The premise and age gap trope had me hooked right away. It was a fun read and I loved the travel and luxury aspects but unfortunately the characters lacked chemistry at times for me! I did like that they were flawed though. I also appreciated the humanitarian efforts and the discourse surrounding this.

Thank you Montlake and Kendall Ryan for letting me read this! I’m looking forward to diving into more of Kendall’s work

Thank you to Montlake Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel, all opinions are my own.

A fun quick romance that follows Alessia , a 37 year old who runs a nonprofit which through out the book is focused on building a girls school in Nairobi and Hart Winthrop a 25 year old trustfund baby, the pair meet and start a romance that spans the globe. I enjoyed this book, i appreciated Alessia as a character, she is strong and independent and after spending her 30's in a relationship that ultimately didn't give her what she wants she is putting her wants and needs first. Hart is an absolute sweetheart.

The romance while sweet did fall a bit flat for me, a lot of the bonding between the pair through the phone/email and thus we didn't get to see them connect as much as i would have liked. The time they did spend together, especially later in the book became a bit repetitive with Alessia having concerns about their age gap and Hart soothing them temporarily only for them to repeat it in a new city.

The side characters could have been fleshed out a little more but given it is a short novel it might not have been feasible. The only two that seemed to get significant page time were Alessia's best friend Scarlet and Hayes, Hart's (evil) cousin. Would have loved to see more about Hart's friends and Alessia's assistant Joslyn.

All in all this an easy read with a good message and a sweet romance.

This book started out cute. I was intrigued by the opposite age trope. It was a miss for me though. I found it slightly strange how she kept talking about him like “his boyish grin”. Overall, it just wasn’t for me. Thank you @NetGalley for the arc.

I just finished a great book. A Beginners Guide to Forever by the amazing Kendall Ryan is out this summer. Pick it up! This is one you won’t want to miss!

Great Summer Read! Fun traveling and romance story! Gorgeous cover drew me in immediately! Love a good age gap….makes things interesting.

Alessia Moore has dedicated her life to her work, she is heading up a nonprofit that is in the process of raising funds to build a school for young girls in Nairobi. But with giving so much of herself to her work it has become the only thing she has to focus on, she doesn't have a love life or much of a personal life... and that is something that secretly bothers her. She's hoping that it's just that Mr. Right hasn't come along, and not because she is just destined to be alone. Then she meets him... but he comes with a whole host of complications.

A Beginner's Guide to Forever is a wonderfully written age-gap romance that is destined to leave your heart happy and put a big smile on your face! Alessia leads a busy life that leaves little time for love, so much so, she has began to doubt that she'll ever really find time for it. But then Hart Winthrop happens and he changes everything, some things being good and some things being complicated bordering bad. But we quickly learn that these two have what it takes to work through it all and make our dreams for a happily ever after real. I loved watching these two dance around one another and find a love that both doubted was possible. It was such a beautiful and heartfelt fall. I loved every minute I spent with them and was quite sad when I flipped the final page, I just wasn't ready to let them go! Highly recommend!

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

*Thank you Netgalley for the Arc*

potential spoilers but it’s chapter one!

Sadly I wanted to DNF this book almost instantly but decided to keep pushing through. When the main characters both meet in CHAPTER ONE and are clearly going through relationships problems and you offer for her to go back to your room?! immediate ICK, that was such a fast turn off for me. I am all about banter but that just screams creep. The banter didn’t seem to fit the environment for me.

I just felt like everything seemed forced, the chemistry was off and the constant self doubt and age gap issues that kept coming up weren’t for me.

Alessia Moore, a driven 37-year-old nonprofit leader in Nairobi, is focused on building a school for girls while grappling with a lackluster love life. When she meets Hart Winthrop, a confident and charming 25-year-old potential donor, their unexpected chemistry challenges both her professional boundaries and personal rules. As their relationship deepens across international adventures, Alessia must decide if risking everything for love is worth it.

I was excited to read a book about a woman my age instead of a 23 year old and I did enjoy the book, it was fun and sweet, I did feel there were opportunities for giving the characters more depth & interest that were no explored and I was left feeling that the story was a little more surface level than I would like. There were some standard romance trope-y type situations that I felt could have been personalised a bit more for the characters, instead there were some rather generic moments.

This book was a fun read! Alessia and Hart were to very light characters. Alessia is 37, recently broken up with, and wishing she didn't spend her 30's with someone who she did not end up with. Hart is 25, recently heartbroken, and is the son of the company Alessia is attempting to get funding from for her non-profit. Neither characters were bad, but in the end I did want more. The author is very descriptive in what the characters are wearing, but lacking in depth in the characters and their story. It was told in short times they spent together and only an emphasis that they have been speaking while being separated for months. I would have loved getting into a peak of those conversations because it can show a really good connection between the characters when not together. It was a fast read, a light read, and a very informative in what is going on in underfunded communities. Thank you to Montlake for the ARC.

When your life's mission is to help others in Africa your personal life gets thrown to the wayside. But when a younger man catches your attention and then keeps turning up. What's a bit older gal to do?

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC! I really enjoyed Kendall Ryan’s writing here and I loved Hart’s character. This book started off really strong, but as the chapters went on it seemed like the same issues kept repeating themselves without development. Personally, I felt that their age gap was mentioned one too many times and turned into a larger issue than it needed to be. Alessia had the potential for a strong character arc and I wish we got to see her learn to trust herself and Hart more. While I liked that her ties to Doctors Without Borders influenced her career and that she was passionate about providing resources for underserved populations, her efforts came across as a bit of white saviorism to me.

This was a light fun and quick read. I enjoyed getting to know Alessia and Hart. They met in a cute way and kept running into each other in different parts of the world. This book defines the definition of slow burn. It was very easy to read, and I enjoyed the whole book.

Kendall Ryan’s A Beginner’s Guide to Forever is a captivating blend of contemporary romance and thriller elements that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. The story features a compelling friends-to-lovers dynamic with an age gap twist, set against a globe-trotting backdrop that adds excitement and depth to the romance.

What I enjoyed most was the seamless mix of heartfelt emotion and suspense, which made the narrative both engaging and unpredictable. Ryan’s characters are well-developed and relatable, with genuine chemistry that evolves naturally throughout the story. The balance of steamy romance and thrilling plot twists kept me eagerly turning pages.

While some plot points follow familiar romance tropes, the fresh setting and strong character interactions give the story a unique flavor. The pacing is well-managed, allowing for both emotional growth and moments of tension without feeling rushed.

Overall, A Beginner’s Guide to Forever is a solid four-star read for fans of contemporary romance who appreciate a mix of passion, suspense, and heartfelt moments. Kendall Ryan delivers a memorable and entertaining story that’s definitely worth picking up.

Romance readers, you need to read this A Beginner's Guide to Forever! Alessia and Hart's story is so fun, I didn't want to put this book down once I started reading. It is an adorable reverse age gap romance. I could totally see this as a movie. I enjoyed A Beginner's Guide to Forever so much that I already have two other Kendall Ryan books on hold from the library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC, and of course, Kendall Ryan. All views and opinions are entirely my own.

OK so this one was a real letdown for me, especially since I've been a fan of Kendall Ryan's books in the past. I was super excited about the setup, nonprofit powerhouse meets younger billionaire guy while jetting around the world doing meaningful work? Let's Fucking Go! It just didn't deliver.

The biggest problem... these two had ZERO chemistry. Like, none. Their first meeting felt so forced that I immediately couldn't buy into their connection. I kept waiting for that moment where I'd be like "OK I get it now, I see why they're into each other" but it never happened. Their attraction just wasn't believable at all, which made it impossible to root for them.

And these characters? Both Alessia and Hart were just... bland. Despite all the impressive stuff they were supposed to have going on, neither of them felt like real people with actual personalities. I couldn't connect with either of them because they felt like cardboard cutouts instead of three-dimensional characters with real emotions and motivations.

I did manage to finish the book (hence the 2 stars instead of 1), but I was basically dragging myself through it rather than being hooked by the story. Such a bummer because the concept had so much potential!

Alessia & Hart’s story shows us the power of love transcends age (age of consent, as was applicable in this case, obviously allowing). Whilst both parties live in abject wealth, it was lovely to see that they used a great deal of their resources to give back and do good, instead of for solely shallow adventures. Covering multiple countries, the vast differences between extreme poverty and incredible wealth included in that, the poverty was covered with extreme kindness and respect, Hart was a lovely green flag to read about. The book reminded me a little of some of the vibes of The Idea Of You, with a more diverse travel background. All in all I devoured it and found it both to be a mostly easy and gentle read - minus the heartbreaking situations in Africa that thankfully a lot of were rectified by the kindness of the characters - during busy Mamahood life. I also found it quite moving that the school is a real life school that you can donate to.

Clearly I got sucked into this cover and title because this was not what I was expecting. I think a lot of people will like this but the tropes and content was not what I was expecting/what I enjoy

I’ve been holding out for a new Kendal Ryan book for so long now, I think my expectations were set a little too high. This one was a cute little romance, whereas I remember loving her books for the grit and spice.

Alessia Moore is a fiercely determined woman who works extremely hard on projects to help the less fortunate. Wondering if she will ever find her happily ever after she finds herself falling for a younger man. Is this just a fling she shouldn’t waste her time on, or has she been looking in the wrong places for so long now.

Hart intrigued me from the start. He is mysterious and romantic and has his sights set on Alessia. The slow burn was working well until it started to drop on a little too much. The lack of communications between to two characters became a bit frustrating. I wanted an explosion of passion towards the ending but it just kinda wrapped up and finished.

A quick little romantic number with minimal spice. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC

This book was super cute! I really enjoyed reading it. It made both smile and giggle. I liked the storyline. Thanks NetGalley for this arc!

(3.7 Stars)
Alessia Moore is a successful nonprofit businesswoman but she only wishes her romantic life could be as successful. When the son of one of her investors, Hart Winthrop, takes an interest in not only her but her work can she finally let loose? She might be worried he is too young for her as she wants more than just love but sometimes it’s worth taking a chance. This is a reverse age gap with beautiful backdrops around the world and a humanitarian mission. A slow burn romance and if you enjoy an older woman finding love this is for you. Told in first person