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Always and Forever
Lisa and Matt can’t believe their luck. They have a dream house and a dream marriage, and very soon they’ll have a dream family too. But life is rarely that simple. When their beautiful life is rocked by tragedy, they are forced to make an unbearable choice. Suddenly the future they’ve built together looks fragile and exposed.
With aching hearts and their love on the line, they set off on a road trip through the stunning Californian landscape, hoping that time—and distance from the life they thought perfect—will help them start again. Matt is desperate not to lose Lisa, but as they confront their grief in different ways, he may have lost her already.
Where there is love there ought to be strength, but this love has been tested to its limits. Have they endured too much heartbreak for one couple to take? Or will a journey down memory lane put them back on the road to love, hope—and each other?
With aching hearts and their love on the line, they set off on a road trip through the stunning Californian landscape, hoping that time—and distance from the life they thought perfect—will help them start again. Matt is desperate not to lose Lisa, but as they confront their grief in different ways, he may have lost her already.
Where there is love there ought to be strength, but this love has been tested to its limits. Have they endured too much heartbreak for one couple to take? Or will a journey down memory lane put them back on the road to love, hope—and each other?
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2016
570 people are currently reading
614 people want to read
About the author
Soraya M. Lane
122 books2,021 followersSoraya M. Lane is the Amazon Charts & Kindle #1 bestselling author of THE SECRET MIDWIFE and THE ITALIAN DAUGHTER.
Soraya is thrilled to be publishing four new novels in 2025. Soraya has two new historical WWII novels, THE PIANIST'S WIFE and THE SECRET LIBRARIAN, and they're both available now. Soraya has also published two more books in her Lost Daughters series. Book #6, THE SPANISH DAUGHTER, was published in March and book #7, THE HIDDEN DAUGHTER, was published on October 13th.
As a child, Soraya dreamed of becoming an author. Fast forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Soraya describes being an author as "the best career in the world", and she hopes to be writing romance and women's fiction for many years to come.
Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real life hero and two sons on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze.
Add Soraya's latest novel, THE HIDDEN DAUGHTER, to your Goodreads shelf today!
For more information about Soraya, her books and her writing life, visit sorayalane.com or www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor, or follow her on Instagram @SorayaLaneAuthor. She would love to hear from you.
Soraya is thrilled to be publishing four new novels in 2025. Soraya has two new historical WWII novels, THE PIANIST'S WIFE and THE SECRET LIBRARIAN, and they're both available now. Soraya has also published two more books in her Lost Daughters series. Book #6, THE SPANISH DAUGHTER, was published in March and book #7, THE HIDDEN DAUGHTER, was published on October 13th.
As a child, Soraya dreamed of becoming an author. Fast forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Soraya describes being an author as "the best career in the world", and she hopes to be writing romance and women's fiction for many years to come.
Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real life hero and two sons on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze.
Add Soraya's latest novel, THE HIDDEN DAUGHTER, to your Goodreads shelf today!
For more information about Soraya, her books and her writing life, visit sorayalane.com or www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor, or follow her on Instagram @SorayaLaneAuthor. She would love to hear from you.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
July 27, 2016
4 - "Was it worth everything?" Stars!
I am no stranger to Soraya Lanes’ writing, but I think Always and Forever is probably the most heartfelt and emotive story read I have read from her.
At the beginning of the book, Matt and Lisa are a couple that on the surface appear to have the perfect, life, marriage and relationship. But it all quickly unravels, and what the author does at the point of implosion is take this couple apart by degrees until you really don’t know if that they can actually come back from it and be a cohesive loving unit again.
"Let’s go away and just be us again."
I think the other thing that becomes apparent in this one as well, and you get to see it really well due to dual POV, and flashbacks to them as a younger couple is the dynamic change between them, whereas Lisa is the strong, organized and in-control character at the beginning, and Matt the more carefree, laid-back one, after everything that happens their roles are sort of reversed. And it is a reversal that leaves Matt floundering initially.
Lisa was the bright light that had kept shining when he needed it most.
The author also manages to pull you in different directions in relation to where your empathy and emotions lie in regards to the characters and what they are going through as the story progresses as well, this certainly isn’t a cut and dried tale of a couple who hit a rough patch, Matt has things in his past that he still beats himself up over and really needs to deal with. And Lisa has always perceived her future would be a certain way, and now that, that picture can no longer be completed as she has always envisioned it they are both left floundering and trying to deal with their new reality.
What they had been through had tested them, hurt them both, but she was ready to fight, to start over as best she could.
I at points disliked one or the other of them for their behavior, but you also know it is their emotional reactions to the issues they are dealing with that are pulling the feelings from you as a reader. The author doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to them both venting and although the words they share are sometimes ugly, the place they come from is heartbreak over their current situation, and the dam breaking on things that they have avoiding discussing in the past.
"We both lost a lot this year, but one thing I don't want to lose is you..."
This isn’t your hearts and flowers love story, but it is a love story nonetheless, a love that is strong in the beginning, cracks and almost shatters in the middle, and then you see how each of them deals with their joint and singular issues in an effort to re-forge and strengthen their connection in the latter stages of the book. Not an easy read by any means, but definitely one that takes you on a journey with a couple that against the odds become stronger from admitting to and facing their weaknesses, due to things that are completely outside of their control.
ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.
I am no stranger to Soraya Lanes’ writing, but I think Always and Forever is probably the most heartfelt and emotive story read I have read from her.
At the beginning of the book, Matt and Lisa are a couple that on the surface appear to have the perfect, life, marriage and relationship. But it all quickly unravels, and what the author does at the point of implosion is take this couple apart by degrees until you really don’t know if that they can actually come back from it and be a cohesive loving unit again.
"Let’s go away and just be us again."
I think the other thing that becomes apparent in this one as well, and you get to see it really well due to dual POV, and flashbacks to them as a younger couple is the dynamic change between them, whereas Lisa is the strong, organized and in-control character at the beginning, and Matt the more carefree, laid-back one, after everything that happens their roles are sort of reversed. And it is a reversal that leaves Matt floundering initially.
Lisa was the bright light that had kept shining when he needed it most.
The author also manages to pull you in different directions in relation to where your empathy and emotions lie in regards to the characters and what they are going through as the story progresses as well, this certainly isn’t a cut and dried tale of a couple who hit a rough patch, Matt has things in his past that he still beats himself up over and really needs to deal with. And Lisa has always perceived her future would be a certain way, and now that, that picture can no longer be completed as she has always envisioned it they are both left floundering and trying to deal with their new reality.
What they had been through had tested them, hurt them both, but she was ready to fight, to start over as best she could.
I at points disliked one or the other of them for their behavior, but you also know it is their emotional reactions to the issues they are dealing with that are pulling the feelings from you as a reader. The author doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to them both venting and although the words they share are sometimes ugly, the place they come from is heartbreak over their current situation, and the dam breaking on things that they have avoiding discussing in the past.
"We both lost a lot this year, but one thing I don't want to lose is you..."
This isn’t your hearts and flowers love story, but it is a love story nonetheless, a love that is strong in the beginning, cracks and almost shatters in the middle, and then you see how each of them deals with their joint and singular issues in an effort to re-forge and strengthen their connection in the latter stages of the book. Not an easy read by any means, but definitely one that takes you on a journey with a couple that against the odds become stronger from admitting to and facing their weaknesses, due to things that are completely outside of their control.
ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.
September 24, 2022
*Netgalley ARC*
I doubt there are enough harsh and brutal hate words in this entire world to explain,even mildly, my hatred for the heroine of this book.
But.. I will just calm myself by saying that if Lisa were a real person, I would gladly do lifetime just to get a chance to murder her brutally and slowly .
What a shitty,disgusting person!
I realize this happens in reality too when there are people who go out of their way to make a person happy but this PATHETIC recipient with their dark cloud just don't deserve anything.
Anyway, this story is about Matt and Lisa and how they were ultimate sweethearts as teenagers and then married and then tried for a baby but then she got cancer and things went downhill.
Suffice to say, she constantly tortured the hero with her crap even though he moved heaven and earth to make her happy when it wasn't even his fault!
He was equally facing the same fate and sharing the same grief..
To demonstrate properly and to try to calm myself down.. I will just quote some stuff from the book..
•When he was in pain and needed her to be there for him too,she treated him like dog shit and spent all her time "sharing her grief" with people on social sites..
. She’d started to pull away from him at the same time she started reconnecting with everyone else. “Those women were real; they were friends to me. They shared so much and then I just shut it down,” Lisa confessed. “I didn’t feel right just letting that go, and it started to make me feel better, at least while I was plugged in.”
•When he wanting to talk about the pain they BOTH went through..
Matt had no idea what to say to that, how to respond. “Lisa, you’re still the same person. We just have such damn big battle wounds. I don’t get why you have to feel guilty about smiling or dressing up nice.” “We?” she asked, as if she hadn’t heard anything else he’d said. Matt took a big breath, looked down at his food. He didn’t want to start an argument. All he’d wanted was to be helpful, to say the right thing. He didn’t want to engage; he decided to change the subject.
Just dump her,Matt!
And the other stuff she does ..just..I am at my wit's end.
I doubt there are enough harsh and brutal hate words in this entire world to explain,even mildly, my hatred for the heroine of this book.
But.. I will just calm myself by saying that if Lisa were a real person, I would gladly do lifetime just to get a chance to murder her brutally and slowly .
What a shitty,disgusting person!
I realize this happens in reality too when there are people who go out of their way to make a person happy but this PATHETIC recipient with their dark cloud just don't deserve anything.
Anyway, this story is about Matt and Lisa and how they were ultimate sweethearts as teenagers and then married and then tried for a baby but then she got cancer and things went downhill.
Suffice to say, she constantly tortured the hero with her crap even though he moved heaven and earth to make her happy when it wasn't even his fault!
He was equally facing the same fate and sharing the same grief..
To demonstrate properly and to try to calm myself down.. I will just quote some stuff from the book..
•When he was in pain and needed her to be there for him too,she treated him like dog shit and spent all her time "sharing her grief" with people on social sites..
. She’d started to pull away from him at the same time she started reconnecting with everyone else. “Those women were real; they were friends to me. They shared so much and then I just shut it down,” Lisa confessed. “I didn’t feel right just letting that go, and it started to make me feel better, at least while I was plugged in.”
•When he wanting to talk about the pain they BOTH went through..
Matt had no idea what to say to that, how to respond. “Lisa, you’re still the same person. We just have such damn big battle wounds. I don’t get why you have to feel guilty about smiling or dressing up nice.” “We?” she asked, as if she hadn’t heard anything else he’d said. Matt took a big breath, looked down at his food. He didn’t want to start an argument. All he’d wanted was to be helpful, to say the right thing. He didn’t want to engage; he decided to change the subject.
Just dump her,Matt!
And the other stuff she does ..just..I am at my wit's end.
July 21, 2016
When you pick this book up and I highly recommend that you do make sure you have a box of tissues at the ready because you are going to need them, this one is an emotional roller coaster of a ride that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Matt and Lisa are the couple that are envied by everyone childhood sweethearts so very much in love Lisa is so strong and Matt is the fun guy who can always make you laugh and smile, they both work hard Lisa designing clothes and Matt in the building industry but they both want to start a family so badly and with IVF their dreams come true only to be shattered.
I won't say anymore only to recommend you read this one, Matt has some issues from his past that he must deal with so they can move forward and Lisa needs to know what happened with his Mum. MS Lane will pull at your heart strings as she brings so many emotions out in you truly there where times that I could have yelled at Matt and Lisa and then hug them and cry with them I was so engaged with them. Thank you for a story that yes had me smiling in the end and wishing them both lots of love and happiness.
Matt and Lisa are the couple that are envied by everyone childhood sweethearts so very much in love Lisa is so strong and Matt is the fun guy who can always make you laugh and smile, they both work hard Lisa designing clothes and Matt in the building industry but they both want to start a family so badly and with IVF their dreams come true only to be shattered.
I won't say anymore only to recommend you read this one, Matt has some issues from his past that he must deal with so they can move forward and Lisa needs to know what happened with his Mum. MS Lane will pull at your heart strings as she brings so many emotions out in you truly there where times that I could have yelled at Matt and Lisa and then hug them and cry with them I was so engaged with them. Thank you for a story that yes had me smiling in the end and wishing them both lots of love and happiness.
July 19, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this tender, heartwarming read. Matt and Lisa were just rocked by one tragedy after another and watching how they try to deal with it all was heartbreaking. The book was very well written, and very emotional. I highly recommend!
May 30, 2022
this is the third book by this author that I've read and they just keep getting better and better the more I read. this story is such a beautiful one that it will have you in tears in more than one place in the book. the characters were written perfectly and you will fall in love with them from the beginning. this author has a fab way of writing that just draws you into the story and keeps you hooked till the last page, then it will leave you wanting more and more.
highly recommended
https://obsessedbookreviews.com
July 24, 2016
4 1/2 STARS!
Very emotionally riveting! A glimpse into the ups and downs of one marriage, and how they deal with the aftermath. I wasn’t a fan of the going back in forth in time that happened throughout this book, but I did think it was a good book.
Lisa & Matt seemed to have it all. A near perfect marriage, a happy home, and soon a family to make them complete!
When tragedy strikes and decisions have to be made, it all crumbles around them. She wears her hurt and her grief on her sleeve, while he buries his with a smile and tries to be upbeat. They decide a road trip is just what they need to re-connect and move forward in their love for one another, but even that isn’t simple and soon leads to more hurt and more anger.
Will this couple be able to put the pieces of their hearts back together and become people who can love each other forever again, or will the change in them be too much to withstand?
Very emotionally riveting! A glimpse into the ups and downs of one marriage, and how they deal with the aftermath. I wasn’t a fan of the going back in forth in time that happened throughout this book, but I did think it was a good book.
Lisa & Matt seemed to have it all. A near perfect marriage, a happy home, and soon a family to make them complete!
When tragedy strikes and decisions have to be made, it all crumbles around them. She wears her hurt and her grief on her sleeve, while he buries his with a smile and tries to be upbeat. They decide a road trip is just what they need to re-connect and move forward in their love for one another, but even that isn’t simple and soon leads to more hurt and more anger.
Will this couple be able to put the pieces of their hearts back together and become people who can love each other forever again, or will the change in them be too much to withstand?
July 12, 2016
I just don't know where to begin with this review. This was such a beautiful story. It had me in tears more than once and the last time I was in a coffee shop, practically diluting my coffee with my tears! Matt and Lisa are the perfect couple, everyone around them can see how happy they are and how perfect they are for each other. They both want a family but things don't always work out as we hope. Tragedy strikes them and they have to make a choice no one should ever have to make. The aftermath threatens to pull them apart, even though the love is still there. Can they live with the decision that was made? Can they move through their grief? Can their marriage survive? I loved the story and it is one I would read again. It would make such a great movie!
July 27, 2016
Matt and Lisa Collins after years of not conceiving are thrilled that they are finally pregnant. Joy is not a strong enough word for their feeling when they get the news. However the joy is closely followed by sorrow as Lisa is diagnosed with cancer and the treatments she needs must happen now not after she gives birth. Difficult decision that puts an extreme strain on an otherwise wonderfully happy marriage. Ms. Lane has written all that a couple will have to go through when these decisions must be made. A very intense and moving story that will bring you to tears at times but know that strong love of many years can overcome even the biggest obstacles.
July 9, 2016
I received this book for a review.
I lost count on how many times I cried, my heart was shattered right out of the gate.
Nothing can test a relationship more than a devastating event. This is the story of how two people, Matt and Lisa, deal with two heart shattering events and stay connected.
Wonderful story! The author has an amazing way of telling a story and reaching into your soul. This book and this author are the reason why I love to read.
I lost count on how many times I cried, my heart was shattered right out of the gate.
Nothing can test a relationship more than a devastating event. This is the story of how two people, Matt and Lisa, deal with two heart shattering events and stay connected.
Wonderful story! The author has an amazing way of telling a story and reaching into your soul. This book and this author are the reason why I love to read.
July 30, 2016
I was really excited to read this book since I love stories you can relate to. This book met and exceeded my expectations. It is a story of the perfect couple and the perfect marriage that go through some tragic events. Will those events tear them apart or can they come back to each other? Well, that is the story that will suck you in, cause you to tear up, and you to not be able to put the book down.
July 23, 2016
The subject matter of this book is very heavy. It is sad to your core. Lisa and Matt are a strong couple but get hit with some bad luck. And then again and again. I liked Matt and Lisa. The book was well written but it was a little too heavy for me. I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley and the publisher.
July 26, 2016
Always and Forever is a semi romantic story about a good marriage in crisis and how the couple attempt to cope. Soraya Lane does an excellent job of putting us inside the marriage. Expect a few tears along the way. I was given an early copy to review.
July 26, 2016
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a well written, very emotional story. It is engrossing and thoughtful, a very good read.
October 18, 2016
A beautiful marriage-in-jeopardy story, a real tearjerker.
Matt is such a gorgeous hero, adored him!
Matt is such a gorgeous hero, adored him!
March 29, 2018
Okay
This book wasn't all that good. There was an excellent storyline with the plot involving a hugely difficult issue: abortion. The characters had my sympathies, as would anyone having to make such an overwhelming choice, but aside from that, the book was quite dull. But I admit that the first page was wonderful: the way the story began had me thinking the book would make it to my favourites.
Matt and Lisa are the blissfully happy couple at the centre of this story and they have it all: a wonderful marriage, ten years of being together, a house of their own, their own independent lifestyles, a dog... All, except for children. They had been trying for so long to have a child, and had begun to use IVF. Finally, they are rewarded for their efforts. Lisa is pregnant! Of course, she's fearful of a miscarriage, as would any pregnant women be. But things quickly take a turn for the worst... And she and Matt have to choose between her life and the life of her unborn child.
A difficult choice, obviously, and I am not discrediting that at all. I just took issue with how Lisa began to resent her husband for his choice- when they had made the choice together! And then, I resented Matt for not allowing Lisa to grieve. I understood that they were a couple who had never faced hard times, being childhood sweethearts, but this was purely ridiculous.
And I felt as though all the other characters were perfect, there was nothing real-life about them. Your sister can't always be at your beck and call like that. And she can't always remain calm and collected- I wanted screaming matches, rants, heated arguments. Something real. I know you are all thinking I'm probably hosting screaming fests at my house... I'm not. It's just that the emotion in this book was not real enough: they were either incredibly happy or mourning. There was no in between. Unless you count the one time when their feelings, after having been so tightly repressed, are let loose and wreak havoc. Note that this was one time, and my second favourite page.
I also took issue with Matt's unwavering optimism, maybe this is because I'm English. But, it was as if he was almost testing the universe to be horrible to him and his family. For one thing, no man should ever promise something he has no control over. The fool went and promised his wife that the pregnancy would go smoothly. Why would he do that? He also made countless other promises. I hate stupid promises. Just plain stupid.
The rest of the book was flashbacks of Matt and Lisa's first years of marriage, their years before marriage and Matt's run in with cancer. Then, we had Matt and Lisa speaking about their grief, declaring their love for one another. There wasn't much else: no suspense, betrayal, questions, vengeful conflict. It just wasn't my kind of story.
I received this book through NetGalley.
This book wasn't all that good. There was an excellent storyline with the plot involving a hugely difficult issue: abortion. The characters had my sympathies, as would anyone having to make such an overwhelming choice, but aside from that, the book was quite dull. But I admit that the first page was wonderful: the way the story began had me thinking the book would make it to my favourites.
Matt and Lisa are the blissfully happy couple at the centre of this story and they have it all: a wonderful marriage, ten years of being together, a house of their own, their own independent lifestyles, a dog... All, except for children. They had been trying for so long to have a child, and had begun to use IVF. Finally, they are rewarded for their efforts. Lisa is pregnant! Of course, she's fearful of a miscarriage, as would any pregnant women be. But things quickly take a turn for the worst... And she and Matt have to choose between her life and the life of her unborn child.
A difficult choice, obviously, and I am not discrediting that at all. I just took issue with how Lisa began to resent her husband for his choice- when they had made the choice together! And then, I resented Matt for not allowing Lisa to grieve. I understood that they were a couple who had never faced hard times, being childhood sweethearts, but this was purely ridiculous.
And I felt as though all the other characters were perfect, there was nothing real-life about them. Your sister can't always be at your beck and call like that. And she can't always remain calm and collected- I wanted screaming matches, rants, heated arguments. Something real. I know you are all thinking I'm probably hosting screaming fests at my house... I'm not. It's just that the emotion in this book was not real enough: they were either incredibly happy or mourning. There was no in between. Unless you count the one time when their feelings, after having been so tightly repressed, are let loose and wreak havoc. Note that this was one time, and my second favourite page.
I also took issue with Matt's unwavering optimism, maybe this is because I'm English. But, it was as if he was almost testing the universe to be horrible to him and his family. For one thing, no man should ever promise something he has no control over. The fool went and promised his wife that the pregnancy would go smoothly. Why would he do that? He also made countless other promises. I hate stupid promises. Just plain stupid.
The rest of the book was flashbacks of Matt and Lisa's first years of marriage, their years before marriage and Matt's run in with cancer. Then, we had Matt and Lisa speaking about their grief, declaring their love for one another. There wasn't much else: no suspense, betrayal, questions, vengeful conflict. It just wasn't my kind of story.
I received this book through NetGalley.
May 4, 2023
My Musings
A very emotional story with complex characters who have their life turned upside down because cancer does that every time. No one can understand until you walk in the shoes of a cancer patient. While completely heartbreaking, I enjoyed this book. The writing pulled me in and kept me enmeshed until the end. The narrator is good, if at times a bit too happy when a more somber tone would have worked better. Happy reading and listening!
A very emotional story with complex characters who have their life turned upside down because cancer does that every time. No one can understand until you walk in the shoes of a cancer patient. While completely heartbreaking, I enjoyed this book. The writing pulled me in and kept me enmeshed until the end. The narrator is good, if at times a bit too happy when a more somber tone would have worked better. Happy reading and listening!
August 4, 2016
Always and Forever by Soraya Lane
Lisa and Matt have been school friends and now married with their dream house and dream marriage and now soon they will have that dream family. However we all know no life can be that truly dreamy! One trip to the doctor’s office is rocked with tragedy. They have to make the choice between keeping Sue alive or keeping their baby alive without a mom. How can you possibly make that choice?
The choice they made that day hurt the perfect marriage and rocked their world and almost crushed it all.
To try to reconnect they set off for a California road trip. Back to where they got married and back to where they did some dreaming. They had hoped that the time together and distance from their life would help them start again. But it did not go that way.
Matt had endured the loss of his mom and felt his father had never done enough to help his mom and for him. But now that he is faced with things he realizes his father did try and even though as a young boy it was not apparent he realizes now he must make peace with his dad.
Lisa’s older sister Kelly was Matt’s best friend and Kelly was worried about her sister when she fell for Matt. Everyone thought that Lisa was the best thing that happened to Matt.
This is a journey through good times and bad times for Matt and Lisa. Will they make it?
Lisa and Matt have been school friends and now married with their dream house and dream marriage and now soon they will have that dream family. However we all know no life can be that truly dreamy! One trip to the doctor’s office is rocked with tragedy. They have to make the choice between keeping Sue alive or keeping their baby alive without a mom. How can you possibly make that choice?
The choice they made that day hurt the perfect marriage and rocked their world and almost crushed it all.
To try to reconnect they set off for a California road trip. Back to where they got married and back to where they did some dreaming. They had hoped that the time together and distance from their life would help them start again. But it did not go that way.
Matt had endured the loss of his mom and felt his father had never done enough to help his mom and for him. But now that he is faced with things he realizes his father did try and even though as a young boy it was not apparent he realizes now he must make peace with his dad.
Lisa’s older sister Kelly was Matt’s best friend and Kelly was worried about her sister when she fell for Matt. Everyone thought that Lisa was the best thing that happened to Matt.
This is a journey through good times and bad times for Matt and Lisa. Will they make it?
September 12, 2016
Always and Forever by Soraya Lane is the story of Lisa and Matt Collins who must make an impossible choice and struggle with the aftermath of that choice. The story opens as Lisa and Matt learn they are finally pregnant after years of trying to start their family. Things are going smoothly until Lisa gets a devastating diagnosis. Now the couple must an impossible choice: her life or the baby’s. As they make their choice, life as they knew it falls apart. Lisa falls into a deep depression and Matt struggles to return to the life they had before. They decide to go on a road trip, thinking that leaving home will help them leave everything behind. Will the road trip be the therapy they are looking for? Will they return to the life and love they had before? Or did the choice they made destroy everything they cared for?
Always and Forever is a wonderful story which features a topic and a choice which many couples never think they will face. A fast read which gets to the heart of the conflict between husband and wife. They both rationalize their choice in different ways. As I read, I kept asking myself what decision I would make. Which decision would my husband make? Would be able to live with the choice? I highly recommend Always and Forever!
Always and Forever
Is available at all major booksellers
Always and Forever is a wonderful story which features a topic and a choice which many couples never think they will face. A fast read which gets to the heart of the conflict between husband and wife. They both rationalize their choice in different ways. As I read, I kept asking myself what decision I would make. Which decision would my husband make? Would be able to live with the choice? I highly recommend Always and Forever!
Always and Forever
Is available at all major booksellers
August 7, 2016
Good book!! Completely sucked me in, couldn't put it down until I finished it this morning.
Lisa and Matt Williams are the couple EVERYONE envies. After 10 years of being together, 5 years of marriage, they still can't keep their hands off each other.
After trying for so long to get pregnant, Lisa FINALLY finds out she's going to be a Mommy. But the good news is short lived. By her 4th month of pregnancy, the couple is faced with the hardest decision of their lives. It's a no-brainer for Matt, yet Lisa doesn't agree with him and resents him.
As Matt's past is dredged up while his wife is suffering, he refuses to share that dark part of his life with her. She, on the other hand, thinks that he isn't hurting like the way she is because he's trying so hard to make her laugh like EVERYTHING is ok.
When she wants some time apart from him, he then realizes he needs to man-up and open up his emotions. his wife really needs to see what's behind the happy go lucky guy he's always presented; that is if he wants to save his marriage.
**Was given an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Lisa and Matt Williams are the couple EVERYONE envies. After 10 years of being together, 5 years of marriage, they still can't keep their hands off each other.
After trying for so long to get pregnant, Lisa FINALLY finds out she's going to be a Mommy. But the good news is short lived. By her 4th month of pregnancy, the couple is faced with the hardest decision of their lives. It's a no-brainer for Matt, yet Lisa doesn't agree with him and resents him.
As Matt's past is dredged up while his wife is suffering, he refuses to share that dark part of his life with her. She, on the other hand, thinks that he isn't hurting like the way she is because he's trying so hard to make her laugh like EVERYTHING is ok.
When she wants some time apart from him, he then realizes he needs to man-up and open up his emotions. his wife really needs to see what's behind the happy go lucky guy he's always presented; that is if he wants to save his marriage.
**Was given an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
August 1, 2016
Always and Forever by Soraya Lane is a tear jerker story that I feared it would not be able to end happily for this couple. However, Ms. Lane does a marvelous job taking this novel from worst case scenario then turning it into a journey of hopefulness. I recently read a quote that sums up the story of Matt and Lisa; “It takes strength to survive, it takes courage to live.”
Matt and Lisa, childhood sweethearts are living the perfect dream life when suddenly they must face some real tragedies in their lives. Their story is one that deserves to be read so I won’t go into what happens. Beautifully written, Always and forever has an emotional richness balanced with an air of sensitive realism.
Copy provided by the publisher through Net Galley for an honest review.
Matt and Lisa, childhood sweethearts are living the perfect dream life when suddenly they must face some real tragedies in their lives. Their story is one that deserves to be read so I won’t go into what happens. Beautifully written, Always and forever has an emotional richness balanced with an air of sensitive realism.
Copy provided by the publisher through Net Galley for an honest review.
August 14, 2016
Lisa is one of the most self centered and unsympathetic characters I've read in a long time. I understand her grief at having to terminate a pregnancy and losing the chance to have children BUT it was to save her life. Over and Over again = and never a glad to be alive. This would have been a much more interesting novel if she had raised a religious or ethical issue with the termination but nope, not a one.Also if we had been given more a sense of the medical issue or she had to struggle with treatment. Matt's story was more interesting and he was the better character. There are thousands and thousands of foster children who need a home. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I can't recommend this one.
October 10, 2017
This is the first book I have read by this author. It is definitely emotional and if you are a cryer (like me) you will end up with the sniffles/pile of tissues/crying headache. But it is well done and it feels more real than a lot of love stories out there. The dual POV and bringing in the past really helped to round out the story and make it a worthwhile read.
Honestly, it was probably a 3.5 story for me. I think I prefer a bit more light-hearted escapist reads in general. But I would give other books by Soraya Lane a chance (plus I really love her name for some reason).
*I received this book through the goodreads firstreads program but am under no obligation to write a review. As such all opinions in this review are mine alone.
Honestly, it was probably a 3.5 story for me. I think I prefer a bit more light-hearted escapist reads in general. But I would give other books by Soraya Lane a chance (plus I really love her name for some reason).
*I received this book through the goodreads firstreads program but am under no obligation to write a review. As such all opinions in this review are mine alone.
July 22, 2016
3 stars, but just barely.
I am sorely disappointed in this book. Based on the synopsis, it had great potential and I was really eager to start it. The beginning, even the first half, did not disappoint but after that I felt it just dragged on. I got impatient and annoyed with Lisa and just felt so badly for Matt after a while. Perhaps this makes me cold, I'd like to think more pragmatic than cold, and also just more emotionally mature. But who knows, I've not lived through the situation these characters are in.
Anyway, great potential, good start, weak middle and finish.
Thank you for the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. This review is my honest opinion.
I am sorely disappointed in this book. Based on the synopsis, it had great potential and I was really eager to start it. The beginning, even the first half, did not disappoint but after that I felt it just dragged on. I got impatient and annoyed with Lisa and just felt so badly for Matt after a while. Perhaps this makes me cold, I'd like to think more pragmatic than cold, and also just more emotionally mature. But who knows, I've not lived through the situation these characters are in.
Anyway, great potential, good start, weak middle and finish.
Thank you for the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. This review is my honest opinion.
August 10, 2016
"Always and Forever" by Soraya Lane is my first read from this author and I really liked it. The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is because the back and forth between the characters in the book isn't my favorite thing. I stress easily and my brain needed to refocus. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the story. A heartfelt story between married couple Lisa and Matt that gives us a story of ups and downs of their marriage. When a couple takes their vows are they really able to overcome all that marriage is about. Sometimes it isn't all happy roses and hearts, and when one person expresses themselves differently from the other things get a bit messy.
July 29, 2016
Where do I even begin with one?
I totally loved it!
This story is not about how people find their Happily Ever After but how they keep the Happily Ever After to stay that way.
Lisa and Matt were childhood (teenage) sweethearts and they have been true to each other in all the ups and downs of life. They think about themselves but they think of each other as well.
Their life is not all a joy ride but they try to find their joy in each other.
This is the type of relationship where people find reasons for making their relationships work. This is TRUE LOVE!
I totally loved it!
This story is not about how people find their Happily Ever After but how they keep the Happily Ever After to stay that way.
Lisa and Matt were childhood (teenage) sweethearts and they have been true to each other in all the ups and downs of life. They think about themselves but they think of each other as well.
Their life is not all a joy ride but they try to find their joy in each other.
This is the type of relationship where people find reasons for making their relationships work. This is TRUE LOVE!
August 18, 2016
Tearjerker alert!!
Wow! What can I say about a book that made me cry almost all the way through! Matt and Lisa go through so much heartache and you are experiencing it along with them as you read this book. The author makes you feel like you are there! Very down to earth characters make you feel like you know them. I don't want to say too much about the storyline because I don't want to spoil it for the reader but you just have to read it for yourself and get the Kleenex ready!!
Wow! What can I say about a book that made me cry almost all the way through! Matt and Lisa go through so much heartache and you are experiencing it along with them as you read this book. The author makes you feel like you are there! Very down to earth characters make you feel like you know them. I don't want to say too much about the storyline because I don't want to spoil it for the reader but you just have to read it for yourself and get the Kleenex ready!!
October 6, 2016
Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Soraya Lane for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very emotional story about a husband and wife who are faced with a very difficult choice regarding bringing a child into the world. This is a couple, who were childhood sweethearts and were envied by many who knew them and now, a tragedy may cause them to lose it all. While this story was a tear jerker, I found Lisa to be so selfish and self-serving and this made this book a difficult read for me.
This is a very emotional story about a husband and wife who are faced with a very difficult choice regarding bringing a child into the world. This is a couple, who were childhood sweethearts and were envied by many who knew them and now, a tragedy may cause them to lose it all. While this story was a tear jerker, I found Lisa to be so selfish and self-serving and this made this book a difficult read for me.
January 22, 2017
Matt and Lisa face a loss that challenges their bond with each other, the kind of loss that many marriages don't survive. And when they try to pick up where they left off and just go on with their lives they find they can't leave their pain behind. This book follows them on their journey to understanding what their marriage vows really mean and discovering what they still have.
I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
August 2, 2016
Matt and Lisa always had the kind of marriage that everyone envied, a love that will always keep them together. When a crisis comes into their lives that love is tested beyond limits they never expected. This book had an excellent storyline and even though I enjoyed it, I found it to be a little repetitious and drawn out. I also feel that the over use of the F word and other vulgarities never adds anything positive to a book. I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
August 14, 2016
Good read
When I first started this book I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it as the characters go through huge life changing problems and I was concerned the story would be sad and depressing. However, the characters are so likeable you find yourself wanting to read on because you really want them to come through the other side. I actually found the story quite uplifting and I look forward to reading something else by Soraya Lane.
When I first started this book I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it as the characters go through huge life changing problems and I was concerned the story would be sad and depressing. However, the characters are so likeable you find yourself wanting to read on because you really want them to come through the other side. I actually found the story quite uplifting and I look forward to reading something else by Soraya Lane.
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