Always Isn't Forever

English language

Published April 24, 2023 by Penguin Young Readers Group.

ISBN:: 978-0-593-40448-5

No rating (1 review)

From New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes comes a sparkling, unforgettable YA romance, perfect for fans of You’ve Reached Sam.

Best friends and soul mates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love.

Hart can’t let go of Ruby either…. Due to some divine intervention, he’s offered a second chance. Only it won’t be as simple as bringing him back to life—instead, Hart’s soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy.

When Hart returns to town as Jameson, he realizes that winning Ruby back will be more challenging than he’d imagined. For one, he’s forbidden from telling Ruby the truth. And with each day he spends as Jameson, memories of his life as Hart …

From New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes comes a sparkling, unforgettable YA romance, perfect for fans of You’ve Reached Sam.

Best friends and soul mates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love.

Hart can’t let go of Ruby either…. Due to some divine intervention, he’s offered a second chance. Only it won’t be as simple as bringing him back to life—instead, Hart’s soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy.

When Hart returns to town as Jameson, he realizes that winning Ruby back will be more challenging than he’d imagined. For one, he’s forbidden from telling Ruby the truth. And with each day he spends as Jameson, memories of his life as Hart begin to fade away.

Though Ruby still mourns Hart, she can’t deny that something is drawing her to Jameson. As much as she doesn’t understand the sudden pull, it can’t be ignored. And why does he remind her so much of Hart? Desperate to see if the connection she feels is real, Ruby begins to open her heart to Jameson—but will their love be enough to bridge the distance between them?

1 edition

lastblossom reviewed Always Isn't Forever by J. C. Cervantes

A little too sweet for my tastes, but should land perfectly with anyone looking for soul mates and tales of undying love.

No rating

True believers would call this romance pure and sweet. Bitter cynics like myself would call it sappy. Things like "soul mates" and "love that transcends all other loves" don't typically do it for me, and it was pretty clear going in that this is exactly the kind of story this book was about to dish up. So why did I bite? Well, I'm a huge sucker for the "my love doesn't know it's me and I can't tell them" plot line, so I showed up to the party anyway. And for the most part, yeah, I'm glad I did. That plot played out well, with all the drama, angst, and uncertain feelings that I love. There's also a very tender and honest depiction of grief, and the various ways it can present itself, that I appreciated.

The rest is officially Not For Me. World building is loose, with little reasoning …

True believers would call this romance pure and sweet. Bitter cynics like myself would call it sappy. Things like "soul mates" and "love that transcends all other loves" don't typically do it for me, and it was pretty clear going in that this is exactly the kind of story this book was about to dish up. So why did I bite? Well, I'm a huge sucker for the "my love doesn't know it's me and I can't tell them" plot line, so I showed up to the party anyway. And for the most part, yeah, I'm glad I did. That plot played out well, with all the drama, angst, and uncertain feelings that I love. There's also a very tender and honest depiction of grief, and the various ways it can present itself, that I appreciated.

The rest is officially Not For Me. World building is loose, with little reasoning about how or why any of afterlife rules work, along with the absolutely wild fact that one of the characters is literally a medium, and we all just handle that super casually. But you didn't show up here to read philosophical musings about the afterlife - you showed up to read a story about undying love around a couple that you can cheer for. And if that's what you want on the menu tonight, then dig in.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.