Between Here and Gone: An Angsty Contemporary Romance

by Melissa Senger

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 4, 2026

Reviews

[Kenny Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Olive Press Publishing for the ARC of this title. It took me a little to get into it but once I did I really enjoyed it. The bond between two twins is something amazing and as an only child I find crazy to really think about. This book was sweet and spicy and at times very sad!! I enjoyed it very much!!

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely don’t even know how to put my feelings about Between Here and Gone into words because Melissa Senger absolutely BROKE MY HEART with this book and then somehow slowly pieced it back together again. 😭💔

This was so much more emotional than I was prepared for.

The plane hijacking. The twins being torn apart at 35,000 feet. One fighting to survive while the other is thousands of miles away grieving and desperately wanting answers…I was already DONE. The connection between Kendall and her twin hit me so freaking hard. That feeling of knowing someone you love that deeply might be gone while still having this tiny piece of you refusing to believe it??? 😭

And then Kendall is stranded in a snowstorm, completely devastated, and meets a stranger who is carrying his own grief.

Two people who are hurting.

One hotel room.

ONE BED.

And somehow in the middle of all that heartbreak, something beautiful starts growing between them.

I absolutely loved that the romance didn’t take away from the grief. It wasn’t some magical cure. They were both still hurting and struggling and trying to survive everything happening around them, but they found these tiny moments of comfort in each other. Then those moments became something MORE and my heart couldn’t handle it.

The forced proximity was incredible, but it was those quiet conversations and vulnerable moments that absolutely destroyed me. There’s something about two people finding each other at one of the worst moments of their lives and becoming this unexpected safe place for each other that just HURTS SO GOOD. 😭❤️

And Kendall…my heart absolutely shattered for her.

Weeks becoming months and having to somehow keep living while hope gets harder and harder to hold onto was devastating. That constant battle between accepting what everyone is telling you and listening to the part of yourself that KNOWS your twin in a way nobody else possibly could…I was hanging onto every little piece of hope right alongside her.

Then everything with Joss and the distance and complications and uncertainty??? STOP IT. 😭

There were moments where I wanted to scream because I just needed these people to catch ONE BREAK.

This book made me feel EVERYTHING.

Grief.
Hope.
Fear.
Love.
Desperation.
Heartbreak.

And somehow even when everything felt impossible, there was still this tiny thread of hope running through the story that I couldn’t let go of.

“Because some people are just too loved to stay lost.”

THAT DESTROYED ME. 😭😭😭

There is so much love inside this story. Romantic love, sisterly love, the almost unexplainable connection between twins and the kind of love that keeps reaching for someone even when everyone else thinks it’s time to let go.

And YES it’s emotional and heartbreaking, but it’s also spicy and romantic and beautiful and full of those moments that make your chest physically ache.

Melissa Senger absolutely wrecked me with Between Here and Gone. I cried, hoped, hurt and fell completely in love with these characters. This wasn’t just a romance for me. It was a story about refusing to stop believing in the people you love, even when hope feels impossible.

My heart is absolutely battered after this one, but I would read it all over again.

[T || · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Olivepresspublishing & Melissa Senger for this angsty Contemporary Romance, Between Here And Gone.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I was obssessed with this book from the dedication!!!! Like wow. "For my best friend and the sister I never had." Okay fml, I cried like a baby. Why? Who knows 👀🤣💙 it was such a sweet sentiment 💙
It does come with TW's ! The content warnings are as follows: Plane Hij@cking, plane crash, grief/bereavement, depression/anxiety themes, surprise pregnancy, conf!nement,
and k!dnapp!ng.

We start out with the main characters Lennox & Knox and they (spoiler spoiler spoiler lol), for me this is original, I've never read a book that starts like that, that I can recall right now. Super jealous of them in South Africa too!!

I loved the whole insta love / soul mate vibe from Lennox, but couldn't help wondering. Is it one sided 👀 holy shit. What the what in chapter 1 ?! Then Booom 2 week timehop & we get spice!! F**k yesss!!

I loved the pov from Kendall's side of things! The whole trauma of the event and the bond with the sisters, gawdddd I didnt know my tear ducts held so much water.

This book actually did break me. I read like 50% in 1 sitting then was just emotionally wiped and floored, I needed sleep 😭😭😭😭😭

Why did you do this to me????😭😭😭
This book doesn't just break you apart and knit you back together, it shatters you to oblivion & it's like trying to crawl out of hell waiting for the light 👀🤣😭😭😭 (but it was soooo f***ing good)

6 stars from me
No one can make me cry my eyes out like my lovely Yaz @ olive press - and I hate that you love doing it to me Yaz!! 💋💚

🛩🛩🛩🛩
You broke me that much you got a special mention Yaz 👀🤣😭

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story definitely pulled me in. Especially when I started reading it on a plane! Once the story got going, it became hard to put down because I was invested in finding out what actually happened after the plane crash.

I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters. Their connection was strong, although I did feel like the romance developed a little faster than I found believable. Still, there was enough chemistry and emotional tension with all that was going on in their lives to keep me invested in their relationship as well as the mystery surrounding the crash.

I did have a bit of a hard time with the billionaire aspect. I had a little trouble believing that these incredibly wealthy young women were still doing all of their own cooking and baking up everything from scratch. They certainly didn’t learn it from their mother. 😂 I know it’s a small detail, but it pulled me out of the story a few times.

Some tropes:

✈️ Plane crash / survival
❤️ Fast-burn romance
🔥 Strong chemistry
💰 Billionaire characters
🩹 Healing / overcoming trauma
📖 Page-turner

Overall, this was a fast-paced read with romance, mystery, and plenty to keep the pages turning. If you enjoy romances with a little suspense mixed in, add this one to your TBR.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the author for the copy.

[Lillian Christenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book sent me through a lot of different feelings as I read it. The joy of finding the love of your life when you least expect it can hit you like a freight train, just as it does for both Lennox and Kendall. I cannot imagine having a sibling that you have such a strong connection with and then thinking that person is gone. Kendall’s belief was amazing!

The author did an amazing describing the connection that these siblings had. I enjoyed the mystery aspect in the plot most of all on top of the romance.

Thank you Melissa for giving me the chance to read this advanced copy of your newest book. 5⭐️

[crystal 𑁍 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
🌶️🌶️
What an emotional rollercoaster I was on from start to finish.
I too have a sister and know that love spans galaxies. The amount of you’d do the ends of earth you’d travel to make sure your sibling returned to you.
The relationship between Lennox and Knox and Kendall and Joss were fairytale like and you just wish men like them were real. This was a sweet read with a beautiful happy ending.

[Coral Hopwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author Melissa Senger for my copy of this book. I absolutely loved this book and the characters. Every single character in this book were totally lovable and it was such an interesting plot with an even better ending!!! Well done Melissa, can't wait to read more of your books!!

[Kalexreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lennox and Knox have a whirlwind romance while they're both traveling in Africa. The unthinkable happens when their plane is hijacked mid-air. As they prepare to most likely crash, they are able to contact their families. Kendall, Lennox's twin sister, finds solace in the arms of a stranger she met at the airport, who was also searching for answers for a family member believed to have been on the same plane as Lennox. This story was so sweet yet heartbreaking. It was spicy and emotional and endearing. I loved how the puzzle pieces of this story fit together!!!