Wow! When my friend Mo recommends a book or an author, you don't question it. You just dive in! I went in blind to Forever and Back.

In my current life events, I am someone who relates so much to June. This book me laugh....A Lot! And it also made me SOB! Ashley manley sucks you in with her real ife events, and she makes you believe, that everything is going to be okay, and you're going to figure it all out.

Well done as always, Ashley! I can't wait to see what's next!

11/10 stars!

First of all, I just want to say how stunning and relatable I found this book as a mum and wife. Ashley’s writing is so beautiful and for any mum who’s going through similar or knows what it’s like to be in the trenches of motherhood - you have to read this book.

We don’t often see, if ever, stay at home FMC mums or relatable stories for your every day person but this story was so perfectly human and messy and dare I say the Bridget Jones energy with the messy life tellings. It was so gut wrenching and raw. I’ve never seen a story told like this before. Just perfect.

Life truly is so beautiful in the messy moments ♥️

This was my first arc review via NetGalley so thank you so much to them and Ashley for this opportunity 🫶♥️.

Loved this book! There were a few times I was upset at the main characters and their communication. But overall loved this story of a mom and her experience with her husband and children as they figure out life! Enjoyable, real life, love story.

there is too much to say and not enough to say regarding this book. i cant give spoilers. i cant give a adequate review from it (sorry as that IS why im here,right) but there just arent the words for it. there arent the descriptors. and that really runs parallel with there not being the words enough for our description on mothers. on all they are. all they give. the small and big bits. the micro ways, the huge ways. the divine ways of mothers who are our everything.
i cannot thanks mothers enough. i know certainly this isnt a given with all mothers. but not lets have to caveat everything! so for the sake of just needing to praise and love and think wonderous things of all mothers this book explores it all. and its a little love letter to them all.
and its so much more. im really sorry. what a horrific review. because i cant describe it enough. the plot is what it is but then there resounds so much more to this book that you just must read. and you must read to understand when i say whatever i write here wont do it justice.
for the small points i can give is here we have a mother. one who is fed up. pushed over the edge by her husband coming home late she asks for their divorce. but then he becomes something other. so what now? what next? what does this all mean? with kids to deal with on top of this. who are as kids are... what ever next for our mother.
this author is incredible and has done the incredible with this book.

What a beautiful, humorous and real-life story Ashley has woven together. I found myself relating and understanding the concepts, and situations. I was able to see myself in the MC and understand everything. And what a powerful author to be able to do that. I couldn't put this down and look forward to reading her other work.

After reading Every Beautiful Mile, I knew I had to get my hands on more of Ashley Manley’s books - so I was thrilled to get my first ever ARC of Forever and Back! Ashley really has an amazing way of building characters that feel real and relatable. I found myself wanting to read just one more chapter to learn more about June.

Contemporary romance is such a hard genre for me because I don’t want a complete fluff piece, but I do want to be happy that everything is tied up well at the end. I want amazing, fun banter, a real “issue” to work through, some fun sexy scenes that are natural and not forced, but ultimately a fun, funny, read with substance. Ashley Manley keeps delivering on all of these!

I know it’s a winner when I finish a book, wishing the main character was real and that I could be friends with them!

It’s also really refreshing to read about a woman who is in her 40’s, with teenagers and young kids - I really connected with that on multiple levels!

Thank you Ashley, for this ARC!

Wow. I really resonated with this book as a 40 year old woman who's been married over a decade. I loved it. It pulled all my heart strings. Very very good!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

originally thought I was going to DNF this book but I kept on and ended up loving it. Even cried at Lyra’s speech at the end. Four stars.

Even though I am not a mother, I know a lot of people who are, and I felt that she handled this subject in a very compelling way with likable characters. You felt the emotion of the main character and wanted the best for her throughout.

i requested this after seeing a glowing review from Meagan’s Book Club, but i don’t think we read the same book.. I found the dialogue to be so poorly written and the stuttering “because-because-because” was so disingenuous. the plot did not make sense (how can we be completely shocked jaws to the floor at a child asking what’s a lesbian)? the photography plot was so obvious, the storyline was repetitive. this was a no for me.

Five hundred stars, seriously. I’ve never felt so seen, so understood, so…emotional. I don’t often cry reading books, but this was an exception. June is so many of us - and to have so many aspects of motherhood put into an incredibly written book, is so special. I cannot say enough about this, and this will easily be one of my top (if not THE top read) for 2025 for me. Ashley is now one of my automatic reads / purchases without a doubt. And thank you, for remembering the moms in the back, the lost ones, and everything in between.

Unfortunately this is a DNF. This is 100% a case of it’s not you, it’s me. One of my main DNF reasons is unrealistic characters, and the way the twin’s preschool teacher spoke to the MC was wild to me. Also, the marriage in crisis trope isn’t my favorite. I’m super bummed because Every Beautiful Mile is an all time favorite of mine, and I will definitely continue to read Ashley’s books, but I had to put this one down.

I did connect with June on a lot being a mother myself, so I would still recommend this to women in the thick of raising a family.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with an ARC of this book.
I am so glad that I decided to read this romance. I love it so so much !!!
This was an emotional romance about motherhood, family, marriage and self-reflection.
In between heartbroken parts, you can also find cute and sweet scenes (and a nice dose of spice too 😉)
I’ve always liked to read romance about long-term couple whose relationship was falling apart because life was not always like we’d imagined it.
Being a mom, I felt great empathy towards June. No more self-care time, body insecurity after pregnancy, and above all, questioning ourselves whether I was a good mother.
And then the man, it might not be applied for everyone’s case, but some men were such laconic species ! And that didn’t help when the women were being vulnerable. Communication became harder when you were always walking a fine line between caring and fearing of bothering each other.
Reading the book description, I did not expect the storyline direction. I meant, it was better than I had thought and I was so happy of the ending.
I will definitely check out other books from Ashley Manley.

Wow. Just wow. First of all thank-you to NetGalley and Ashley Manley for the ARC. This book feels like it was written about me just set a few years in the future. I relate to June on so many levels, being a mother, the main caretaker , the one who has to do it all and totally losing herself in the process. And the "lost ones" I have 2 myself and boy did I feel that entirely. This book is such a great reminder moms don't need to be only "mom". I have never laughed and cried and felt so emotionally attached to a book on my life. It felt like one big therapy session for me and I truly cannot wait to read more of her work.

As a 39 year old mother of three, I don't think I have ever related with a character more than I do with June Cannon. Forever and Back is an absolute must read. Ashely Manley does a fabulous job illustrating how easy it is to lose yourself in a relationship or lose yourself to motherhood. I felt her pain and frustration of feeling like she's looked at as "just a mom" and that's all there is.

"People tell you about potty training and sleepless nights, but they don't tell you how f-ing hard being a mom is. About the slow drain that happens if you aren't careful. How you exchange who you are for a different version of yourself without even knowing. Somewhere between dinners and homework and carlines, you forget yourself. And, somehow, despite how hard and thankless it all feels, when you lie in bed at night, you still worry. You still wonder, did I do good enough today? Did I love these little people enough? Encourage them to be nice people and treat others fairly? Do they know how valuable they are? How much I love them?"

The above quote resonated hard with me and I feel like I could have written it myself. The depth of emotions in this book was phenomenal. Top 5 read for me so far this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

On January 29, 2025 your post/video compelled me to read 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄 by indie author @ashleymanleywrites I did and LOVED it. Like- I reread my favorite bits for days after I finished it kind-of-love. Then my friend @addie.yoder told me her upcoming release 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 (Pub 04.01) was on @netgalley so I grabbed it. I ignored my family and my hygiene to read it in two sittings. I loved it even MORE. I obviously had no choice but to inhale 𝗪𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝗪𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐅𝐋𝐎𝗪𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐌 over the weekend. So here I am 3 weeks and 3 books later in an Ashley Manley induced reading coma. A good coma. I guess I’ll just reread my favorite passages until Scotty’s book is published.

Thank you-
Kari

P.S.
I’d describe these books as fiction/love stories since they don’t “follow” the traditional romance tropes. But rest assured there is certainly romance (open door) to be found.

FOREVER AND BACK by Ashley Manley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Ashley says she wrote this book for the mom's, and honestly, she NAILED it. I flew through this one! I was rooting for June and needed to know how she was going to pull through it all. It was almost hard to read at times because of the relatability to often feeling somewhat invisible in motherhood.

Pub date: 4/1

The premise: June Cannon has spent the last seventeen years of her life as a devoted mom and wife, but when her husband, Camp, doesn't come home for dinner-again— and her teenage daughter calls her simple, she's had enough. Inspired by a podcast, her way forward becomes get a divorce, get a job, and show her kids she's anything but simple. As soon as she tells Camp she wants a divorce, he becomes the husband he hasn't been for years.

I giggled at all of the parts where June is listening to podcasts to "fix her life". But what hit me hard was the bit about how often we take advice from podcasts, social media experts, etc. without first talking to the people who know and love us and have actual context for our personal situations. One recommendation isnt going to be the right one for all of us! Oof!! Great reminder.

A few cheesy moments at the end that made it not quite 5 stars and I really wanted a bit more accountability from Camp in certain instances. Overall, totally recommend this book!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Mood: 🌮🍫
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you @ashleymanleywrites and @netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Loved this one, I was fully invested in June's story from start to finish. This is the third book I've read by Ashley Manley and she hits it out of the park every time. I connect so much with her female main characters, as adult women navigating life and love. Highly recommend and cannot wait til Scotty's story!

This book. This is one of my favorite books so far this year. Ashley Manley is an absolutely amazing writer. Junes story is something I can relate to in so many ways. As a single parent, I feel her overwhelming sense of losing herself to the parenting life. But also as someone who has suffered through a miscarriage, this book shattered me. I’m not sure I have ever read a book that I’ve related to and loved so much. ABSOLUTELY 100000% worth the read!

June is a stay-at-home mom who feels stretched thin and unappreciated. While juggling the kids schedules, dinner time, and everything in between, she grows resentful toward her husband, Camp, who seems carefree and unavailable when she needs him. But after she tells him she wants a divorce, he seems to change overnight, confusing her even more.

This book was a great look into losing yourself in motherhood, unmet expectations, and realizing things aren’t always as they seem. I think Ashley gave us something new direction with this story and I loved it.

Some parts were cheesy, and June could have benefited from therapy to work through this, but overall I thought this was a solid 4 stars! There is a good bit of spice, but Ashley lists out which chapters to skip in the prologue, if you prefer that. I do think some of the scenes help further the plot.

Content Warning: Miscarriage

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review!