This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Lisa Spoors
Twenty years ago,
Sarah and Cahal were madly in love. Their families were deeply opposed to the
relationship, particularly Sarah's dad and aunt, and as time went on the
pressures around them lead to Sarah and Cahal going their separate ways.
Now, Sarah still thinks about Cahal. She has never forgotten her one true love and no-one – not even her ex-husband – has ever come close. So when Sarah and Cahal come face to face at a work function, all the feelings and emotions from all those years ago come flooding back. It's clear that both still have feelings for each other, but with Cahal now living in Australia, where he has a young family, and with Sarah's family still dead-set against the relationship, can they find a way to be together? There's been so much water under the bridge, and Sarah feels betrayed by Cahal for the way things ended between them.
I found Always You beautifully written – the story of 'the one that got away' is one we read a lot in women's fiction but I thought this book had something a bit special. I started this book expecting it to be fluffy and predictable, and in fact found it quite the opposite – it's real and engaging. Both Sarah and Cahal are likeable characters and throughout the book I shared their frustration in not being able to simply pick up where they left off in 1992. Like Sarah, I couldn't understand what Cahal or his family could have done that would make her dad and aunt oppose their romance so vehemently.
This book shows that the path of true love certainly doesn't always run smoothly, and sometimes the things that stand in our way are much greater than we ever could have imagined.
9/10