Real and messy, the romance in Only Ever You doesn’t follow the typical path you read about in novels. Our couple’s journey is long and winding, which makes for an authentic read but not great escapism. The story follows Rachel and Sebastian, two people who were very close in high school. Sebastian was a skinny nerd, and Rachel was his defender. He loved her then but knew that she didn’t see him that way. As they’re talking about the future one day, they end up making a pact to marry each other if they’re both still single when they’re 30. Fourteen years later, they meet up again after 10 years apart. Sebastian jokingly brings up the marriage pact, which sends their families into excitement as they start trying to make plans for the former friends. Sebastian still idolizes Rachel, so he’s all for it, but Rachel sees the contract as a sign of her failure to achieve the life she always wanted - needing to rely on her fallback plan. As the two navigate their families’ enthusiastic response, they spend time together and begin to see each other as the adults they now are.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book - these two needed to take time to get to know each other again. Sebastian has had Rachel on a pedestal for years, so when she’s no longer the sassy, confident girl he knew, he feels let down. On the other hand, Sebastian has turned into a successful, handsome business owner, so Rachel finds herself attracted to him in a way she never was before. It’s well written and authentic, and their shared history gives the story plenty of depth. The second half of the book is what stumbles for me - it’s probably too long, and the path to happiness too rocky. Sebastian is a great character, but Rachel was a little tougher to love. Her insecurities took a lot longer to work through. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’m glad I was introduced to this author - the writing style is great and I will definitely try more of her books in the future.

I read this book until the 23% mark. Then I started skipping around... this book just moved too slow for me. And because of this, I could not get into it.
I gave up!
The ending didn’t even do anything for me. Just not the book for me.

I've read and loved several books by C.D. Reiss in the past so, I couldn't wait to read this one. Rachel and Sebastian were childhood friends with a pact to get married if single at thirty. Sebastian had Rachel upon a pedestal from their childhood. She was fierce and stood up for him when he couldn't do it for himself. When they meet up later, it's like their roles reversed. Sebastian is successful and extremely hot even with grandpa sweaters. Rachel is working long hours and hasn't managed to catch her big break yet. She's laking a little self-esteem. I couldn't wait for Seb to help her build herself back up. It's a fairly light read. Not too much drama besides a couple of exes. There is one particular thing that had me rolling my eyes that I couldn't get over. It's probably not a big deal to most but, I didn't find it very realistic. I'm not sure how to rate this one. It's not my favorite C.D. Reiss read but, that doesn't make it bad by any means. I'm still a huge fan.

3.5 STARS

This is not the “normal” book I am used to reading from CD Reiss, but I enjoyed it all the same! This is a slow burn, friends to lovers romance between Rachel and Sebastian who I cared about very much. I was frustrated with both of them at times, but I was rooting for them from the beginning. It was a quick, fun, sweet, low-on-angst read. I am giving it 3 stars, because to me 3 is average and that is how I feel about the book. I am not sure I would recommend it (I have so many CD Reiss books that I would recommend), and I am not sure I am going to remember anything about it tomorrow.

With Only Ever You, CD Reiss created a gem of a story about friendship, strength, inspiration, hope, family and love. It was filled with so much warmth and feel-good moments that I couldn't help but fall in love with it. Sebastian was such an amazing hero that for him alone, I would be happy to re-read this story time and time again!

What did I love about this book?
💫 Sebastian. Obviously.
💫 I'm a huge fan of relationships built on years of friendship and kinship and loyalty and history. The ties that bind and all that. And this story was definitely chockfull of these things.
💫 How beautiful and vulnerable Sebastian was. How can one resist a man who allows his heart to show in everything he does?
💫 The many ways Sebastian loved Rachel. I wanted her to do more for him, but it was sweet nonetheless.
💫 The author gave an interesting twist to this story. The hero was put in a position not many writers would put him in and I loved how it was done. Someone so sexy and aware and yet... Read the book to find out all the wonderful ways Sebastian doesn't fit the norm.
💫 It was low on angst, there wasn't any unnecessary drama, and despite the heroine's tendency to be oblivious, I loved the sweetness of these characters. They were light and easy without giving me a chance to be bored with how easy everything was.

Sebastian will give you a romance to sink your teeth into. He was a 'dweeb' who blossomed into a glorious swan and will easily have you rooting for him as hard as I did. I recommend this read to anyone who loves the idea of love, the idea of fate, and who wants to be swept away by the exciting feeling of falling.

I got my first C.D. Reiss ARC from NetGalley though this wasn't the first book I've read from her.

The blurb got me excited... Secretly being in love with your childhood best-friend is one of my fave trope.

I don't know if it was just me but sadly book didn't live up to my excitement. I was disappointed. The premise of the story is great but the progress or how the whole story unfolded fell flat. Many times I've though about not finishing it because I felt like the characters lack chemistry or oomph and there were parts that were ridiculous that very often I was rolling my eyes and raising my eyebrows in disbelief... plus both protagonist were exasperatingly indecisive and a tad bit whiny through out the story. The good parts came a little too late because the story was almost ending... and I was like, what did just happened?

The story had a lot of promise but it just didn't take off so to speak—well at least for me. So far it's been miss with the couple of C.D. Reiss books I've read. But I can't wait to another one from her. Who knows, maybe the next one will knock me off my feet.

This one was hard for me to finish. I just couldn't connect with the characters, especially Rachel. Sebastian was almost like a doormat. Their relationship just wasn't there for me. I'll try again with CD Reiss, but this was a pass.

What can I say: I like nerds. So of course I wanted to read about Sebastian, being the nerdy boy who was bullied and about Rachel, the feisty neighborhood girl, who stood up for him. And it was a sweet read. Sebastian cleared up pretty well, and became a successful business man. Rachel however, didn't get to realize her perfect planning of moving up the career ladder, finding a husband and getting 2.5 kids.
Partly, because she put her life on hold to take care of her mother, when she got breast cancer. But now, when the big 3-0 is approaching, she runs into Sebastian again. And he reminders her of the marriage pact they made fourteen years ago: when both were still single at thirty, they would marry each other. And although Seb and Rachel are not really planning to follow up on that contract, their families seem to think they will. Rachel certainly isn't planning on it, until she discovers that her mother's cancer has likely returned. Placing her mother's happiness above hers, she asks Sebastian to go through with the wedding. And while Sebastian had always had a crush on Rachel, that is no hard decision.
But when the date is closing in: can they keep up the charade? Or were their parents right? And should they marry regardless? When exes turn up and the parents start acting strange: what will happen next? Find out for yourself in this wonderful read of CD Reiss. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

A fun, easy read!

The flow of Only Ever You was perfection. I absolutely ADORE Sebastian and Rachel.
I was close to giving it 3-stars because of a few things I found to be a *bit* stretched, but at the end of the day I really loved this story and had a difficult time putting it down!

I think Seb was my favorite character of them all. Nerd turned hunk, with the nerd still very vibrant and present still, after so many years.

Rachel was a tad rough at parts, but I think she needed to be. She wasn't happy with her life and she had to figure things out. Something I love about stories is when you can see the characters grow and turn into their best selves, I was happy reading Rachel's transformation.

Sure, a few parts I had a hard time adding up the sense in my head, but when I really thought about it and questioned who these characters are and their obvious, and not so obvious intentions were, you can really see why things ended up the way they did.

Honestly, I was sad when the story ended, but also very settled and happy with the conclusion.

When I read the blurb for this book, I immediately thought I was going to love it. However, I struggled to get through it and it ended up being quite a miss for me. Even though I love many of the tropes included, I had a hard time connecting with the story and both the main characters. I found the dialogue choppy and very hard to follow. I often couldn't figure out who was talking even after re-reading whole passages. This was my first CD Reiss title so maybe this author just isn't for me.

I just love a good friends to lovers romance that is full of heart and that is just what this is. I love the concept of this story too, keeping to that friends/lovers trope so well. Rachel and Sebastian are such good characters and their chemistry is undeniable. I love me a sexy nerd! I loved watching their friendship morph into so much more. There is a really good cast of supporting characters in this book which only adds to the story. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to the publisher/Netgalley for this ARC.

I adore C.D. Reiss, but Only Ever You was a bit of a miss for me. I had a hard time following the story, specifically who the characters were, and connecting with the leads and their romance. I normally feel EVERYTHING with Reiss, but I didn't with this story.

I love a good second chance romance but honestly, Only Ever You fell short for me. I just could not connect with the characters, their love seemed one-sided and the entire story felt disjointed to me. I love CD Reiss and her stories but this one just didn’t do it for me.

3 Aligning Stars ⭐️

Rachel & Sebastian were besties through high school. Where Sebastian was the nerdy artist besotted with his friend; Rachel was the protector.
In a moment of wistful future planning, these two teens settled on a back up plan. A marriage contract in the event they were both still single at 30.

Merry Christmas, Rachel!
We’re thirty this year. Big 3-0!
Remember we had a deal? I moved back from Silicon Valley. I’ll be on Mandarin Lane for Christmas. Hope to see you then.
-Sebastian

Rachel in all her studious and ambitious glory never expected to be at the bottom of the career ladder in her field, struggling and single. On the flip side, Sebastian, former geek has accomplished more then most. But now 30, he’s back to collect on the deal...

Where Sebastian is ready to ‘get the girl ‘, Rachel has serious reservations. Firstly, which sane person marries their best friend they haven’t seen in over 10 years? Second, both parents are already planning the wedding. But the truth is, she just doesn’t believe she’s worthy....

”I mean, I’m not marriage material, and the odds are that’s never going to change.”

Only Ever After is a friends to lovers romance with a twist. I loved the premise of this story BUT I struggled with it. This had so many great elements to it, a cute couple, crazy families and of course a marriage pact. Unfortunately it was just slow and uneventful. The heroine’s insecurities and the hero’s lack of backbone did my head in. Ultimately it was the lack of chemistry that disappointed me the most.

‘Arc’ provided by Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Only Ever You is a sweet, charming romance. I love the characters, Rachel & Sebastian, and how the story is told from both of their perspectives. It was my first time reading anything by CD Reiss, and I am extremely impressed! I highly recommend!

So, this was actually my first CD Reiss book. I can say that it wont be my last. I have had several books of hers sifting on my TBR that are about to be devoured. Yep. Love this book so much!!!

**3.75 Stars**

I have not read a CD Reiss book in a while and admittedly her books are a bit hit or miss for me, so going into this I wasnt quite sure what to expect, but I thought the blurb was very interesting and it sounded like something I would love.

The book started off very promising and I loved the strong friendship Sebastian and Rachel had and the fierce protectiveness she showed over Sebastian. I even loved the quirky side characters in the book who added som funny moments throughout the book. When Rachel and Sebastian meet up again as adults after not having seen each other, and their families are pushing for them to get married, things get a little tricky. I think the had good chemistry but some of their interactions were juvenile and frustrated me at times. In addition, although I found some of the parts of the book about Rachel's job interesting, I think a lot of it wasn't essential to the story and maybe took away from it.

I think the premise of the story was interesting, but I think it could have maybe played out somewhat differently to where it would have flowed a little better. I like that the story had a HEA, but this left me wanting a little more.

When Rachel and Sebastian were young they made a deal with one another, if neither of them had found their happily ever after by age thirty then they would create one together... starting with a walk down the aisle. Well now they have both hit thirty, with no marriage or blissful future in sight. And now their family has caught wind of their little deal, so they are dealing with incessant urging from them to consider it. But they can't possibly go through with a deal they made as children... or can they?

Only Ever You was my first experience with Ms. Reiss's work and I have to say it impressed on many fronts, what a charming first read! The story line was a very inventive take on the friends to lovers premise, and proved to be quite entertaining and good on the heart. There was a smoldering and intense chemistry brewing between Rachel and Sebastian that helped keep things consistently hot and steamy. And their meddling families not only brought drama to the pages, but also bits of humor too... gotta love families! If you like light-hearted romances that'll tug on the heartstrings, and bring a few blushes, then I highly suggest you give Only Ever You a chance, you won't be disappointed with what you find between it's pages!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

I just finished and let me tell you... this story pulls at alllllll the heartstrings without being unnecessarily angsty. Also, it's beautiful and a little sexy and has lots of chemistry. It's also a favorite trope of mine: friends to lovers.

The friendship and chemistry between Sebastian and Rachel is nearly unbreakable. I say nearly because of insecurities along the way. The way Sebastian carried a torch for Rachel as long as he did just made my heart melt. 

An important plot point, which I refuse to reveal to avoid spoilers, is something I don't think I've ever read. 

I loved the characters. There were moments where I wanted to push Rachel into doing more and feeling more secure, but it had to happen at a certain pace. Sebastian, though, total heartthrob. Sounds cliché, but he's smart, and kind, and sensitive, and thoughtful. All without seeming emasculated. Plus, I have a thing for nerdy guys.

The major supporting characters were great too. You can see how the family members contribute to the H/h's personalities. 

Definitely a great summer read with heart!

Sweet romantic story. The parents are humorous and Sebastian is the nerd kid turned hunk of love. Rachel was a tad annoying at times and the book seemed to run around the bush a couple of unnecessary times. It did drag.

Very out of the norm for CD and you may just tire of it, but the ending is sweet.

Received a copy from the publisher for a honest review