Foreverish

by Aly Ferguson

After the end of a love she thought would last, Billie finds herself rebuilding the pieces of her life in a small coastal town. Pearlhaven moves at a gentler pace than where she grew up but she takes solace in her daily hikes to the lighthouse with her loyal companion, Craig. Billie keeps to herself at first, unsure of what it would mean to belong somewhere again. That is until she finds a group of people who never asked her to make herself smaller to fit in with them.

Barrett has been the dependable one for as long as he can remember. Quiet and observant, he is woven into the town’s rhythms and its people. He is a steady presence who offers help without expecting anything in return. Where Billie is raw and guarded, Barrett is calm and grounded– the kind of man that stays when others leave. Their connection forms quickly as the town’s found family draws Billie closer than she expected to let anyone come.

As old wounds surface and Billie is forced to decide whether she can risk loving someone without holding back, the lighthouse becomes more than a landmark but instead a promise of consistency. In learning to trust Barrett’s quiet devotion, Billie must confront the fear that healing might mean staying in a town far away from the loving grandparents that raised her. This is a story about love after heartbreak, the courage it takes to remain, and accepting the guiding light that waits for us when we are finally ready to come home.

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 22, 2026

Reviews

[Rachel Santillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always excited to support a debut author, and you can truly feel how much heart was poured into this story. ❤️

At its core, this is a story about grief, mental health, healing, and learning to quiet the anxious spiral in your own mind. Billy’s journey is emotional, relatable, and a reminder that our negative thoughts/assumptions don’t always reflect reality.

Barrett was such an easy MMC to love. His patience, kindness, and unwavering support for Billy made him one of my favorite parts of the book. He has the biggest heart, and you can’t help but root for him.

The supporting cast was wonderful too. Ava was the kind of best friend everyone deserves, Jake brought plenty of laughs, and their chemistry definitely has me excited for their story next. And of course, Craig the dog was fun too. 🐾

If you’ve ever struggled with grief, anxiety, or negative self-talk, I think you’ll find something to connect with in this story. Add in found family, a sweet slow-burn romance, and a cast of fun characters, and you have a heartfelt debut that’s easy to cheer for.

Congratulations Aly on an amazing debut! I’m excited to see where this series goes next and can’t wait for the next book.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS!

Foreverish follows Billie through the waves of grief, heartbreak, emotional healing, trauma, friendship ane love. After a devastating loss and a deadbeat ex boyfriend, Billie takes up an opportunity to start fresh in Pearlhaven with her trusty sidekick Craig. A new town by the ocean, a new bakery to work in and an abundance of fresh faces, Billie navigates the hard journey of love? loss and healing from her past traumas. Along the way she discovers beautiful friendship, family and the other half of her heart but will Billie’s personal traumas sabotage everything she just started to build? Will she overcome her personal battles and let love lead her into a new chapter?

In totally honesty, I struggled to get into ‘Foreverish’ for the first portion of the book. The writing style isn’t my usual cup of tea however, I am glad that I pushed through and competed this story. It ended up being a beautiful one with such complex themes that resonated. Overcoming grief is one thing but also trying to heal wounds that cause you to self-destruct and implode your life are another! This book truly navigates the journey of grief and self-discovery as well as healing your traumas. I liked that this book focused more on those themes rather than just the romance! I did love the MMC and the friend group in this book, I felt they were all wonderful people and perfect for what Billie needed during these hard times in her life. This book is definitely an emotional roller coaster but it truly highlights how important friends and family are in life and that it is OKAY to lean on those around you when you need them most. You will never be too much for the ones that truly love you.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this was pulling on my heartstrings. There are so many emotions in this book and I found myself in tears pretty often towards the end.

Billie needs a fresh start after the betrayal of her boyfriend during the death of her grandmother. Leaving her grandfather, the man who raised her, and heading to Pearlhaven, her life completely changes. With the help of her therapist, her furry bff Craig, and the new friends/family she’s made in this small town, her confidence soars. Her new relationships are tested when grief hits once again but the people who love her show up exactly the way she needs.
Billie was very relatable to me and I loved her character development. The love that radiates from these characters had me sucked into their world. I’m not usually a fan of Love at First Sight but I can’t deny how much I enjoyed the way Barrett loves Billie from start to finish and I was swooning every time he remembered some tiny detail about her 😍. Ava is the perfect best friend for Billie and I already know I’m looking forward to reading her story with Jake 🔥

Thank you RTSPR and Aly Ferguson for the opportunity to read this ARC 🫶🏻

[Ryann Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book got me right in the feels from the dedication!

This story is all about starting over and finding yourself after a lifetime of being told you aren't good enough. Billie is so relatable and while she struggles most of the book to find her footing and her moxie she's doing her best, just like the rest of us. It doesn't hurt that Barrett "Bear" is a super hot veterinarian who happens to be obsessed with her and will give her all the time in the world to figure it out LOL. ❤️

Some of my favorite parts of this book were:
- the group chats and the hilarity that ensued there. The goofy names and seeing found family being built one snarky comment at a time.
- The trivia nights (honestly now I need to find some local trivia)
- CRAIG!!!!! the goodest boi ever! 🦮
- Billie and Ava's friendship which was so genuine and touched my heart. Everyone deserves a friend like Ava.

This was filled with grief and heart and figuring yourself out.

This is Aly's debut book I can't wait to see where the rest of the series goes!!

[Kayla Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly can’t describe how this book made me feel. The main character, Billie, was so relatable to me it was almost spooky. The way she speaks, the way she acts, the things that happened to her.. let’s just say some scenes made me cry REALLY hard.
Other romance books are fun and emotional and “feet kicking” worthy. This book goes above that. The depth of emotions I felt was insane. I cried a few times, and they were hard cries. I also cackled out loud so often. I also YEARNED for the deep rooted and realistic relationships all the characters had. They felt like such real people.
I just can’t say enough good things about this book. Aly is incredible and I can’t get enough. 5⭐️ without a doubt.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ Foreverish by Aly Ferguson ✨

Utterly moving. This is hands down the best found family story I’ve read this year. 🥹💔

I felt so incredibly connected to this story that I literally burst into tears multiple times. I was so completely entranced that I couldn’t even bring myself to highlight quotes—I just wanted to keep reading and experiencing the story.

And Billie. 🥹 I want to be like Billie. She is so incredibly strong, and I found myself feeling genuinely proud of her as I watched her navigate everything life threw at her.

This story completely captured my heart. The characters, the found family, the emotions—it all felt so real and meaningful. I know this is a book that will stick with me for a long time. 💕

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Haley H]

Small town romance at its finest!! I related to the FMC more than I have related to any other FMC in any book I have read. As far as the relationship between the two leads, they had incredible banter, and I loved their pet names for each other… And the spicy scenes? A+++ I like bossy Barrett best!

I also loved their best friends, and the way this little quirky “found family” all came together and support one another!

It’s not all romance and butterflies though so be warned, you’ll need a whole box of tissues for this read!

Highly recommend this novel! Congrats to Aly on a wonderful debut!

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Arc Review

I really enjoyed this read. It follows Billie on her journey with dealing with the death of a grand parent and navigating through grief and her mental health.
She has an opportunity to move to Pearlhaven to begin a new journey where she meets Barrett.
Barrett was a total green flag of a man. The way he cares for her was heartwarming to read. It was spaced out as well and took place over months and didn't feel rushed.
Their relationship felt genuine and liked how it flowed. There was definitely some tears shedding in some parts as I felt for Billie in those moments.
Overall, a great 5 star read for me. ✨

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall I liked Foreverish. I appreciated the mental health representation and the main characters navigating tough events. I really liked the found family and how every character's personality was different.
Our FMC made some decisions that felt forced and unexpected in order to line up the plot. And her internal monologue was trying to justify it, but it didnt feel natural.

I laughed, cried really hard, and kicked my feet throughout the book. I hope we get a follow up book after that last chapter!!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I absolutely cannot believe that this is a debut novel!! Aly did a phenomenal job of writing characters that felt real and relatable. I connected so much with Billie in this story and it really helped me do a little self reflection. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me fall in love with Pearlhaven and everything this small town has to offer! If you like cozy, introspective, small town, found family, meet cute type stories - you NEED to pick up Foreverish. Thank you to Rattle the Stars PR for this e-ARC, all thoughts are my own.

[Debbie Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved following this character through her journey of grief and huge life change. The concept of “found family” is prominent and the main man is a hunk of green flags. There is also a huge emphasis on therapy and getting to see a realistic depiction of a therapy session on the page was so refreshing. I caught myself smiling, cried a bit, and even snorted out my wine. This one’s for all the girls who have been told they’re too much!

[Brittney Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was heavy, mentally and emotionally. Everything Billie went through, you can see it in the writing, a lot of this is coming from real life trauma.

This was also adorable, found families are the best.

[Yola84 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this small town sweet love story. Contains lots of sweet friends ( I am jealous of her friends that just wanted to be in her life and support her) the cutest dog with the biggest heart and lots of heartbreak the last 20% of the story. Well written story that I enjoyed and got me so emotional.