Thinking About Forever

by Chrissie McCauley

Julia Anderson has finally recovered from the demise of her four-year marriage. She has a new mid-town apartment, a redecorated office in the hospital where she works as a social worker - and is finally ready to leave the past behind and embrace her future. When a curmudgeonly eighty-two-year-old patient is admitted to her floor, she has a chance encounter with the patient’s son – the smoldering and world-famous musician, Matt Johnson.

Matt is compassionate and thoughtful but guarded after several years of highly publicized heartbreaks. He is reluctant to dip his toes back into the dating world – which makes his biggest dream, finding his person, always just out of reach.

From their first meeting, sparks fly, and Julia and Matt embark on a whirlwind romance that takes them all over the world. Each step along the way they find themselves falling more and more in love with each other, but not without serious doubts. Julia is forced to navigate old wounds, preconceived notions about love, long distance struggles, and being thrown into the deep end of Matt’s fame and celebrity.

Thinking About Forever is a fun, exciting, and steamy ride that shows what it takes to find yourself again after heartbreak and the courage required to try to find love again."A sparkling debut romance that blends a thoughtful peek into the mind of a social worker and heart of a rockstar. It’s a perfect mix of swoon, spice, and the transformative power of love, reminding readers that the most beautiful stories often unfold when we dare to rewrite our own." —Ellen Gustafson, author of We the Eaters

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2025

Reviews

[Talia Schatzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're thinking about reading this book...this is your sign to do it.

I stumbled upon this book on Amazon and was completely blown away by it. This debut novel by Chrissie McCauley is significantly better than most of the traditional published contemporary romances out there (and I've read a lot of them).

I'm shocked that this book isn't being talked about more. If you are a fan of contemporary romance I highly recommend giving this one a try. Here are some of the highlights:

⭐A relationship that actually has depth and I believe in
⭐Slightly older and more mature main characters
⭐A rockstar that falls in love with a normie
⭐An ambitious FMC that has a great job and passions outside of the relationship
⭐Set in NYC!
⭐The best of all: NO CORNY ROMANCE TROPES
⭐🌶️🌶️🌶️

I hope more people read this book, not only because it's great, but I love supporting new authors. I have become a huge fan of Chrissie's writing and I am eagerly waiting for her next book to come out!

[Melanie Sharpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the development of characters. It felt real and deep. I did find the ending was a little abrupt though and left me wanting another chapter or two.

[Ellen Gustafson · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ IT!!!!!
5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 2.5/5 Spice 🌶️🌶️

“Thinking About Forever” is a beautiful, modern romance that follows two passionate, thoughtful characters on their journey to an HEA. Author Chrissie McCauley’s background as a Social Worker is perfectly written into the FMC Julia and grabs you from the very first page, so you’re rooting for Julia both personally and professionally.

The story revolves around Julia, who is recovering from a divorce but still puts incredible passion and care into her patients. When she meets Matt, a charming and introspective musician, their connection ignites a spark that neither of them anticipated. Their chemistry is palpable, filled with tender (and HOTTTTT) moments and genuine conversations that remind us of the excitement of new love, but with the maturity of two people who have built incredible careers that they are passionate about.

You will fall in love Matt (new rockstar #bookboyfriend) and root for them both, while also loving a well-written cast of secondary characters surrounding them.

The title, “Thinking About Forever,” resonates deeply as Julia and Matt grapple with timing, career and personal life integration and what it truly means to commit and plan for a future together. The ending is satisfying and hopeful, leaving you with the reminder that love wins in the end.

“Thinking About Forever” is a must-read for romance lovers. With this powerful debut, Chrissie McCauley has delivered a heartfelt story that will keep you engrossed and swooning until the last page.

[Eden Villiard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Very good, especially being the first book by this author (I do believe anyways). The character development was great, plot was excellent, and the connection was real. The ending was a bit abrupt for my liking. I wish there was another chapter or two, or at least an epilogue. I will make up my own picturing the married with a few kiddos running around. Will definitely read more from this author when the time comes!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great swooning story .
It was a bit slow at first but I pushed through and really enjoyed it .

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this romance novel, we meet Julia (Jules) and Matt. Jules is a therapist working in the hospital when Matt’s dad, Sid, is admitted for suspected congestive heart failure. Jules has previously been married and divorced and Matt has lived a very public life, including some questionable past relationships before largely avoiding dating in the public eye. Neither person is looking for love after past experiences, but Sid has other ideas.

I enjoyed learning about Jules, Matt, and the people they love through their initial time together over the first week of meeting and then throughout the novel. Both Jules and Matt have past experiences that color the way they approach their relationship, how they communicate, and what they want. Jules is in her late 30s and Matt is in his early 40s, and it was charming getting to see both figuring out what they want, how to trust, and how to grow individually and together.

There is mentioning of grief and loss, including the downstream impacts they have, as a part of this story. As someone has suffered a similar loss, I felt it was handled tactfully and realistically, especially the potential familial impacts, but if that is something potentially triggering, it may impact your choice to read.

Additionally, this is a pretty spicy book at points with descriptive, open door romance throughout. Consent and protection are central to how it is handled.

This is an overall fun read with charming characters at the center. You can tell they both have a certain level of lived experience that gives them resources at times to potentially navigate more difficult moments with some already developed strategies. I loved how both talked about mental health treatment and struggles at varying points, which I would expect from individuals that had also attended therapy at points in their lives.

[Sarah ✨ Starry Oak Co. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This romance was so refreshing! I was glued to my kindle. And devoured this book.
Emotionally available characters, realistic ages. The heart racing chance to discover true love even after your twenties.

This is a romance, and the spice is exciting! I’d say a palatable amount of spice for this genre. Not overwhelming. And there is absolutely a great story here!

The novel touches on the youth mental health crisis in America. I love that the author was able to filter in her other passions. Over all she was able to bring awareness to some major post pandemic topics. It was so relatable.

Her writing style is captivating and entertaining. She brings you to a wonderful escape while also anchoring some major themes in reality.

It was truly a fantastic read and I highly recommend it!

I cannot wait for this author to release another

[Eryn Salhany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great debut from a new romance author! Chrissie welcomes us into the world of divorced social worker, Julia, and famous rockstar, Matt. I enjoyed reading about main characters who are a bit older, with lots of life experience. The relationship between these two felt real and healthy, and they worked through challenges with maturity and care. It is clear Matt and Julia want to build a life together, but they have to figure out what that looks like seeing as they both have successful careers in different cities.

There’s just enough conflict, minimal spice, and great secondary characters to keep you hooked on the story. You won’t be able to stop yourself from rooting for the two main characters to find their way together.

I look forward to reading more from this author!

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first romance books I’ve read that was full of healthy relationships and boundaries, that also had you rooting for the characters to be together but made you feel like it was ok if it didn’t because sometimes that’s life? Really enjoyed the writing style and development of the main characters.

[Maggie Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this debut novel from Chrissie McCauley! It was the perfect mix of spice 🌶️ and character development. The two main characters were both likable and relatable - which is sometimes lacking in the romance genre. This is the perfect summer/beach read! I can’t wait for her second novel!

[Kathryn Schilling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! Likeable characters, believable relationship arc, original story…. Read this if you love (or even like) romance novels. Such a fun one. Chrissie McCaulley is a rising star! I hope she writes more!

[A. V · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

This was like reading someone’s therapy session…

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conflict didn’t feel resolved and I felt like they had more work to do. With each other and alone

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one! The most beautiful cover 😍

[Silvia Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an adorable love story with just the right amount of spice.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story and the writing was quite good, but the editing was terrible. Tons of grammatical errors throughout which frustrated me.