- Read my review of the first book in the Forever Love series, Always Eli.
It’s a pretty universal fact that it’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. The character of Finn already interested me because he appeared to be an adorable, anxiety-ridden cinnamon roll from the outside, but that couldn’t possibly be the full story. In his outing as the hero of his own story, Novak presents a fantastic but believable three-dimensional character with hidden depths and an intriguing secret (I thought I’d predicted the secret going in—I was wrong, and the reality is so much better). In contrast, love-interest Gem is pretty much exactly as he appears on the tin. This portrayal is nowhere near a bad thing because he and Finn have fantastic chemistry once they allow the sparks to fly. I especially loved the slight reverse age gap element of the dynamic that builds between them, even if the story itself doesn’t give that aspect much weight.
This contemporary romance is a phenomenal friends-to-lovers arc centered around two men who grow closer over the events of the “external” plot. It seems like it’d be a simple story from the outside, but I had a ton of fun with the slow build toward the revelation of Finn’s secret and the various ensuing reactions.
As usual, Novak populates her stories with excellent secondary characters in the form of family and friends we’ve either fallen in love with in previous books or can’t wait for their own stories. Overall, this is a fun novel that is simultaneously a relaxing delight to read and absolutely impossible to put down. I look forward to catching glimpses of Finn and Gem’s happily ever after in later books, both in this series and others. Novak has created a delightful shared world that I always love to visit.
Disclaimer: I received an electronic ARC of this novel from the author.
Rating: 5 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.