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Lovefest
What happens when you meet the love of your life and then part ways for over 50 years?
Jordan Cullen is a nineteen-year-old sophomore at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She invites her grandmother and best friend, Ellie, to visit for Parents’ Weekend and meet her favorite professor and adviser, Dr. Hay. Ellie never imagined that Dr. Hay is none other than Jean Hay, her former flame, and first love. Ellie left many things unsaid when they parted, leaving Jean to mend the pieces of a broken heart. Fifty-four years later, the two stand in front of each other, feeling mixed emotions.
Ellie has called California home for the last half-century, where she has worked as a painter and art teacher while raising two children with her late husband. After completing her doctorate in political science, Jean settled in Massachusetts, where she remains a respected professor. She has been single for the past twenty years after ending her thirty-year relationship with her best friend, Beth Davison.
No one in Ellie's family knows about Jean. Everyone in Jean's life has heard of Ellie. Is it possible to resurrect a love lost for many years? Ellie and Jean are about to discover that certain stories are still waiting to be written.
LOVEFEST is a heartwarming romance that will have you laughing out loud and believing in love at any age.
Jordan Cullen is a nineteen-year-old sophomore at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She invites her grandmother and best friend, Ellie, to visit for Parents’ Weekend and meet her favorite professor and adviser, Dr. Hay. Ellie never imagined that Dr. Hay is none other than Jean Hay, her former flame, and first love. Ellie left many things unsaid when they parted, leaving Jean to mend the pieces of a broken heart. Fifty-four years later, the two stand in front of each other, feeling mixed emotions.
Ellie has called California home for the last half-century, where she has worked as a painter and art teacher while raising two children with her late husband. After completing her doctorate in political science, Jean settled in Massachusetts, where she remains a respected professor. She has been single for the past twenty years after ending her thirty-year relationship with her best friend, Beth Davison.
No one in Ellie's family knows about Jean. Everyone in Jean's life has heard of Ellie. Is it possible to resurrect a love lost for many years? Ellie and Jean are about to discover that certain stories are still waiting to be written.
LOVEFEST is a heartwarming romance that will have you laughing out loud and believing in love at any age.
- GenresRomance
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 26, 2023
92 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
December 20, 2023
This Book Touched My Heart
As an older woman, single once again in life, this book touched my heart in ways I didn’t expect.
I know it happens because I’ve met older women who found love again later in life. But there are so few stories about older women finding their happiness later in life.
So this book spoke to me, appealed to me, and made me happy.
Ellie and Jean are two women who met when they were young, who fell in love during a summer, and who circumstances pulled apart in a time when women loving women was not seen as an acceptable thing at all.
But 50 years later, when Ellie’s granddaughter begs Ellie to come meet the staff at her college when her parents have a scheduling conflict, something remarkable happens. Ellie discovers that the journalism professor her granddaughter speaks so highly of is the same Jean Hay with whom she fell in love all those years ago. And she realizes that fate has given herself and Jean a second chance.
This book is a reminder that sometimes we can find our soulmates, that love sometimes can endure, and that we should take second chances with joy and love when we’re given them.
I recommend this book!
As an older woman, single once again in life, this book touched my heart in ways I didn’t expect.
I know it happens because I’ve met older women who found love again later in life. But there are so few stories about older women finding their happiness later in life.
So this book spoke to me, appealed to me, and made me happy.
Ellie and Jean are two women who met when they were young, who fell in love during a summer, and who circumstances pulled apart in a time when women loving women was not seen as an acceptable thing at all.
But 50 years later, when Ellie’s granddaughter begs Ellie to come meet the staff at her college when her parents have a scheduling conflict, something remarkable happens. Ellie discovers that the journalism professor her granddaughter speaks so highly of is the same Jean Hay with whom she fell in love all those years ago. And she realizes that fate has given herself and Jean a second chance.
This book is a reminder that sometimes we can find our soulmates, that love sometimes can endure, and that we should take second chances with joy and love when we’re given them.
I recommend this book!
December 2, 2023
I really enjoyed the story and I love longgggg books but, this one just seemed to dragggggggggg.
January 10, 2024
An engaging story of two older women who had fallen in love one summer when they were young. They parted and their lives take different paths, but when they reunite they find the love they thought they’d lost. A sometimes amusing, sometimes sad, look at two lives coming full circle.
July 31, 2024
This was sweet, emotional and fluffy. Older protagonists come across each other again after fifty years of no contact and there are lots of emotional talks with their large families, logistics, and moving faster than usual because there isn't that much time left to build a life together. It doesn't go super deep into character or conflict but it's a nice reminder of what a healthy family dynamic could look like for someone coming out much later in life and still managing to find love despite being in a relationship with someone for several decades and being a grandmother.
March 17, 2025
Rating: 5+++
It was the summer of 1969. Provincetown, MA. 2 women. 19 and 22. Kindred spirits. Fell in love. Love so deep but never declared. Viscerally felt but unspoken. A whirlwind relationship. Then one day, one of them left. Neither ever knew how they felt for each other, the life-changing impact they had on each other’s life. Neither knew they were each other’s..One. True. Love.
54 years later….
Half a century later…
They meet again…
But their love…
Never ceases…
It’s as acute, as powerful as…
The moment they fell in love with each other….
54 years ago…
Just take a moment, readers/listeners. Imagine. The enormity of this life-altering event.
What a story. Truly for the ages. Not just because the two protagonists (MCs) are in their autumn years. But a pure, unadulterated, undying, everlasting, karmic, twin-soul-type of true, divine love between two halves of ONE singular soul. I don’t believe I’ve ever read anything quite like this setup. True love is timeless. True love has no age limits. True love never dies. All good things come back in time.
The passage of time throughout the book flows seamlessly between the present and the past. Be it Jean and Ellie travelling down memory lane to the past or rediscovering each other in the present, it really doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, time is irrelevant when it comes to the everlasting power of love. Ellie and Jean never stopped being in love with each other.
When love is steadfast, pure and true, it really doesn’t matter if both people aren’t physically together. Because, love is energy. It’s in the soul. Both Ellie and Jean left a piece of their soul in each other when they “lost” each other in body. But not in mind and soul. They were each other’s soul half. Twin souls. No matter where they were, however near or far, their love transcends physicality. It’s all about timing. Timing is everything. Just when you least expect it, especially when your life is happy and content, along comes something that is beyond your wildest imagination.
Aww…I just can’t get enough of Jean and Ellie! Their love was so romantic, so encapsulating! The yearning for each other that they exuded even when they were together, when Jean whispered, “I don’t want you to leave” - the yearning desire that enveloped the words when Jean almost pleaded with Ellie was intoxicatingly breathtaking. Armstrong’s words just tug at your heartstrings. But oh, Sands. Such uninhibited honesty in her voice and the conviction in her portrayal of both MCs, makes these two star-crossed lovers, who lost each other for half a century, but never lost their one true love for each other, so authentically real, so EPIC! OMG. It’s no wonder I’ve listened to this incredible love story 3X in a month already!
Honestly, Xe Sands’ phenomenal and emotionally affecting performance is why I keep going back to revisit Allie and Jean’s epic love story. It’s now become a go-to re-listen story for me when I want to reminisce! No other love story compares now, I feel like! And I’ve read and listened to some epic ones, believe me! But Sands’ performance - it’s like she understood everything, she knew all the nuances, the emotions, the depth and breadth of a person’s love for another, the grieving of what was lost….she didn’t just embody Ellie and Jean. She literally became them. She owned Armstrong’s words, making them her own. She nailed the love language between the 2 women with such conviction and authenticity I couldn’t get enough of their story!
How Sands breathed life into them is something to behold..no words except that it’s something that I will cherish forever because for me, she birthed these characters that became real people to me. Their love is endearing and everlasting. The power of that epic love transcends the human experience. It feels like the stuff of angels. Divinely spiritual. Mystical. Twin souls, if you ask me! I’m so grateful to Sands for voicing this story.
This is why I was “guided” to find and listen to this particular story, after Nancy Ann Healy (aka Armstrong)’s “One Simple Refrain” which introduced me to Xe Sands in the first place, and one that I was guided to listen to, affirmatively. Both stories incidentally were meant to be a part of my healing journey when the time came…messages of affirmation, remembrance, assurances of love and healing. And curiously, they’re both from the same author albeit written under different pen names. Interesting. Everything happens for a reason. I can feel it in my core that the purity of Ellie and Jean’s true love as depicted is one that’s only shared between two halves of one singular soul, starting from them believing they were kindred spirits when they first met 54 years ago. That kind of soul-deep familiarity, usually unbeknownst to the conscious mind. There are no coincidences. Good grief, the parallels drawn from both stories are simply uncanny... No words.
And, what’s truly special about “Lovefest,” the icing on the cake, so to speak, is the inclusion of the MCs’ extended families (chosen or otherwise) and their respective storylines, effectively enriching the entire story with an intimate sense of wholesomeness. Soul mates come in different forms. Some are romantic, some are platonic, and some are blood related. This brings me another pairing that I absolutely adore in this story - Ellie and her granddaughter, Jordan. Their soul connection between each other is so visceral. They’re best friends. They're each other's person. They're....soul mates. Oh, my heart swells!
Armstrong, after reading “One Simple Refrain” and now “Lovefest,” I’m in awe of the wealth and depth of life lessons, experiences, emotional nuances, philosophical and spiritual outlook that Armstrong/Healy seems to possess. And she relays that through her characters with such honesty, openness and grace. Armstrong has a knack for writing prose with effortless dialogue that’s grounded in authenticity. And when Sands gives voice to the words, a voice that conveys such genuine emotions they breathe life into them, she makes the relationships amongst these characters relatable, resonating and authentic.
It’s perhaps meant to be that Armstrong got Sands to tell her stories with her voice because Sands is one empathic performer. It’s like she takes all the emotions, behaviours, characteristics and nature of the stories by heart. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s an empath. I think when the stories and characters resonate within her emotionally, they affect her on a deeper level than others as evidenced in the tonal frequency of her voice which vibrates a little differently because it’s like she becomes that character instead of playing them. It’s an amazing auditory experience for me when listening to her!
Honestly, Sands has such a deep understanding of Armstrong’s intent in telling her story, her characters, the relationships, the interconnectivity between all the characters, that she truly owns the story. She embodies the characters with such conviction, they become so real and before you know it, you’re in their world, quietly observing and witnessing their journeys, watching how the story unfolds and continues beyond the last page of the book - a world that Armstrong built which Sands brought to life.
“Lovefest” is now on my list of favourite books of all-time and it is the ONLY audiobook that I’ve listened to 3 times in the last 4 weeks. And I don’t see the end of my re-listen effort. This story heals my soul. Thank you, Xe Sands. And thank you for writing this story, JA Armstrong.
Anyone who appreciates an all-encompassing story about love and loss, joy and grief, hope and fear, soul families (blood/chosen/found), the power and strength of the human spirit, the ties that bind which is ultimately love - unconditional, unwavering, everlasting, transcending beyond life itself, will want to give this story a read and defo a good LISTEN to!
It was the summer of 1969. Provincetown, MA. 2 women. 19 and 22. Kindred spirits. Fell in love. Love so deep but never declared. Viscerally felt but unspoken. A whirlwind relationship. Then one day, one of them left. Neither ever knew how they felt for each other, the life-changing impact they had on each other’s life. Neither knew they were each other’s..One. True. Love.
54 years later….
Half a century later…
They meet again…
But their love…
Never ceases…
It’s as acute, as powerful as…
The moment they fell in love with each other….
54 years ago…
Just take a moment, readers/listeners. Imagine. The enormity of this life-altering event.
What a story. Truly for the ages. Not just because the two protagonists (MCs) are in their autumn years. But a pure, unadulterated, undying, everlasting, karmic, twin-soul-type of true, divine love between two halves of ONE singular soul. I don’t believe I’ve ever read anything quite like this setup. True love is timeless. True love has no age limits. True love never dies. All good things come back in time.
The passage of time throughout the book flows seamlessly between the present and the past. Be it Jean and Ellie travelling down memory lane to the past or rediscovering each other in the present, it really doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, time is irrelevant when it comes to the everlasting power of love. Ellie and Jean never stopped being in love with each other.
When love is steadfast, pure and true, it really doesn’t matter if both people aren’t physically together. Because, love is energy. It’s in the soul. Both Ellie and Jean left a piece of their soul in each other when they “lost” each other in body. But not in mind and soul. They were each other’s soul half. Twin souls. No matter where they were, however near or far, their love transcends physicality. It’s all about timing. Timing is everything. Just when you least expect it, especially when your life is happy and content, along comes something that is beyond your wildest imagination.
Aww…I just can’t get enough of Jean and Ellie! Their love was so romantic, so encapsulating! The yearning for each other that they exuded even when they were together, when Jean whispered, “I don’t want you to leave” - the yearning desire that enveloped the words when Jean almost pleaded with Ellie was intoxicatingly breathtaking. Armstrong’s words just tug at your heartstrings. But oh, Sands. Such uninhibited honesty in her voice and the conviction in her portrayal of both MCs, makes these two star-crossed lovers, who lost each other for half a century, but never lost their one true love for each other, so authentically real, so EPIC! OMG. It’s no wonder I’ve listened to this incredible love story 3X in a month already!
Honestly, Xe Sands’ phenomenal and emotionally affecting performance is why I keep going back to revisit Allie and Jean’s epic love story. It’s now become a go-to re-listen story for me when I want to reminisce! No other love story compares now, I feel like! And I’ve read and listened to some epic ones, believe me! But Sands’ performance - it’s like she understood everything, she knew all the nuances, the emotions, the depth and breadth of a person’s love for another, the grieving of what was lost….she didn’t just embody Ellie and Jean. She literally became them. She owned Armstrong’s words, making them her own. She nailed the love language between the 2 women with such conviction and authenticity I couldn’t get enough of their story!
How Sands breathed life into them is something to behold..no words except that it’s something that I will cherish forever because for me, she birthed these characters that became real people to me. Their love is endearing and everlasting. The power of that epic love transcends the human experience. It feels like the stuff of angels. Divinely spiritual. Mystical. Twin souls, if you ask me! I’m so grateful to Sands for voicing this story.
This is why I was “guided” to find and listen to this particular story, after Nancy Ann Healy (aka Armstrong)’s “One Simple Refrain” which introduced me to Xe Sands in the first place, and one that I was guided to listen to, affirmatively. Both stories incidentally were meant to be a part of my healing journey when the time came…messages of affirmation, remembrance, assurances of love and healing. And curiously, they’re both from the same author albeit written under different pen names. Interesting. Everything happens for a reason. I can feel it in my core that the purity of Ellie and Jean’s true love as depicted is one that’s only shared between two halves of one singular soul, starting from them believing they were kindred spirits when they first met 54 years ago. That kind of soul-deep familiarity, usually unbeknownst to the conscious mind. There are no coincidences. Good grief, the parallels drawn from both stories are simply uncanny... No words.
And, what’s truly special about “Lovefest,” the icing on the cake, so to speak, is the inclusion of the MCs’ extended families (chosen or otherwise) and their respective storylines, effectively enriching the entire story with an intimate sense of wholesomeness. Soul mates come in different forms. Some are romantic, some are platonic, and some are blood related. This brings me another pairing that I absolutely adore in this story - Ellie and her granddaughter, Jordan. Their soul connection between each other is so visceral. They’re best friends. They're each other's person. They're....soul mates. Oh, my heart swells!
Armstrong, after reading “One Simple Refrain” and now “Lovefest,” I’m in awe of the wealth and depth of life lessons, experiences, emotional nuances, philosophical and spiritual outlook that Armstrong/Healy seems to possess. And she relays that through her characters with such honesty, openness and grace. Armstrong has a knack for writing prose with effortless dialogue that’s grounded in authenticity. And when Sands gives voice to the words, a voice that conveys such genuine emotions they breathe life into them, she makes the relationships amongst these characters relatable, resonating and authentic.
It’s perhaps meant to be that Armstrong got Sands to tell her stories with her voice because Sands is one empathic performer. It’s like she takes all the emotions, behaviours, characteristics and nature of the stories by heart. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s an empath. I think when the stories and characters resonate within her emotionally, they affect her on a deeper level than others as evidenced in the tonal frequency of her voice which vibrates a little differently because it’s like she becomes that character instead of playing them. It’s an amazing auditory experience for me when listening to her!
Honestly, Sands has such a deep understanding of Armstrong’s intent in telling her story, her characters, the relationships, the interconnectivity between all the characters, that she truly owns the story. She embodies the characters with such conviction, they become so real and before you know it, you’re in their world, quietly observing and witnessing their journeys, watching how the story unfolds and continues beyond the last page of the book - a world that Armstrong built which Sands brought to life.
“Lovefest” is now on my list of favourite books of all-time and it is the ONLY audiobook that I’ve listened to 3 times in the last 4 weeks. And I don’t see the end of my re-listen effort. This story heals my soul. Thank you, Xe Sands. And thank you for writing this story, JA Armstrong.
Anyone who appreciates an all-encompassing story about love and loss, joy and grief, hope and fear, soul families (blood/chosen/found), the power and strength of the human spirit, the ties that bind which is ultimately love - unconditional, unwavering, everlasting, transcending beyond life itself, will want to give this story a read and defo a good LISTEN to!
December 22, 2023
A Heartbreaking and Heartwarming Tale!
JA Armstrong has a way of showing us the way life should be. This is a story of two woman from two families who has experience life and know at an older age that not a lot of life in front of them is waiting. Ellie is a retired widow, whose husband died just short of their fiftieth wedding anniversary. She has two children and is a grandmother. Jean is a professor, who has been alone for years after her best friend and her became a couple, had a daughter and now three grandchildren. Her partner Beth is now married to the love of her life but Jean is still stuck. Ellie’s granddaughter wants her to take a trip east to her former university and introduce her to her professor who is now teaching Jordan. Ellie would gladly do it because her and Jordan, her granddaughter, are really close. But when she sees the professor Jordan wants her to meet, a flashback occurs of a time when she and Jean became a couple for a summer during their time at the university. A summer where there was love but then when Ellie went home, no contact and it was over. A love that broke her so bad, that she met her future husband who tried to help her through it, even suggesting she go after her. As this story unfolds, Ellie and Jean obviously still has so much love inside for each other. You learn about their lives after they parted and get to know the families. The best part of this was the relationship between Jordan, Jean and Ellie. This has some heartbreaking situations but mostly the warmth that comes from this book is overwhelming. Asking a question, are we ready to say goodbye to a loved one. And JA has answered in a sweet and touching way. I love JA books but this one got me right in the gut….
JA Armstrong has a way of showing us the way life should be. This is a story of two woman from two families who has experience life and know at an older age that not a lot of life in front of them is waiting. Ellie is a retired widow, whose husband died just short of their fiftieth wedding anniversary. She has two children and is a grandmother. Jean is a professor, who has been alone for years after her best friend and her became a couple, had a daughter and now three grandchildren. Her partner Beth is now married to the love of her life but Jean is still stuck. Ellie’s granddaughter wants her to take a trip east to her former university and introduce her to her professor who is now teaching Jordan. Ellie would gladly do it because her and Jordan, her granddaughter, are really close. But when she sees the professor Jordan wants her to meet, a flashback occurs of a time when she and Jean became a couple for a summer during their time at the university. A summer where there was love but then when Ellie went home, no contact and it was over. A love that broke her so bad, that she met her future husband who tried to help her through it, even suggesting she go after her. As this story unfolds, Ellie and Jean obviously still has so much love inside for each other. You learn about their lives after they parted and get to know the families. The best part of this was the relationship between Jordan, Jean and Ellie. This has some heartbreaking situations but mostly the warmth that comes from this book is overwhelming. Asking a question, are we ready to say goodbye to a loved one. And JA has answered in a sweet and touching way. I love JA books but this one got me right in the gut….
November 28, 2023
beautiful
Such a great read. It’s not often I pick up a later life romance story. Or if I do it tends to be an age gap one. This, I think, is the first I’ve read like it.
It’s a beautiful story about two women meeting again after losing touch 50 or so years ago. After a blissful summer romance they lost touch for various reasons but never lost the love they felt for each other. This book sees them reconnect through a chance meeting and realise that the feelings they held back in the day are as strong as ever.
It’s not all fun, although a greater part is, but it also contains loss as well as dealing with family issues. For the most part though we see the relationship they had continue as if they never parted.
Armstrong always writes such great family dynamics. In all her books you feel part of whatever story you are reading. She has such a way of writing that even if I didn’t see the cover and know who the author was I would instantly know it was a Armstrong book.
Such a great read. It’s not often I pick up a later life romance story. Or if I do it tends to be an age gap one. This, I think, is the first I’ve read like it.
It’s a beautiful story about two women meeting again after losing touch 50 or so years ago. After a blissful summer romance they lost touch for various reasons but never lost the love they felt for each other. This book sees them reconnect through a chance meeting and realise that the feelings they held back in the day are as strong as ever.
It’s not all fun, although a greater part is, but it also contains loss as well as dealing with family issues. For the most part though we see the relationship they had continue as if they never parted.
Armstrong always writes such great family dynamics. In all her books you feel part of whatever story you are reading. She has such a way of writing that even if I didn’t see the cover and know who the author was I would instantly know it was a Armstrong book.
October 14, 2024
It is between a 4 and 5.
The books is sweet. Usually the author has me finishing in a day, but this took over a week.
It started with a character I really liked and her desire for her grandmother to meet her girlfriend at parents week (and all the other things). Then it switched mostly to the grandmother. No problem … but I liked the college student and the grandmother equally and was disappointed the student faded off … although NOT entirely! And from the cover I assumed it would be about the grandmother so it isn’t like I can be upset too much. But Since I only read audiobooks the cover isn’t prominent and I don’t read descriptions.
Solid author with too many ideas and unfinished 2 series that are upsetting (that they aren’t finished) so I am always torn. I also felt it played older love well but downplayed older physical intimacy. But free on Hoopla and sometimes a fun book and sometimes a little drag. Just a little. This is based on my average reading / finish time. Great narration!
The books is sweet. Usually the author has me finishing in a day, but this took over a week.
It started with a character I really liked and her desire for her grandmother to meet her girlfriend at parents week (and all the other things). Then it switched mostly to the grandmother. No problem … but I liked the college student and the grandmother equally and was disappointed the student faded off … although NOT entirely! And from the cover I assumed it would be about the grandmother so it isn’t like I can be upset too much. But Since I only read audiobooks the cover isn’t prominent and I don’t read descriptions.
Solid author with too many ideas and unfinished 2 series that are upsetting (that they aren’t finished) so I am always torn. I also felt it played older love well but downplayed older physical intimacy. But free on Hoopla and sometimes a fun book and sometimes a little drag. Just a little. This is based on my average reading / finish time. Great narration!
April 10, 2024
4 stars. A second chance romance 50 years in the making. This was lovely. Armstrong is hit or miss with me but this was definitely a win. This was incredibly cozy and comforting and soft. Ellie and Jean are both elderly ladies which I always love a romance between women 50+. They had great chemistry and I loved how low angst their relationship is. They get back together after all of those years and when they come against obstacles they are mature and work through things together which was awesome. I loved their romance. The two families were great as well. The side characters were just as wonderful as the main leads. My one and only issue is the flashbacks just weren’t necessary in my opinion. They really messed up the flow of the story but other than that this was a really good read. Romantic, light, but had a lot of heart.
December 7, 2023
Love Spanning Decades and Winning
This is an incredible story. It's well written and perfectly narrated with characters to love and root for. I love that it highlights the older status of the main characters while including the love of younger generations too. It's a fantastic story of a love spanning decades that ends up winning in a happy ever after. This isn't a spoiler, you can tell in the build up of the story itself. And still you just want to keep turning pages to get there.
This is an incredible story. It's well written and perfectly narrated with characters to love and root for. I love that it highlights the older status of the main characters while including the love of younger generations too. It's a fantastic story of a love spanning decades that ends up winning in a happy ever after. This isn't a spoiler, you can tell in the build up of the story itself. And still you just want to keep turning pages to get there.
December 6, 2023
Enjoyed it!
I really love a story about grown (and especially older) women in love. These two, Jean and Ellie, are more than that. They were always on a path back to each other, if not in this life then the next. Loved the blended family. Not a fan of too many flashbacks though. The best part of this story is that J&E are wise beyond their years and just accept that they were always meant to be together without fighting it, or angsty back and forth. Well done Ms. Armstrong!
I really love a story about grown (and especially older) women in love. These two, Jean and Ellie, are more than that. They were always on a path back to each other, if not in this life then the next. Loved the blended family. Not a fan of too many flashbacks though. The best part of this story is that J&E are wise beyond their years and just accept that they were always meant to be together without fighting it, or angsty back and forth. Well done Ms. Armstrong!
December 8, 2023
unusual but romantic
Elllie and Jeans relationship over such a long period was wonderful. The flashbacks were somewhat tiring due to the constant interruptions of the storyline. I understand the necessity of them to bring the readers a background of their lives of the present. The drama was minimal which was fantastic. A meeting of soul mates stands time no matter how far apart their lives differ . Wonderful story and well written and worth the read. Thank you
Elllie and Jeans relationship over such a long period was wonderful. The flashbacks were somewhat tiring due to the constant interruptions of the storyline. I understand the necessity of them to bring the readers a background of their lives of the present. The drama was minimal which was fantastic. A meeting of soul mates stands time no matter how far apart their lives differ . Wonderful story and well written and worth the read. Thank you
April 19, 2024
A Perfect Read
I finally got around to picking Lovefest up, not entirely sure what to expect from it. I’m so glad I didn’t pass it by. Jean, Ellie, Jordan and Co are people any of us would love to have in our families.
The book was entirely drama-free and a genuinely touching love story. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make your heart swell and it’ll make you cry. That’s a book done right. JA Armstrong never disappoints with her characters or storylines.
I finally got around to picking Lovefest up, not entirely sure what to expect from it. I’m so glad I didn’t pass it by. Jean, Ellie, Jordan and Co are people any of us would love to have in our families.
The book was entirely drama-free and a genuinely touching love story. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make your heart swell and it’ll make you cry. That’s a book done right. JA Armstrong never disappoints with her characters or storylines.
December 5, 2023
This was such and incredible story! There were times I forgot these women were in their 70s! This is a love story for the ages…. Jane and Ellie have been in love with each other for over 50 years but due to the times and miscommunication have lived separate lives from each other until Ellie’s granddaughter invites her for parents day at her college to meet her favorite teacher and BOOM…. It’s Jane!!! I loved reading about their past and how they ended up where they did! All the side characters just add to this beautiful story!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2023
Heartwarming
Its not not often you get a love story focused on mature MCs. This love story between Jean and Elle was exceptional. It was nice to see an author depict a story that shows passion and intimacy doesn't have an age limit. The book has a well developed plot and an exceptional cast of characters. I loved everything about this book.
Its not not often you get a love story focused on mature MCs. This love story between Jean and Elle was exceptional. It was nice to see an author depict a story that shows passion and intimacy doesn't have an age limit. The book has a well developed plot and an exceptional cast of characters. I loved everything about this book.
January 10, 2024
Love rediscovered
An engaging story of two older women who had fallen in love one summer when they were young. They parted and their lives take different paths, but when they reunite they find the love they thought they’d lost. A sometimes amusing, sometimes sad, look at two lives coming full circle.
An engaging story of two older women who had fallen in love one summer when they were young. They parted and their lives take different paths, but when they reunite they find the love they thought they’d lost. A sometimes amusing, sometimes sad, look at two lives coming full circle.
November 28, 2023
Awesome Story
Love the author’s style and way of depicting forever love and soul mates. Ellie and Jean are a second chance couple who find their way back to each other. Great book.
Love the author’s style and way of depicting forever love and soul mates. Ellie and Jean are a second chance couple who find their way back to each other. Great book.
November 29, 2023
Another hit for Healy.
Jean and Ellie were a happy pair. Life intervened. Years later, life Intervened once again. Jean and Ellie merged their families into life itself. A beautiful story. I recommend giving it a read.
Jean and Ellie were a happy pair. Life intervened. Years later, life Intervened once again. Jean and Ellie merged their families into life itself. A beautiful story. I recommend giving it a read.
December 3, 2023
amazing
A wonderful story with beautiful strong women showing love, dreams and passion exist after 70. Being part of that age group, I find this story refreshing as it represents real life for many of us.
A wonderful story with beautiful strong women showing love, dreams and passion exist after 70. Being part of that age group, I find this story refreshing as it represents real life for many of us.
December 6, 2023
time does not erase love
JA Armstrong. Has soooo many pearls of wisdom in this book. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It’s funny poingnant, thoughtful, reflective…..everything a good book needs. One of her finest.
JA Armstrong. Has soooo many pearls of wisdom in this book. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It’s funny poingnant, thoughtful, reflective…..everything a good book needs. One of her finest.
December 8, 2023
beautiful love story
What a lovely story, a rare find but a special one. Love does not simply disappear as we age, sometimes it’s surprisingly fulfilling. Wonderful to read of 2 older ladies who re kindle their love after many decades.
What a lovely story, a rare find but a special one. Love does not simply disappear as we age, sometimes it’s surprisingly fulfilling. Wonderful to read of 2 older ladies who re kindle their love after many decades.
December 10, 2023
A must-read for those who love older WLW books!
This is one of the best books I've read this year, and I read a lot of books! I absolutely love WLW books when they're about older women, since I'm part of that demographic now (and have been for quite a while).
This is one of the best books I've read this year, and I read a lot of books! I absolutely love WLW books when they're about older women, since I'm part of that demographic now (and have been for quite a while).
December 29, 2023
Great story
I have enjoyed this story of two women who met in college and spent the summer fell in love but itwas the 60 and one was from very religious family then met again 50 years later and started over agian.
I have enjoyed this story of two women who met in college and spent the summer fell in love but itwas the 60 and one was from very religious family then met again 50 years later and started over agian.
January 2, 2024
Fantastic as expected.
As usual J.A. Armstrong doesn’t hesitate to make you feel as if the characters are friends of yours. As an “old” lady myself it was refreshing to see the same of Ellie and Jean.
Highly, as expected, recommend this book to all, regardless of age.
As usual J.A. Armstrong doesn’t hesitate to make you feel as if the characters are friends of yours. As an “old” lady myself it was refreshing to see the same of Ellie and Jean.
Highly, as expected, recommend this book to all, regardless of age.
January 20, 2024
Wonderful 😊
JA Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, I have read many of her books, and Lovefest was not a disappointment. She has a unique style of writing when telling a story, and Jean & Ellie's journey was such a beautiful story. Loved it!
JA Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, I have read many of her books, and Lovefest was not a disappointment. She has a unique style of writing when telling a story, and Jean & Ellie's journey was such a beautiful story. Loved it!
January 22, 2024
Not only did I enjoy this book. I was pleasantly surprised, having read all of Ja Armstrong has written.
A side step, but so wonderful to see 'wise' women as the leading ladies. It's tender, touching and reaffirms that love is a superpower!
A side step, but so wonderful to see 'wise' women as the leading ladies. It's tender, touching and reaffirms that love is a superpower!
January 26, 2024
Senior Love
Beautiful love story for couples over the age of 30 🥰. The main characters were so cute. Enduring love for over 50 years!! Their extended families added to the story. Recommend it!!
Beautiful love story for couples over the age of 30 🥰. The main characters were so cute. Enduring love for over 50 years!! Their extended families added to the story. Recommend it!!
February 8, 2024
Best book I’ve read!
This is the best book I’ve read and I have read many over the years. Maybe I can relate being up there in age. You don’t read many books about love over the age of 60. What a beautiful love story.
This is the best book I’ve read and I have read many over the years. Maybe I can relate being up there in age. You don’t read many books about love over the age of 60. What a beautiful love story.
January 4, 2025
Excellent
This really was a great story. It had me busting up from the very beginning. I loved the connection between everyone. It's one of those stories that you wished you had the connection like they did.
TY
Kandi B
This really was a great story. It had me busting up from the very beginning. I loved the connection between everyone. It's one of those stories that you wished you had the connection like they did.
TY
Kandi B
November 27, 2023
Awesome
This is an amazing story will make you laugh and cry. I proves you never know when love will find you. For the or the last time.
This is an amazing story will make you laugh and cry. I proves you never know when love will find you. For the or the last time.
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