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A review by analenegrace
For Never & Always by Helena Greer
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Helena Greer's first book in this series, Seasons of Love, was the best book I read in 2022, and I was so looking forward to this book basically from the moment I finished SoL! I was then lucky enough to get an ARC of this book from Helena Greer herself after DMing with her, and I have slowly devoured it because of how amazing it is!! Please Please read SoL before this one; they are interconnected for a reason.
The tone of this book is radically different from SoL in a way that worked so well. Plot-wise, we got a more complicated perspective on Carrigan's and the deceased Cass that made me reflect on SoL constantly. The inner thoughts of both Hannah and Levi were frustrating in the best way, as I, as the reader, knew they could do it and save their marriage but had to keep reading for them to know it!
To me, this book was a series of difficult conversations with a background setting pivotal to all of the conversations. Hannah and Levi had to actually talk about their problems and desires for the first time in their decades-long relationship, and I loved the way Greer made them actually work through it on the page.
I loved the writing style so much; this book was perfectly written, and while it's fairly long, it made sense for the relationship we are working with. I was constantly underlining and annotating because it was impossible not to when everything they were saying was so important. This didn't follow the traditional formula for a romance novel in the best way, as it was more about how these two characters can work together rather than how they can love each other; their love is never in question, just the how.
I am waiting with bated breath for Greer's 2024 next book in the series, as they keep getting better and better! (also, Helena Greer is a Librarian, and I am always rooting for fellow Librarians!)
The tone of this book is radically different from SoL in a way that worked so well. Plot-wise, we got a more complicated perspective on Carrigan's and the deceased Cass that made me reflect on SoL constantly. The inner thoughts of both Hannah and Levi were frustrating in the best way, as I, as the reader, knew they could do it and save their marriage but had to keep reading for them to know it!
To me, this book was a series of difficult conversations with a background setting pivotal to all of the conversations. Hannah and Levi had to actually talk about their problems and desires for the first time in their decades-long relationship, and I loved the way Greer made them actually work through it on the page.
I loved the writing style so much; this book was perfectly written, and while it's fairly long, it made sense for the relationship we are working with. I was constantly underlining and annotating because it was impossible not to when everything they were saying was so important. This didn't follow the traditional formula for a romance novel in the best way, as it was more about how these two characters can work together rather than how they can love each other; their love is never in question, just the how.
I am waiting with bated breath for Greer's 2024 next book in the series, as they keep getting better and better! (also, Helena Greer is a Librarian, and I am always rooting for fellow Librarians!)