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A review by chulaisreadingromance
Forever Never Always by Hanna Holt
5.0
I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
You know a book was so freaking good when you have no idea how to start the review, because there is so much to say and words are not enough.
Second-Chance Romance is one of my favorite tropes and I adored how Hanna wrote Ash and April’s path of getting back together. This wasn’t a conventional type of plot for this trope, which usually makes me pick sides while I figure “whose fault was it”. This story however, made me side with both of them equally. The reasons for the first breakup were so heartbreaking, that I wasn’t only able to empathize with both but to feel the different types of pain they had to endure, not only from their separation and doubts as they went back together, but also in their individual inner conflicts.
Ash is a man who knows what love really is. Someone who loves sacrificially and with no conditions. I will always have a deep admiration to all the older siblings that life had forced to mature so quickly in order to take care of their little brothers and sisters. I was able to feel the weight of all the pressures and responsibilities he had from the very first page and also his genuine concern for the well being of every member of his family.
April was a resilient and strong woman who knew how much she deserved. The kind of woman who picks up the pieces of her life and rebuilds it herself because she knows she can. I felt inspired as I read and learned all she had to go through to get to the beginning of the story. Although my heart was completely crushed with Ash's situation, I completely understood April's heart and felt for her from start to finish.
The slow burn was beautifully written. The tension built up emotionally and physically in every page since they see each other again and by the time it was fulfilled, I was able to feel how much they missed each other and how indeed they were what the other needed to complement their lives in every way. The swoon at this point was so different because their love was so easy to believe; it was as if they were completing something they left on pause, I had tears in my eyes and thought: God! This couple really loved each other!
This story is about true love in all its forms, including the importance of family love and how difficult it is. The Foresters stole my heart and I loved how Hanna intertwined this plotline without taking out the focus off the Romance.
Their family dynamics where beautifully chaotic. The descriptions allowed me to picture every member of this family very well ─adults, teenagers and children─ and feel the tension in every situation they had to go through. Even with all the difficulties, it was heartwarming to see how Ash put them as his first priority and tried hard to play the role he was given.
The sibling banter was real and vivid. I felt like I was there with them the entire time. They cracked me up most of the time, but I ended up bawling as I learned the tragic past of this family. I’m in awe of how well these eight siblings were developed through the pages. Each of them had severe ramifications in their lives for what had happened to them and the psychological and behavioral consequences were evident since the first interactions with Ash at the beginning of the story. My heart ached ─literally and figuratively─ to see how their past affected the events and serious matters they had going on and how they were all affected in different ways. But even with all the turmoil within the incidents they had to go through as a family, the genuine love and affection they had for each other was strong enough to keep them going.
The entire family drama touched based on very serious subjects and added so much to the final resolution between Ash and April.
This book is about learning how to love others the way they need and how to let others love us in ways we probably don't know we need. It's about the acceptance, forgiveness, vulnerability, support and liberation that comes from true love.
Thank you, thank you THANK YOU, Hanna for letting me read such wonderful book before the release.
You know a book was so freaking good when you have no idea how to start the review, because there is so much to say and words are not enough.
Second-Chance Romance is one of my favorite tropes and I adored how Hanna wrote Ash and April’s path of getting back together. This wasn’t a conventional type of plot for this trope, which usually makes me pick sides while I figure “whose fault was it”. This story however, made me side with both of them equally. The reasons for the first breakup were so heartbreaking, that I wasn’t only able to empathize with both but to feel the different types of pain they had to endure, not only from their separation and doubts as they went back together, but also in their individual inner conflicts.
Ash is a man who knows what love really is. Someone who loves sacrificially and with no conditions. I will always have a deep admiration to all the older siblings that life had forced to mature so quickly in order to take care of their little brothers and sisters. I was able to feel the weight of all the pressures and responsibilities he had from the very first page and also his genuine concern for the well being of every member of his family.
April was a resilient and strong woman who knew how much she deserved. The kind of woman who picks up the pieces of her life and rebuilds it herself because she knows she can. I felt inspired as I read and learned all she had to go through to get to the beginning of the story. Although my heart was completely crushed with Ash's situation, I completely understood April's heart and felt for her from start to finish.
The slow burn was beautifully written. The tension built up emotionally and physically in every page since they see each other again and by the time it was fulfilled, I was able to feel how much they missed each other and how indeed they were what the other needed to complement their lives in every way. The swoon at this point was so different because their love was so easy to believe; it was as if they were completing something they left on pause, I had tears in my eyes and thought: God! This couple really loved each other!
This story is about true love in all its forms, including the importance of family love and how difficult it is. The Foresters stole my heart and I loved how Hanna intertwined this plotline without taking out the focus off the Romance.
Their family dynamics where beautifully chaotic. The descriptions allowed me to picture every member of this family very well ─adults, teenagers and children─ and feel the tension in every situation they had to go through. Even with all the difficulties, it was heartwarming to see how Ash put them as his first priority and tried hard to play the role he was given.
The sibling banter was real and vivid. I felt like I was there with them the entire time. They cracked me up most of the time, but I ended up bawling as I learned the tragic past of this family. I’m in awe of how well these eight siblings were developed through the pages. Each of them had severe ramifications in their lives for what had happened to them and the psychological and behavioral consequences were evident since the first interactions with Ash at the beginning of the story. My heart ached ─literally and figuratively─ to see how their past affected the events and serious matters they had going on and how they were all affected in different ways. But even with all the turmoil within the incidents they had to go through as a family, the genuine love and affection they had for each other was strong enough to keep them going.
The entire family drama touched based on very serious subjects and added so much to the final resolution between Ash and April.
This book is about learning how to love others the way they need and how to let others love us in ways we probably don't know we need. It's about the acceptance, forgiveness, vulnerability, support and liberation that comes from true love.
Thank you, thank you THANK YOU, Hanna for letting me read such wonderful book before the release.