The Corner of Almost and Always: The Wildflower Pact Book 1

by Bethany Raine

Four girls. One vow. No falling in love with a local.

Back in high school, they made a pact under the big tree on Magnolia never fall for a local. A crush? Maybe. A forever? Absolutely not.
Not the hot single dad.
Not the tattooed preacher’s son.
Not the broody fire chief.
Not the grieving doctor.

But Wildflower, Texas has other plans.
Each book in the Wildflower Pact follows one of the girls as she falls in Savvy returns to run her late father’s hardware store, temporarily. Too bad her ex-best friend, turned single dad she once loved is still there… and hotter than Texas asphalt.June is a tattoo artist with a rebellious streak and a history with the preachers son,—who now owns the town’s bar and still kisses like sin.Callie- to be announcedLena- to be announcedPacked with banter, heartbreak, healing and small-town gossip that spreads faster than wildfire, The Wildflower Pact is a romance series for anyone who’s ever tried to outrun their past…and tripped right into love.

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2025

Reviews

[Kayli Sahagun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a feel good small town second chance story. Such good vibes throughout the book! Love the single dad trope with a little girl. I loved getting to know all the girls that will be in the future books and look forward to reading their stories too! And the cover of this book is so freaking cute.

[Rosalva Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional, Swoony, and Impossible to Put Down

This book had me hooked from page one! 💖 Savvy coming back to her dad’s hardware store gave me all the small-town vibes, and the way the setting was written felt so real I could practically hear the screen door creak and smell the sawdust. The emotions were raw, tender, and absolutely gut-punching. I definitely teared up a few times right alongside her. 🥹

And then there’s Grayson. Sigh. He’s the reliable, steady kind of hero who sneaks up on you and steals your heart without even trying. The way he loves his daughter? Adorable. The way he cares for Savvy? SWOON. He’s the definition of dependable but still manages to be hotter than Texas asphalt. 🔥

I also LOVED the girl group dynamic. That pact they made in the beginning? Such a fun and heartfelt detail, and it added so much to the story. It made me want to grab my own friends and start some chaotic pact immediately 😂.

Overall: this book was heartwarming, emotional, and swoony in the best way. Equal parts laughter, tears, and feels. If you love second-chance romance, small towns, and heroes who give you butterflies while also making you feel safe, this one is for you! 💕

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

As a small-town Texas girl, this story felt so relatable in the best way. 🤠💕 It was sweet without being overly cheesy, and I found myself smiling through so many parts. Savvy and Grayson were such a heartwarming couple, and Millie girl totally stole the show! While I would’ve loved to dive a little deeper into their individual backstories, it honestly didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the book. Overall, it was a fun, feel-good read, and I can’t wait to keep going with the rest of the series!

[Kourtney Turley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to DNF at about 53%.

This book isn’t terrible, but it’s not great. There’s a lot of grammatical errors and formatting issues which makes it very hard for me to push through. Also, I’m not a huge fan of the flow of this book. The timeline is very weird to me, it jumps around too much. And also any form of the word “chaos” is probably written on every page and that irks me.

As far as the story goes, I obviously did not finish, but why on earth did she forgive him so easily. Connection or not he barely apologized. She was hurt and confused for YEARS and the entire time he could have called her or something?? I’m sorry, but no. I need grovel. I need him begging on his knees for forgiveness. And her friend group was urging her to get back together with him, I’m sorry, but also NO.

He isn’t a bad guy. However, he did a bad thing, and she deserved more. She basically just rolled on all her defenses and walls and boundaries within 5 minutes. Their connection felt heavily forced to me as well. They haven’t spoken or seen each other in how many years and within weeks they’re back in love with each other? Sorry, I guess they never stopped loving each other. I don’t know. This book just had too many problems. I think the concept was good, and there was potential here it just fell flat for me.

I had the rest of the series added to my kindle, but I don’t think I’m going to try book 2. I didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the side characters at all. They were mostly there for fluff.

Final thing, I would like to mention there is some spice, but not much at all which is fine with me, I don’t require that. I just know some people prefer spice so go in knowing it’s minimal.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this story to a certain degree but I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping to, i don't know if it was because it was manly in her POV and I just didn't connect with the characters as well or what.

[Katelyn Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, while I found it hard to navigate at times but despite that I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I am a sucker for a second chance romance. I loved the fact the they got a do over, and got to be a family with Millie!

I love a small town romance that loves gossip and these girls love to gossip so I will be going straight onto book 2!

3.75⭐️

[Selma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the privilege of listening to this one and I thoroughly enjoyed enjoyed it. I do wish the mmc did more to earn her forgiveness, because what happened was messed up. She forgave him to simply and easily which took away the tension from the story. I will be continuing this series especially as this is the authors diary book. (:

[Alexis Giltner · Rating 5 out of 5]

i absolutely loved this book. from seeing a blurb on tiktok a month ago to it finally coming out. it’s small town romance and purely vibes. i would absolutely love to see this be a movie one day , i can’t wait for the rest of the series to be released

[Kori Maslakow · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute story; needs to be edited

There were too many editing mistakes. I was so excited about this book, but I had to read and re-read multiple parts due to editing and formatting issues.

[Meg Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, love the storyline, etc etc. There was some issues with consistency, “he brought out two beers” but all the sudden they’re drinking wine; refers to the hardware store as the his last name not hers.

I’ll keep reading the series because I’m invested in their stories. 😅

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok but I just didn’t love it - I much preferred the side characters like June and Callie than the FMC and I felt the romance was a bit dull. An enjoyable read that is light and good for someone who wants a palette cleanser.

[Andi G · Rating 5 out of 5]

POETIC

This made me want love. lol
I haven’t felt this achey in my chest over a book since Love Letter to Whiskey…

The writing here was just so artful and flowed sooo beautifully.
Love it here.
Thank you!

[Erin Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grayson is a complete green flag MMC, I only wish we would have gotten more info on what happened with Millie's mom. I like that Savvy doesnt fight the connection when it starts up again. good start to a series.

[maereads · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m trying to get to heaven so I’ll keep my opinions to myself.

[BookishAlexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had more hope in this book based off TikTok’s about it from the author. Lots of boring filler and hardly any romance I felt like.

[Morgan E · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute!

So cute!!!! Peak small town romance. I love that she’s still a boss and handles her shiii
Cannot wait for the rest of the series.

[Lindsey Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a second chance romance!

[Melissa Grave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and sweet read of four girls who make a vow to never fall in love with a local and sounds like that vow is quickly broken.

[Katie Tessin · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 46%

I can’t look past the obvious issues to finish the book. It’s not worth it to me

[Allie Blackmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most unrealistic part of this book was this man wearing flannels outside, during the daytime, in a Texas July. We’re about to be on the Corner or Heat and Stroke.

[Delaney Oleszczuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am obsessed. Immediately starting book 2!!

[Christina Fritzsche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I like the storyline kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Has me hooked into the series. The 4 friends make me think of the ones I had in school.

[Tyler Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
This book was no literary masterpiece, but it was a nice little palette cleanser. Simple, easy read with lots of cute and funny moments.

[Kayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend wrote this! At first I read this because I wanted to support my friend but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. As a Texan I love when books take place in Texas and I loved the charm of wildflower. I also liked that the story wasn’t just all about the romance but about Savvy figuring her dream and what she wanted her life to look like. I’m excited that there are more books in this series.

[Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cornyyyyyyyyy