I have to say that Adriana Locke is an AMAZING writer! I love every single book she has written! Between Now and Forever is a beautiful, well written story of love, loss, learning to navigate a world without letting your past dictate your future and maybe getting another chance at love! Gabrielle is a divorced mother of two boys, Dylan and Carter, who moves back to her small town after her ex passes away. Jay is the resident "grumpy" carpenter and when Gabby and her boys move in next door to him, he does everything in his power to stay away from them (Jay has a heartbreaking past relationship that makes him leery of single Moms)! But when Gabby accidently falls off her back deck in nothing but a towel, Jay "rescues" her, which is one of the funniest scenes I've ever read!

I loved a lot of things about this fast-paced, quick read that had me laughing out loud at times (Carter absolutely stole the show!), while also getting emotional at some of the scenes between Jay and Dylan, especially! I also loved the chemistry between Gabby and Jay and the "nosy neighbors" all putting in their "two cents"! The only thing I was a little disappointed with was I thought the last half of the book was a little rushed, that it seemed like Dylan went from hating Jay (because he sensed the attraction between his Mom and Jay) to suddenly being very okay with the situation. I also think that Gabby and Jay's relationship needed a little fleshing out as well! But overall, I loved this storyline and these characters and would recommend this one to anyone who loves the single Mom, grumpy/sunshine, low-angst but high chemistry quick read! I look forward to Ms. Locke's next book, like I do all of her books!

Between Now and Forever is a single mom, neighbor, grumpy/sunshine story about Jay and Gabrielle and is told from both of their points of view.

Gabrielle and Jay meet when she stumbles off her porch in nothing but a towel, and it accidently comes loose. She is a struggling single mother to two boys. One teenager who is having a hard time and taking it out on everyone else, and a younger one that always wants Jay to help him out whether it be to fill his basketball, or play ball with him.

Jay has been hurt in the past by a single mother. He instantly has feelings for Gabrielle and wants to help her fix up her house, but the more time they spend together feelings start to develop.

What happens when things from the past come back to him? Can he get past who he was treated by the other single mother? How can Gabrielle handle her kids with a new guy in their life?

I enjoyed this book and devoured it. I would love to see some stories from some of the side characters because they are always a good time!

“Grab whatever it is that makes you happy and run while you can.”

Between Now and Forever was a sweetly emotional and heartfelt romance with wonderful characters. The sparks fly between Gabrielle and Jay from their first encounter, but this single mom and her next door neighbor have a lot of issues to work through in order to pursue a relationship.

“She says she wants to live again. But I didn’t even realize I wasn’t living until I met her.”

I felt for Gabrielle and her sons as they dealt with the trauma of losing a loved one while also trying to move forward with their lives. Jay had also dealt with loss in a different way but that had also had a profound effect on how he lived his life. I loved watching all of them bond and navigate the challenges of letting go of their fears and learning to move on. Add in the snarky, flirty banter and spicy chemistry between Gabrielle and Jay and this is a quick, easy read that will touch your heart.

Adriana is one of my favorite authors and this book was no different. I downloaded it on a whim and I am so glad I did! It gave me all the emotions and feels and I can't wait for the rest of the world to read it!

I am a big fan of Adriana Locke and really enjoy her books. Between Now and Forever is no exception. It is well written and well paced and I like both Jay and Gabrielle. Why only 4 stars then? Because I didn't feel there was nearly enough time in the book spent with Jay and Gabrielle together, so it made it much harder to buy into their love. Much of the book is spent with Gabrielle and her friends or with her kids, and I wouldn't want less of that, those scenes are great, but I would have preferred being there for more of the nights they spent together talking, not just being told they did a lot of talking. Still a very enjoyable read that I can recommend. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Oh, my goodness. What a great read, I enjoyed it from start to finish, and laughed at your accidents. The two main characters are funny, but also with a lot of passion between them, and the romance is amazing.

I want a Jay in my life to save me from myself. I really liked that he gave himself a chance again in love and put his ghosts behind him. I loved Gabrielle and the love for her beautiful children. I love the books with the trope of single dads or moms.

Read if you like: neighbours to lovers, single mum, grumpy x sunshine, small town, returning to hometown

1.5-2 ⭐️ because this book made me mad lol

Gabrielle is a single mum to two boys. She’s just moved back home to a small town and meets her hot new neighbour Jay under unfortunate circumstances. Jay is jaded, he doesn’t want to date after his last failed relationship but can’t stop helping Gabrielle.

Now usually I like a protective MMC but he didn’t know Gabrielle at all besides that she was a single mum. He wasn’t making any moves and he was trying to avoid her, but he was talking about he wanted to protect her and her kids and couldn’t imagine anyone else in their life. I just wasn’t convinced that he liked her at all. He was constantly running away from her.

There was no chemistry or connection and I just thought they were meant to be with other people. The yelling mid sex? Uhhh okay each to their own I guess 😬😂

Dylan (her son) was going through a lot and while I understand his situation, I wanted to shake Gabrielle because she was not handling his attitude problem well at all. She was a doormat and continued to let him disrespect her and it drove me insane. PARENT YOUR KID!!! 😤🤬

It made me SO mad for her to say “I won’t fight for a man that won’t bother to fight for me” because all I’ve been seeing is that he’s been trying, and helping and opening his heart after his rough past, but all I see is Dylan hating him and Gabrielle saying shit all about it.
The only characters who didn’t piss me off were Carter and Gabrielle’s girl friends 🥲

Everyone needed therapy but nobody saw a therapist 😡 to top it off, the book had such an unsatisfying/quick ending that felt unresolved 😭

A clear miss for me, but if you’re keen on the tropes maybe give this book a go (there’s lots of positive reviews so I’m definitely in the minority here ahh)

I loved this story! The story was different from what I've read but felt so realistic. It was funny and fun to read. The story was easy to follow, and had you falling in love with the MMC, even when he struggled. It also had great friendships for the women in the town. I often find myself wanting to skip ahead to the main character interactions, but in this book they felt like less filler and were just as entertaining!

The ability that Adriana Locke possesses to bring raw and real emotions to life through her words is, well, there are no words for it. This book, with its cast of wonderful characters (Carter is my favorite), will bring you joy, heartbreak, and will inspire you to live and love.

Between Now and Forever
Pub Date: Dec 17
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"You're the first woman that's made my heart race in a long time. That's why you're so dangerous."

Gabrielle: 38 years old divorced mom of 2 boys Carter (7) and Dylan (14), they recently lost their father so she decided to move back to their home town for a fresh and new start All her life she has felt like she is on survival mode but now she's yearning to feel alive again.

Jay: is her neighbour, the man next door. He's a carpenter, super handsome, 🤩 and cute. However, he's grumpy and has swore off women. Its has been 3 years since he's been in a relationship and he was content that way until he met Gabrielle and from the first moment he met her she stole his breath away.
He's gonna help her fix her house but maybe they're gonna help each other and fix their hearts instead 😉.

Ohhh what an amazing book! Adriana just writes the best romances. It's romantic, emotional, heartwarming, and full of hope.
The book disccues themes of grief, parenthood, adolescens, and loss.
I loved Gabby& Jay they were so sweet and tender to each other.
The book is fast-paced with short chapters which was perfect.
I cannot recommend this book enough, you all have to read it.

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher (Montlake) for granting me an ARC of #BetweenNowandForever in exchange for my honest review.

Xoxo😘

I unfortunately couldn’t really relate to the story and the characters. It did not “click” for me. I can’t really put my thumb on it, but I guess partially the pacing was off for me.

Between Now and Forever by Adriana Locke is a sweet and lighthearted neighbors-to-lovers romance with plenty of fun and swoon-worthy moments. The way Gabrielle and Jay meet—her tumbling off a porch in nothing but a towel—is hilarious and sets the tone for their quirky, charming relationship.

Gabrielle, a single mom of two, is fierce and lovable, while Jay, the grumpy-but-goodhearted neighbor, has an irresistible mix of gruffness and vulnerability. I enjoyed watching them navigate the ups and downs of their growing connection. Jay’s internal struggle with his past adds some emotional depth, though the story mostly stays light and breezy.

While the romance was fun and entertaining, I found myself wanting something more to really make it stand out. It’s a solid, feel-good read, but I was missing that extra spark or emotional depth to take it to the next level.

Overall, it’s a cute, easy read for anyone who loves a feel-good romance with a bit of humor.

Adriana Locke used to be one of my auto-read authors but I've started to find her stories fluffy and predictable. I got excited when I saw this on NetGalley and snagged it up, hoping for the best. It was cute but had that same fluffy, overly sweet kind of feel to it. I didn't hate it but it wasn't my favorite.

Enjoyable read!
I enjoyed these fresh characters and an introduction to the small town of Alden. Jay, Gabrielle, Carter and Dylan each had their own unique first meetings, banter and heartfelt conversations. My heart broke for these people who had experienced traumatic loss and were all still finding ways to cope with it.

Leave it to Adriana Locke to break my heart and put it back together again. I cried for the boy who was too young to understand heartbreak. I cried for the teenager consumed by his. I cried for the single mom yearning to live again and for the man next door who never saw his second chance coming. Until she fell off her porch and he found her naked in a bush. And I swooned over how these four became a family. The spice level isn’t super high on this one but what it lacks in steam it makes up for in humor and relatable characters you’ll wish you knew in real life. Another fantastic read by a favorite author!

I think this is my absolute favorite book of Adriana Locke's so far! I say that a lot though. I loved this storyline that pulled at my heart strings. My emotions were all over the place. The characters are have complicated situations to overcome. The friend group made me laugh out loud. It was heartwarming. I didn't want to put the book down. After finishing, I closed the book with a contented sigh and a huge smile on my face. LOVED IT.

Adriana is an auto read author for me and I enjoyed this book a lot! I did at times feel like there were some side plots (her friends’ love lives) that could have been fleshed out more. I loved seeing Gabby’s relationship with her boys grow and evolve throughout the book. Jay working through his past to be able to be the person that he knew he needed to be for himself and for Gabby and her boys. Overall, I did enjoy this book, just not my favorite of Adriana’s.

Adriana Locke has once again created a great story that will definitely be on my shelf! This is a single mom, meets well flashes the grumpy next door neighbor. This novel covers some fairly hard topics and will relate to a lot of of people!

Both Gabby and Jay have trauma that they are working through, including Gabby having faced a difficult loss. The chemistry of these two is not instant and felt very natural to me.

One of the sweetest romances I’ve read this year, and I’ve read a lot! I felt like this book was realistic and related more to real life than some novels. It also has non 20 something FMC and MMC which I think helps it be more relatable.

Thank you to Adriana, Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

Just what I needed and expected from this author, a book I knew I would love that was sweet, spicy, and not any over the top drama. This was a small town romance, neighbor to lovers, and grumpy hero turned cinnamon roll/sunshine all rolled into one. There was def some good sexual tension thrown into the mix. Loved all the characters and I hope we see more of them! I'm looking at you Della with your kick ass job. If we could all be that confident!

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions! Cricket, Sammy, and Della were the group of girlfriends I wish I had, a perfect mix of personalities. I hope we get more of their stories in future books! Carter reminds me so much of my own 7 year old, he made me laugh out loud so many times! 😅 The dynamic between Gabrielle and Jay is just so fun and playful, and the spice is off the charts 🌶️🥵 Walking through the struggles Dylan was facing, as well as Jay and Gabrielle were heart wrenching, but it was all worth that HEA! ❤️❤️❤️ Another great book by Adriana Locke!