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Once, Again, Always
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26Win a free print copy of this book!
7 days and 23:25:12
100 copies available
U.S. only
A second-chance romance following a young woman who wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the past six years, only to find that she apparently married the one man she can’t stand—her arrogant and infuriating former boarding school rival. Molly Graham’s day can’t possibly get any worse after she wakes up in a hospital bed with a head injury and amnesia. But then Aster Bishop—the Aster Bishop who made her life hell at boarding school—storms into her room calling her his wife. To Molly’s shock, in the six years she no longer recalls, she somehow fell in love with a man she once despised. Persuaded by her lifelong friends to give her new reality a chance, she reluctantly returns to the home she and Aster share to try and piece together her life. So much has changed, not least the considerate and devastatingly handsome man who spends every night sleeping on the sofa to avoid making her uncomfortable. This Aster is nothing like the entitled boy she once knew. Their chemistry is undeniable, but he’s distant with her, infuriatingly so. It’s clear he has secrets, and Molly can’t stand it. Especially knowing that she might never regain her memories. That she fell in love with Aster Bishop once is hard enough to believe. But to fall in love again? To promise a future, always, when she can’t remember her past? It feels impossible when faced with a man she hardly knows and isn’t sure she can trust. And yet… Tropes Rivals to lovers Forced proximity Slow burn Yearning (so much yearning) Found family Second-chance romance Memory loss There’s only one bed and he takes the sofa like a boring, sensible man
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 6, 2026
9553 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Gayle
3 books88 followersAt any given time, Amanda Gayle might be writing, reading, or spying on the birds in her backyard. She spends too much time on the internet, usually obsessing over fictional characters kissing. She lives in North Carolina with her two favorite people: her husband and toddler. Once, Again, Always is her debut romance.
She can be found having no clue what she's doing on instagram @amandagaylewrites.
She can be found having no clue what she's doing on instagram @amandagaylewrites.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews
May 5, 2026
₍^. .^₎⟆ When Molly Graham wakes up from a hospital bed with a head injury, she finds out that she has amnesia and can’t remember the life she lived in the last six years. Now, she’s in her late twenties and married to Aster Bishop–the same Aster Bishop who was her academic rival in boarding school, who made her life a living hell. Although she doesn’t trust or even like Aster, her lifelong friends persuade her to go back home and try to accept her new reality and the life she now shares with her supposed husband.
Everything and everyone has changed, especially Aster, who is far more handsome than Molly remembers, and it's apparent they loved each other more than they even annoyed one another in school. But he’s distant with her, sleeping on the sofa so he doesn’t make her uncomfortable, and keeping secrets about their past, which bothers her since she may never get her memories back. And even though the memories she does have of Aster are all bad, she wonders if it’s possible to fall in love with him. She did it once; can she do it again?
⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔
ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ: Once in a Lifetime by John Michael Howell
1:33 ───ㅇ───── 3:04
₍^. .^₎⟆ TL;DR: I loved this book so much, and it is one of my favorite reads of 2026. 💙
₍^. .^₎⟆ I am so glad I didn’t wait to read this. I don’t love, but I don’t hate second-chance romances because I have…thoughts about that trope; however, I do love the memory loss trope, so when I saw the author posting about this book on Instagram, I was just waiting for the glorious day it would be available on NetGalley. And, lo and behold, it was on there and, thank God, my request was approved.
And, oh my goodness, I loved this so much! 🥹 This story reminded me so much of the movie The Vow with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, and I really liked that movie, so it was pretty obvious to me that I was going to like this as well.
Let me tell you, when people say that there was yearning in this book, they weren’t lying. The man was so down bad for his wife, I felt like I should have left the room and given them some space because, golly, you could tell Aster wanted to prove how much he loved Molly, but was too respectful and caring to expect her to feel the same.
I was literally clutching my chest because my cold heart was hurting so much at how freaking sweet their love story was. Ugh, all he wanted was for her to love him back, and he was willing to do anything to have Molly fall in love with him again. Okay, I’m going to start crying all over again.
Aster wasn’t perfect, mind you–he could have done some things differently when it came to helping Molly and her memories, but he was still so patient and kind and always, always there for her, even if it was diffcult for both of them to work through the trust issues Molly had (which were totally valid, I would have been the same way) and the hearbreak Aster felt that Molly didn’t know anything about the life they built together. Molly was so strong and brave. It must be so, so hard to go through something like that, and I honestly understood both of their thought processes and intentions. It was just so sweet to see them work it all out together. 😭
This was one of the most beautifully written books I have read all year. Heck, even the spice was written beautifully. Most of y’all know that I do not like spice, like at all. I used to skip those scenes altogether, but now I just skim through the vulgarity and graphic details I don’t care about. 😅 But with this book, I actually read all of it. It didn’t make me feel uncomfortable or anything–it was like reading poetry about two people in love: one who is discovering the love she knew she felt but never experienced in her present self, and the other who wanted to love his wife the way he always has and always will, no matter if she remembers their shared history or not.
Sure, the chapters were long (I kinda hate long chapters), but I didn’t mind it and evenutally didn’t notice because I was just so invested in the story and wanted to know how things ended. I was also a little iffy about the before chapters where we see what Aster's and Molly's rivalry was like because I didn't really find it necessary at first, but as time went on, I was grateful that we got to see not only why Molly was so adamant on being wary of her husband but how much Aster changed from being a snobbish prick of a teenager to a devoted and loving man.
And their friends??? Oh my gosh, I freaking loved all of them! They were so supportive and hilarious, and knowing the group's past and how they all ended up as friends was the best part. Tbh, I thought it was unnecessary that we were given an info dump about Molly’s and Aster’s friends when they were in boarding school, but as the story progressed, I understood why we were given so much lore about them. They felt like real friends and actual people who played a huge role in Molly and Aster’s lives, and I smiled every time they showed up.
I will say, though, reading the content warnings (placed at the end of the book and at the end of this review) kinda spoiled some of the plot, but I would have figured it out anyway, so it didn’t bother me. This is your little heads-up. ☺
Overall, I freaking loved this book. It was absolutely perfect to me, and if you decide to read it, I sincerely hope you love it, too.
ᰔᩚ Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own. ᰔᩚ
❗Content Warnings❗
(Copied from book) Alcohol consumption, bullying, grief, memory loss, miscarriage, and pregnancy.
Swearing: Yes
Spice: Yes (🌶🌶🌶.5/5)
Everything and everyone has changed, especially Aster, who is far more handsome than Molly remembers, and it's apparent they loved each other more than they even annoyed one another in school. But he’s distant with her, sleeping on the sofa so he doesn’t make her uncomfortable, and keeping secrets about their past, which bothers her since she may never get her memories back. And even though the memories she does have of Aster are all bad, she wonders if it’s possible to fall in love with him. She did it once; can she do it again?
⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔
ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ: Once in a Lifetime by John Michael Howell
1:33 ───ㅇ───── 3:04
₍^. .^₎⟆ TL;DR: I loved this book so much, and it is one of my favorite reads of 2026. 💙
₍^. .^₎⟆ I am so glad I didn’t wait to read this. I don’t love, but I don’t hate second-chance romances because I have…thoughts about that trope; however, I do love the memory loss trope, so when I saw the author posting about this book on Instagram, I was just waiting for the glorious day it would be available on NetGalley. And, lo and behold, it was on there and, thank God, my request was approved.
And, oh my goodness, I loved this so much! 🥹 This story reminded me so much of the movie The Vow with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, and I really liked that movie, so it was pretty obvious to me that I was going to like this as well.
Let me tell you, when people say that there was yearning in this book, they weren’t lying. The man was so down bad for his wife, I felt like I should have left the room and given them some space because, golly, you could tell Aster wanted to prove how much he loved Molly, but was too respectful and caring to expect her to feel the same.
I was literally clutching my chest because my cold heart was hurting so much at how freaking sweet their love story was. Ugh, all he wanted was for her to love him back, and he was willing to do anything to have Molly fall in love with him again. Okay, I’m going to start crying all over again.
Aster wasn’t perfect, mind you–he could have done some things differently when it came to helping Molly and her memories, but he was still so patient and kind and always, always there for her, even if it was diffcult for both of them to work through the trust issues Molly had (which were totally valid, I would have been the same way) and the hearbreak Aster felt that Molly didn’t know anything about the life they built together. Molly was so strong and brave. It must be so, so hard to go through something like that, and I honestly understood both of their thought processes and intentions. It was just so sweet to see them work it all out together. 😭
This was one of the most beautifully written books I have read all year. Heck, even the spice was written beautifully. Most of y’all know that I do not like spice, like at all. I used to skip those scenes altogether, but now I just skim through the vulgarity and graphic details I don’t care about. 😅 But with this book, I actually read all of it. It didn’t make me feel uncomfortable or anything–it was like reading poetry about two people in love: one who is discovering the love she knew she felt but never experienced in her present self, and the other who wanted to love his wife the way he always has and always will, no matter if she remembers their shared history or not.
Sure, the chapters were long (I kinda hate long chapters), but I didn’t mind it and evenutally didn’t notice because I was just so invested in the story and wanted to know how things ended. I was also a little iffy about the before chapters where we see what Aster's and Molly's rivalry was like because I didn't really find it necessary at first, but as time went on, I was grateful that we got to see not only why Molly was so adamant on being wary of her husband but how much Aster changed from being a snobbish prick of a teenager to a devoted and loving man.
And their friends??? Oh my gosh, I freaking loved all of them! They were so supportive and hilarious, and knowing the group's past and how they all ended up as friends was the best part. Tbh, I thought it was unnecessary that we were given an info dump about Molly’s and Aster’s friends when they were in boarding school, but as the story progressed, I understood why we were given so much lore about them. They felt like real friends and actual people who played a huge role in Molly and Aster’s lives, and I smiled every time they showed up.
I will say, though, reading the content warnings (placed at the end of the book and at the end of this review) kinda spoiled some of the plot, but I would have figured it out anyway, so it didn’t bother me. This is your little heads-up. ☺
Overall, I freaking loved this book. It was absolutely perfect to me, and if you decide to read it, I sincerely hope you love it, too.
ᰔᩚ Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own. ᰔᩚ
❗Content Warnings❗
(Copied from book) Alcohol consumption, bullying, grief, memory loss, miscarriage, and pregnancy.
Swearing: Yes
Spice: Yes (🌶🌶🌶.5/5)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2026
There’s something about this story that, however familiar you may be with the beats of it, lodges into your chest and sticks with you.
Amanda Gayle’s Once, Again, Always is a beautiful, aching debut about reconciling who you are with who you were; about unflappable patience; about healing and growth.
About a man sleeping every night, for months without complaint, on a deeply uncomfortable antique sofa, just to be near the woman he loves.
It’s at times hopeful, at times devastating. And throughout—brilliantly, beautifully written.
Also:
📖 Yearning, pining, desperation, devotion
🔑 Intrusive friends who show up when you need them, however uninvited
👗 Healthy communication, however much it hurts
☕️ Coffee snobbery, from a man who knows how to tamp
🍬 Small tokens of love that speak volumes
📚 An apartment overrun with books
💫 “Fuck it”s & “my wife” & braid play
🛋️ Falling in love for the first time—twice
If you’re familiar with Gayle’s past work—you’ll adore this. If you’re new: I am so envious, that you get to read this book blind.
This may be contemporary romance, but my goodness, is it magic. All the stars.
Thank you Avon, for approving me so quickly for the eARC. I dropped everything to read and have been crying happy sad tears since I finished.
Amanda Gayle’s Once, Again, Always is a beautiful, aching debut about reconciling who you are with who you were; about unflappable patience; about healing and growth.
About a man sleeping every night, for months without complaint, on a deeply uncomfortable antique sofa, just to be near the woman he loves.
It’s at times hopeful, at times devastating. And throughout—brilliantly, beautifully written.
Also:
📖 Yearning, pining, desperation, devotion
🔑 Intrusive friends who show up when you need them, however uninvited
👗 Healthy communication, however much it hurts
☕️ Coffee snobbery, from a man who knows how to tamp
🍬 Small tokens of love that speak volumes
📚 An apartment overrun with books
💫 “Fuck it”s & “my wife” & braid play
🛋️ Falling in love for the first time—twice
If you’re familiar with Gayle’s past work—you’ll adore this. If you’re new: I am so envious, that you get to read this book blind.
This may be contemporary romance, but my goodness, is it magic. All the stars.
Thank you Avon, for approving me so quickly for the eARC. I dropped everything to read and have been crying happy sad tears since I finished.
Want to Read
January 13, 2026i'm sooo excited about this book!! 2026 is the year of the dhr girlies
Want to Read
April 24, 2026Once, again, and always (😉) I extend my hand up to the publishing gods to look down on me with pity and approve my request for this ARC! 🙏
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Saving my review for closer to pub date but I'll leave you with some of my fav quotes:
“Just be gentle with me, Graham,"
“You’ve got me on the gallows here. But I’ll be damned if you’re not the most beautiful executioner I’ve ever seen.”
"I was trying to carry it for both of us. So you didn't have to."
"I'm sorry, I thought it was obvious that I'll go anywhere you ask me to..."
------
dropping every single book to read this one.
AVON, I LOVE YOU
“Just be gentle with me, Graham,"
“You’ve got me on the gallows here. But I’ll be damned if you’re not the most beautiful executioner I’ve ever seen.”
"I was trying to carry it for both of us. So you didn't have to."
"I'm sorry, I thought it was obvious that I'll go anywhere you ask me to..."
------
dropping every single book to read this one.
AVON, I LOVE YOU
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Once, Again, Always is 384 pages of exquisite pining, and I love that for me (us). I’m not saying I hope I’m ever in a position to lose part of my memory, but please, if it ever happens, let it be like this.
I’ll love this story in every iteration, and I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced it in its various forms. You are my Count of Monte Cristo.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Amanda Gayle for the advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.
I’ll love this story in every iteration, and I feel incredibly lucky to have experienced it in its various forms. You are my Count of Monte Cristo.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Amanda Gayle for the advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.
Want to Read
January 22, 2026oh i’m about to be so unbelievably annoying about this
April 27, 2026
The minute I saw this concept, I applied for the arc without knowing anything else about it. In fact, it was the first time I’ve seen the amnesia trope used and actually wanted to read the book featuring it. Then when I saw some of the other early reviews saying it had yearning, I figured it was going to be great.
I really wish it lived up to those expectations, but the execution fell a little flat for me.
A few things caused this, and the first was how the past chapters were executed. We get flashbacks of them in high school when they do not like each other, and I assumed that since this is in 3rd person, we would eventually get flashbacks showing the shift to love. Instead, we got a bunch of chapters all set in high school, which could have been fine if they did not all go the exact same way: the main girl is in school, the main guy says something mean, her feelings are hurt, end chapter as quickly as it began, and rinse and repeat. Because they got redundant, and we never saw any of the scenes where that changes, a lot of them started to feel pretty pointless.
As nice as I think it could have been to see them falling in love in the last parallel to the past, I would have been fine with it if the present timeline had done a good job getting me invested and establishing the depth of their relationship, but it didn’t. I didn’t feel the yearning some of the other readers spoke about either. No beautiful speeches, confessions, or anything I felt compelled to highlight. The main guy kept his distance a lot, and then they slowly started interacting again, and already by 50%, they are going on dates and we are getting time skips to after they’ve done that for a while. That’s not inherently bad, but I do think it’s the most boring way something so interesting could have played out. The way things unfolded made it very hard for me to be invested in their relationship, and that was probably my biggest struggle with this book.
One of the other things I liked aside from the concept was that the author took the time to make sure all of the main characters’ friends didn’t seem like one-dimensional side characters. The only downside to that was that I actually think we spent a little too much time focused on them, especially considering I felt romance needed a lot more development, so it ended up feeling like it was taking away from that.
The other thing that didn’t really work for me was the structure towards the end. We go from a present chapter into a past chapter, then the epilogue, and another flashback after. I definitely think the epilogue should have been last, and one of the flashbacks toward the end probably could have been cut too because it didn’t add much to the story.
Overall, this still managed to be an interesting take on a trope I have never enjoyed, which in itself is an accomplishment. Apparently, it’s a reworked fanfic, but I have no idea of what, and that didn’t impact my reading experience, so if you are hesitant because of that, I honestly don’t think it will be an issue. The real issue for me was the depth to the relationship and my investment in it. Regardless, I don’t think this was a terrible book; it just definitely wasn’t for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!
~🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆~
I really wish it lived up to those expectations, but the execution fell a little flat for me.
A few things caused this, and the first was how the past chapters were executed. We get flashbacks of them in high school when they do not like each other, and I assumed that since this is in 3rd person, we would eventually get flashbacks showing the shift to love. Instead, we got a bunch of chapters all set in high school, which could have been fine if they did not all go the exact same way: the main girl is in school, the main guy says something mean, her feelings are hurt, end chapter as quickly as it began, and rinse and repeat. Because they got redundant, and we never saw any of the scenes where that changes, a lot of them started to feel pretty pointless.
As nice as I think it could have been to see them falling in love in the last parallel to the past, I would have been fine with it if the present timeline had done a good job getting me invested and establishing the depth of their relationship, but it didn’t. I didn’t feel the yearning some of the other readers spoke about either. No beautiful speeches, confessions, or anything I felt compelled to highlight. The main guy kept his distance a lot, and then they slowly started interacting again, and already by 50%, they are going on dates and we are getting time skips to after they’ve done that for a while. That’s not inherently bad, but I do think it’s the most boring way something so interesting could have played out. The way things unfolded made it very hard for me to be invested in their relationship, and that was probably my biggest struggle with this book.
One of the other things I liked aside from the concept was that the author took the time to make sure all of the main characters’ friends didn’t seem like one-dimensional side characters. The only downside to that was that I actually think we spent a little too much time focused on them, especially considering I felt romance needed a lot more development, so it ended up feeling like it was taking away from that.
The other thing that didn’t really work for me was the structure towards the end. We go from a present chapter into a past chapter, then the epilogue, and another flashback after. I definitely think the epilogue should have been last, and one of the flashbacks toward the end probably could have been cut too because it didn’t add much to the story.
Overall, this still managed to be an interesting take on a trope I have never enjoyed, which in itself is an accomplishment. Apparently, it’s a reworked fanfic, but I have no idea of what, and that didn’t impact my reading experience, so if you are hesitant because of that, I honestly don’t think it will be an issue. The real issue for me was the depth to the relationship and my investment in it. Regardless, I don’t think this was a terrible book; it just definitely wasn’t for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!
~🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆~
April 18, 2026
4.5 stars 1.5 spice
“Just be gentle with me, Graham,” he breathed, reeling her in with her own name. “You’ve got me on the gallows here.” He let her braid fall. “But I’ll be damned if you’re not the most beautiful executioner I’ve ever seen.”
Thank you to Avon for the e-arc!
Molly wakes up with splitting pain in her head, to see she is married to a man that was horrible to her in high school. She has completely lost the last 6 years of memory.
GOD THE YEARNING!
Poor Aster. This book hurts so good.
If you want a man who yearns and is miserable you need to read this book.
I spent so much of this book with tears welled in my eyes.
He is absolutely being tortured, because Molly’s memory of him is not who he is anymore but she doesn’t remember all of that growth, or any of them falling in love.
Aster is stuck in a place of trying to not try to overwhelm her, and protect her from stuff from their shared past, but from her POV he’s lying to her, keeping her own history from her.
This is a story of forgiveness, growth, and acceptance.
I knew where the locked room was going, but when the reveal came I was crying. It just absolutely wrecked me.
I also absolutely loved the whole cast of friends. They are such a great found family. (I would be interested to see how they are received by someone who didn’t read the original iteration of this story)
Read this if you love:
- Amnesia
- Yearning MMC
- Found Family/funny friends
- Second Chance
- “Where the fuck is my wife”
“All human wisdom is contained in these two words—Wait and hope.”—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
Trigger warnings below
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
BELOW TRIGGERS ARE SPOILERS
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Trigger warnings:
bullying
grief
memory loss
miscarriage
pregnancy
“Just be gentle with me, Graham,” he breathed, reeling her in with her own name. “You’ve got me on the gallows here.” He let her braid fall. “But I’ll be damned if you’re not the most beautiful executioner I’ve ever seen.”
Thank you to Avon for the e-arc!
Molly wakes up with splitting pain in her head, to see she is married to a man that was horrible to her in high school. She has completely lost the last 6 years of memory.
GOD THE YEARNING!
Poor Aster. This book hurts so good.
If you want a man who yearns and is miserable you need to read this book.
I spent so much of this book with tears welled in my eyes.
He is absolutely being tortured, because Molly’s memory of him is not who he is anymore but she doesn’t remember all of that growth, or any of them falling in love.
Aster is stuck in a place of trying to not try to overwhelm her, and protect her from stuff from their shared past, but from her POV he’s lying to her, keeping her own history from her.
This is a story of forgiveness, growth, and acceptance.
I knew where the locked room was going, but when the reveal came I was crying. It just absolutely wrecked me.
I also absolutely loved the whole cast of friends. They are such a great found family. (I would be interested to see how they are received by someone who didn’t read the original iteration of this story)
Read this if you love:
- Amnesia
- Yearning MMC
- Found Family/funny friends
- Second Chance
- “Where the fuck is my wife”
“All human wisdom is contained in these two words—Wait and hope.”—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
Trigger warnings below
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
BELOW TRIGGERS ARE SPOILERS
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Trigger warnings:
bullying
grief
memory loss
miscarriage
pregnancy
April 19, 2026
3.5 Stars (rounded up)
I do think that fanfic is a great stepping point to becoming an author, and I do think if reworked very heavily that it can be published. Some of my favorite authors started as fanfic writers and have only grown from there.
BUT, if you're going to publish your fanfic, it should absolutely be reworked and retooled to something original. The problem some of these books fall into, like this, is that it only works in the context of the world it was born in. I think this might come off as confusing and convoluted to anyone without said context. And unfortunately without that context, I fear Molly came across as slightly unlikable. And their relationship in its entirety should have been far more expanded on.
With that being said, I do think people will really enjoy this no matter what. this was a very quick read that was filled with cute fluff, angst and yearning. Well written and a beautiful little love story. I mean there's just something about an amnesia storyline that forces characters to learn each other over again and falling in love AGAIN. Alexa play Everything is Romantic Wuthering Heights trailer version by Charli xcx.
Thank you to Avon and Harper & netgalley for the arc.
April 26, 2026
Be prepared to have your heart strings pulled on!
This was such a fantastic read. I’m so thankful to have gotten accepted for this arc. Molly was a fantastic character, I can’t imagine losing memories from the past 6 years and trying to adjust. It made me annoyed at times when she would be so stubborn but then I remembered well she had her memory wiped and I’d give her grace.
Aster Bishop. My man. Actually, I love him. I want him for myself because of the way he was patient with Molly. And I also respected that when it got too much for him he handled it in private to not overwhelm Molly.
Watching someone you love get their memories of you wiped out and only remember the bad things about you is so cruel but the built relationship and trust formed again was beautiful and worth the pay off.
Thank you so much Net Galley for providing the arc 💗
This was such a fantastic read. I’m so thankful to have gotten accepted for this arc. Molly was a fantastic character, I can’t imagine losing memories from the past 6 years and trying to adjust. It made me annoyed at times when she would be so stubborn but then I remembered well she had her memory wiped and I’d give her grace.
Aster Bishop. My man. Actually, I love him. I want him for myself because of the way he was patient with Molly. And I also respected that when it got too much for him he handled it in private to not overwhelm Molly.
Watching someone you love get their memories of you wiped out and only remember the bad things about you is so cruel but the built relationship and trust formed again was beautiful and worth the pay off.
Thank you so much Net Galley for providing the arc 💗
April 22, 2026
Reader, beware: This book is stuffed with jaw-aching sweetness and tooth-rotting fluff and devastating highs and lows that will sucker-punch you into next week, and I ate up every bit of it, alright??? And then I licked the plate clean and went back for seconds. Contemporary romance is usually such a hard sell for me, but I adored this one, from Aster and Molly’s scintillating dynamic to the tragic absurdity of their situation and how they navigate it. Not to mention, the yearning — THE YEARNING. What a brilliant narrative choice, to juxtapose flashbacks of Aster bullying Molly during their high school years against present-day Aster completely losing it because Molly doesn’t remember falling in love with him.
If I have any criticisms, they’re about the ending; I can’t quite decide if those final plot points feel appropriate, anticlimactic, or a little of both. Perhaps that was Amanda Gayle’s intention (and I certainly appreciate the themes of choosing to live in the present, rather than waiting indefinitely on things you can’t control). I’m also a little sad that, for all the memories Aster recounts, Gayle entirely glosses over him telling Molly about their wedding; and I would have appreciated a little more fleshing out of Aster’s background, particularly where his parents are concerned. (Also, why did the bookstore never get a name???) Still, this is by far the most delightful experience I’ve ever had with a contemporary romance, and I’ll definitely be shouting about it to all my friends until it comes out in October. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy!
If I have any criticisms, they’re about the ending; I can’t quite decide if those final plot points feel appropriate, anticlimactic, or a little of both. Perhaps that was Amanda Gayle’s intention (and I certainly appreciate the themes of choosing to live in the present, rather than waiting indefinitely on things you can’t control). I’m also a little sad that, for all the memories Aster recounts, Gayle entirely glosses over him telling Molly about their wedding; and I would have appreciated a little more fleshing out of Aster’s background, particularly where his parents are concerned. (Also, why did the bookstore never get a name???) Still, this is by far the most delightful experience I’ve ever had with a contemporary romance, and I’ll definitely be shouting about it to all my friends until it comes out in October. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy!
Want to Read
April 28, 2026
*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!*
A second-chance romance following a young woman who wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the past six years, only to find that she apparently married the one man she can’t stand—her arrogant and infuriating former boarding school rival.
I have high expectations for this!!
A second-chance romance following a young woman who wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the past six years, only to find that she apparently married the one man she can’t stand—her arrogant and infuriating former boarding school rival.
I have high expectations for this!!
April 14, 2026
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the arc!
Rtc
Rtc
April 17, 2026
thank you to netgalley for my advanced eArc.
I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint! obviously i’m one of the people who’ve read the online iteration of this story and loved it so much, it made sense to me for this to be translated into a traditional published work.
there was so much yearning and so much angst i couldn’t put it down.
imagine waking up in the arms of someone you used to be rivals with in high school, only to find you’re married to them and have also forgotten the past six years of your life?! the journey Molly and Aster go through is heart wrenching but so worth it.
besides the emotional parts, the dialogue and banter would have its funny moments.
Molly’s best friend Roy was one of my faves besides the main couple of course. he has some of my favorite lines 😆.
overall a touching love story about second chances and finding the strength to move on from trauma. i highly recommend this.
I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint! obviously i’m one of the people who’ve read the online iteration of this story and loved it so much, it made sense to me for this to be translated into a traditional published work.
there was so much yearning and so much angst i couldn’t put it down.
imagine waking up in the arms of someone you used to be rivals with in high school, only to find you’re married to them and have also forgotten the past six years of your life?! the journey Molly and Aster go through is heart wrenching but so worth it.
besides the emotional parts, the dialogue and banter would have its funny moments.
Molly’s best friend Roy was one of my faves besides the main couple of course. he has some of my favorite lines 😆.
overall a touching love story about second chances and finding the strength to move on from trauma. i highly recommend this.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I have to be honest: I have a really, really hard time with the fact that so much of this book was literally copied and pasted from the original Dramione fanfiction, to the point that I began screenshotting a number of exactly comparable scenes just to make sure I wasn’t actually going insane. I’ve read all of the various adaptations from several fandoms and have never, ever seen this. I deeply worry about this precedent and I think this story, if it was truly going to be fleshed out into an original work, deserved better. (I felt the same way about the character descriptions and art, but I don’t think we’re ready for that conversation.)
That said, obviously the yearning in the first half of this story is what has always set it apart. I loved it as much here as I did in the fic—there is absolutely no doubt that comes through in this version. But I think it lost me by the 60-70% point and didn’t recover. I also think the added flashbacks, some of the only genuinely new content, did more to detract from my feelings about the couple than to improve them.
I’m struggling to rate this and will revisit.
That said, obviously the yearning in the first half of this story is what has always set it apart. I loved it as much here as I did in the fic—there is absolutely no doubt that comes through in this version. But I think it lost me by the 60-70% point and didn’t recover. I also think the added flashbacks, some of the only genuinely new content, did more to detract from my feelings about the couple than to improve them.
I’m struggling to rate this and will revisit.
April 17, 2026
having read the original fic, this didn’t quite work for me as a standalone. it’s a difficult thing to adapt from an existing world with lore and character backstories to a new tale strong enough to stand on its own. There’s parts of this that worked but without the structure of the original IP holding the book up, it ended up feeling a little boneless.
I am curious to see how others who haven’t read the original fic end up enjoying it! And I will keep an eye out for more original work from this author
I am curious to see how others who haven’t read the original fic end up enjoying it! And I will keep an eye out for more original work from this author
May 1, 2026
Imagine waking up married to the person who was the biggest jerk to you in school… with no memory of the last six years. That's Molly Graham's reality.
The premise is fantastic. Molly wakes up from a brain hemorrhage missing half a decade, only to find she's married to Aster Bishop—her old academic rival who was openly awful to her. Now she has to rely on him to help her rebuild her life, even if those memories never come back.
What works beautifully: the body language. Gayle writes touch, space, and chemistry so well—those lingering hand placements, the way they occupy a room together. As someone whose love language is physical touch, I ate it up. And Aster? On the surface, he's poised, elegant, fully contained. But when his composure cracks? When that little bit of arrogance breaks through? Ugh, so good.
The side characters are adorable—a warm re-found family that helps Molly reorient with humor and heart.
So why not a 5? A few moments didn't land as hard/transition as they could have, and the pacing occasionally stalled in the middle. Still, the yearning, the door-scene after their "first" date, and lines like "you've got me on the gallows here… most beautiful executioner I've ever seen"? Absolutely worth it.
A tender, touch-starved slow burn that delivers.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Amanda Gayle for the advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.
The premise is fantastic. Molly wakes up from a brain hemorrhage missing half a decade, only to find she's married to Aster Bishop—her old academic rival who was openly awful to her. Now she has to rely on him to help her rebuild her life, even if those memories never come back.
What works beautifully: the body language. Gayle writes touch, space, and chemistry so well—those lingering hand placements, the way they occupy a room together. As someone whose love language is physical touch, I ate it up. And Aster? On the surface, he's poised, elegant, fully contained. But when his composure cracks? When that little bit of arrogance breaks through? Ugh, so good.
The side characters are adorable—a warm re-found family that helps Molly reorient with humor and heart.
So why not a 5? A few moments didn't land as hard/transition as they could have, and the pacing occasionally stalled in the middle. Still, the yearning, the door-scene after their "first" date, and lines like "you've got me on the gallows here… most beautiful executioner I've ever seen"? Absolutely worth it.
A tender, touch-starved slow burn that delivers.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Amanda Gayle for the advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.
April 26, 2026
What a sweet, yet gut-wrenching read!
As a certified HATER of the amnesia/memory loss trope, I wasn’t sure I’d like this one. However, I am and forever will be a second-chance romance girlie.
I particularly loved how, in the end, Molly didn’t get her memories back. I think I prefer that (despite everything) over her magically getting better.
As a certified HATER of the amnesia/memory loss trope, I wasn’t sure I’d like this one. However, I am and forever will be a second-chance romance girlie.
I particularly loved how, in the end, Molly didn’t get her memories back. I think I prefer that (despite everything) over her magically getting better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
April 14, 2026Once, Again, Always was one of my anticipated 2026 reads and it did not disappoint. I loved what Amanda Gayle did with this story. Writing a story like this where the FMC forgets the last six years of her life can be tricky, and I thought Gayle handled the concept really well. Told from Molly’s POV, we’re just as in the dark as she is about what has happened in her life. As the story went on, we started to learn more about Molly's current life, as well as her past and present relationships. Although I sometimes wished we got to know everything about her past sooner, I did like how the information was gradually revealed throughout the book. It was sweet seeing Molly re-fall in love with Aster and watching their love prevail. The yearning and tenderness in their relationship were beautiful. Although it could be frustrating at times with Aster withholding information from Molly, I still adored him and the way he was trying to handle everything. I loved the little details we got about their relationship like the Polaroid picture and mugs. I loved all the side characters and their little found family. I liked her friends and the mix of old and new relationships in her life. Eli was a hoot! I thought the chapter titles were clever, and I liked how some of the flashback scenes were intentionally connected to the next chapters character. I flew through this one and look forward to seeing what Amanda Gayle writes next. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.
April 30, 2026
4.5 / holy peak?!
molly wakes up in the hospital with no memories of the past six years with the cherry on top being that her husband was her boarding school jerk rival from high school. classic amnesia. but this man’s YEARNING. guys!!!! not sure if there’s anything i love more in a romance than a pathetic, devoted, yearning, obsessed, besotted man. i wasn’t positive going into this arc because i’m honestly not too familiar with amnesia and second chance tropes (amnesia always gives me pause and the second chance i have read hasn’t been my favorite) but this was DELICIOUS. the yearning, tension, and romance between these two characters was perfection.
between chapters we get glimpses back in time to high school, which were okay at the beginning but they became so repetitive and boring i couldn’t help but care anymore. this was such a small portion of the book though so it’s really a small qualm.
i will say i went into the almost blind (beyond the blurb provided on netgalley) and without knowledge that this was originally fan fiction until i was about 3/4 done. all my respect to fic authors who get their stuff published, especially when it can stand so strongly on its own, but i will admit that finding out the ship slightly disrupted my perception (and immersion?) of the story. maybe a me issue.
still. all in all. peak!
thank u netgalley for the arc :)
molly wakes up in the hospital with no memories of the past six years with the cherry on top being that her husband was her boarding school jerk rival from high school. classic amnesia. but this man’s YEARNING. guys!!!! not sure if there’s anything i love more in a romance than a pathetic, devoted, yearning, obsessed, besotted man. i wasn’t positive going into this arc because i’m honestly not too familiar with amnesia and second chance tropes (amnesia always gives me pause and the second chance i have read hasn’t been my favorite) but this was DELICIOUS. the yearning, tension, and romance between these two characters was perfection.
between chapters we get glimpses back in time to high school, which were okay at the beginning but they became so repetitive and boring i couldn’t help but care anymore. this was such a small portion of the book though so it’s really a small qualm.
i will say i went into the almost blind (beyond the blurb provided on netgalley) and without knowledge that this was originally fan fiction until i was about 3/4 done. all my respect to fic authors who get their stuff published, especially when it can stand so strongly on its own, but i will admit that finding out the ship slightly disrupted my perception (and immersion?) of the story. maybe a me issue.
still. all in all. peak!
thank u netgalley for the arc :)
April 15, 2026
This book was simply beautiful 💕
I didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but what I found was a love so strong it surpassed hatred and mistrust. It had characters I didn’t know I could cherish so much. A plot that had me cheering for this couple that had chemistry pouring off the pages.
Molly and Aster were perfect. I loved how Aster didn’t give up on Molly and slowly did what he could to make her remember while also trying to get her to fall in love with him again. I loved how Molly was articulate in how she approached certain situations as she went about her journey.
The side characters were amazing. I want a story on Alannah and Roy, and Eli and Bentley. They really made the novel progress and added to the characterization and personality of our main characters. I wish we had more of Justine but I still loved her.
The journey we go on in this book…you will laugh and cry. I felt Aster’s pain and Molly’s humiliation on every page. It’s truly a fun trip with an ending I didn’t see coming. The HEA was truly deserved.
*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but what I found was a love so strong it surpassed hatred and mistrust. It had characters I didn’t know I could cherish so much. A plot that had me cheering for this couple that had chemistry pouring off the pages.
Molly and Aster were perfect. I loved how Aster didn’t give up on Molly and slowly did what he could to make her remember while also trying to get her to fall in love with him again. I loved how Molly was articulate in how she approached certain situations as she went about her journey.
The side characters were amazing. I want a story on Alannah and Roy, and Eli and Bentley. They really made the novel progress and added to the characterization and personality of our main characters. I wish we had more of Justine but I still loved her.
The journey we go on in this book…you will laugh and cry. I felt Aster’s pain and Molly’s humiliation on every page. It’s truly a fun trip with an ending I didn’t see coming. The HEA was truly deserved.
*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.
April 15, 2026
Review of an advance copy received from NetGalley.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Amanda Gayle, and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this eARC and provide an honest review!
From the very first page, this story carried a sense of sadness and grief for years of life lost, despite having no recollection of them whatsoever. The way the author explored what it feels like to essentially wake up in a new life, with some similar people yet in vastly new places in life, was so so beautiful. The amount of sympathy and empathy we feel for both Molly and Aster is tremendous as we see them both fight for themselves, each other, and their love above all, despite all of the difficult and heart-breaking feelings and situations that come along with such an unimaginable instance. And yet we see, again and again, how their willingness to continue working and fighting to be together and be HAPPY together, allowed them to rebuild what was lost and continue to create new joy for themselves.
I loved that none of the characters were annoying or irrational, that every mistake and problem came out of genuine feelings and was resolved very maturely. I adored the side characters because they TRULY felt like Molly’s best friends. There were no ill intentions, no selfishness or stupidity, only the purest of support and affection towards their friends, and it was so heartwarming to read. I also love how dynamic their friend group is, with each character being so distinct yet vital to the whole group, making each one feel like a real-life person.
I would also like to note how much I appreciated the full circle moment occurring in the epilogue regarding the chapter names, as well as the way the present and past were interwoven, offering us small glimpses of Molly’s formative years, without feeling like we’re getting a full retelling of how they fell in love the first time. They were the smallest of crumbs offering peak academic rivalry, but that was honestly enough to see how the foundation for such a strong relationship was built.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Amanda Gayle, and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this eARC and provide an honest review!
From the very first page, this story carried a sense of sadness and grief for years of life lost, despite having no recollection of them whatsoever. The way the author explored what it feels like to essentially wake up in a new life, with some similar people yet in vastly new places in life, was so so beautiful. The amount of sympathy and empathy we feel for both Molly and Aster is tremendous as we see them both fight for themselves, each other, and their love above all, despite all of the difficult and heart-breaking feelings and situations that come along with such an unimaginable instance. And yet we see, again and again, how their willingness to continue working and fighting to be together and be HAPPY together, allowed them to rebuild what was lost and continue to create new joy for themselves.
I loved that none of the characters were annoying or irrational, that every mistake and problem came out of genuine feelings and was resolved very maturely. I adored the side characters because they TRULY felt like Molly’s best friends. There were no ill intentions, no selfishness or stupidity, only the purest of support and affection towards their friends, and it was so heartwarming to read. I also love how dynamic their friend group is, with each character being so distinct yet vital to the whole group, making each one feel like a real-life person.
I would also like to note how much I appreciated the full circle moment occurring in the epilogue regarding the chapter names, as well as the way the present and past were interwoven, offering us small glimpses of Molly’s formative years, without feeling like we’re getting a full retelling of how they fell in love the first time. They were the smallest of crumbs offering peak academic rivalry, but that was honestly enough to see how the foundation for such a strong relationship was built.
May 6, 2026
I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I love the fic this is based on but the book was lacking something and it’s wild how it was mostly word for word adapted from the fanfic, minus the fantasy. It wasn’t fleshed out and more attention was given to the side characters instead of the main pairing. I did like the side characters and all their friendships but it could have been more balanced. I didn’t enjoy the repetitive flashbacks to the Before, they contributed nothing to the story after awhile. A lot of the dialogue felt awkward and unrealistic and Molly’s character felt underdeveloped. I enjoyed the yearning and banter.
April 15, 2026
This is my favorite book of the year so far. The premise of memory loss has been done before but it’s an incredibly sweet story. Molly is a likeable character from start to finish, and Aster with his all yearning and careful considerations was a delight to read.
The side characters were all so fun (Eli!!) and helped add to the story, not just serve as comic relief. I also loved the flashbacks to help build that background of Molly and Aster’s history. You could only appreciate how far they’ve come by knowing where they had been.
I loved loved loved it and will be recommending it.
The side characters were all so fun (Eli!!) and helped add to the story, not just serve as comic relief. I also loved the flashbacks to help build that background of Molly and Aster’s history. You could only appreciate how far they’ve come by knowing where they had been.
I loved loved loved it and will be recommending it.
April 30, 2026
what if you had AMNESIA and you woke up MARRIED to your rude yet handsome ACADEMIC RIVAL and there was a CAT and your couch was BLUE
April 17, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Thank you, Avon Books and Harper Voyager US, for the advanced copy!
I’ll start by saying that upon reading the synopsis, there was a level of familiarity that stood out to me. And as a fan of this genre, but not having read the source fic, I was excited to read this one, however a few things fell flat for me.
Overall the plot, yearning and our two main characters were exceptional. We’re really shown Astor’s devastation, grief and love, but there wasn’t enough shown in the development of the second chance part of the romance. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of good moments in there, but the progression of Molly remembering Astor as her school bully/rival to loving him (again) felt too rapid.
The prose and pacing felt engaging, but the abundance of characters felt overwhelming. Unfortunately, the veil between this trad published book and the source material was very thin. The excess in side characters didn’t feel necessary to the main plot. I really wish more focus was placed in the details of Astor aiding Molly in regaining her trust, love and memories. Because as I mentioned, there were a lot of beautiful tender moments, but I needed to see more of that to make the romance feel more believable.
Bottom line, I do recommend this book! It’s emotional, funny, and the yearning from Astor was devastating!
Some highlighted quotes:
“Just be gentle with me, Graham,” he breathed, reeling her in with her own name. “You’ve got me on the gallows here.” He let her braid fall. “But I’ll be damned if you’re not the most beautiful executioner I’ve ever seen.”
And he was so close, barely a blink between them. Six years hanging between lashes and lids and lips.
His words ran like prisoners, held captive in his mind and mouth, just waiting for their moment to escape. “I love you,” he said. “More than my name and more than my money, more than all of it.”
Thank you, Avon Books and Harper Voyager US, for the advanced copy!
I’ll start by saying that upon reading the synopsis, there was a level of familiarity that stood out to me. And as a fan of this genre, but not having read the source fic, I was excited to read this one, however a few things fell flat for me.
Overall the plot, yearning and our two main characters were exceptional. We’re really shown Astor’s devastation, grief and love, but there wasn’t enough shown in the development of the second chance part of the romance. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of good moments in there, but the progression of Molly remembering Astor as her school bully/rival to loving him (again) felt too rapid.
The prose and pacing felt engaging, but the abundance of characters felt overwhelming. Unfortunately, the veil between this trad published book and the source material was very thin. The excess in side characters didn’t feel necessary to the main plot. I really wish more focus was placed in the details of Astor aiding Molly in regaining her trust, love and memories. Because as I mentioned, there were a lot of beautiful tender moments, but I needed to see more of that to make the romance feel more believable.
Bottom line, I do recommend this book! It’s emotional, funny, and the yearning from Astor was devastating!
Some highlighted quotes:
“Just be gentle with me, Graham,” he breathed, reeling her in with her own name. “You’ve got me on the gallows here.” He let her braid fall. “But I’ll be damned if you’re not the most beautiful executioner I’ve ever seen.”
And he was so close, barely a blink between them. Six years hanging between lashes and lids and lips.
His words ran like prisoners, held captive in his mind and mouth, just waiting for their moment to escape. “I love you,” he said. “More than my name and more than my money, more than all of it.”
April 15, 2026
3.5
Yes, I devoured this within less than 24 hours.
I have such mixed feelings on this one, on the one hand, it felt moving, well written and emotional - but on the other, felt like it was trying to do a bit too much in a short time.
There is a LOT of character dumping in this story, perhaps too much. The first chapter especially introduced a lot of names that just confused me, which may have been intentional give the storyline but didn’t vibe for me. It got better quickly, and was a beautifully written story to which I eventually got my head around all the information were being given.
I wish there was an introductory chapter before diving straight into it and feel this really could have helped with the abrupt start.
I enjoyed exploring the story as Molly did, learning about her past - it felt authentic and connected me to her on a deeper level, making the story more gripping and me struggling to put it down.
I will admit I had very high expectations for this one and sadly, it fell a little bit flat for me.
Thankyou to the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
Yes, I devoured this within less than 24 hours.
I have such mixed feelings on this one, on the one hand, it felt moving, well written and emotional - but on the other, felt like it was trying to do a bit too much in a short time.
There is a LOT of character dumping in this story, perhaps too much. The first chapter especially introduced a lot of names that just confused me, which may have been intentional give the storyline but didn’t vibe for me. It got better quickly, and was a beautifully written story to which I eventually got my head around all the information were being given.
I wish there was an introductory chapter before diving straight into it and feel this really could have helped with the abrupt start.
I enjoyed exploring the story as Molly did, learning about her past - it felt authentic and connected me to her on a deeper level, making the story more gripping and me struggling to put it down.
I will admit I had very high expectations for this one and sadly, it fell a little bit flat for me.
Thankyou to the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
April 17, 2026
Okay I love this book!! I will admit, Wait and Hope is one of my favorite works of fanfiction so of course I had to immediately jump on this. You could really feel the love between the main characters. It definitely reminds me of the movie (and maybe book?) The Vow. I was worried it would be too much like it but it wasn’t. One thing I really liked about it was how the characters had a situation ship in the past. He wasn’t just a complete stranger. I’d be curious to hear how people like it without having read its original. I’m so pumped for my preorder and I’m desperately hoping for a beautiful hardback. I also love how the title ties into the book.
Spoilers
While I wish we could have seen Molly falling in love with Aster the first time around, I get why we did not since she never actually gets her memories back. I’m surprised she wasn’t more devastated by the loss of certain memories though. That may have been what was missing for me. And having more backstory of all the friends because they were all phenomenal.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Amanda Gayle for the advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.
Spoilers
While I wish we could have seen Molly falling in love with Aster the first time around, I get why we did not since she never actually gets her memories back. I’m surprised she wasn’t more devastated by the loss of certain memories though. That may have been what was missing for me. And having more backstory of all the friends because they were all phenomenal.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Amanda Gayle for the advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2026
✨Once, Again, Always by Amanda Gayle✨
First of all, I would like to thank Avon and Harper Voyager and Avon, Amanda Gayle, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I recommend this book if you:
🔹love emotionally devastating romances - the amnesia trope has officially been ruined for me, because I will constantly be comparing it to this one. The yearning of Aster for Molly was so beautifully written and the tension so palpable.
🔹enjoyed the movie “The Vow” - my memory of this is the FMC goes on a similar journey of piecing together her memories as she doesn’t understand how her life turned out the way it did. As well as, I distinctly remember the MMC trying so hard to help her regain her memories.
🔹enjoy novels with multiple time lines - the way that Gayle weaved the present time line with the past helped the readers understand the conflict within Molly as she navigates her amnesia.
I binged this in an evening, because I could not put it down. I adored Molly, her tenacity and sense of humor was irresistible. I especially loved how clear it was that she was such a loyal friend. The relationships that she had with each friend was so compelling and I loved how each of them played significant role in her finding herself again.
The romance between Molly and Aster had such undeniable chemistry. I felt so much sympathy for Aster, it was so clear that he loved her and completely adored her. It was so painful to watch him struggle with missing his wife but having her within arms reach. I couldn’t imagine loving someone so much and them not remembering you. The tension was so consuming and completely transfixing. This is a beautiful story of falling in love again.
First of all, I would like to thank Avon and Harper Voyager and Avon, Amanda Gayle, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I recommend this book if you:
🔹love emotionally devastating romances - the amnesia trope has officially been ruined for me, because I will constantly be comparing it to this one. The yearning of Aster for Molly was so beautifully written and the tension so palpable.
🔹enjoyed the movie “The Vow” - my memory of this is the FMC goes on a similar journey of piecing together her memories as she doesn’t understand how her life turned out the way it did. As well as, I distinctly remember the MMC trying so hard to help her regain her memories.
🔹enjoy novels with multiple time lines - the way that Gayle weaved the present time line with the past helped the readers understand the conflict within Molly as she navigates her amnesia.
I binged this in an evening, because I could not put it down. I adored Molly, her tenacity and sense of humor was irresistible. I especially loved how clear it was that she was such a loyal friend. The relationships that she had with each friend was so compelling and I loved how each of them played significant role in her finding herself again.
The romance between Molly and Aster had such undeniable chemistry. I felt so much sympathy for Aster, it was so clear that he loved her and completely adored her. It was so painful to watch him struggle with missing his wife but having her within arms reach. I couldn’t imagine loving someone so much and them not remembering you. The tension was so consuming and completely transfixing. This is a beautiful story of falling in love again.
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