Choosing Forever: Cherry Peak, Book 5

Cherry Peak #5

by Hannah Cowan, Angelina Rocca (Narrator), Christian Fox (Narrator)

From Amazon top 40 best-selling author comes the final installment of the Cherry Peak series, an angsty, second chance romance.

I’ve spent the last eight years trying to forget Darren Huntsly. In a small town like Cherry Peak, it’s been nearly impossible to pull it off. Still, I made it work as best I could. That is until a series of unfortunate events have us face to face for the first time in years with nowhere to escape. Now, not only am I his daughter’s new teacher, but we’ve both been tasked with helping repair the one place in the world that remained unmoved after our breakup.

The town’s drive-in was where I fell in love with Darren. A place overrun with memories of us and the relationship we had for the better part of my life. But after a fire burns it to ashes, we’re tasked with restoring it to the way it was back when we spent every night there kissing under the stars. The hardest part of it all, though? Not falling into the trap of revisiting that version of us.

It’s no secret that Darren was my one great love and the heartbreak that had me considering running away forever. But this town is important to me, and our shared friends aren’t about to let me back out of helping with this restoration. That leaves me with no choice but to shove my feelings away and focus on getting through the next few weeks with as little damage to my heart as possible. After all, Darren already let me go once, surely he can do it again.

Genres: Second Chance, Romance, Small Town Romance, Second Chance Romance, Slow Burn, Cowboy Romance, Found Family

Audible Audio

Published October 8, 2025

About the author

Hannah is a twenty-something-year-old indie author from Western Canada. Obsessed with swoon-worthy romance, she decided to take a leap and try her hand at creating stories that will have you fanning your face and giggling in the most embarrassing way possible. Hopefully, that’s exactly what her stories have done!

Hannah loves to hear from her readers, and can be reached on any of her social media accounts.

Instagram : Hannahcowanauthor
Twitter, Facebook : Hannahdcowan
Website : hannahcowanauthor.com
Facebook Reader Group : Hannah’s Hotties

Reviews

[elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

based on teasers on this author’s tiktok, i can already tell this book will be using the same tired bullshit plot of an MMC who claims he has “always loved” the FMC and spent “years missing her” while he was having a child with someone else (anyone wanna place bets on whether or not the FMC was celibate during this time?). he will presumably pop back into the FMC’s life and somehow convince her to raise his child. how romantic 🥰

EDIT-

i like to be an informed hater, so i actually gave this one a skim after it was released. somehow, unbelievably, this book was WORSE than i thought it was going to be.

where to begin? for starters, i mistakenly believed that the FMC had only recently returned to her hometown. imagine my surprise to discover that she had been back for 8 YEARS and literally watched the MMC get married and have/raise a child with his wife. the FMC opted to spend those years skulking around their hometown, avoiding the MMC, and refusing to ever move on from their relationship. as predicted, the FMC did not experience love, romance, companionship, enjoyable sex, etc. while separated from the MMC. who could have seen that one coming? at the time of this book, the FMC had been celibate for a fucking YEAR because no one could compare to the MMC 😢

i did not find anything particularly redeeming about the FMC or the MMC. this FMC had to be one of the top 10 doormats i have ever read. to perfectly encapsulate how pathetic she was, i'll leave you with this quote from her POV- "it's not supposed to be this easy, but i'm already doubting that i'll be able to make him work for anything. at this rate, i'll be the one begging him for a chance, and that's totally unacceptable." yes, BEGGING FOR A CHANCE 🤮 she also had an emotional outburst in which she confessed that she was angry because, had she known how unhappy the MMC had been with his ex-wife, she would have tried to get back together with him sooner. girl, STAND UP 🤡

as for the MMC, i would genuinely like some of whatever the people who claim he "worked so hard" to get the FMC back are smoking, because drug-induced delusions are the only explanation for that GENEROUS interpretation of the text. he did not do anything except harass the FMC into giving him another chance. he fucking built the FMC's dream house and then moved into it with his wife and daughter... please get a grip EXPEDITIOUSLY 😭

my final criticism of this book is that this author is so predictably uncreative that she chose to make the MMC's ex-wife a heinous bitch as if that would somehow excuse the fact that the MMC promised to remain faithful to the FMC over the course of their four year separation, fucked someone else during that time, got her pregnant, and then married her. as an author, if you have no other way to redeem a MMC's actions than to make a WOMAN the "villain," you have a problem-- and it's called internalized misogyny.

[Jen ♥]

Self note:

Cheating (to me). While the MCs were on a supposed "break", H had ONS that resulted in OW pregnancy.

[Irene]

flagging my review doesn't save your book from being bad and misogynistic btw!



big whole mess, so many questions unanswered, why did he carry a condom, how did he put it on if even so drunk to stand, was sasha also almost as drunk as he because not alarm bells starts going, why did he wait years and lastly why did he not tell her ?



this doesn't make sense to me, two parents do not equal happy family, why would he think that ?




AND HE DOESN'T EVEN INITIATE THE DIVORCE LIKE ??????




So he broke her heart 8 years ago now she is his daughter’s teacher


-Are u kidding me? So either she’s celibate while he’s having kids or none of them were good.

“Now, not only am I his daughter’s new teacher, but we’ve both been tasked with helping repair the one place in the world that remained unmoved after our breakup.”

-He isn’t even the one pursing her ! Makes me even more mad


💤💤💤😴🥱😴🥱💤

I am ready if anyone wants to prove me wrong but I have seen this play out 103929393 times before and FMCs are always loser pathetic characters,

EDIT!!!

I fucked around found out through some quotes from last book in series

what is the use of flagging my review when it wasnt even half a page quotes anyway dm me if you want to know


Update 2 this is what author said about OW

“The mother is still involved and she plays a part in why they stayed apart after their breakup, so I’ll say yes to OW but she doesn’t keep them apart in the present”

[Sassy Due · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has:
-a cheating mmc who’s reasoning makes no sense. In an attempt to redeem him the author makes him celibate after cheating. You’re told that he was so drunk when it happens without being given enough information of the state of the other woman. This allows you to feel sorry for the mmc while avoiding a more serious discussion over whether or not he was taken advantage of. The fact that the pregnancy was a result of a broken condom when he had no reason to have one on him is suspicious.
-you get flashbacks of the fmc being the one who wanted to end the break while the mmc deluded her into thinking it was for the best so that they could work on themselves and have no regrets.
-despite all the flashbacks the author leaves so much unaddressed and just gives a pathetic pining fmc that could never really move on. The high reviews will tell you this story is realistic but if it was surely she would have put actual effort into moving on after he got married. I can’t imagine many females in the real world would still be pining with no efforts to show the world they’ve moved on.
-nothing makes sense. Surely she spoke to old friends. How is it no one told her about the pregnancy or engagement.
-he should have told her he slept with the other women before he even found out she was pregnant. He knew she was waiting for him and wouldn’t sleep with anyone else
-he is the one that clarified that it was a break not a break up yet the author gives no trigger warning for cheating
-the author attempted to write an angsty second chance romance to trend on tik tok not caring about all the plot holes in an attempt to make it as angsty as possible.
- the phrase “it’s always been you” was actually mentioned in the book
- the apology from Sasha is vague and lacks clarity that would have been helpful
-there’s no way ChatGPT did not help write this book because it will feel as though you’re already read it multiple times.
-the chapters were filled with a whole bunch of nothing yet this book has manly five star reviews. I hate that the Arc readers are never truly honest. Where there’s an arc review you can expect 5 stars regardless of whether or not it’s deserving.
- Genuinely feel like the author just searched angst recommendations on Reddit.

This has to be the authors worst book. She gave teasers throughout the series making this highly anticipated just for it to be a complete let down. This level of angst typically comes with groveling which was non existent in this book.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can really see when authors switch to trying to appease to booktok by writing these overdone books. They throw in betrayal that makes no sense to market to the audience that enjoy books with angst. They then attempt to make the MMC redeemable by making him celibate only after he messes up. The rare times the FMC isn’t celibate they still don’t get to be happy during the separation. She won’t get married or have a kid during the 8 years and you’ll hear about how she had bad sex or short term relationships that were few and far between. Hannah’s books have always been enjoyable even when they’ve been second chance romances but this was just so overly done that the plot could have been written by AI

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

0⭐️

Darren= infiel, 💩, egotista, cobarde
Elle = tonta, arrastrada, sin dignidad ni amor propio


Elle y Darren eran novios, pero cuando tuvieron que ir a diferentes universidades empezaron a tener problema, entonces a él se le ocurrió que tomarían un descanso por 2 años y cuando terminarán la escuela, volverían y se casarían. Pero él idiota dejo emebarazda a otra y como según él viene de una familia muy unida quería que su bebé tuviera lo mismo, entonces le pido matrimonio a Sasha. Elle llega súper contenta porque por fin estarán juntos, pero se lleva la sorpresa de su vida cuando el amor de su vida ya está comprometido y esperando una hija con otra. Así es, el muy cobarde nunca le dijo lo que hizo y la Elle vivió ese tiempo pensando que estaban juntos.
Está parte me enojo porque él se la pasa diciendo que Elle es el amor de su vida, pero nunca lucha por ella, prefiere casarse con alguien a quien lo quiere y al final solo se divorcia porque su esposa es quien le pide el divorcio, o sea que si fuera por él se hubiera quedado casado por siempre.

Uno pensaría que Elle se iría de ese pueblo porque ya no tenía porque quedarse ahí, que iría con sus padres e inciaria de cero, pues no. La muy tonta se volvió una reclusa, no tenía amigos porque todos eran amigos o hermanas del infiel, cada que veía a Darren con su esposa e hija se ponía escondía como si fuera ella quien hizo algo malo. Durante esos 8 años intento salir con otros, en realidad 7 ya que el último año fue célibe, pero a todos lo comparaba con el inútil.
Y es tan tonta que nunca pensó que lo que ocurrió fuera culpa de Darren, nop, le echo la culpa a Sasha. Según ella, Sasha era la mala y D la victima 🙄.

Hannah intenta arreglar su desastre haciendo que el cobarde fuera célibe durante esos 8 años, pero sale peor y como dije anteriormente esto es más feo porque él decidió no luchar por Elle.




Ah, y como cereza del pastel muchas conductas de ciertos personajes se me hicieron imperdonables porque nadie estuvo del lado de Elle (incluso su propia abuela) y todos apoyaban que regresara con Darren. El comportamiento de Poppy se me hizo nefasto y pues se me arruinó su libro porque ya no puedo verla con buenos ojos.

[Briana smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last man on earth and me? I wouldn't want to be in the same country as him. Put me on the moon...
heres how it goes-
"I love you. Wait for me. 2 more years"
"But i wanna be with you"
"We can't. 2 more years and we will be together forever"
*gets another woman pregnant while shes waiting*🥰
He's so romantic!!!!😍
2 stars for Abbie, Daisy & Bryce. Every other character pissed me off

[Dafd · Rating 1 out of 5]

I always check Goodreads before reading a book. On release day, this one had nothing but five-star reviews—alongside two negative assumptions from people who hadn’t even read it. Since Hannah is one of my favorite authors, I ignored those early critiques. But to my complete surprise, those assumptions turned out to be more honest than the reviews from readers who had actually finished the book.

The alpha and beta readers raved about how amazing the book was going to be—building up the excitement without acknowledging any of the flaws. That alone was frustrating. None of the early readers pointed out the plot holes, inconsistencies, or shallow character development. Instead, they praised it uncritically, and the book was published as is. I refuse to believe that none of them picked up on any of the errors.

It genuinely shocked me that this book made it to publication in its current state. Throughout the series, we’re given breadcrumbs about this couple, with the expectation that the final installment would tie everything together. Instead, we’re left with more questions than answers. The writing felt vague and rushed, like the author didn’t have solid answers herself and chose not to develop the plot or characters any further—just wrap it all up and move on. You receive flashbacks that do not add to the story at all, proving no answers.

The MMC was not redeemable. For eight years, he took the easy way out. We’re told he’s this great man, and yet when he makes a major decision that should shatter that image, the story continues to portray him as someone worthy of sympathy and forgiveness. Everyone excuses his actions and encourages the FMC to give him another chance. Prior to release, we were told to expect a proper grovel, but the MMC made no real effort over the eight years—and now only shows up because the FMC is no longer hiding.

The FMC, on the other hand, came across as incredibly weak—likely because she was stuck in her trauma. She stayed in the same town, made herself small, and essentially disappeared for eight years. The book aimed to give us angst, but it completely avoided exploring the deeper issues tied to that—grief, depression, alcohol abuse. Anywhere the story could have gone deeper, it didn’t.

The characters weren’t likable—including the side characters we’d grown to love throughout the series. The second chance didn’t feel deserved, and the romance felt unearned. The FMC’s point of view especially bothered me. She didn’t grow from her heartbreak. Her only regret seemed to be not forgiving the MMC sooner, despite the fact that he never did anything to earn that forgiveness. She came across as the type of character who blames other women while making excuses for the man who hurt her. The author loaded her with every trait of a weak female lead.

After this experience, I won’t be reading books on release day anymore. I’ll be waiting for honest, balanced reviews—the kind you would have expected the alpha and beta readers to give the author.

[Kirstin McBeath · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was rooting against them the entire time. The second chance he never deserved.

[Macy · Rating 0.25 out of 5]

Edited Review: The Price of Never Leaving Home

This book had so much potential based on the glimpses we got of this couple throughout the series. Unfortunately, it ended up being a real disappointment for me. I’ve always loved this author’s books and have reread them many times, often buying them blindly. But this one felt inauthentic—almost like she was trying to be more mainstream. Darren’s actions felt completely out of character compared to how everyone described him, and Delaney ended up being her weakest female lead. Honestly, I don’t think this book was even necessary. Sasha’s ending felt more like a true HEA than Delaney’s.

The story somehow managed to feel too long while still not covering enough. I wish Delaney had permanently left after her grandmother’s death—there was nothing left in that town for her. Staying or returning made no sense. She had no real friends or family and spent years pining over a man who couldn’t even call her eight years ago. Everyone painted him as this amazing guy, urging her to give him a chance—even her grandmother, through a letter—so when she finally accepted him, it felt forced. No one had her back. It would’ve been far better to see her move on for a while, form healthier relationships, and returning only after she truly healed.

Instead, she spent years in misery, watching Darren and Sasha play happy family, while Darren faced no real consequences beyond regret. The author took the cliché route of keeping the FMC as close to celibate as possible throughout the story. Sasha’s apology comes at the very end, with no real explanation for her behavior or supposed cruelty, and Delaney even admits the air still isn’t cleared. Yet this is the final book of the series.

It feels like Hannah tried to step out of her comfort zone by writing something full of angst, but without adding any real depth. This story has been told countless times. The only slightly unique element was that both characters stayed in their small town. Darren’s reduced drinking was barely addressed, and Sasha was painted as a villain without enough backstory—just a high school crush as motivation. A chapter of her point of view on the night of the “mistake” could’ve changed this book for the better. The only part that made me emotional was realizing I might question whether to read Hannah’s future books. The glowing pre-release reviews hyped it up dishonestly.

Most of the flashbacks didn’t add anything. They seemed like an attempt to force us to understand Delaney’s eight-year pining. When she finally gives in, she still doesn’t ask the right questions. He doesn’t explain why he never told her the truth, and she doesn’t push for answers—because she was always going to forgive him. Since she didn’t need an explanation, we don’t get one either. We don’t see he’s regret the morning after his “mistake” or his first reaction when finding out. Had the roles been reversed, the author would not have treated Darren’s character the way she treated Delaney’s. The town wouldn’t be reminiscing about his “one great love” to pressure him into forgiveness. Instead, it likely would have been framed as cheating, or examined through the lens of consent while under the influence. We would have seen Darren making an effort to move on during those eight years, rather than being left to sit in his pain. Instead we get the character assassination of two characters you’ve come to love during the series, wishing there story remained a mystery because in the end it still is.

It leaves you wondering where the romance actually is. We’re told Darren had a rough year before the “mistake,” but we never see it. The flashbacks just make it feel like they’re clinging to a childhood love that shouldn’t have lasted into adulthood. The real tragedy here is what happens when you never leave your small town—you stay stuck, unable to heal or move forward. I’m not sure why Delaney would think she’d be able to heal or move forward in the same town that broke her.

By the end, I didn’t even feel sorry for Delaney. She’d decided long ago that her one true love was her high school sweetheart without ever seeing what else was out there. Shockingly, I even agreed with a few of Sasha’s points. Her only real “crime” seemed to be sleeping with her high school crush, given the lack of information readers are given, and I could see why everything that followed made her bitter. The “mistake” isn’t even called cheating, so what exactly was her crime? Darren’s reasoning for sleeping with her was simply that she was there, and this alluded to—if it hadn’t been her, it would’ve been someone else.

Sasha is framed as the reason Darren was miserable, but really, he made her miserable. Everyone’s suffering stemmed from his choices, yet we’re told to root for him because he’s “one of the good ones.” Honestly, the only real victim here was Abbie—the “mistake” in this “one great love.” She’s just a reminder of that night and adds nothing to the story or the main characters’ growth. Compared to the author’s other couples, these two fall short in every way.

In His Greatest Muse, when the MCs finally get together, we see Noah’s full explanation of his attempt to move on. Here, eight years later, we still don’t get answers—because Delaney never healed and still can’t handle the truth. We never even see the night of the “mistake.” Delaney had eight years to see a therapist, process the betrayal, and rebuild her mental health. Instead, she chose to sit in her pain, becoming a recluse, as Sasha points out.

It’s rare to see an author’s storytelling decline with each release, but that’s what’s happened here. I can only assume it’s because she’s not taking constructive criticism seriously or is using beta readers who won’t point out flaws. None of the ARC or beta reviews mention the plot holes—they all gave it five stars. Those reviews read more like fan letters than honest feedback, offering no real value, credibility, or analysis.

[gaby lopez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read all the negative non arc reviews. I don’t see how anyone could rate this a 5 or even a 4.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 2.5 | 🌶️ 1

Not the review I wanted to write. I’ve loved this series so much, and I was so excited to finally get Darren’s book but this one just missed the mark for me.

I really struggled to believe the premise that Darren and Elle could live in the same small town for almost a decade and barely interact. If Elle had her own interests, friend group, or a clear life outside of Darren, maybe it would have felt more believable. But aside from Daisy and Poppy (Darren’s literal sister), she didn’t seem to have anyone.

Instead, it came across like Elle had spent nearly ten years being sad, pining, and feeling sorry for herself. I can understand heartbreak lingering, but for almost a decade. At some point, you either move on or move away. I needed more from her side of the story.

For me this book felt like this strayed from one of the series’ biggest strengths. Having these incredible FMCs who were secure in themselves, fully realised as individuals, and whose lives were enriched by romance rather than defined by it.

The book spent too much time stuck in the past. Even in present-day chapters, the narrative kept pulling us backwards. The drive-in refurbishment could have been such a fun, organic way to bring Darren and Elle back together in the now, but it never really played out. By the time we got a glimpse of them reconnecting in the present, it was basically over.

The saving grace. Darren and Bryce’s friendship. I loved their banter, honestly and loyalty. It was one of the few dynamics that kept me engaged.

Overall, an amazing series but sadly, a disappointing end for me.

[Romance_book_obsessed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just can’t get over their stupid break and her coming home to find him with a pregnant fiancée. Like I know he was celibate for his marriage but I can’t forgive him.

[cursed-virgin · Rating 1 out of 5]

“I’m sorry that I ever loved Darren in the first place.” I couldnt agree more!!

His book was a slap in the face! Why? Because it reminded me that men think with their dicks no matter how small?! I wished that Delaney got with Sam instead of the sorry excuse of partner she got stick with. Darren deserves to be miserable.

[Alexandra (alilromanceandthriller) · Rating 2 out of 5]

some things are unforgivable

I think having a baby with the woman who tormented your so called “love of my life” and then marrying her is one trope I can’t get behind. Nothing could redeem this. Im sorry but this book was more of a rage read by like the 50% mark

[Nora A · Rating 1 out of 5]

How is it rated so high? I wish I could get all the time I wasted on this book back.

[Lea_D reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. A bit of a mindless read as it's predictable. A bit unrealistic as well because he married the ow he impregnated and was never intimate except when his daughter was conceived. Both MMCs were immature and irresponsible when they left for college. H self sabotaged for reasons unknown other than blaming the h for wanting to settle and marry after college. Around two year's of them being separated during college h was ready to give in because she missed H so much. She said as much many times to get back together but H refused. Made absolutely no sense. Then he has a drunken ONS with a girl who's always been after him. He marries her and they have a loveless marriage of 3 years because H wanted to give their daughter a two parent household which again made no sense. OW files for divorce so there is the question of whether the H would have filed if she hadn't and continued living in this farce of a marriage. Completely unrealistic for the time period honestly. Overall it was ok. Not at all as angsty as you think. While the h had a few men within the 8 years of them not being together, the H was completely celibate which is again unrealistic. They lived in the same town and both were stubborn and ridiculous. All and all a trope that has been done a million times. This definitely is the least ragey one I've read.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was frustrating. I wish the FMC moved on. It’s so annoying that the MMC can have a child with someone else and get married, yet the FMC is living this lonely life without her “soulmate.” I wish the FMC would have had more confidence and lived a happy fulfilling life without the man that betrayed her. Clearly other men in town had interest in her but she just sat around sad and annoying. Her “soulmate” was a loser who couldn’t stand up for himself and his life choices.

It was also weird that everyone in their lives abandoned her because they were friends with the MMC then EIGHT years later came back acting like they were “sisters” and “family.”

This entire book was not for the girls. It was in fact the opposite. The FMC was betrayed by EVERYONE in her life (even her grandma pushing that loser onto her) and she just accepted it.

I recommend skipping this book.

[Sydney · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is why i hate reading second chance romance . if you are going to skip over their entire past then the book makes no sense?? and honestly the explanation for why he broke things off was so stupid. this book felt so long and the plot wasn’t very interesting

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Garbage. Overwritten mess.

[Sierra (boundtoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(alpha read)

the angst!! the emotion!! the way they truly had to fight their way back to each other!! I love them so much

Delaney makes this man WORK for her forgiveness!!!

these two love each other so much and have now grown and matured and are truly ready to spend the rest of their lives together!!

Darren is truly a top tier Hannah Cowan mmc! He is the cutest dad, he loves Delaney so so much, and this man is not afraid to put in the work to get his girl back!! The way he pines for her >>>

ugh I love them! I cried, I laughed, I swooned!! I’m so sad to see this series end, but this was the PERFECT book to wrap the series up!!

[KayTheBookLover · Rating 5 out of 5]

End of an Era

I can't believe we've come to the end of a era with the Cherry Peak Series!

I've read Hannah's books since she debuted Lucky hit and her writing has come so far!

Choosing Forever was a heart-wrenching, beautifully written and emotional story about soul mates who get a second chance at love.

Darren and Delaney's story has touched my heart so deeply! I can't even write this without crying!

Read this series!

Overall ☆☆☆☆☆/5
Spice ★★.5/5 (

[Rerei · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't get it.. I don't get all these 5 star reviews. Did we really read the same book?? Loopholes everywhere. Too many unresolved issues. The OWD? Resolved in a snap. It's like.. The author just got tired of writing the story she just went "F*¢k it!".

H was soooooo weak. If the h is a doormat, so is he. For 600+ page, this was a major boooooore. Could've wrapped up in under 20k words, that's how boring and pointless it was 🙄

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - at 50% read; neither character is interesting or likable. The flashbacks are page filler only.

[Ella Greenwalt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Burn it. Did I say stand there and look stupid? No I said BURN. IT.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was this a 4 star read? No. I am rating it 4 stars because I feel there are a lot of untrue negative reviews yes.

for my angst cheating loving peeps

* H is a moron but a celibate moron well after his ONS with his baby mama turned wife. I mean they had seperate bedrooms for crying out loud so I have zero idea why he married her. Maybe to show his kid what dysfunctional loveless marriage looked like?🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

* h she was there😂😂 I dont really feel one way about her or the other she was NOT celibate during this 8 year separation but I also have no idea why she returned to this town that apparently treated her like crap. Unless she's really into pain and enjoys inflicting it upon herself by watching her soulmate marry and raise a kid with someone else. Then I could totally see why she stayed in town🙄


* the break- it was stupid very stupid but unfortunately IMO not cheating since two years in they officially broke up and had zero communication for another 2 years. I will say they made promises to be together and she came back to him engaged with a baby so in the words of Julia Roberts "Big Mistake, Huge!". I mean dude could have at least gave her a heads up.

* For those curious about the one and only time he slept with the ex wife. He was drunk like way drunk and used a condom and it broke oh and it was outside.

So I guess maybe a 3 star story but a 4 star rating since I'm nice like that

[alexia’s romance library · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

Oh, my heart. This has angst that makes you feel on the fence on what to think about Delaney and Darren, their past or how things got to the point they are.

I felt bad about Delaney pretty much the entire book and my heart broke for her choosing to live in the same town where the man she loved had to move on with his life with someone else. Add the small town charm/lack of boundaries or privacy and she knew that everyone pitied her for how things turned out. That made me the saddest I think, knowing how lonely she was in a place she used to fit right into.

I understand making mistakes and having to live with the consequences of your actions but there’s a small part of me that wished that Delaney left for a while and lived her life without having the constant reminders of everything she once wanted and didn’t have right in her face every day. That same part thinks that Darren took his sweet time on making his way back to her.

I like the HEA and I get that they are each other’s person but I still feel like Delaney got the short end of the stick and then, even when she gets everything she wants, she’ll forever be forced to co-parent with the woman that brought her so much pain, even if they agreed to a truce. I kind of also wished he proposed differently? Yeah, she wanted to wait for marriage and that was very mature of her when they were in high school but he still made many mistakes on distancing himself from her and then the whole surprise pregnancy with Sasha as well as waiting 8 years to get her back so he could’ve put a little more effort into it . I’m still rating it 3 stars, mostly because I love the found family this series created and everyone’s relationships even if I’m not the biggest fan of D&D getting back together.

[Holly Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

As expected this was everything i could have ever dreamed of! I swear Hannah wrote it just for me!!! The second chance, dual timeline, the yearning, the LOVE, the HEARTACHE! It was SO GOOD! It was also the perfect ending to the Cherry Peak series. Everyone came together one last time and it was SO perfect.

The love they had for each other was HEARTBREAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL. They were a perfect match in so many ways, they just got lost along the way. It was tough seeing them be apart, and seeing them struggle. It BROKE my heart! They were YOUNG, they wanted to make sure they experienced life, they were so in love but knew they had to grow as individuals! they made BIG mistakes…. But they grew and changed because of the choices they made, the mistakes they made. But also seeing them finally come back together, finally facing each other, finally putting everything on the table!!! Seeing how easily they were able to fall right back into place?? Because they were MEANT TO BE?? They were just so GOOD!

I love this big huge happy family!! I’m so sad to see them go!! But I also know that her universe is VAST and this isn’t the last time we’ll see these characters!

And also I’m already very very excited for what’s coming NEXT!!!!

[zoeereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This just wasn‘t it. The whole break made zero sense to me and felt incredibly forced. And mind you, how can she be back in town for 8 years without running into him at least once???
No no and no.
Loved the other ones and I still enjoy the writing style and friendship group but the couple‘s story made little to zero sense to me.🥲

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I don’t know how Hannah did it but she managed to crush my heart and mend it all at once. This is hands down my favorite book she’s written and that is saying a lot!
This is the perfect second chance romance. The angst and yearning put me through all the emotions. Darren and Delaney were high school sweethearts that decided to go their separate ways at college with the hope they’d come back together after graduating. A lot can happen in four years and boy, did it! It’s now 8 years later and Delaney is reluctantly the second grade teacher to Darren’s daughter.
I was put through all the emotions and I loved every minute of it. Darren and Delaney were so relatable because who doesn’t make dumb mistakes when they’re young? But, Delaney made Darren work for her and he did it without complaining. That man groveled!! The tension and chemistry was so good! I am so sad that the Cherry Peak series is ending but it was the perfect ending!

Choosing Forever | Hannah Cowan | the Cherry Peak series book 5 | 8.7.25
✨second chance
✨single dad
✨it’s always been you
✨found family
✨he begs for forgiveness

Thank you Hannah for the arc!