Opposites attract in this hopeful, globe-trotting romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kendall Ryan.
Alessia Moore, a thirty-seven-year-old powerhouse at the helm of a nonprofit in Nairobi, is tirelessly working to build a school for girls. Professionally, she’s thriving, attracting investors to support her mission. But her love life is nonexistent, and she’s starting to wonder if the one even exists for her.
When she meets Hart Winthrop, the twenty-five-year-old son of a billionaire investor poised to support her foundation, she’s unprepared for the pull she feels. Hart is confident, intelligent, and charming. But there are issues—he’s too young for her, and getting involved with him could jeopardize everything she’s worked for.
As fate takes them across the globe—from glamorous cities to hidden corners of the world—what begins as a forbidden fling grows into something neither of them expected, leaving Alessia to wonder…Should she break her own rules for a chance at something real?
MY REVIEW
I was over the moon to hear that Kendall Ryan was returning to writing and could not wait to dive into A Beginner’s Guide to Forever.
Alessia Moore is a successful, thirty-seven-year-old woman who runs her own non-profit. And while she loves what she does, she can’t help notice that her personal life is at a standstill. When she first meets twenty-five-year-old Hart Winthrop, their meet-cute is kismet. While they share great chemistry, Alessia struggles with their age difference and puts the brakes on before they can explore what’s building between them. But, fate isn’t quite done with Alessia and Hart. Fate keeps throwing Hart and Alessia together, leaving Alessia wondering if Hart is the one she’ll break all of her rules for.
A Beginner’s Guide to Forever started off really well. I loved the idea of Alessia questioning her life and whether she was happy with the status quo. And when fate dropped Hart into her lap, I couldn’t have been more excited. Despite their age difference, I thought they had a lot of great potential and couldn’t wait for their story to unfold. And I love, love, loved the way fate kept throwing the two of them together.
That being said, I did have some issues with this story that were hard to look past. Let me start off by saying that I’m still pretty new to the “reverse-age-gap” genre. Usually, as long as the age difference isn’t massive, I can overlook it. However, this one just didn’t work for me. I didn’t love that Alessia kept referring to herself as middle-aged. I mean, she’s not even in her 40s yet, and at times, I felt like she was really immature. She was so wishy-washy. Instead of owning up to her accomplishments and acknowledging that a younger guy was truly interested in her, she continued playing games. Don’t get me wrong, I understood her reservations, but I honestly feel like her behavior would have sent Hart running for the hills.
My other issue with the story was the pacing and overall writing style. For me, the pacing was slower than I expected, and at times, I felt like it took forever for the story to progress. Which brings me to the writing style. While I did like the overall writing, it wasn’t what I anticipated. I felt like this story read a bit more like Women’s Fiction than a Contemporary Romance–and there’s absolutley nothing wrong with that, it just wasn’t what I was expecting.
Overall, I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this book. A Beginner’s Guide to Forever is a slow-burn, reverse-age-gap romance that is told in the first-person point of view. And while I didn’t love this book, it had good potential and ended up being an okay read for me. I definitely feel that this will be a read that is a hit for some and a miss for others. That being said, I have been a fan of this author’s for a long time and will be looking forward to seeing what she’ll write next.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book, via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
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