feeling these feelings. The way Connor supported Gretchen every step of the way in her journey, even though he was convinced she didn’t want anything to do with him, is incredibly sweet.
Gretchen’s journey of self-discovery was simply beautiful. This was a second chance too, she was finally able to trace down her roots and discover something incredible and unimaginable.
Thank you @lovenotes.pr and Rachae Stevens for the opportunity to read this incredible love story.
#arc #arcreader #arcreview #arcreviewer #foreverthen #rachaestevens #agegap #brothersbestfriend #childhoodcrush #closeproximity #contemporary #contemporaryromance #doublepov #debut #dualtimeline #forcedproximity #fiction #friendstolovers #lovenotespr #newadult #romance #romcom #secondchance #secretlove #slowburn #spicy #bestfriendssister
Gretchen’s journey of self-discovery was simply beautiful. This was a second chance too, she was finally able to trace down her roots and discover something incredible and unimaginable.
Thank you @lovenotes.pr and Rachae Stevens for the opportunity to read this incredible love story.
#arc #arcreader #arcreview #arcreviewer #foreverthen #rachaestevens #agegap #brothersbestfriend #childhoodcrush #closeproximity #contemporary #contemporaryromance #doublepov #debut #dualtimeline #forcedproximity #fiction #friendstolovers #lovenotespr #newadult #romance #romcom #secondchance #secretlove #slowburn #spicy #bestfriendssister
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Oh my heart!! 🥹🥰 WHEW, this book had me going through it! What a roller-coaster of emotions, but in the absolute best way.
Connor and Gretchen are SUCH great characters. I highly recommend going into this book as blind as possible, the story is truly incredible. It is heartbreaking, longing, hilarious, loving. It will have you laughing out loud, crying actual tears, and feel like your own heart is breaking.
This book is so much more than a romance, it will have you in your feels!
And ACA-SCUSE ME?! HOW is this book the author's debut novel?! It is so good!
If you like:
🥰 Second chance romance
✌🏻 Dual POV
👫 Friends to lovers
⛓️ Forced Proximity
🤭 Brother's Best Friend
😏 Age Gap
🙌🏻 Witty banter
🎶 Pitch Perfect references
🥰 HEA
Then you should absolutely give this book a read! I am still reeling from this read several days later. It's the perfect second chance romance book! 👏🏻
Connor and Gretchen are SUCH great characters. I highly recommend going into this book as blind as possible, the story is truly incredible. It is heartbreaking, longing, hilarious, loving. It will have you laughing out loud, crying actual tears, and feel like your own heart is breaking.
This book is so much more than a romance, it will have you in your feels!
And ACA-SCUSE ME?! HOW is this book the author's debut novel?! It is so good!
If you like:
🥰 Second chance romance
✌🏻 Dual POV
👫 Friends to lovers
⛓️ Forced Proximity
🤭 Brother's Best Friend
😏 Age Gap
🙌🏻 Witty banter
🎶 Pitch Perfect references
🥰 HEA
Then you should absolutely give this book a read! I am still reeling from this read several days later. It's the perfect second chance romance book! 👏🏻
This was more than a second chance romance with her brother’s best friend, as Gretchen not only wonders if she can finally have her happily ever after with Connor unexpectedly by her side, she also wants to find her birth mother. Told in the present with flashbacks and a dual first person point-of-view, the emotional highs and lows ran deep as did self-discovery, forgiveness, and finding and holding tight to love from all places. A beautifully complex and wonderfully layered debut novel that kept me captivated and stirred up so many feelings.
Thanks to the author and Love Notes PR for the eARC.
Thanks to the author and Love Notes PR for the eARC.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wonderful read that had a great story that kept me very engaged! It had heart, love, tears, laughter, hurt, forgiveness, acceptance, and growth. The banter and love that the FMC and MMC had towards each other was so well written! This book will be one of the rare ones I will probably re-read due to it being so well done.